Transition Your Child to a Healthy Diet

One of the biggest mistakes I see parents make when it comes to incorporating nutrition therapy into their children’s treatment program is jumping into advanced interventions instead of starting with the basics. In nutrition therapy, each step builds upon the previous one, becoming more advanced as you work your way through the program. The first thing you need to do is identify and resolve any basic nutrition issues your child may have. He won’t be able to properly respond to or benefit from advanced nutrition interventions if basic nutrition is still a problem.

Basic nutrition has become a serious issue for our children over the last twenty years because it has changed so dramatically. The food children eat today is nothing like the food children ate in previous generations. Today, children subsist mainly on foods that are highly processed, lacking in nutrients, and loaded with artificial chemicals, preservatives, trans fats, excess sugar, and pesticide residues. Take a look at the ingredients list on some of the packaged foods you have in your refrigerator or pantry. I’ll bet the list is a mile long, and you can’t even pronounce most of the ingredients, much less know what they are. The repercussions of this shift away from poor nutrition are serious. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in developmental and neurological disorders in our children. Therefore, step one is to transition your child onto a diet that consists of whole, healthy foods and eliminate all unnecessary artificial ingredients.

ELIMINATE SYNTHETIC FOOD ADDITIVES

There are twenty-four different types of synthetic food additives found in the foods we eat. Before a food additive is added to our foods, it must be deemed “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that it’s been proven safe for the general public and poses no significant health hazard, such as promoting cancer. But the reality is that we are consuming human-made chemicals with virtually every bite of food, and no one really knows what effect they may be having on our immune, respiratory, endocrine, and nervous systems. There’s a lot of controversy in the medical community about what the short- and long-term impact of these chemicals may be on a growing child’s brain and nervous system. The autism community is particularly concerned about four of the synthetic food additives: artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.

Here is a list of the twenty-four types of food additives found in the foods we eat:

acidity regulators	flour treatment	seasonings
anti-caking agents	food acids	sequestrants
anti-foaming agents	gelling agents	stabilizers
food coloring	glazing agents	artificial sweeteners
color fixatives	humectants	thickeners
color retention	improving agents	vegetable gums
emulsifiers	mineral salts
firming agents	preservatives
flavor enhancers	propellants

Artificial Colors

There are seven artificial colors currently permitted in our foods in the United States: Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Red No. 3, Yellow No. 5, and Yellow No. 6. There’s a growing body of research that indicates some children are sensitive to these artificial colors and that they aggravate their ADD and ADHD symptoms. Most recently, a study published in the November 2007 issue of The Lancet concluded that artificial colors in the diets of children resulted in increased hyperactivity. Research also indicates that ingesting artificial colors may result in behavioral changes such as irritability, restlessness, and sleep disturbance. Other research indicates that when ingested, some artificial colors may aggravate the symptoms of hives, eczema, dermatitis, rhinitis, and asthma. There’s an additional issue that many parents are not aware of—most artificial colors are made from a mixture of phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heterocyclic compounds called coal tar. Coal tar is the by-product of coal when it’s carbonized to make coke (a fuel) or gasified to make coal gas. Coal tar is also found in medicated shampoo, soap, and ointments, and is used as a treatment to kill head lice. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, any product with a certain percentage of crude coal tar is considered a Group 1 carcinogen. Clearly, too much coal tar is a bad thing. Given all of the possible adverse effects artificial colors can have on your child, I strongly encourage you to remove them from his diet. This step will definitely help relieve your child’s physical and behavioral symptoms, though the degree to which it will help will depend on the level of his sensitivity to chemicals.

Artificial Flavors

Artificial flavors are chemically synthesized compounds added to foods to either imitate or enhance a natural flavor. There are approximately seventeen hundred artificial flavors approved by the FDA. An artificial flavor of particular concern in the autism community is monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is the sodium salt of an amino acid called glutamic acid and the ionized form of glutamate. It’s used commercially as a flavor enhancer and found in many common food products such as canned soups, beef and chicken stocks, flavored potato chips, snack foods, frozen dinners, instant meals with seasoning mixtures, and foods from fast-food restaurants. Some fermented products have naturally occurring glutamate, such as soy sauce, steak sauce, and Worcester-shire sauce. Glutamate may also be present in a variety of other additives, such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate.

MSG isn’t always easy to spot on a food label. Be on the lookout for the terms “spices” and “natural flavorings” on a food label. They indicate that it may contain MSG. The food additives “disodium inosinate” and “disodium guanylate” are used only with MSG, so if these additives are on a food label, there’s a good chance that MSG is also in the food product.

MSG is “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA; however, there are health concerns. Glutamic acid is classified as an excitotoxin, and animal studies indicate that ingesting a high level of it causes brain damage. While most researchers agree it’s unlikely that human adults could ingest enough MSG to create glutamic acid levels high enough to promote neurological damage, there is concern about the unknown long-term neurodegenerative effects of small to moderate rises of glutamic acid in our systems over time. Researchers are also concerned about the potential short- and long-term effects MSG may have on infants and young children. There appears to be a number of people who are sensitive to MSG and develop acute adverse reactions such as headache, facial pressure, chest pain, nausea, difficulty breathing, drowsiness, weakness, and aggravation of asthma symptoms. What if, for example, you have an autistic child who is nonverbal with severe behavioral problems and is sensitive to an artificial flavor like MSG? If he consumes it in his diet on a regular basis and develops a severe headache every day, how is he going to tell you? Since he’s nonverbal, he’ll communicate to you through his behavior—he may slap himself in the head, head bang, self abuse, become irritable, uncooperative, or have tantrums. Sensitivity to one or more artificial flavors may be causing or exacerbating a physical problem for your child, which in turn may be causing a behavioral problem. Removing artificial flavors from his diet is a critical step toward improving his symptoms.

Artificial Preservatives

A preservative is a natural or human-made chemical that is added to food products to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi, inhibit oxidation, and prevent changes in the food’s color, odor, and taste. Natural preservatives include salt, sugar, and vinegar, and the processes of freezing, pickling, smoking, and salting are also used to preserve foods naturally. Artificial preservatives are controversial because research has shown that some of them cause various health problems, respiratory problems, and cancer. Research also shows that artificial preservatives aggravate ADD and ADHD symptoms in some children.

Artificial preservatives do affect your child. A research study conducted in New York City Public Schools showed that when artificial additives, including preservatives, were eliminated from the school food program, the students’ academic performance increased and disciplinary problems decreased.

The autism community is particularly concerned about the effect that the artificial preservatives butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) may have on children. BHT and BHA are fat-soluble phenol compounds approved by the FDA to be used as an antioxidant food additive. They’re also used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, and embalming fluid. Research indicates that BHT, which can be found in cereal, chewing gum, and high-fat foods such as potato chips and shortening, promotes certain forms of cancer and tumors. Many countries, such as Japan, Romania, Sweden, and Australia have banned BHT from use in foods, but the United States has not yet followed suit. However, the United States has barred it from being used in baby foods. Many food industries have voluntarily eliminated BHT from their foods and replaced it with the preservative BHA, but there are also serious concerns about BHA. After conducting animal studies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that it’s reasonable to assume that BHA is a human carcinogen (cancer forming). Researchers also suspect that people with dysfunctional detoxification systems (or whose bodies have trouble eliminating toxins from their system) may have difficulty processing both BHT and BHA. In children with autism, this is expressed as behavioral problems. (Turn to Step 10 for more about the problems a dysfunctional detoxification system can cause for children and why they are more vulnerable to adverse reactions to artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.) Eliminating artificial preservatives, especially BHT and BHA, from your child’s diet should help relieve some of his behavioral symptoms.

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are human-made compounds that are many times sweeter than sucrose , or table sugar. Their safety and potential for health risks, including cancer, has been a longstanding controversy in the medical community. The three most commonly used artificial sweeteners in the United States are saccharin (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (Splenda), and aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal). Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener created, is three hundred to five hundred times sweeter than table sugar. Saccharin is FDA-approved in the United States, but some countries allow only a restricted level of use, and other countries have banned it completely.

Sucralose is a chlorinated sugar that is six hundred times sweeter than table sugar. It belongs to a class of chemicals called organochlorides, some of which are highly toxic or carcinogenic. However, many researchers suggest that since sucralose is insoluble in fat, it doesn’t accumulate in fat as do other organochlorides, which reduces its risk of toxicity.

The artificial sweetener aspartame is derived from two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and is two hundred times sweeter than table sugar. While animal research indicates that aspartame may cause brain cancer in rats, other research shows that it doesn’t cause cancer in humans. However, headaches and seizures have been reported in relation to aspartame, making its safety a much-debated topic. In the autism community, the focus is on the impact aspartame may have on a child’s brain function. Normally, food contains a variety of amino acids, so after your child consumes a food, his brain receives a balanced combination of several amino acids. But when he drinks an aspartame-sweetened drink, which is heavily concentrated with only two amino acids, his brain receives a sudden dose of only two amino acids. This unnatural influx disrupts the sensitive balance among neurotransmitters in the brain and may result in neurological problems. Many believe that when children with autism experience this neurotransmitter imbalance, it results in mood and behavioral problems that aggravate their current behavioral symptoms.

Until recently, the food industry had been using corn syrup as a low-cost alternative to sugar in products that traditionally contain sugar. Now, artificial sweeteners are being used to replace both sugar and corn syrup, making it the more cost effective choice for food manufacturers.

Though all of these artificial sweeteners are approved for use by the FDA, there’s still much debate surrounding their long-term safety, especially for children who could potentially have decades of continued exposure. It’s important to understand that just because a food additive has been approved by the FDA as GRAS, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe for our children. Aspartame is a perfect example of this fact. I urge you to be cautious and eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your child’s diet.

Jason ate a pretty good variety of foods, but I knew they were all unhealthy and lacking in nutrition. Honestly, his diet wasn’t a priority for me at that time because I was so overwhelmed dealing with his diagnosis and behavioral problems and trying to find therapies to help him. After attending Elizabeth’s seminar on nutrition and autism, I had a much better understanding of how Jason’s diet and the artificial chemicals in the foods he ate could affect his brain, behavior, and ability to function normally. I started gradually replacing the foods he ate with foods free of artificial colors, flavors, and excess sugar. I purchased fewer prepackaged foods and started cooking more meals from scratch using “real” food. Just making these few changes in Jason’s diet made a big difference. He became less aggressive, stopped hitting and kicking me, and became a calmer, more pleasant child.

—Mother of Jason, a seven-year-old with ADHD

LIMIT FOODS THAT CONTAIN TRANS FAT

Trans fat is the product of hydrogenation, which is the process by which hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oil. The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it denser. Typically, the hydrogenation process is only partially completed in order to produce a more malleable fat that is solid at room temperature but will melt upon baking. Partially hydrogenated fats have replaced natural solid fats and natural liquid oils in our foods because they’re cheaper to use than the real thing, and they prolong the shelf life and flavor stability of foods. When you start reading food labels, you may be astonished by the number of products that contain partially hydrogenated oils and therefore trans fat. Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, chips, cakes, pies, bread, snack foods, and foods fried in partially hydrogenated oils. It’s also used in some dietary supplements, energy bars, and nutrition bars. In January 2006, the FDA required food manufacturers to list trans fat on their product labels. Dietary supplement manufacturers are also required to list trans fat on the product label if it contains more than 0.5 grams.

Many people don’t know that trans fat also occurs naturally in the milk and body fat of certain animals, such as cows and sheep. According to the U.S. National Dairy Council, these natural trans fats found in animal foods don’t appear to have the same negative effects as human-made hydrogenated oils.

There are a number of reasons why we should all stay away from trans fats. They raise our LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower our HDL (good cholesterol), which increases our risk of coronary heart disease. There’s also growing concern that trans fats may increase our risk for cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and infertility. But the autism community is especially interested in the negative impact trans fat has on the liver. Trans fats interfere with the enzyme delta 6 desaturase, which is critical in the process of converting essential fatty acids (also known as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) found in foods to the active forms (arachidonic acid [ARA], eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA], and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) used by the brain. A deficiency of delta 6 desaturase causes a deficiency of ARA, EPA, and DHA, which are critical for brain development, brain function, brain cell signaling, and vision processing. Research indicates that children diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and autism may already have low levels of delta 6 desaturase, so when these children consume foods with trans fat, it makes their situations worse. (Turn to Step 4 for more information on how a delta 6 desaturase deficiency can affect your child.) I strongly encourage you to keep the trans fat in your child’s diet to a minimum.

You can find omega-3 fatty acids in fish, flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in soy oil, corn oil, safflower oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, and black currant seed oil.

STAY AWAY FROM HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS

Most families live a pretty fast-paced lifestyle these days, and finding time to prepare home-cooked meals made with fresh whole foods can be difficult. Instead, more and more families depend on the convenience of pre-packaged foods and fast foods. Unfortunately, we’re paying a very high price for the sake of convenience. A generation ago, a “processed” meal simply meant cleaning fresh foods and basic kitchen preparation. Back then, foods contained a higher percentage of their original vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. The highly processed foods we depend on today have a lower nutritional value; are higher in fat, salt, and sugar; and contain trans fat and many food additives that may contribute to behavioral and health problems. Sit-down family meals prepared from scratch have become virtually obsolete. I believe that the best way to limit these unhealthy, processed foods from your child’s diet (and your entire family’s diet) is to make family meals a priority in your home. Here’s some advice to help make this happen:

• Buy one or two cookbooks with recipes to prepare healthy meals in thirty minutes or less so making meals from scratch is easier to fit into your schedule.

• Every weekend, plan your meals for the upcoming week and check to make sure you have the ingredients you need on hand.

• When you cook a meal, make the most of your time by preparing enough food for leftovers. You can freeze them and reheat them for dinner another day.

• Keep it simple—children prefer simple meals.

Cooking meals from scratch takes effort, but it’s well worth your time. The more healthy, nutrient-dense, chemical-free foods your child eats, the better his brain and body will function.

LIMIT EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES

The best way to limit your child’s exposure to pesticides is to buy organic foods whenever possible. An organic food has been grown, handled, and processed without the use of artificial pesticides, artificial fertilizers, sewage sludge, artificial additives, hormones, or antibiotics. It doesn’t contain genetically modified ingredients and hasn’t undergone irradiation or been chemically ripened. In order for a product to be labeled with the USDA Organic seal, a government-approved certifier must inspect the farm where the food is grown to make sure that the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified as well.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established levels of pesticide residues that are considered safe, but these levels were set based on the studied effect pesticides have on adults and don’t take children into account. Children are much more vulnerable to pesticide exposure because of their smaller size and developing brain and nervous system. They may also be more sensitive to pesticides because their detoxification system is less able to adequately process and excrete them. Many people are worried because studies have linked pesticides to cancer and neurological disorders. They also disrupt acetylcholinesterase, a key enzyme needed for brain cell communication. Additionally, animal research shows that certain classes of pesticides can affect the developing fetus and impair normal brain development, resulting in hyperactivity and learning and developmental disabilities. A recent research study indicated that children are primarily exposed to pesticides through their diet, and when their foods were replaced with organic foods, their levels of pesticides dropped dramatically. While you can’t completely control the amount of pesticide your child is exposed to, you can significantly lower his exposure by purchasing USDA organic foods whenever possible.

How to Identify Organic Foods in Your Supermarket

Look for the word “organic” and a small sticker version of the USDA Organic seal on organic vegetables or pieces of fruit. They may also appear on the sign above the organic produce display. The word “organic” and the seal may also appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese, and other single-ingredient foods.

Foods with more than one ingredient are a little trickier. They must have at least 95 percent organic ingredients to be labeled with the USDA Organic seal. Food that’s at least 70 percent organic can use the phrase “made with organic ingredients” and list up to three of the organic ingredients on the front of the package. If a product is less than 70 percent organic, the organic ingredients may be listed on the information panel of the package but can’t say “organic” on the front. It’s important to note that not all organic foods will be labeled as such because use of the seal is voluntary, so it’s a good idea to read the ingredients list of every product you purchase.

Why Are Organic Foods More Expensive?

Organic foods cost more because they’re produced on a smaller scale, have a lower crop yield, are subject to tighter government regulations, have high-cost farming practices, are allowed a limited number of animals per acre, and pest management is very labor intensive.

Organic foods typically cost more than non-organic foods, but prices have been coming down recently because many supermarkets have begun stocking more organic foods, and large retailers such as Whole Foods Market have become very popular. Even with the higher cost, many families are choosing to purchase organic foods for environmental and health reasons as well as to limit their exposure to pesticides.

AVOID REFINED SUGAR

Sucrose, more commonly known as white sugar or table sugar, has typically been the sugar of choice to sweeten food and beverages. Over the last several years, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has begun to replace (as well as accompany) sucrose in many processed foods in the United States. Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup can be found in soft drinks, fruit juice, candy, peanut butter, yogurt, snacks, ice cream, and many other foods our children eat on a regular basis. In fact, the average American consumes about 140 pounds of sugar each year. Think about how many empty calories that is! We all know that too much sugar is unhealthy for our children—it contributes to problems like diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay, to name a few. But does it negatively affect their behavior too? The debate over this question has been raging for decades. There are many people, particularly parents, teachers, and those in the autism community, who believe there is a definite link between sugar and behavioral problems. Parents often report that their children’s behavior deteriorates after consuming foods or beverages high in sugar. In one study where primary school teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire, they overwhelmingly responded that sugar has a negative effect on students’ behavior. Almost 91 percent of them also indicated that they believe sugar exacerbates behavioral problems in hyperactive children. Numerous research studies over the years support the belief that sugar has a negative impact on behavior, attention, hyperactivity, aggression, mood, and mental function. However, many other research studies conclude just the opposite, that sugar has no effect. The observations of parents and teachers that children’s behavior is linked to sugar has been heavily criticized and refuted by researchers and most medical professionals.

The truth is, sugar does have an effect on children. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate, which means it is rapidly digested and broken down into glucose, which is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. When your child consumes a sugary food or drink, it causes a rapid rise in his blood glucose level (hyperglycemia). This spike in your child’s blood glucose level triggers his pancreas to release the hormone insulin to lower his blood glucose level. This in turn causes his blood glucose level to drop rapidly (reactive hypoglycemia), triggering the release of adrenaline and other hormones to raise his blood glucose level once again. Some children are more sensitive than others to this abnormal, rapid rise and fall of blood glucose levels, and their bodies overreact with a biochemical response that can lead to physical and behavioral symptoms. Symptoms vary from child to child, depending on their sensitivity, but some common ones include nervousness, shakiness, light-headedness, dizziness, fatigue, sweating, tremors, flushing, confusion, anxiety, headaches, depression, irritability, and craving sweets. The bottom line is that while sugar does not directly cause hyperactivity, it does set into motion biochemical responses in your child’s body that can lead to behavioral problems.

Candy as Positive Reinforcement

Unfortunately, many therapists use candy as a reinforcer in behavioral programs or as a reward for good behavior, progress, and achieving goals. I strongly discourage this practice, and if I’m working with a child who is given candy as a reward, I ask that the therapist transition to a non-food reinforcer or reward system within two weeks. If the parents and therapist have trouble determining an appropriate reinforcer/reward system for their child, I suggest they consult with a behavior therapist. A behavior therapist can analyze your child’s behavior and suggest individualized recommendations for non-food reinforcer/rewards that he will respond to. For more information or to locate a behavior therapist, visit the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Web site at www.bacb.com.

I’m not saying that sugar is bad and should totally be avoided; instead, I encourage you to teach your child how to consume sugar responsibly to lessen its negative impact on his behavior. Your nutrition goal here is to prevent your child from experiencing hyperglycemia and reactive hypoglycemia episodes, help him maintain normal blood glucose levels, and therefore prevent symptoms such as behavioral problems. It’s best to avoid high-sugar foods and drinks altogether, but that’s tough to do. When your child does consume these foods, offer it along with another food containing protein. Most protein foods are also converted into glucose by the body, but this conversion takes place slowly and the glucose enters the bloodstream at a slower, more consistent rate. This will balance the effect of sugar and help your child maintain a more stable rise in his blood glucose level. Here are some more suggestions to help minimize your child’s refined sugar intake:

• First and foremost, avoid high-sugar foods and beverages (anything that contains 15 grams of sugar or more “per 100 g”) as much as possible.

• Replace high-sugar snacks with healthier ones such as raw vegetable sticks, fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, air-popped popcorn, fruit smoothie, yogurt, pretzels, or rice cakes with fruit spread.

• Feed your child three small meals and two to three snacks about every three hours each day.

• Make sure to provide balanced meals for your child made up of complex carbohydrates (whole grains, rice, breads, and cereals, starchy vegetables, and legumes), protein, and healthy fats.

• Offer foods that are high in soluble fiber, such as legumes, oatmeal, root vegetables, and fruit.

• Limit fruit juice to 4 ounces a day.

• Don’t use candy as positive reinforcement or part of a reward system.

PROJECT NO. 1: SET THE STAGE FOR A HEALTHIER DIET

Call a Family Meeting

The first thing you should do when preparing to transition to a healthier way of eating is to have a family meeting. Gather everyone in your family together and explain why you’re all going to start eating healthier. During your discussion, keep the focus on the entire family, not one particular child. (Before you call your family meeting, be sure to discuss this issue with your partner and work out any disagreements about your goals and how to reach them. It’s critical that you present a united front at your family meeting.)

Clean Out Your Kitchen

Go through your kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, review the nutrition information panel on food products, and make a list of all the foods and beverages that contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, high-sugar, and trans fat. Gradually, over the next several weeks, replace the products on your list with healthier alternatives. Often parents are advised to immediately toss out all unhealthy foods—don’t do this. It’s unrealistic and may be too overwhelming a change for your family. It’s much better not to toss out a food until you’ve purchased a healthier replacement. You’re much more likely to make a successful, long-term transition to a healthier diet with this gradual approach.

Here’s an at-a-glance list of ingredients you should avoid when stocking your healthier kitchen:

Artificial Colors: Artificial Color FD & C, U.S. Certified Food Color, FD & C, Blue No. 1 (brilliant blue), Blue No. 2 (indigotine), Green No. 3 (fast green), Red No. 40 (allura red), Red No. 3 (erythrosine), Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine), Yellow No. 6 (sunset yellow)

Artificial Flavors: Monosodium glutamate, MSG, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate

Preservatives: Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Artificial Sweeteners: Saccharin (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal)

Refined Sugar: Sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

Fat: Trans fat, partially hydrogenated oils

Now that you’ve eliminated foods containing chemicals and high-sugar from your child’s diet and transitioned him to a healthier diet, you’ve likely begun to see some real improvement in his behavior, mood, hyperactivity, ability to pay attention, and overall health. (Keep in mind that your child’s unique biochemical makeup will dictate how subtle or significant his behavioral changes will be.) Now it’s time to move on to Step 2 —making sure your child is getting the proper amount of basic nutrients.