Protein: Sustained fuel for the body – and mind

Browse through the cereal aisle of any grocery store, and read the labels of the breakfast cereals. After a main ingredient, which may be rice, wheat, corn or oats, you’ll discover a list of ingredients which probably includes sugar, fructose, corn syrup, dextrose, brown sugar, maltodextrin, and/or honey – a veritable feast of refined carbohydrates.

Children are normally very efficient in metabolizing carbohydrates. This carbohydrate load causes a rapid rise in blood sugar and an accompanying rapid rise in insulin. The insulin drives the sugar from the blood into the cells, resulting in a dramatic fall in blood sugar (hypoglycemia, i.e low blood sugar). This crash usually occurs one to twohours after breakfast, right in the middle of morning class!

Hypoglycemia can cause a number of changes: Physical, mental and emotional. These changes may manifest as aimless hyperactivity (or under-activity), loss of attention, inability to concentrate and emotional instability (moodiness, screaming, crying and nastiness), turning a normal child into a totally different person, almost a Jekyll & Hyde transformation, like someone who might be considered to have ADD.

Many ADD-diagnosed children have ‘become normal’ after they were given a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate breakfast instead of the usual fare of cereal, white toast & jam, doughnuts, etc. It is  recommended that such children be given poached eggs, bacon or ham for breakfastor something like the Protein Power Breakfast Smoothie (recipe below).This results in a sustained,slow release of sugar throughout the morning, usually lasting until lunch. At break-time, instead of high-carbohydrate meals, give a tuna or peanut butter(read thelabel, use peanut butter without sugar) sandwich (low GI bread) or other high-protein, low-carbohydrate food. In the afternoon, provide another high-protein, low-carbohydrate snack. This ofteneliminates the crying, fighting or other tantrum-like behavior after school. Finally, eliminate the high-sugar snacks and especially stimulating or addictive caffeine-containing cola soft drinks. Itshould be noted that most grains (rice, wheat, oats, etc.) have an extremely high glycemic index, very closeto that of sugar.

When a child is clearly acting hypoglycemic, parents must be aware of these acute, emotional turnarounds in a normal, happy, outgoing, friendly child, give him a glass of orange juice or other fruit juice to cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, followed by a high-protein, high-fat snack to sustain the normalized blood sugar and prevent another crash. It can be necessary to feed some‘hyperactive’ children every two hours in order to maintain a state of normal behavior, with extremely gratifying results.

(Extracts from an article by Dr Ward Dean M.D – Medical Director of Vitamin Research Products)

PROTEIN is the number one nutrient for good health. Your body uses protein to build and repair muscle, bone, skin, hair and nails. Protein is also required to make neurotransmitters, enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals, and is essential to proper immune function. VRP’sSmart Protein™ features the highest quality undenatured whey protein, low-temperature processed to protect naturally-occurring bioactive proteins. Whey protein is easily digested, has a superior amino acid profile and higher biological value than other proteins. Smart Protein™is all-natural, fat free, sugar free & naturally sweetened.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES First and foremost, due to the inferior quality of most children’s diets, finding a convenient way to provide them with the proper nutrients is essential. Fruit and vegetable drinks such asPrimary Greens™may be used to increase intake of phytonutrients that are often lacking.

PRE- & PROBIOTICS Maintaining optimal levels of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) in the digestive system is foundational to good health. Probiotics are important, not only for digestion, but are essential for nutrient synthesis, for the elimination of toxins and excess cholesterol, and for proper immune function. Since age, dietary factors and certain prescription drugs can deplete these ‘friendly’ bacteria, it’s important to replace them on a regular basis. BioProcapsules and powder are probiotic blends featuring the highly-researched DDS-1 strain of acidophilus in a nutrient base designed to enhance viability. 

MULTIVITAMINS such asKids’ Essentials (chewable), Extend Liquid(liquid multivitamin)and Extend Core(capsules) may support blood sugar metabolism and weight management. Numerous vitamins and minerals have shown to benefit blood sugar metabolism including chromium, magnesium, nicotinamide, vitamin E, vanadium, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

FISH OIL is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Research shows that daily intake of fish and fish oils decreases the risk of glucose intolerance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. A good fish oil supplement for children is the high-quality, strawberry-flavouredDHA Junior Liquidwhich has also been shown to be great for added brain power.

XYLITOL is a naturally occurring sugar-alcohol that can be used as a low-glycemic dietary sugar substitute. Xylitol also has dramatically reduced tooth decay and otitis media (ear infections), making it an ideal sugar substitute for kids. It is also diabetic-safe.Unique Sweet™is all-natural xylitol from VRP.

ABOUT VRP
Vitamin Research Products (VRP) are imported to South Africa by VRP South Africa. VRP is America’s most trusted name in health and nutrition. Since 1979, VRP has forged a reputation as a leader in the science of healthy aging and nutritional research. Our speciality is the design and manufacturing of advanced, high quality formulas to nutritionally support a healthy lifestyle that will lead to optimal health. We create unequalled multi-vitamin and multi-mineral formulas along with hundreds of other thoughtfully designed nutritional solutions.
VRP’s track record of success can be attributed to unsurpassed quality assurance. We exclusively use vegetarian, plant-based capsules that are inherently safer than beef gelatin-derived capsules and run short manufacturing cycles with quality control testing to maintain maximum efficacy.VRP also maintains the largest health and nutrition archive on the internet.
We believe: The best supplement for good health is knowledge: The more you know the healthier you can become.
So come visit us at www.vrp.co.za and get the information you need to make better decisions about your health and that of your family.