Can bad nutrition really cause violence?
A prison study being conducted in England seems to be finding a link.
For one year, young males from 16 to 23 years old will be given supplements (or a placebo) to see if there is a link between poor nutrition and violence. In 2002, a similar study was done with over 200 men. Violence decreased by 1/3 while in custody. John Stein, a professor at Oxford, said this, “We are not saying nutrition is the only influence on behaviour but we seem to have seriously underestimated its importance.”
So what does this mean on a larger scale?
Well, the kid in the back of the class that is throwing things at a classmate, for example, might want to have his diet looked at. Many kids now live off of a fast-food diet including McDonalds, pizza, french fries, chips, soda…etc. I can ramble out quite a long list. Then…even when parents try to buy better food, look at all the additives in our food now. Some of these, like high fructose corn syrup, are being linked to ADHD. Yes, juice is better than soda. A 100% juice is much much better than 10% juice. Natural sugar is better than HFCS.
Perhaps if we took a closer look at nutrition in schools, some behavioral problems might be nipped in the bud. When I was in school, I didn’t eat many school lunches. I noticed, though, that most of what people did buy from school were the french fries, chicken nuggets, and pizza. This was even before McDonald’s and Burger King had worked their way into the school system. Any how, I know that if given a choice, kids always want the fried stuff, the fatty stuff, the sugary stuff. They don’t want the salad or fresh veggies. Part of that is because there is a complex set of neurotransmitters that are released in our brains whenever we eat the sugary, fatty foods. It makes us feel less full and makes us want more. Sugar is, in many ways, akin to a drug. Very similar receptors and neurotransmitters are released – like serotonin and dopamin – that make us feel really good.
So to those parents who have a tempermental or moody child…or for those of us who are just tempermental and moody (I certainly fall into this category at times – just ask my husband)…a closer look at our diet may be in order.
