Dear Friends,

When my son Paul was in kindergarten, he was quite the handful. He struggled to focus when he had to sit still, so he absolutely would have been labeled ADHD had we had him diagnosed.

His wonderful teacher, Mrs. Drews, came up with a reward system—basically, a dangled carrot for Paul to keep his eyes on throughout the day. At the end of the day, Mrs. Drews and Paul evaluated how he did and decided on a “score” of two thumbs up, two thumbs down, or one of each. Two thumbs up was rewarded, two down meant something was taken away, and split was nothing.

When we would ask Paul how his day went when it was split, he would shake his thumb upward and say, “a liddle bidda dis,” then shake his thumb down with his eyes downcast and say, “and a liddle bidda dat.”

It was so darn cute. But Jean and I started to notice a pattern between what he ate for breakfast and his success at school. We soon realized that all the two-thumbs-up days followed eggs for breakfast, while the two-thumbs-down days were Cheerios days.

This was no coincidence. On thumbs-up days, the fat and protein from eggs kept his blood sugar steady, supporting Paul’s levelheaded mood, focus, and energy. Cheerios, “the healthy option,” would spike his blood sugar, starting a roller coaster of energy highs and crashes throughout the day—crashes made even more unruly by the wild energy of a five-year-old.

This family experience was what really inspired Jean and me to start changing our diets and take an interest in the nutritional aspects of our practice.

There are those of us, like Paul, who are kinesthetic learners—have to be moving! If you learn this way, well, a typical classroom setting may not always sit well (pun intended). I don’t pretend to have all the answers for education, but I am confident that trying to teach everyone the same way is like trying to treat everyone the same way: poor results—like trying to fit a circle ⭕️ into that darn square!

And then we label the students who struggle—when it’s often the foods with labels that fuel so many behavior challenges.

I know one thing: if all kid’s days started off with a truly balanced breakfast of good fats, protein, and carbs, that alone would clean up about half of the attention and focus issues.

The book Spark demonstrates what exercise and a good breakfast did for the kids at a Naperville high school. They had to run—not play badminton—before school. And I mean run: each student had goals to achieve.

Did they complain? Not when their ACT and math test scores came back and rivaled China’s! Turns out, students in China aren’t inherently better at math—they’re better at diet and exercise. As are students in many countries.

So, with the school year in full swing, ditch the donuts for breakfast and instead start your kid’s day off right with balanced meals that provide a slow release of energy all morning long! This goes for adults, too.😊

Here are a few examples of breakfasts that prioritize protein and healthy fats:

• Scrambled eggs or hard-boiled eggs + avocado + toast
• Cottage cheese + fruit

• Kodiak Cakes (a great high-protein pancake mix!) + peanut butter

• Full-fat yogurt + granola

• A smoothie + protein powder of your choice (we love all of SP’s options)

Aside from these dietary tips, try a liddle bidda dis:

OPC synergy: antioxidant that helps balance brain wave activity in a hyperkinetic person (all ages)

And a liddle bidda dat:

Tuna omega-3 oil: rich in essential fatty acid DHA, which is a huge building block for healthy brain tissue

Finally, Cataplex B if your kid is a sugar hound. Metabolizing processed sugar depletes B vitamins, which will leave them tired, while good B levels will revitalize their energy

God Bless,

Dr. Dan