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What is happening to our kids??

Autism is a serious behavioral disorder among young children that has skyrocketed over tha last few years. According to records, in some developed countries it has increased 1000% in the last 20 years.

Each autistic child costs taxpayers about $2 million per child as lifetime care costs are easily five times higher. Not to mention the extreme burden of care on the parents of an autistic child.

Spectrum disorders like ADHD are also increasing at a phenomenol rate and I worry as to how this is going to affect society as a whole later on.  Are these kids going to function in the workplace effectively? Are they going to have stable relationships and family life? It is definitely NOT these kids faults that they cannot focus, behave or learn like everyone else.

The medical answer is Ritalin and other such drugs. Long term side effects are not so great with these medications and include depression, memory loss and a brain that has learned to adapt around the drug making it very hard to get off the drug later on.

Spectrum disorders can be regarded as a type of social anxiety disorder. Put simply,  there is too much chaos internally in the brain and nervous system.

Internal brain chaos is always biochemical in nature which usually means nutrient deficiencies and heavy metal/ chemical toxicity. Genetics play a huge part so even if the child has a good diet and has not been exposed to pollutants, the child can still be toxic as their biochemical detoxification pathways may be hugely compromised.

 Behavioural disorders also involve leaky gut to some degree which which may involve the presence of infection and will likely cause food sensitivities if not addressed

Effective treatment for kids on the spectrum is multi-faceted and  involves uncovering underlying nutrient deficiencies, addressing gut issues, methylation issues (genetic trait), oxidative stress issues and increasing the child’s ability to detoxify effectively.

fat= disease

Anyone seen the Jamie Oliver’s Sugar Rush debate? Scary how so much hidden sugar is in our foods. Four grams of sugar equals a teaspoon of sugar. The average person is unwittingly consuming more than 30 teaspoons of sugar a day cleverly disguised in cereal, drinks, yoghurts, pre-packaged sauces and so forth. What a lot of people consider healthy is not as healthy as you may think.

The World Health organization recommends no more than seven teaspoons of sugar a day. No wonder we are getting fatter. The pharmaceutical industry is cleverly developing the next generation of diabetes drugs so it can be ready to reap the profits as we become fatter and fatter with each generation.

A diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar produces excess insulin. If this continues we eventually become insulin resistant which means your cells have become seriously impaired in their ability to respond to the insulin your body makes. INSULIN RESISTANCE MEANS WE CANNOT BURN FAT EFFICIENTLY, hence the vicious cycle begins…

Almost 30 percent of the global population are considered overweight or obese. Australia is following the the US trend where obesity-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, dementia, cancer account and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease account for 75 percent of all health care costs.

Fat tissue secretes an inflammatory factor called CXCL5 that is linked to insulin resistance2 and contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes. Lots of fat tissue = lots of inflammation that undermines every facet of health.

Insulin resistance plays a role in nearly every chronic degenerative disease.

Fortunately, Insulin resistance can be diagnosed and treated effectively but like any disease or imbalance, it needs be treated before it gets too out of hand otherwise the road to recovery is longer and much harder…..

HEALTHY, EASY KALE PESTO DIP

Ingredients

• One bunch of kale
• 2 cups of fresh basil
• ½ cup of pre-soaked walnuts
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 freshly squeezed limes
• Himalayan salt
• Pepper

Procedure

Put all ingredients inside the food processor, and mix until a smooth, creamy consistency is reached.

WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT KALE?

Kale is a cousin of broccoli and cabbage and contains impressive amounts of antioxidants, is considered anti-inflammatory and provides a rich source of the compounds below;-

• Phytonutrient indole-3-carbinol, which helps in DNA cell repair and slowing down the growth of cancer cells
• Sulforaphane, protects against certain cancers and increases detoxification capacity
• Lutein and zeaxanthin, to help prevent macular degeneration of the eyes.

Basil also offers a remarkable array of vitamins and minerals, including:

• Vitamin K, which is essential in preventing blood clotting
• Antioxidants, which fight against free radical damage
• Flavonoids, which protect important DNA
• iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, vitamin C, and potassium.

Foods and mood

Anxious? Depressed? Maybe your ‘second’ brain is to blame!

We have two brains — one in your head and the other in your gut! Both are created from the same tissue during fetal development and both are connected via the vagus nerve which extends from the brain stem to the abdomen.

Bacteria in the gut use the vagus nerve to transmit information to your brain, which helps explain why mental health appears to be so intricately connected to your gut . The gut- brain connection has been widely recognized in the last few years so let’s break it down in simple terms…

We literally have thousands of different types of bacteria in our gut that perform a myriad of duties every day essential to our well-being. One of those duties is the production of neurotransmitters such as GABA, serotonin and dopamine, the ratios of which are largely dependent upon the bacterial balance within the gut In fact, over 80% of our serotonin is actually produced within our intestinal tract!

The food we consume directly affects the bacterial balance in the gut. High fibre foods and resistant starches help good bacteria in the gut to proliferate whilst sugar and processed foods ‘feed’ and actually encourage the growth of bad bacteria. As an extension of this, it is well known that food can affect your mental state.

For example, researchers have found that fermented foods helped curb social anxiety disorder in young adults. In another study, mice that engaged in obsessive-compulsive repetitive behaviors were pacified when given a strain of the bacteria Bacteroides fragilis.

Sugar can aggravate depression and suppresses the activity of a key growth hormone in your brain called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF levels are critically low in both depression and schizophrenia. Sugar also triggers a cascade of chemical reactions in your body that promotes inflammation that suppresses the immune system and wreaks havoc on your brain.

Last but not least, refined sugar and processed fructose and grains are key contributors to insulin and leptin resistance, which also plays a significant role in your mental health.

Parents of anxious kids- get their gut checked! Adults, life is too short to be permanently anxious – you will age prematurely and suffer from cortisol (stress hormone) driven diseases!

There is no dispute over the fact that ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT’ and now we can state with confidence that ‘YOU THINK WHAT YOU EAT, METABOLISE AND DIGEST!”

Dangerous Cookware

Non-stick pots and pans are in everyone’s kitchens including mine. They are a modern convenience which are easier ro clean and generally require less fat to cook your food in.

Did you know that perfluoroalkyl substances (PFA’s) that are used to create these surfaces are extremely toxic and remain trapped in the body for a long time once ingested?

In studies on heated non- stick pans, it took only 2- 5 minutes of heating to liberate the dangerous toxins within the PFA’s. Fifteen types of gases and particles including 2 carcinogens were isolatedand these are currently linked to a range of health problems including thyroid disease, infertility and organ damage in lab animals.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also stated that PFA’s are “likely carcinogens.”

Other products that PFA’s are used to create heat-resistant and non-stick coatings on include:

• Water-repellant carpet and furniture treatments
• Water and stain-repellant clothing
• Protective sprays for leather/ shoes
• Food wraps, pizza boxes, and microwave popcorn bags and takeaway cups
• Paints and cleaning products

What to cook in? Try ceramic and cast iron cookware which are both durable, easy to clean and completely inert (which means they won’t release any harmful chemicals into your home!)

Avoid aluminium and copper cookware completely and try not to cook in stainless steel too often as this contains an alloy of different metals  as well although not nearly as toxic as those above.

Time to clean out those kitchen cupboards!

Yours in health,

Natasha Martin, ND