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Attention challenges are very near and dear to my heart. I love teaching toddlers because with early intervention and parental support, attention difficulties can be identified early and with trial and error greatly minimized. There is such a profound correlation between nutrition and the child’s ability to tend.
I stumbled upon this awareness several years ago by chance. There was a self-serve snack area in the classroom where the toddlers could help themselves to a food item and a drink. The parent’s provided the snack. It was not unusual to see items such as banana muffins, graham crackers, popcorn balls and of course, an array of canned fruit juice.
Many of the children would enjoy a small refreshment, go back into the classroom and continue working on an activity. Other children ate non-stop and continually filled their bottomless juice cups. For these children this had become toddler happy hour. There were several children we had to invite away from the snack table because they became loud and disruptive. I also noticed that several children were unable to go back into the classroom and choose an activity to work with. They became easily distracted and even disturbed the work of others.
Hmm. What was going on here? I couldn’t understand why the classroom had become so chaotic on certain days. On other days you could hear a pin drop because the children were so involved in individual activity. More was to be revealed. A nutrition-conscious parent took care of snack three days simultaneously. The results were astounding. Ninety percent of the toddlers served themselves normal portions of bagels with cream cheese, carrots, cucumbers, oranges, and apples. Instead of serving juice full strength, we mixed small amounts of fruit juice in big pitchers of water.
Most of the children were eager to finish their snack so they could resume their work activities. It was as if they never lost their concentration, even while eating their snack! There were fewer outbreaks of aggression by certain children who were visibly aggressive the week before, waiting for their turn at the snack table.
Was I hallucinating? I decided to seek professional help to support my observation.
I conferred with my personal trainer and expert nutritionist, Cheryl Rogers, and with Yvette Morelli-Gieseman, a pediatric nutritionist. I learned of the glycemic response in different foods. Foods that have a particularly high glycemic response cause a surge in blood sugar levels. Foods such as glucose, rice cakes, graham crackers, watermelon, raisins, candy and white bread are very high on the glycemic index. These foods eaten alone can give you an immediate burst of energy, however they cannot sustain you for long periods of time. For some, the letdown can be debilitating.
This makes so much sense. Maybe this explains why certain children come to school exhibiting such erratic behavior on different days. With his parents’ consent, I decided to take inventory of a child’s eating habits and voila, this glycemic index stuff really fit.
When Stephen started school this year, like all of the other new toddlers he was everywhere and so were his eyes. As the weeks progressed, most of the toddlers settled into the classroom routine and were beginning to focus on the work as well as on the eyes of the teachers. This wasn’t so with Stephen. I immediately took a deeper look into his lunchbox. Ah hah! A peanut butter sandwich laden with jelly, a 12-ounce container of (undiluted) apple juice, grapes and a 6-ounce yogurt cup containing 35 grams of sugar. I immediately discussed this with my nutritional gurus.
Balance, that’s what’s missing in Stephen’s lunch. (I could only assume that his breakfast consisted of foods with a similar glycemic index.) Not to mention that a toddler-size portion of fruit juice is ¼ to ½ a cup. I immediately called a conference with Stephen’s parents and relayed to them the following suggestions that were recommended to me by Cheryl and Yvette.
First of all, there is such a big gap between dinner and breakfast that a child must be fueled up before coming to school. Just like a car will not get very far on gas fumes, a child needs to eat something that will stay in his system for the duration. Fats are so important for toddlers. They should never be restricted as they promote mylanization of nerves and healthy brain growth. Fats also cause satiety. They delay gastric emptying, so what you feed the child will get him to go that extra mile.
Simple sugars come and go quickly but complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats take a longer time to digest and break down more slowly in the system. This cause more consistent blood sugar levels for energy and attention. Breakfast should consist of a complete carbohydrate, a protein and a fat (include a balance of dairy, vegetable, and fruit allotments throughout the day as well). Things like whole milk, peanut butter or cheese on a bagel, oatmeal with melted butter, whole milk and raisins (raisins are a great source of iron and the glycemic index minimized when mixed with other foods), cereal containing less than 5 grams of sugar and whole milk, bacon and eggs, sausage and cottage cheese, refried beans and melted cheese on a whole grain tortilla. The choices are endless but oh, the results.
Stephen’s breakfast and lunchbox changed dramatically and so did his ability to concentrate and make eye contact. His behavior became more consistent, with fewer outbreaks of aggression and tears. It was as clear as day: Nutritional balance maximized Stephen’s attention span and happiness quotient.
I question this whole ADD, ADHD manifestation in children. Is it truly an organic, physiological imbalance or could it simply be a child’s blood sugar out of whack, paired with the immense drive of growth hormones?
My hope is that every educator and parent will always include a nutritional inventory as part of the child’s parent-teacher assessment.
Jan Katzen-Luchenta is a Montessori teacher, consultant, and author living in Phoenix, Arizona.
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