Improving your child's behaviour

Imagine taking your child to a group activity class after school and while you're watching him, you notice he is the only one jumping up and down in the group, writes Alia Almoayed.

He's not paying attention and he's even being warned by the teachers that he'll be sent away if he doesn't calm down and behave.

How would you react?

You might consider taking him out of the class and talking to him. You might prepare a punishment to implement once you're home. You might let the teachers handle it or, you might do nothing.

But would you consider changing what your child eats and drinks to change his behaviour?

Some parents would resort to every psycho-emotional method in the book before asking themselves the most obvious question: what is my child consuming (or not consuming) that's making him behave like this?

Because behaviour is triggered by the brain, what your child eats will affect his brain and therefore directly affect his behaviour.

I've seen with my own eyes how a child can finish a fizzy drink for example and almost immediately start running around the house making strange noises.

Most of the time, hyperactive 'naughty' kids are nothing but victims of their own diet. Unfortunately, food is very often ignored as a factor in many health conditions, especially when it comes to kids.

When I try to explain to parents the connection between diet and behaviour, I talk a lot about sugar playing a big role in behaviour.

To that, I often get one of a few very common answers: But my child rarely eats chocolates. It's just a tiny piece, it can't do any harm. I can't control him, he won't listen. It's his grandparents, they spoil him, and there's nothing I can do about it.

What I'm seeing today is that many parents are turning a blind eye to things in their children's diets that they know are harmful. The list is long: chocolates, coloured candy, flavoured ice creams, fizzy drinks and much more.

Each one of these treats is not only affecting your child's weight and teeth, but they are also affecting your child's IQ and behaviour.

Eating sugary snacks has been directly linked to poor test performance, less concentration in class, hyperactive behaviour, mood swings, low immunity and lower interest in physical activity.

So, when parents tell me their child 'doesn't eat much sugar', I tell them to pay more attention. Sugar sneaks into kids diets on a daily basis. It's in their breakfast cereals, juice, school snacks, drinks, desserts after lunch, afternoon biscuits and ice cream after dinner.

It's the accumulation of sugar that causes more damage than the once-in-a-while treat.

So, instead of planning out punishment and psychological tactics to address your child's behaviour, think about making small changes to their diet.

Here are some ideas on where you can start: Control your child's access to sweets and sugars by not stocking them at home. Watch out for foods and drinks that cause behaviour problems such as fizzy drinks, sweets, and processed foods with additives and E numbers

If you must, use naturally sweet foods for snacks, treats, cooking, or even lunch box items. Try raisins, dates, chopped fruits, grapes, bananas, or raw honey. They taste just as good and they do not contain artificial flavours or sweeteners.

Don't underestimate your child's intelligence. Discuss with your child why you make certain rules about sugar and fizzy drinks. Like adults, children like to understand why they have to do something, so give them the basic facts.

And, remember that change won't come easy, for either party. It will take time, patience and perseverance, but the end results are well worth it.

For more tips and health advice, get my latest book - I want Healthy Kids.

Tune in to Alia's new weekly live internet radio show: Dare to be Healthy with Alia Almoayed. The show airs every Monday night. visit www.AliaAlmoayedBlog.com for more information.