Diet helps child recover from Autism

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Mar 282013

Boy with Autism Recovers After Gluten-free Casein-free Diet

Many parents know that diet and environment can change children’s behaviour. In this video a mother and Dr Kenneth Bock discuss how a gluten and dairy free diet helped her son recover from autism.

Dr Bock recommends also that children and families avoid chemicals, pesticides and other possible contributors to autism such as phthalates in plastic.

‘Growing Greener Children’ is a great first step comprehensive resource for parents wanting to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Sugar effects preschoolers’ behaviour

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Aug 212012

A study investigating the effect of sugar consumption on the behaviour of preschool children found that following a sugary drink the children’s performance in a structured testing situation declined. The children also demonstrated more inappropriate behaviour during free play. The differences in behaviour were most pronounced approximately 45 to 60 minutes after the drinks. (1)

One can of soft drink contains the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons of sugar according to the UK University of Bristol’s Community Based Medicine centre. (2) Their study asks how parents can become informed about the consequences and content of soft drinks. Obesity, diabetes, behavioural changes and dental decay are some of the effects of increased consumption of overladen sugary soft drinks. Harvard School of Public Health surveyed 90,000 women and found that just one 350 ml serving of a sugary drink a day increased the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 15%. Drinks surveyed included soft drinks, bottled iced tea and fruit-flavoured drinks and flavoured waters. Drinking two soft drinks a day boosted the risk by 26%. (3)

‘One drink of sugary beverage per day causes about a 60% increase in the risk of obesity in children’ says Dr. Walter Willett, Chairman of the Dept. of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Below Dr Willet talks on steps that families, government, and beverage manufacturers can take to reduce our consumption of sugary drinks.

Eco parenting is currently developing an innovative, engaging and interactive 3D ‘look inside the human body’. This 3D pilot will demonstrate a child’s wellbeing and the links to diet, lifestyle and environment. If you would like to support this project and receive a one on one consultation with Jane Hanckel and a signed copy of her book then please click here.

(1) Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Volume 14, Number 4, 565-577, DOI: 10.1007/BF01260524diseases

(2) Hanckel, J., ‘Eco Parenting – Growing Greener Children’

(3) Harvard School of Public Health, Retrieved 7/11/10 from http://hvrd.me/iuxTrn

A Wake Up Story About Eco Parenting

babies, Back to Nature, early childhood, eco parenting, ecology, education, environment, envrionmental issues, for parents, healthy food, news, parenting, pregnancy, sustainability 2 Responses »

Aug 112012

A powerful short animation from Healthy Child, Healthy World that shows why eco parenting is critically important.

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Chemicals in the environment and our children’s wellbeing

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Jul 192012

Children are more susceptible to chemicals in the environment

What effect are chemicals in the environment having on our children’s development? What can we do about it?

Common everyday pollutants and chemicals are in our children’s toys, our tinned food, our carpets, our cleaning products, our personal care products. They have the potential to impact on children’s well being. The pollutants and chemicals are linked to an increase in childhood diseases such as diabetes, ADHD, obesity and hormone disruption. A University of Texas study found that chemical intolerance occurs in 1 of 5 primary care patients yet is rarely diagnosed by medical practitioners. [1]

Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, senior advisor to the Australian National Toxics Network, writes in Environmental Health ‘Since World War II, approximately 80,000 new commercial synthetic chemicals have been released into the environment, with approximately 1500 new chemicals released annually. Most of these have not been adequately tested for their impacts on human health or their particular impacts on children and the developing foetus. Yet, children are exposed to hazardous chemicals through residues in their food, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and through household products and contaminated house dust. Many of these chemicals are persistent and remain in the human body long after exposure.’ [2]

Some of the main chemicals of concern include

Phthalates. Phthalates are a plasticiser, a chemical found in items that we use everyday like cosmetics, soaps, plastics and paint. Most adults in the modern world have phthatlates in their system. Studies have shown a correlation between phthalates, obesity and ADHD in children.

Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is used as a plastic “hardener”. Baby bottles, water bottles, juice boxes, food can linings and food containers all contain BPA. BPA has been known as an Endocrine Disruptor Chemical (EDC) since the 1930’s. Studies indicate that 92.6% of Americans have BPA in their blood which can be linked to ADHD, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, breast and prostate cancer and hormone disruption. These disorders have been observed even when exposure to BPA was in extremely low quantities (well below the accepted dose).’ [3] BPA in children between six and eleven years of age is twice as high as those of older Americans. Alarmingly, a recent study showed that one serving of canned soup increases the body’s BPA levels 20-fold. In September 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance. See Foxtel Report

Organo Phosphates Children are exposed to pesticides in indoor and outdoor settings and home environments and through the food they eat. Numerous studies indicate that pesticides can adversely affect the nervous system and increase the risk of ADHD, cancer and infertility. [4] Studies show that infants are exposed to hundreds of chemicals in utero.

Positive steps are being taken. Bisphenol A was declared a toxic substance by Canadian authorities declared Bisphenol A in 2010. BPA is the chemical used to make some hard plastic containers and toys. The Canadian advocacy group, Environmental Defence, stated that ‘The toxic listing is the foundation for any legal action‘ and predicted BPA will be removed from food and beverage containers in a few years.’ [5] In 2011 New York introduced the Child Safe Playing Fields Act which prohibits use of pesticides on playgrounds, athletic fields and all grassy areas in K-12 schools. [6]

What can we do to protect children from chemicals in the environment?

Eat fresh, unprocessed ‘chemical free’ or organic food,
Minimize plastic especially for food consumption and in children’s environments
Eliminate children’s exposure to pesticides and insecticides
Use ecological cleaning products and personal care products.
Read the labels. If you don’t know what is in a product, look it up – find an ecological alternative.
Live simply. Start questioning.

Changing children’s diet and environment can their lives can change. Quite dramatically. It is a process of greater awareness and responsibility. Returning to a more simple, ecological way of living will benefit our children’s wellbeing and increase our capacity for joy.

[1] Katerndall, DA et al, University of Texas Health Science Centre, An Fam Med 2012 Jul; 10(4):357-65. http://bit.ly/SFXWII

[2] Children’s Environmental Health: Intergenerational Equity in Action—A Civil Society Perspective, Mariann Lloyd-Smith, and Bro Sheffield-Brotherton

[3] Senjen,R., Azoulay, D., Blissfully unaware of Bisphenol A, Reasons why regulators should live up to their responsibilities, A comprehensive review of the scientific knowledge about the controversial plastic ingredient Bisphenol A, September 2008, Friends of the Earth, Australia

[4] Grossman, E., From the Fields to Inner City, Pesticides Affect Children’s IQ, 16^th May, 2011

[5] http://BPA declared toxic by Canada, CBC news, Retrieved 11/4/10 from http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2010/10/13/bpa-toxic.html

[6] http://e360.yale.edu/feature/from_the_fields_to_inner_city_pesticides_affect_childrens_iq/2404/

How can parents help children lead happier, healthier, more rewarding lives?

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Jul 142012

Eco parenting helps children lead happier, healthier, more rewarding lives

What can we do to help children realise their full potential? I believe we need to develop the capacity for joy which is the fundamental right of every human being – of every child. ‘Eco parenting – growing greener children‘ is about enhancing that capacity for joy.

By following seven simple eco parenting principles

Increasing connection with nature and using natural materials
Consuming of seasonal local and organic whole food
Minimising use of technology
Engaging in regular exercise
Practicing mindfulness – meditation, yoga, chi gung
Building and connecting community
Caring for country – reducing our ecological impact

parents can help their children lead happier, healthier, more rewarding lives.

It is all about simplicity.

“Simplicity in the outer life is beautiful. In the inner life simplicity is invincible” ~ Sri Chinmoy, Indian Poet

In Western civilization we have replaced simplicity with complexity and in turn lost touch with the simplicity of our inner life, our invincibility.

We have a deep responsibility to respect and honour our relationships – to ourselves, our families, our community and our environment – our country. It is with this in mind that I wrote ‘growing greener children’ as a result of my seven years working in communities across Australia. I saw a phenomenal change in the well being of children and parents when eco parenting principles were introduced.

Introducing and changing diet and environment based on natural, organic, chemical free principles were the two of the first changes that were introduced. Simple, hand made natural toys filled the children’s playroom. The children and parents made their own bread from organic wholemeal flour and fresh salad from the community garden adorned the lunch table. A sense of joy pervaded the room.

These are simple changes that every family can make to help their children lead happier, more rewarding lives. As Paramahansa Yogananda said, “Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become.”

Jane Hanckel
Author – Eco parenting – growing greener children

Playing the metabolic lottery

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Jan 202012

There is a need for the growing body of scientific evidence, linking obesity and other chronic diseases to toxins in our environment, to become acknowledged in public policy.

This was highlighted in the letter, Metabolic Lot tery, (1) in the Sydney Morning Herald – ‘obesity is due to metabolic damage wrought by a food supply high in toxins and low in nutrients’. In the past year $36 billion has been spent cost on treating obesity-related ailments. 25% of children in Australia are overweight or obese. ‘In 1985, the proportion of overweight or obese Australian children (7-to-15-year-olds) was 11.1 per cent. If the trend continues, 65 per cent of Australian children will be overweight or obese by 2020.’ (2)

In ‘Eco Parenting – Growing Greener Children.’ Jane Hanckel provides easy access to information about everyday toxins in our environment and presents an eco parenting model to help parents make healthy choices for their children and their families.

(1) Metabolic lottery‘The fortunate choose foods low in toxins and high in nutrients. The determined starve themselves and exercise frantically. The majority play the metabolic lottery which has many losers. It will be a dark day when our governments begin penalising those losers while still subsidising the toxic food supply.’ Dr Dave Liddy Belrose

(2) http://bit.ly/xTyP4l

Prescription for Play – pediatricians speak out

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Dec 142011

Physicians Speak Out on the Importance of Play for Children’s Health

Dr. Ken Ginsburg, pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, and Dr. Marilyn Benoit, Chief Clinical Officer at Devereux Behavioral Health and former president of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, address critical issues facing children and families today — rising levels of stress and anxiety, obesity-related health problems, dramatically reduced time for free play and play outdoors, hectic and overscheduled family life — and offer solutions to addressing these problems.

This video was produced in collaboration with the Alliance for Childhood and KaBOOM!. http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/ and http://kaboom.org

The promotion of creative, free imaginative play, along with healthy food and natural environments are key principles of the Inspir=Ed Spirit of Childhood early childhood programs which have had great success in introducing imaginative play and healthy food in communities across Australia. www.spiritofchildhood.org

Healthy food for Christmas…

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Dec 132011

Enjoy Christmas this year by choosing healthy, quality food.

What is healthy, quality food?

Food grown without pesticides and chemical fertilisers or organic food
Food that contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs
Food that does not contain artificial flavouring, preservatives or colouring
Fresh food – farmers markets, community gardens or ‘grow your own’ food is fresher, fresher is better
Whole food without additional added oils, sugars, etc.
Food that is not genetically modified and that does not contain GM ingredients
Sustainable production food – eg free range poultry, organic meat

Enjoy Christmas!

Pesticides linked to ADHD in children

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Nov 232011

Harvard School of Public Health study of ADHD and links to pesticides

Pesticides tied to ADHD in children from Harvard School of Public Health on Vimeo.

Marc Weisskopf, Mark and Catherine Winkler Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, discusses a study that finds children exposed to higher levels of pesticides known as organophosphates could have a higher risk of being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (2:02)

Udon noodles – how to make your own delicious noodles

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Aug 252011

Have you ever wondered how Udon Noodles are made. Toshi Komatsu provided a wonderful demonstration at Sandra Frain’s educational program. It was great fun – in particular that all the parents and children were able to help flatten the dough using their feet!

Toshi had prepared the udon noodle dough from a kilo of wholemeal flour, water and salt. He kneaded it into a round ball and then the fun began.

Toshi took a large sheet of plastic between which the dough was placed. In Japan a large bamboo mat is used, which is the traditional way to prepare the dough for the noodles.

Parents and children stood on the plastic with the dough beneath their feet

Toshi turned the dough over and put it beneath the sheets of plastic after each set of parents and children had walked a full circle on the dough. The parents and children all took turns until the dough was about 40 centimetres in diameter.

The parents and children then walked their feet around in a small circle to flatten the dough

Toshi then took a long piece of doweling, approx 2cm diameter to finish flattening the dough.

Toshi finishing flattening the noodle dough

The dough was then folded on itself as shown in the picture below. A large flat kitchen chopping knife provided the ideal instrument to slice the dough into thin strips, which were then laid out on the table.

Folding the dough in preparation for making the noodles

Toshi used a flat bladed chopping knife he had brought from Japan to cut the noodle dough.

Cutting the udon noodles.

The udon noddles are carefully laid out on the table.

The udon noodles.

When all the dough had been cut it was put in boiling water. The noodles take between 5 and 15 minutes to cook, depending on the thickness of the noodles.

The udon noodles are cooked in boiling water.

Toshi and Sandra served the noodles with a mixture of mirin and soy sauce and a few sesame seeds. Delicious! A great experience!

Toshi is a kindergarten teacher at the St Kilda Steiner Kindergarten in Melbourne. Sandra Frain runs Living, Loving, Learning (and Laughing too) Educational Programs for all Ages in Mullumbimby, NSW.

Thank you Toshi and Sandra!