Like the people of North Korea, American children are shorter than they ought to be! John McCain recently drew on the height disparity between communist North Koreans and their taller, capitalist, US-allied brothers in South Korea to show the squalor of life without free markets. But the New York Times cleared it's throat and pointed out that Americans, "who used to be the tallest people in the world" are now shrimpier than Western Europeans. But our GNP is higher! So what's going on?
I had a friend who swore she could see a behavioral change in her 5-year-old after the girl ate any food with red dye in it. "It makes her hyper, I just know it," she insisted. A new study backs up the theory--for children with ADHD, a trial of removing food additives is recommended as part of treatment. That means food colorings and preservatives such as sodium benzoate. Does anyone else have anecdotal evidence that florescent fruit snacks and long-lasting Lunchables turn your babe into a wild thing?
Two Angry Moms is a documentary about advocating for change in the sorry state of USDA-approved lunches in American public schools. The women behind the film grew concerned about chicken-nuggets-&-tater-tot meals because they leave children spacey or hyper. "Go to your child's school and eat the lunch. That's the only way you'll really understand the quality of it," they recommend.
