The Benefits of Nutritional Essentials for ADD/ADHD
By Nancy Fitzmorris
Scientists now know that the brain is greatly influenced by what we eat. Our brain cells are even more sensitive than other body cells to nutrients and dietary chemicals, which can change how the brain functions at any given moment. The brain is our most precious physical possession. It is the seat of our entire being – intelligence, personality, our humanity, mind, soul and spirit.
For years it was thought that the brain could not change, could not repair. One reason for that was that all that could be studied was dead brain cells. Now with all the advancements in testing equipment in recent years – CT scans and PET scans – scientists have been studying live, active brains and what they discovered is very exciting news indeed. The brain is a growing, changing organ; and it is dependent on how you nourish it and treat it. We can dramatically influence our brains and our children's brains with good nutritious food and whole food concentrates. No matter how few brain cells we started life with our brains can grow and change for the better each day when we feed them properly.
The concept of a “fixed forever” brain has been abandoned as these new discoveries have surfaced. We can grow new communication junctions (synapses, dendrites and receptors) and have an effect on the neurotransmitters that stimulate brain activity by our diet, nutrient supplementation, mental and physical activity.
The scientific world has definitely changed its thinking about the brain. At one time it was thought that the brain and nervous system were not readily affected by diet. It was thought that the blood brain barrier was designed to carefully screen the nutrients in the blood, so as not to continually upset the balance or homeostasis of the central nervous system. New research has shown just the opposite. Since 40% of our circulation blood flows to the brain, we have an almost immediate impact on our brain cells from the food we consume. So we can definitely affect our behavior, learning ability, recall and mood just by what we eat.
“The ability of a meal’s composition to affect the production of the brain chemicals distinguishes the brain from all other organs. The crucial compounds that regulate other organs are largely independent of whatever was in the last meal we ate – but not so with the brain,” Richard Wurtman, research psychiatrist at MIT.
Other organs store energy and can draw on this when it is needed, not so with the brain. The brain has no storage and depends on a constant supply from the bloodstream for its needs. Thus what's in the blood affects the brain immediately for good or for ill.
Can a nutritious smoothie have an impact on the brain? Can we help our children improve their ability to think, focus and be the children God designed them to be? Absolutely, without a doubt!
Ritalin is prescribed to many children, in fact over 2 million children in America! Ritalin seems to help children focus by increasing the neurotransmitters dopamine levels. But it also suppresses the other neurons, so that the child's true personality is affected. We can increase these connections with good nutritious food and supplementation. My smoothie feeds the brain right now, so that the child is in balance. It also has such dense nutrition that it will repair old and build new connectors, each day increasing their ability to think and focus, becoming happier people, becoming who whey were created to be. Is this not exiting?
Nutritional Essentials- You should read the information that Natural Choice Products has on this product. It is an incredible product and I recommend this smoothie for everyone. But the reason that I chose this product for ADD/ADHD problems was for the amino acids and essential fatty acids that are present in it.
When not receiving the proper amino acid structures, there is a disruption of the neurotransmitters. Many amino acids are responsible for receiving and sending messages. Without proper digestion in the cardiac portion of the stomach, these amino acids do not break down properly and can cause intestinal toxemia. These undigested protein molecules cause proteolytic putrefactive bacteria, which produce highly toxic compounds. These compounds are incompletely detoxified in the liver and, therefore, enter the bloodstream and short-circuit the neurotransmitters in the brain. Supplementation with digestive enzymes and probiotic products (which will add good or proper bacteria to the colon) can help eliminate this condition.
Within minutes of taking Nutritional Essentials the body is given usable amino acids to send and receive messages. It also feeds the brain in such a way that the brain is able to make new connections, do repair on old connections and clean out the debris that collects between the neurons. Because Nutritional Essentials feeds the whole endocrine and central nervous systems, there are many other wonderful benefits of using this product.
Whole Food Powder- This product has many benefits, but I included it mostly for the B vitamins, magnesium and calcium that are so necessary for the brain. Chlorophyll is a blood purifier – it is the lifeblood of the plant. Good blood, a clean colon and an efficiently functioning liver are a must for a healthy brain. When the liver is overwhelmed with too many toxic substances, it cannot properly process them, so it simply “dumps” them into the bloodstream – where they will eventually end up in the brain and short circuit the network. Can you begin to see the value and importance of eating right, having your food digest right and making sure you have the proper bacteria in your colon?
Flax Seed Powder- Our American diet has changed so drastically from what was being eaten just 100 years ago. We are eating “new foods” – processed foods high in sugars, artificial stimulants, coloring, preservatives, pesticides, etc. One of the biggest distinctions between our modern diet and the diet of the past is the balance of the omega-6 fatty acids to the omega-3 fatty acids. These two fatty acids are called essential fatty acids, because they must be consumed. The body cannot synthesize them and they are essential for the body to maintain the integrity of all the cells. Today the omega-6 fatty acids (in the form of corn oil, safflower oil, margarine and baked goods) outnumber the omega-3 fatty acids by fifteen - twenty to one. This is a real problem, because they must be in balance for health, This imbalance is a bad situation for all cells, but particularly brain cells, which malfunction or shut down if omega-3 fatty acids are scarce and the omega-6 fatty acids are overwhelming. To improve this situation I have added flax powder, which is very high in omega-3 fatty acids. Diet changes would be very beneficial here also.
Another incredible advantage of all three of these products is their antioxidant properties. All of our cells are bombarded by unstable chemicals called free radicals, which result from simply breathing, eating and just being alive. With the proliferation of chemicals in our food and our environment, there are constant attacks by these renegades in our system. They can cause connections to retract and even vanish. With the antioxidants in Nutritional Essentials, Whole Food powder and Flax Seed, these free radicals can be neutralized before they can do their damage.
It is very important to remember that brain cells will shrivel up and die when not properly fed and watered. It has been said that the brain is made up of fat and water. The right fat is important (omega-3 fatty acids), but water is equally important. What is the difference between a prune and a plum? Water!!! How do you want your brain or your child's brain to be? You must drink only water – cut out milk, Kool-Aid, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Sorry, just water. That is what your body is crying out for.
