MGTutoring.com. A Rational Perspective on Education.

July 15, 2011

Food For Kids: Meals Around the World

Filed under: Biology,Child Development,Culture,Education,Exercise, Health & Nutrition,Parenting — Administrator @ 9:10 am

In Colorado daycare workers required to wear burqas, Monica Hughes, PhD, writes:

OK, I exaggerate slightly for the purpose of generating a few hits. But seriously, I can’t really summarize it better than the source itself.

…

But what really gets me worked up is food issues. There are simply few things more fundamental than the right to decide what goes into your body: whether it’s a pill or food or a doctor’s surgical implement.

…
No one should need a doctor’s note to feed their kid in a healthy way — in a way that humans have done since the dawn of time. Period. The American Academy of Pediatrics lost all credibility when they said babies should get lowfat milk and approved statin drugs for 8 year olds. But then they were beyond redemption when they sanctioned female genital mutilation. I should require a pediatrician’s note to feed my kid healthily? If your pediatrician listens to the AAP then their advice is an impediment to health, not the other way around.

It seems that increasingly these days, only in America or the UK can you get away with proposing this type of garbage that regulates common sense out of existence. This is why I’m increasingly embarrassed to even call myself an American. This WAS the greatest country in the world. We have long ago lost that status and it is questionable whether we will ever regain it.

…

And we wonder why kids can’t focus in school. Perhaps this, this, and this lend a clue: it’s the food culture and the culture in general in this country that are the problems. Coupled with idiots in positions of government who have zero scientific background doling out farm subsidies that make seed oils, refined grains, and refined sugars cheap, and who listen to CSPI, and then craft rules about what your kids should be eating. No conflict of interest there: none at all. Move right along, nothing to see here.

Be sure to look at the links Mrs. Hughes has included in her post showing examples of food lunches around the world! Wow! America has sunk to the fetid bottom!

Here are some blog posts that will show you, again, how wrong is the “medical advice” regarding nutrition that you hear now-a-day:  “Nuts!” to the Nutty Diabetes “Expert”,  Stand Up And Say “Nuts!”,  Bad Science Receives Another Spanking. There are plenty more out there; those three I just took the time to read recently.

Oh, and Tom Naughton wrote an interesting post on vegetarianism:  Most Vegetarians Become Ex-Vegetarians?

July 8, 2011

Diet, Depression, Memory, and Mental Health

Filed under: Biology,Child Development,Education,Exercise, Health & Nutrition,Parenting,Psychology — Administrator @ 10:18 am

Episode 13 of Chris Kresser‘s podcast is a good interview of Dr. Emily Deans.

Mr. Kresser said:

Dr. Emily Deans’ Evolutionary Psychiatry blog has quickly become one of my favorites over the past year. It’s rare to find a psychiatrist that acknowledges the role of nutrition in mental and behavioral health at all, much less one that approaches these topics from an evolutionary perspective.

This week Dr. Deans joins us on the podcast to discuss the role of Paleo nutrition in mental health. Topics covered include:

  • The link between diet and Alzheimer’s
  • Can nutritional changes effect depression?
  • Does gastric bypass surgery lead to mental health issues?
  • Can gluten intolerance induce mental disorders?
  • What role does the “modern lifestyle” play in the increasing prevalence of mental health problems?
  • How does an individual’s mental state influence his/her biology?
  • Does iron deficiency anemia contribute to mental health problems?

Copyright © 2011 The Healthy Skeptic

Recommended interview!! There is a lot to learn from it!! A lot that will help you and your children have better neurologic and mental health.

June 25, 2011

Dealing With Autism

Filed under: Biology,Child Development,Education,Parenting,Psychology — Administrator @ 10:30 am

Brandi Milloy has an interesting report, on YouTube and on PJTV, on how ABA (ABA on Wikipedia) and the iPad helped an autistic child, Gage Gilbert.

June 24, 2011

Diet For Health & Learning: A Simple View

Filed under: Biology,Child Development,Education,Exercise, Health & Nutrition,Parenting,Science — Administrator @ 3:17 pm

Paleo Based Diet/Lifestyle Houston, Tx has a nice, simple, basic presentation of paleo. Check it out. Good for your body, good for your brain.

You might also want to check out their post Starving Cancer — and, in that vein, check out the Primal Parent‘s blog post Intermittent Fasting — Is It Safe For Children?. An excerpt:

Intermittent fasting is almost like a silver bullet against disease and aging. Without any alteration to the types of foods one eats, intermittent fasting has the power to increase longevity and quality of life by reducing brain insulin signaling, lowering triglycerides, fighting cancer cell rejuvenation, stimulating the production of growth hormone, and kick starting cell repair and waste elimination. (Note that calorie restriction produces many of the same affects but is widely shunned. Read more about this in my article about the science behind calorie restriction.)

Despite its many benefits, however, people often dismiss it, thinking they can’t handle the gnawing hunger. Without a doubt, fasting can be challenging for people eating an average modern diet, but it’s actually pretty easy once you’re already benefiting from the metabolic advantage of a reduced carb diet. When our bodies are efficient fat burners we don’t experience the “blood sugar blues” and barely notice the temporary caloric deprivation at all.

Intermittent fasting actually gives me an energy boost. Skipping a meal makes me sharper and more alert. It seems counter-intuitive but ghrelin, the hormone that makes us feel hungry, “enhances learning and memory” while at the same time makes us ready for action. J. Stanton reveals the brighter side of ghrelin in this short article.

As parents, we inevitably wonder if we could offer the amazing benefits of intermittent fasting to our children without harming them in the process. The answer is, yes, actually, we can.

© 2011 The Primal Parent. All Rights Reserved.

June 16, 2011

Recommended Nutritionist

Filed under: Child Development,Exercise, Health & Nutrition,Parenting — Administrator @ 12:07 pm

Christian Wernstedt does health education and coaching. Wish I would have had someone like him to tailor my diet and exercise when I was young!! Life would have been so much better!! I have read some of his advice to people, have read some of his writings, and have known of him for a few years, so I know he is legit.

His company is VitalObjectives. Mr. Wernstedt says:

VitalObjectives is based on a rational view of life, gathering data, applying evolutionary science to health, and fostering knowledge and practices derived from facts, not gimmicks, speculation, and conjecture. No single diet or program fits everyone, so based upon science and what we know about human evolution, VitalObjectives strives to match the uniqueness of the individual to the facts of reality—and give you the knowledge, encouragement, and tools you need to be healthy and happy.

Copyright © 2011, VitalObjectives. All rights reserved.

Mr. Wernstedt says of his basic principles:

(more…)

June 1, 2011

Recommended Nutritionist In Houston

Filed under: Child Development,Exercise, Health & Nutrition,Parenting — Administrator @ 11:21 pm

If you need a nutritionist for yourself or your child, call Melissa Jones Humphreys. She has a Website called the Primal Diva, where you can read some of what she believes. She says, in her bio:

So, what do you call a wife, mother, personal trainer, fitness boot camp leader,a former tiara wearing, lipgloss lovin’ beauty queen who threw off her high heels for barefoot running? A personal chef,a food purist,holistic health educator,nutritional therapist,former RAW vegan turned primitive,primal and paleo advocate? What else but- “The Primitive Diva”! What is a Primitive Diva? A back to basics kind of girl wildly enjoying the dramatic health and beauty benefits of eating a diet consistent with a “nature intended” ancestral unprocessed diet and chemical free lifestyle. Join my tribe and learn how a diet based on lean meats, seafood, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables can lead to ideal body weight, reverse the signs of aging, balance our hormones and simply make a girl feel fabulous! The Primitive Diva lifestyle includes not only a way of eating in the modern age that best mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors – but also opens up a new way to look and think about Fitness, Beauty and even Fashion. C’mon girls throw off those tiara’s and high heels and hunt and gather a new healthy lifestyle!

In the blog post Grains Go Against the Grain For a Healthy Lifestyle, she says her email address is melissahumphriesntp@yahoo.com. I do not know her nor anyone who has worked with her; I am judging on the basis of her implicit support of what I believe is a healthy diet appropriate to man, homo sapiens sapiens.

As I have pointed out in other blog posts, nutrition is important to our ability to learn and retain information, as well as to our overall health and well-being.

May 9, 2011

Memory, Learning, and Vitamin B12

Filed under: Biology,Child Development,Education,Exercise, Health & Nutrition,Parenting — Administrator @ 10:33 am

In “B12 deficiency: a silent epidemic with serious consequences,” Chris Kresser says:

What do all of these diseases have in common?

  • Alzheimer’s, dementia, cognitive decline and memory loss (collectively referred to as “aging”)
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders
  • Mental illness (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis)
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Learning or developmental disorders in kids
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Autoimmune disease and immune dysregulation
  • Cancer
  • Male and female infertility

Answer: they can all be caused by vitamin B12 deficiency.

But what does it do? For what do we — and our children — need it?

Vitamin B12 works together with folate in the synthesis of DNA and red blood cells. It’s also involved in the production of the myelin sheath around the nerves, and the conduction of nerve impulses. You can think of the brain and the nervous system as a big tangle of wires. Myelin is the insulation that protects those wires and helps them to conduct messages.

Severe B12 deficiency in conditions like pernicious anemia (an autoimmune condition where the body destroys intrinsic factor, a protein necessary for the absorption of B12) used to be fatal until scientists figured out death could be prevented by feeding patients raw liver (which contains high amounts of B12). But anemia is the final stage of B12 deficiency. Long before anemia sets in, B12 deficiency causes several other problems, including fatigue, lethargy, weakness, memory loss and neurological and psychiatric problems.

You can read more about it on the NIH’s Website, WebMed, Wikipedia, and the Mayo Clinic’s Website.

Chris also says:

B12 is the only vitamin that contains a trace element (cobalt), which is why it’s called cobalamin. Cobalamin is produced in the gut of animals. It’s the only vitamin we can’t obtain from plants or sunlight. Plants don’t need B12 so they don’t store it.

So make sure you — and your children!! — eat meat!! Or at least supplement!!

I’d recommend you read the rest of the article. It has more good, important information.

April 21, 2011

Some Ideas on Motivation

Filed under: Child Development,Parenting,Psychology — Administrator @ 8:45 pm

The article “The Words That Unlock Your Child” (BBC News Magazine, 19 April 2011) has some good advice.

An excerpt:

Think how often you hear children saying “I just lack the brain for numbers” or “I don’t have the coordination for sports”. These are direct manifestations of the fixed mindset, and they destroy motivation.

Those with a growth mindset, on the other hand, do not regard their abilities as set in genetic stone. These are the youngsters who approach tasks with gusto. “I may not be good at maths now, but if I work hard, I will be really good in the future!”

BBC © 2011

Nick Vujicic can tell you about that! Wow…

But I hope they are not saying to not call anyone intelligent! If someone is intelligent, he is. Period. The point is to learn how to use your mind, how to use your rational faculty. The problem is false philosophic ideas about knowledge: tell someone he is intelligent; teach him that knowledge is Platonic insight; and you have a recipe for disaster. The solution is a proper view of knowledge: knowledge is perception-based and is primarily inductive. And induction takes work and an active mind.

March 25, 2011

Blogs For Paleo Parents

Filed under: Child Development,Exercise, Health & Nutrition,Parenting — Administrator @ 10:36 pm

In the post “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying” on her blog Feasting on Fitness, Kristy A provides a list of blogs by parents who follow the paleo diet and lifestyle. Learn and enjoy!

She says:

For many overweight kids and adults, junk food and sweets aren’t the only cause: it’s starch.  One reason is that high fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING, even starches like bread.  Check the labels–you’ll be horrified.  Why we need to sugar everything we consume is another post, but for now, take it on good authority that high density foods like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes give too much energy, and the excess carbohydrate turns to fat.  In reality, it isn’t fat that makes us fat, but carbohydrate! The old advice to eat a low fat and high carbohydrate diet hasn’t gotten us out of the obesity epidemic; in fact, the epidemic has gotten worse.

I just got back from a talk given by Dr. Lustig of “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” fame, but I can’t write up that smorgasbord of info at the moment.  Next time, Gadget, next time. Right now, the focus of this post is:

Step 1: We need to work toward the goal of replacing that starch AND SUGAR with vegetables and fruit–i.e. REAL FOOD.

Update (4-22-11; 7:07 PM): Another blog for parents is The Primal Parent. On her “About” page, she says:

My own journey with the primal diet – or the paleo diet as it is also called – began just before my pregnancy. Hitherto I was unable to conceive and had myriad health challenges. I began studying nutrition and disease while experimenting with the primal diet. Within three months of eliminating grains and dairy, I was pregnant. This unexpected miracle fueled my interest in the primal diet. I continued studying and experimenting with foods which led to the successful control of joint pain, infertility, acne, depression and other illness from which I had previously suffered. Now, as a parent I am primarily concerned with the prevention of gratuitous pain and suffering in children and growing adults. My experience with paleolithic lifestyle and diet extends to the philosophy of those ancient practices and how they can be applied to modern parenting.

October 29, 2009

Innovation, Inquisitiveness, and Upbringing

Filed under: Child Development,Education,Parenting — Administrator @ 10:29 am

In “How Do Innovators Think?” (HBR Editors’ Blog, 5:21 PM Monday September 28, 2009)
,  Bronwyn Fryer writes:

We also believe that the most innovative entrepreneurs were very lucky to have been raised in an atmosphere where inquisitiveness was encouraged. We were stuck by the stories they told about being sustained by people who cared about experimentation and exploration. Sometimes these people were relatives, but sometimes they were neighbors, teachers or other influential adults. A number of the innovative entrepreneurs also went to Montessori schools, where they learned to follow their curiosity. To paraphrase the famous Apple ad campaign, innovators not only learned early on to think different, they act different (and even talk different).

Copyright © 2009 Harvard Business Publishing. All rights reserved.

This is the kind of upbringing that Thomas Edison (see a previous post) and the Wright brothers (see anecdote 1 and  anecdote 2) had.

The context for this paragraph from “How Do Innovators Think?” is the initial answer to what Jeff Dyer (Brigham Young University) and Hal Gregersen (Insead) learned are important skills from their survey of 3,000 “creative” executives and interview of 500:

Dyer: The first skill is what we call “associating.” It’s a cognitive skill that allows creative people to make connections across seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas. The second skill is questioning — an ability to ask “what if”, “why”, and “why not” questions that challenge the status quo and open up the bigger picture. The third is the ability to closely observe details, particularly the details of people’s behavior. Another skill is the ability to experiment — the people we studied are always trying on new experiences and exploring new worlds. And finally, they are really good at networking with smart people who have little in common with them, but from whom they can learn.

Fryer: Which of these skills do you think is the most important?

Dyer: We’ve found that questioning turbo-charges observing, experimenting, and networking, but questioning on its own doesn’t have a direct effect without the others. Overall, associating is the key skill because new ideas aren’t created without connecting problems or ideas in ways that they haven’t been connected before. The other behaviors are inputs that trigger associating — so they are a means of getting to a creative end.

Copyright © 2009 Harvard Business Publishing. All rights reserved.

We meet again Kipling’s “Six Honest Serving-Men.”

All this, thought for the day? No, a thought for life…

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress