SBPL Teaches the Importance of a Healthy Diet

Aside from nutritional counselor Stephanie Goodman, there were five women at the South Brunswick Public Library’s Parenting Workshop “Progressive Nutrition Solutions for Children with Special Needs,” on Feb. 23.

The twist is that only two out of the six women had a child with autism or special needs. The rest were simply interested in learning about the importance of feeding their families nourishing foods.

Goodman, a Kendall Park resident and Certified Nutritional Counselor specializing in nutrition for children with autism, ADHD, and gastrointestinal disorders, began her lecture by contradicting the popular notion that the less fat, the healthier the food.

“Low-fat is not necessarily good because we need to feed the brain the fat it needs,” Goodman explained.

She continued to describe the deteriorating status of the health of Americans due to the Standard American Diet (SAD). The United States, which was once ranked number one in health in terms of life expectancy, is now ranked forty-second.

Goodman, who entered the nutrition field about 15 years ago due to personal health issues, adamantly believes that this disparity is because many brains are deprived of proper nutrients.

Due to SAD, child obesity and Type 2 Diabetes are running rampant in American children.  Fortunately, according to Goodman, there are methods for coping with the nutritional restrictions of not only special needs children, but for all members of the family.

The idea of completely altering a lifestyle can be a daunting thought for parents, so Goodman suggested starting by removing food colorings and flavorings from your child’s diet. Often hidden in cereals, potato chips, candy and diet items, artificial colors and preservatives, such as nitrate, are prone to causing hyperactive behaviors.

“When I was younger I’d go to school and I brought a lunch on Wednesdays," Goodman said. "It was always bologna.  I used to have headaches every Wednesday and eventually I realized it was from the nitrate in the bologna.”

Goodman also suggested steering clear of foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG), carageenan, and aspartame. MSG in particular, which is linked to gross obesity, is important to be wary of because it has no taste, but fools the brain into thinking the food is tastier than it is.

Sugar is another substance to be careful of because after you eat sugar, your body loses white blood cells which are necessary for protecting your immune system.

“A good rule of thumb is to keep sugar intake under 12 teaspoons per day,” advised Goodman.

She also suggested never keeping soda in the house and avoiding high fructose corn syrup at all costs.

“What about picky eaters?” one concerned woman asked.

Goodman retorted that experimenting is the best way to deal with those finicky about what they put in their mouths.  Cooking with your child introduces them to a variety of foods and allows you to discover what foods their bodies can’t tolerate. 

For those parents short on time, there are countless alternatives to fast food meals, which are often laden with MSG, sugar, and preservatives.

“One quick meal in my house if we don’t have time to cook is an omelet with Applegate farms hot dogs and vegetables,” said Goodman.

A typical menu suggested by Goodman:

 Breakfast

• Vegetable omelet
• Unsweetened oatmeal topped with ground nuts or seeds
• Unsweetened yogurt with fruit (Don’t forget that fats are good! Avoid purchasing the fat-free.)

 Lunch

• Dinner leftovers
• Turkey (no nitrate) wrapped in whole grain tortilla
• Nut butter/jelly (Substitute peanut butter for healthier fats such as almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower or sesame seed butter.)

 Snacks

• Yogurt smoothies
• Ice pops made with frozen fruit
• Green chips (baked collards, kale)

 Dinner

• Soups
• Pasta (brown rice, whole wheat)
• Bake sweet potato “fries”