There are still those who insist that there is no connection between the chemicals in foods and the behavior of children. However, there is a tremendous body of research, much of it performed overseas, that documents the effect.
An experiment conducted in England on identical twin brothers is a far cry from an extended study published in a journal, but it is interesting and worth consideration.
Christopher and Michael Parker, age 5, were put on separate diets, with Michael being given only foods free of chemical additives, including chocolate, soft drinks, flavoring agents, sugar and caffeine. In two weeks, Michael became more assertive and calmer than his brother and outperformed him on IQ tests.
In IQ tests before the experiment, the twins each made the same mistakes and completed them in exactly the same amount of time. Two weeks later, the same tests were administered and Christopher had improved by 10%, but Michael had improved by 25%.
Child psychologist Jim Stevenson of Southampton University conducted the tests but was not informed as to which twin was additive free. In the second series of tests he noticed a difference between the brothers and correctly picked the twin who had been eating the cleaner diet.
Again, this is not an extensive study, but is similar to what we see in my office all of the time. People start taking the junk and the things humans were never intended to eat out of their diet and they start to feel better, look better, have more energy, their medical issues begin to resolve, and their cognitive skills often improve.
Additionally, this small project reaffirms what I have been saying for many years, which is that genetics accounts for a small percentage of what happens to people and lifestyle and diet are the bigger factors.
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