Feeling of Food: How Food Can Affect Your Child’s Mood

Parents, are you aware of the fact that by paying close attention to what your munchkin eats, you can enhance their mood, memory, and attention span?

There's a clear relationship between food and your child’s state of mind. When you learn how the right foods can have a positive effect on your child’s well-being, then you can begin to plan meals that will help your child feel both physically and emotionally better.

Today, the team at Baked Smart Cookie wants to help you understand what foods can affect your child’s mood and behavior the most -- and what you can do about it.

 

The Foods That Can Affect Your Child Most

1.Sugar
It’s always best to moderate sugar intake, especially in children. Too much sugar makes them hyperactive, frustrated, and angry. A diet that includes a lot of sugar can also lead to cavities and other health issues.

What we suggest doing:
You can reduce the amount of sugar your kids consume by avoiding sugary drinks and switching over to water as an alternative. If they don’t like the taste, try and make things fun by infusing their water with fresh fruit like strawberries, berries, or cucumbers. Let them pick the flavors that they enjoy the most.

2.Artificial colorings
The bright colors in kid foods have been associated with hyperactivity, ADHD, anxiety, and depression among children. Those bright colors do not come from healthy alternatives like beetroots, blueberries, or turmeric. Instead, most of them are derived from petroleum. The worst ones to look out for are reds E129 and E122, and yellow E102.

What we recommend doing:
When you can, switch up store-bought snacks for wholefoods. Snacks like apples, tangerines, blueberries, and walnuts are all wonderful treats. Much like Baked Smart Cookie, there are companies out there who are devoted to providing natural, healthy snacks for kids.

Take your time when shopping through your local health food store and get an idea of what options are available. And don’t forget to give your little one options.

3.Dairy
Another food that your child might be sensitive to is dairy. Believe it or not, many children have trouble digesting dairy and this can lead to mood swings and headaches.

What you should do:
Try shifting to organic dairy or non-dairy products. Goat milk, almond milk, and oat milk are typically easier to digest. You can also try other alternatives like non-dairy yogurts.

4.Additives
Additives in prepped meals, including nitrates and MSG, may result in behavioral changes, such as hyperactivity, aggression, anxiety, and headaches.

What to do:
Read the ingredients list on your children’s snack boxes. As a general rule, try not to feed children any products with ingredients that you aren’t able to pronounce.

5.Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are a poor replacement for sugar. Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that taste sweet but have no calories. They actually boost your appetite and can cause unhealthy weight gain. Sweeteners in your child’s snacks can cause upset tummies, anxiety, and hyperactivity.

What you can do:
Replace sugar with healthier alternatives like stevia, maple syrup, honey, or palm sugar.

Baked Smart Cookie: A Sweet Snack That Is All-Natural

If you think your little one’s diet may be influencing their behavior, we recommend keeping a food diary to monitor what they eat and how their behavior changes.

We understand the seriousness of how food can affect your little one’s mood, and that’s why we cook up our delicious but balanced cookie. While they may look like any ordinary chocolate chip cookie, they’re actually rich in all kinds of fruits and veggies!

Baked Smart Cookies aren’t just for children either. Try one out for yourself!

Treat your kid to a scrumptious snack that will keep them feeling great all day long.