Kids Learn Better by Eating Better

High school graduation rates are up but student achievement is not. What is going on?

A recent article in the New York Times reviewed high school graduation rates with actual tests of college readiness. Even in many high school graduates, tests show they are not ready for college. 10% or fewer of these students are ready for college level reading and math. Some states have limited the number of courses which must be taken in high school or have decreased in other ways high school graduation requirements, which are some of the reasons why high school graduation rates are up. But why should college readiness skills be so low?

There are of course many reasons for this but I wish to offer one reason which you will not find on any public list.  That is, food based toxins make concentration and learning harder for almost all students.

A prime food toxin is malt. What is malt? I explain in other parts of this website in detail what Malt is. Malt contains 20 chemicals that put your brain to sleep. These chemicals are highly toxic for your brain, and have been compared to taking phenobarbital which puts the brain to sleep in milligram quantities. We just put up a post showing how Malt is baked into nearly everything, as a sugar substitute, including breads, bagels, cookies, crackers and cereals. I show you labels so you can see for yourself!

What does this mean? Literally, millions of children are going to school every day with twenty toxic chemicals sloshing around in their brains just from eating breakfast. These chemicals put their brains to sleep. How can they study and concentrate if their brains are asleep?

Malt is not the only problem. You can also find these same chemicals in chocolate and potato chips.  Another source of bad chemicals is vinegar, found in ketchup and mustard, salad dressings and just about all condiments.  I explain why this is so bad if you click here.

I had a patient who had such severe ADHD that he couldn’t even sit still in school.  He had to be home schooled by third grade because of this problem.  His parents took away malt and vinegar.  He calmed down, was able to concentrate, and recently graduated from college.

Malt does more than put the brain to sleep. It also contains chemicals which cause headaches  and other chemicals which directly slow down or stop the brain from making new nerve connections. Learning involves making new connections in the brain.

So, if you want your children to do well in school, look at what they are eating for breakfast. Check their foods for malt and vinegar. You can find substitutes that they will eat and enjoy, and be able to learn better.