Hidden Stimulants Your Child’s Diet and How They Can Contribute to Their Anxiety
Hidden Stimulants Your Child’s Diet and How They Can Contribute to Their Anxiety
Did you know that some or all of your child’s anxiety could be caused by the foods that they eat? Most people know that high amounts of sugar and caffeine can cause some issues with anxiety but these ingredients can be hidden in food you might not expect to find them in. There are also some other stimulants hidden in foods that could be contributing to your child’s anxiety as well.
Caffeine is a widely known stimulant and in excessive amounts can cause symptoms of anxiety or even panic attacks. Some very caffeine sensitive people have even thought they were having a heart attack when they have consumed too much. Caffeine is found in teas, coffees, colas, and chocolate. Even products labeled as decaffeinated still have a discernible amount of caffeine in them although it is usually much less than their caffeinated counterparts. For example a cup of regular brewed coffee has between 100-200 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounce cup while decaffeinated brewed coffee has between 3-126 milligrams per eight ounce cup.
Caffeine is also hidden in some foods that you might not think about like brownies, or cake with chocolate icing. Foods that have coffee flavoring can also have high caffeine content. For example, coffee flavored yogurt or ice cream has 50 -60 milligrams of caffeine in an eight ounce serving. That is nearly the same as two twelve ounce coca-colas which have 35 milligrams of caffeine a piece. If you child that is susceptible to high levels of anxiety you might want to strictly limit these foods or avoid them altogether.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found in diet soft drinks and in other diet products to replace the use of sugar. Aspartame is of particular use in diabetic products and it is also used in supplement shakes, wine coolers, fruit juices and yogurt among other things. Aspartame is thought to be generally safe for human consumption but does not break down in the same way as sugar does inside the body. Some people do not tolerate aspartame well and it can cause anxiety, insomnia, irritability, depression, agitation, and fatigue.
MSG or mono-sodium glutamate is a sodium salt that is naturally occurring and is frequently used as a flavor enhancer and food additive to the vast majority of processed foods available today. In some people MSG can cause adverse reactions including chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety, irritability, headaches, skin rashes, dizziness, asthma, hyperactivity, weight problems, and panic attacks just to name a few. You may be thinking well I will just avoid food products with MSG but it is not that easy. See MSG is not the only name that MSG goes by. These ingredients are also synonymous with MSG: autolyzed yeast, glutamate, hydrolyzed protein, mono-potassium glutamate, mono sodium glutamate, sodium caseinate, and yeast nutrients. These ingredients are sometimes MSG: soy sauce, natural chicken flavorings, natural pork flavorings, soy isolate, maltodextrin, pectin, cornstarch, and citric acid among others. As you can see finding all the hidden MSG in your child’s diet may take some time and you may not ever be able to completely eliminate it but you can reduce it by a lot.
High fructose corn syrup or HFCS is another ingredient that may be contributing to your child’s high anxiety level. High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener that is cheaper for manufacturers to use than sugar that can be produced easily in large quantities. High fructose corn syrup is another food additive that can be found in nearly every processed food that you can think of. From soft drinks and ketchup to lunch meat, soups cereals, breads and yogurts high fructose corn syrup is everywhere. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to obesity, diabetes, Alzheimers, anxiety, and other behavioral disorders.
The colorings added in foods can also have an adverse effect on children with anxiety and behavioral disorders. In particular red food colorings seem to cause the most trouble. You should be aware that food colorings are only a chemical additive and have no nutritional value whatsoever.
One other food ingredient to be aware of after you have eliminated the more obvious ones from your child’s diet are salicylates. Salicylates are not a food additive but are found as a completely natural ingredient in fresh foods. Some people have an allergic reaction to these salicylates and the symptoms can include hyperactivity, and anxiety, as well as headaches, stomach pain, difficulty concentrating, wheezing or asthma, and ear infections. Foods with a high amount of salicylates include green peppers, tomatoes, apples, blueberries, spinach, squash, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, corn, olives, grapes, pineapples, pine nuts, peanuts, almonds, and raisins. You are probably thinking oh, no this is all the healthy food I feed my child! This is why all other food additives and hidden stimulants should be considered first. You should also know that not every child will react negatively to every food on the list, and that these foods raw contain higher levels of salicylates than they would if they were cooked.
Parents are always concerned about the quality of the foods that they feed their children and the ingredients that are in them. With our society growing busier all the time it is often easier and certainly more inexpensive to buy prepackaged, frozen, or processed foods at the grocery store. However, these foods may not always be in the best interest of the health of our families. The more whole and fresh foods that you can provide your family the better. It is not always possible to completely eliminate all the caffeine, aspartame, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and colored foods from your child’s diet but any attempt to limit these foods is a step in the right direction. If you gradually begin to eliminate these foods from your child’s diet not only will they be healthier but you may also start to eliminate the source of some of the anxiety in your child’s life. If your decision is to remove foods with these ingredients from your child’s diet make the change a gradual one. Many of these ingredients are found in what are many kids favorite foods so you don’t want them all disappearing at once. Making a gradual change will greatly increase your chances of making it a lasting one WITHOUT unnecessary anxiety!
If you suspect your child may be suffering from anxiety, click below to learn more about what you can do to help:
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