Diet Intervention

At BrainworX we cannot emphasize enough the importance of adhering to the dietary changes that are recommended for you or your child. In order for diet interventions to be effective, they must be strictly followed. I like the analogy that states, “If you sit in a chair filled with 100 sharp tacks, you will be rather uncomfortable. If I remove 80% of those tacks and ask you to sit back down, you will still be very uncomfortable sitting in that chair.” This is how we need to look at diet plans. No gluten means, no gluten; never, not just Monday through Friday. Eating the wrong foods can be no different than giving yourself or your child opium like drugs. Enzyme deficiencies such as a DPP4 enzyme failure causes gliadinomorphin, gliadorphin, and gluteomorphin peptides from gluten and beta-casomorphins peptides from casein to release opioid like molecules. This can lead to low sensitivity to pain, repetitive behavior, decline in cognitive development, and social deficiencies.

Cleaning up the gut is the step number one on the road to recovery. The question is how do we do this, and how do we know when we are done? At BrainworX we use the latest protocols developed by our nation’s leading researchers in order to test for sensitivities, monitor, and treat bacterial and yeast dysbiosis or imbalance.

Dietary changes are not only beneficial for you or your child, many will find that the whole family can benefit by making these changes. Other members of the family will notice that they too will begin to feel better, have more energy, and even sleep better after following our dietary programs.

Dietary changes can be difficult on the entire family. Additional effort and planning will be required in order to make dietary changes successful. At BrainworX we administer appropriate laboratory testing to determine if a particular diet will be beneficial for you or your child. We look forward to getting you on the path to recovery.

Gut-Brain Axis of Pathology

Nutritional Tips

Starting a new diet can be difficult. One should not over look the importance of proper caloric intake. Proper nutritional values can sometimes be overlooked due to the large amounts of foods that one wants to omit from a child’s diet. Here are guidelines provided by Judy Converse, MPH RD for proper energy, protein, and fat intakes for children.

•  Children need roughly 1,000 calories per day plus 100 calories for each year of age. Example: A four year-old child in good nutrition status needs about 1,400 calories per day.
• Preschool-age kids who need to “catch up” in growth and gain weight require 150-250 Kcal/kg (70-125 kcal/pound) of body weight per day. Extra calories should be mostly fat and carbohydrate, as these spare the protein to fuel growth. The extra fat can be a combination of olive, flax, and fish oils.
• One- to three-year-olds in good nutrition status typically need 100 Kcal/kg (45 kcal/pound) of body weight per day.
• Four- to six-year olds in good nutrition status typically need 90 kcal/kg (40 kcal/pound) of body weight per day.
• Protein requirements, minimally, are 1.2 grams/kg (.55 grams/pound) of body weight per day for one- to thee-year olds, or at least 16 grams/day; 1.1 grams/kg (.50 grams/pound) of body weight per day for four- to six-year-olds, or at least 24 grams per day. More is fine, but this is a bare minimum.
• During catch-up growth, protein requirements go up to 3.2 grams/kg (1.5 grams per pound) of body weight per day for preschool kids, or as much as 40-50 grams per day.
• Fat is usually unrestricted in kids who are not overweight. Many parents think they should not allow fats, but clinical signs of fatty acid deficiency are common in children on diets.

Here are criteria for nutritional failure (which brings increased risk of infection, growth regression, or developmental and functional compromise):

• Normal nutrition status = a child who is at 90-110% of ideal weight for height.
• Early malnutrition = 85-89% of ideal weight for height.
• Mild malnutrition = 80-84% of ideal weight for height.
• Moderate malnutrition = 75-79% of ideal weight of height.
• Severe malnutrition = less than 75% of ideal weight for height.

These are red flags for nutritional failure:

• A child less than age five years who is at less than 85% ideal weight for height.
• A child less than age five years who has lost weight for two months or more.
• A child less than age five years who has not gain weight for two to three months.
• A child age five to 18 who weighs less that 85% of ideal weight for height, who has lost weight for two months or longer, or who has not gained weight for six months.

Ideal weight for height is found this way:

1. Plot the child’s actual height on the growth chart.
2. Plot a weight for the child on the growth chart, using the percentile found for height. Example: If a child plots at the 25th percentile for height/age, then plot the 25th percentile for weight/age. This gives the ideal weight in pounds for the child. Use this weight for the calculation below.
3. Actual weight/ideal weight X 100= percentage of ideal weight for height.