by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Aug 30, 2023 | Education Materials
Fighting Fatigue: Finding Time for Self-Care While Raising a Child with Disabilities
As a parent of a child with disabilities, your “normal” isn't like everyone else's. You may be constantly on the go, juggling doctors’ appointments, therapies, school meetings, and everything in between. In the mix of it all, it's easy to compromise your own well-being and put your family's needs first. However, it's vital to periodically assess your level of fatigue and create a self-care treatment plan in order to avoid burnout.
Today, my guest post writer, Alyssa Strickland of Milennial-Parents.com, offers some tips and resources to help you assess your levels of fatigue and respond accordingly.
Assessing Your Fatigue Levels
It’s important to start with a personal assessment to see how fatigued you are. Be sure to consider the following areas:
Sleep Quality
Are you waking up feeling rested and rejuvenated, or are you struggling to fall or stay asleep? A lack of quality sleep can exacerbate fatigue. Fortunately, Good Housekeeping notes that there are a number of apps and tools available to help you track and improve your sleep quality, so it may be worthwhile to download one that will give you a clearer picture of your sleep patterns.
And don’t downplay the importance of having a quality mattress. For couples, a king-size mattress is ideal, as it can give each sleeper approximately 38 inches of personal space on either side of the bed. As you’re finding king mattresses, it’s best to not skimp on options like cooling technology and breathable, soft materials, and are designed to provide the best support for your posture.
Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
Do you find yourself feeling down, agitated, or irritable more often than usual? Do you have trouble concentrating or enjoying activities that you used to love? Healthline points out that these can all be signs of depression and anxiety, which can contribute to fatigue. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, it's important to reach out to your doctor or mental health professional.
Satisfaction with Your Parenting
It's normal to feel like you're not doing enough as a parent, but if you're constantly second-guessing your decisions or you're feeling overwhelmed and alone, it's important to seek help. Consider seeking counseling to work through your feelings and difficult parenting decisions, and look for organizations that support people with disabilities in your community.
Implementing Self-Care
Self-care requires a healthy balance, as it's vital to ensure that you don’t begin neglecting your responsibilities or burdening your support network in the pursuit of respite. There are a number of ways you can begin your treatment plan, so it’s best to evaluate which best fits your personal circumstances. Consider the following:
Make Time for Yourself
Set aside time each week to do something that you enjoy without stress or obligations. This can be something as simple as reading a book, taking a walk, or getting a manicure. You can also use this time to focus on your mental and emotional well-being by journaling, meditating, or practicing yoga.
Seek Professional Help
If you're struggling to cope with the demands of parenting a child with disabilities, don't be afraid to seek professional help. There are a number of therapists and counselors who specialize in working with families of children with disabilities. Support groups are also a great resource for parents with similar challenges.
Stay Organized
Clutter can be incredibly stressful, especially when you’re trying to find something important, like important medical documents or receipts. Be proactive about reducing this particular stress by digitizing your files. Consider this option that won’t take up any valuable space in your home. Use a file scanning app! Simply open the app and take pictures of the files you want to scan. The app does the rest. Then, if you store the files in the cloud, you can find and access them from anywhere.
Before you start organizing, also keep in mind that reducing stress begins by keeping a clean and healthy home. When it comes to organizing your kids' playroom, invest in storage containers and shelving. You can get the job done quicker by involving your kids and turning your decluttering efforts into a game by guessing how quickly you can get it done.
Take Care of Your Physical Health
It's important to take care of your physical health, as this can have a direct impact on your energy levels and overall well-being. Make sure to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. If you're struggling to make time for healthy habits, consider hiring a babysitter or asking a family member for help.
Pursue Your Personal Goals
It's easy to lose sight of your personal goals when you're focused on meeting the needs of your family but sometimes, it’s possible to align both personal ambitions and family needs. For instance, if you’re always wanted to go back to school, maybe now is the time! Teachers are in especially high demand. And if you’re open to online programs, such an option allows you to learn at your own pace without having to take too much time away from your family.
Next, if you want to start a business of your own, there are plenty of opportunities out there. You might want to consider learning how to form an LLC, as this business structure offers great flexibility and a lot less paperwork. Be sure to check your state’s regulations for LLCs before going ahead.
Last but not least, it may also be worthwhile to consider a change of career so that your professional life is less demanding. If you're re-entering the job market, you can stand out from the crowd by creating a professional and distinctive resume using one of the best resume editors with a host of copy and imagery options.
Prioritize Your Needs to Stay Strong
As a parent of a child with disabilities, you can’t afford to become burned out, so self-care needs to be a priority. By taking the time to assess your fatigue levels and implement the treatment plan, including pursuing your career dreams like starting your own business, you can ensure that you're able to effectively meet the needs of your family as well as your own.
Image by Pexels
Alyssa Strickland created millennial-parents.com for all the new parents on the block. Alyssa believes the adage that it takes a village to raise a child, but she also thinks it takes a village to raise a parent! Millennial-Parents is that village. Today’s parents can be more connected than ever, and she hopes her site will enrich those connections. On Millennial-Parents, she shares tips and advice she learns through experience and from other young parents in three key areas — Education, Relationships, and Community.
Homeschooling Dietitian Mom helps you teach your kids how to make better health choices, no matter what their age or unique needs. Contact us today to learn more! debbiesuerd@homeschoolingdietitianmom.com
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Aug 7, 2023 | Food Allergies and Special Diets
In the previous post, Diet and ADHD in children, Part 1, I focused on
Making sure your child is getting his or her basic nutritional needs met.
Today I'm going to focus on how to avoid (or minimize) the food additives that are detrimental to his or her health.
Since reading the book, “Eating for Autism,” and others like it, I have made quite a few changes to Nathan's diet. That is, I've removed things that I've decided aren't so good for him.
I must be honest when I say that I haven't noticed any remarkable changes in his behavior, like many have when making these significant changes. However, I still know that it's making a difference. One of the things about prevention is that you're preventing it from happening. So, obviously it didn't happen. You can't know about something that didn't happen, right? I believe that's important to remember.
It's not just about reducing behavior and allergy issues; it's about preventing them from happening at all.
The process is complicated and time consuming. However, if you have a child with major behavior issues, who is nonverbal, or has any other extreme symptoms, you may find the time and effort worth it in the end.
The next step is straight forward:
Get Rid of Harmful Toxins
So, what should you strive to remove, or at least reduce, and why? You should eliminate all synthetic food additives because evidence is growing that these additives do affect people who are sensitive.
Food additives include artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, and artificial sweeteners. Click here for partial list
One of the issues with toxins is that there are so many of them in the diet of Americans. And food manufacturers are quite skilled at hiding these worrisome ingredients under different names. For example, MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), which I will talk about in a minute. But first, let's talk about “GRAS.”
GRAS
“GRAS,” which stands for “Generally Regarded as Safe,” is the label or certification the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives when they determine that an ingredient in food is safe to eat. Once a food is labeled as “GRAS,” it's impossible to get it removed from this list. Unfortunately, many food ingredients that have been labeled GRAS aren't necessarily safe for everyone.
Here's what the FDA has to say about GRAS:
“GRAS” is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized as Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to premarket review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excepted from the definition of a food additive. (Emphasis Mine)
But if you look at the list of food additives, you might not be feeling so positive about the “safe” part of GRAS, especially when you realize that certain substances were “grandfathered” into the GRAS designation under the Food Additive Amendment of 1958. In other words, they were never really tested for safety before GRAS was slapped on them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generally_recognized_as_safe
Saccharin is one of these ingredients.
Saccharin, which has been clearly shown to cause bladder cancer in rats, is still on the market because it falls under “GRAS.”
Other ingredients that are labeled as GRAS are questionable, including Aspartame and MSG. Despite the fact that numerous people have reported adverse symptoms to Aspartame and MSG, the FDA refuses to budge on its classification of GRAS for both additives.
https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/
So, GRAS was created in an effort by the FDA to monitor food additives. The designation GRAS, according to the FDA, is supposed to mean the food additive is safe for the general public. But kids with ADD, ADHD, and Autism are not the “general public.” And studies are showing that many of these food additives have detrimental effects on these kids and other sensitive people.
Many of these additives contain suspicious ingredients or are created by suspicious means. For example, artificial colors.
Artificial Colors
Most artificial colors contain Coal Tar. Coal Tar is a by-product of coal, and it has been shown to be a carcinogen. So, besides the fact that artificial colors have been shown to increase behavior problems and hyperactivity, there's the risk of cancer. Coal tar is also used in shampoo, soap, and as a treatment for lice (yikes)!
The current artificial colors used include Blue #1 and #2, Green #3, Red #3 and #40, Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, and Orange. Look for these ingredients on food labels if you want to avoid them.
Artificial Flavors
Artificial flavors are added to food to improve and enhance the flavor of natural food. For example, MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), which is the most common. Do any of you remember the old “Accent” spice? The commercials used to say, “Enhances the flavor of foods.” Well, that's what Accent is: MSG. In fact, it turns out that Accent is alive and well in the food community. My husband was just in the hospital, and I discovered that they were giving him an Accent packet on his meal trays.
Here is the ingredient list for Accent:
MSG, salt, chili pepper, Tricalcium Phosphate, (anticaking agent), spice (cumin, oregano), Paprika Extractives (color), Garlic Extractives, Onion Extractives, Yellow Lake No. 6, Yellow Lake No. 5.
Hello!!!???
I could not eat Chinese food as a child, because I got sick. I remember one time I was so sick I didn't even get out of bed. My mom was not happy with me! When I was older, someone told me it was MSG that made me sick. Fast forward to the current day. The food manufacturers still claim it's all in our head that MSG causes symptoms. Yet many Chinese (and other Asian) restaurants are MSG free.
And the FDA is requiring MSG to be labeled if it is in a particular food. That should make us all wonder.
Some people think MSG is addicting.
For example, many fast foods contain MSG. I have found when I eat a lot of fast food, I want to eat more. In fact, my first job was at McDonald's. I remember that I always wanted to eat there even on my days off. Addicting? Maybe.
While in college, I read a book titled, “The Slow Poisoning of America.” It seemed extreme at the time, but it did discuss MSG in depth. If you're interested in reading this book, it is available on Amazon.
Some people believe that MSG is added to foods because of its addictive properties.
Do an internet search under “Is MSG addictive?” and you will see what I mean.
At any rate, if you are interested in removing MSG from your kids' diets, you will need to learn to identify it on food labels. Unfortunately, it's not so straight forward. Even though the FDA requires a manufacturer to state “Contains MSG” on the package, food manufacturers figure out ways to avoid putting it on the label.
Glutamate, or glutamic acid, is a naturally occurring amino acid. So, technically it's “natural.” As a result, if a food contains any form of glutamate (if it's not actually MSG), it can be labeled under “natural flavors” or “spices.”
Also watch out for the chemicals “disodium inosinate” and “disodium guanylate,” because these are always associated with MSG. Other ingredients that contain glutamate are hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate.
As you can see, carefully reading labels and doing your research is extremely important, if you want to eliminate or reduce MSG in your family's diet.
Artificial Food Preservatives
Two artificial food preservatives that have caused controversy are butylated hydroxy anisole “BHA” and butyl hydroxytoluene “BHT.” These two preservatives are used in cereals, certain oils, and in cosmetics.
When I first learned about BHA/BHT, I discovered that Cheerios had them listed as an ingredient. I was really bummed because Cheerios are one of my favorite cereals. Reluctantly, I stopped buying Cheerios after that.
The good news is that Cheerios stopped using that preservative. One day I was in the grocery store, thinking, “Boy some Cheerios really sounds good right now. It's too bad they contain that cursed ingredient!” Just for fun, I checked the label. It was no longer there! So now my family can eat Cheerios again.
So, read food labels, and re-read them again, because food manufacturers are starting to get the hint that increasing numbers of people don't want that junk in their food!
Other common preservatives that are often not tolerated and that can be harmful are sulfites and sodium nitrites/nitrates. Sulfites are found in dried fruit, certain aged cheeses, and wine. Nitrites are found in ham, hot dogs, salami, other cold cuts, and bacon. The good news is that there are sulfite free versions of most foods. There are also nitrate free versions of cold cuts as well.
In part 3 of this series, I will discuss specific vitamins and minerals, and why they are important, in more detail.
What's in Your TV Dinner?
Artificial Additives and Our Kids' Health
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Aug 7, 2023 | Food Allergies and Special Diets
ADHD and Diet in Children – Part 1. My son was diagnosed with ADHD in Kindergarten. I was a Registered Dietitian back then and had been since 2000. However, I admit all I was thinking about back then was keeping his diet balanced. This included ensuring he received enough protein, iron and other essential vitamins and minerals through the foods he ate. I never thought about diet and ADHD in children.
I never seriously thought about food additives to avoid or specifically, “Diet and ADHD in children,” until recently.
Nathan was pickier when he was younger, and he was thin. So, in addition to giving him a multivitamin with iron, I gave him one bottle of Pediasure every day. I also gave him 1000 IU of Vitamin D (and still do) every day. (I take 6,000 IU per day. We use Seeking Health D3 drops).
I started giving Nathan vitamin D after I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. My doctor prescribed a high dose of vitamin D (10,000 IU per day) to counteract the deficiency. The vitamin therapy had amazing effects on my mood–within 3 days I felt better. I was ready to start selling vitamin D, I was so impressed. I've struggled with depression in the past, so this was a HUGE deal!
I also noticed that as I continued to take it, I got sick with the cold much less often. To this day, if I get a cold, it's milder and it doesn't last as long. This is the same with my son.
More people are realizing that vitamin D is essential for much more than strong bones.
It treats and prevents depression, increases your immune system, and is even helpful for diabetes. However, not everyone is on the bandwagon.
The standard 400 IU is not enough to prevent deficiency in most people, but this is the most common amount on multivitamin labels. In fact, this is still another vitamin that many people are deficient in, and most aren't even aware of it. (See my articles on Zinc Deficiency and Magnesium Deficiency for two other examples).
The research is still catching up on how important vitamin D is for good health. However, the vitamin D council has the latest, and the most accurate information regarding vitamin D. (Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin. It's a hormone and is part of the endocrine system). Click here for my article about foods high in Vitamin D.
What about Additives to Avoid?
Okay, so I was satisfied with the fact that Nathan was getting all the most important nutrients through his diet and/or through the supplements I was giving him. One thing I didn't think about back then, however, was whether there were food additives in his diet that could be contributing to his symptoms. I never asked the question, “Do certain foods or ingredients affect kids with ADHD?”
New Discovery of the Importance of Diet and Children with ADHD
I didn't start thinking about food additives until Nathan was seven, because I was overwhelmed with all his other issues. And let's face it. Most doctors don't emphasize food or nutrition as potential therapy for special kids such as ours. My son's doctor certainly didn't.
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, we are required to complete a certain number of continuing education units. So, when it was time to search for that perfect continuing education class, I came across an awesome book titled, “Eating for Autism,” by Elizabeth Strickland. When I read this book, the lights started coming on. And I immediately made changes to further improve Nathan's health.
For example, I immediately put Nathan on a high-quality Omega-3 supplement. (I will talk more later about why quality is so important and how to know you are getting the best quality). I also changed his multivitamin so that it did not contain any artificial flavors or colors. Previously he was taking Flintstones chewable vitamins, which were prescribed by his pediatrician. He wasn't taking omega-3s at all before this.
I want to point out a few things that I believe are important to know about children's multivitamins.
When Nathan's pediatrician first prescribed multivitamins, I had to tell the pharmacist I wanted iron in the vitamin, because the doctor ordered them without iron. The doctor was worried about the supplement causing constipation. However, a multivitamin with iron only contains 100% of the US RDA and shouldn't cause constipation (be sure to check with your doctor before making changes like this). Normally, iron causes constipation when taken as a single mineral supplement because it is a larger amount. NOTE: I do not recommend iron supplements without a doctor's order because of the risk of toxicity.
A separate iron supplement should only be necessary if your child is diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia (low iron in the blood). This requires a simple blood test. At that point, the risks of constipation outweigh the risks of iron-deficiency anemia.
Cow's Milk and Iron Deficiency
I previously worked for the Women, Infant, and Children program as a Public Health Nutritionist. While there, I discovered that iron deficiency is common. I also completed my master's degree project on Iron Deficiency Anemia and its connection to excessive cow's milk intake. So, this issue is close to heart.
For those interested, the results of the study showed that children who stay on the bottle longer than 12 months are at increased risk of iron deficiency anemia.
This is because:
- Cow's milk has no iron, and in fact too much cow's milk can interfere with iron absorption (affect the ability of your child to use the iron from other foods)
- Drinking from a bottle usually means drinking substantial amounts of milk. Whole milk is high in calories*, and so will fill the child up and make him less interested in other foods (such as iron rich foods).
So, prevention of iron deficiency was important to me before Nathan was even born.
This is because Iron deficiency is serious and should not be taken lightly.
Iron deficiency anemia results in developmental delays, (and can even cause permanent mental retardation, if it's severe enough, and doesn't get treated). Iron deficiency also results in increased risk of infection, fatigue, and a whole slew of other issues. Prevention is the best treatment. The good news is that most doctors test for iron deficiency early on. If your child has not been tested. I strongly encourage you to get him or her tested.
It is important to note that if there is no deficiency of iron, and your doctor has not ordered an iron supplement to treat the deficiency, a simple multivitamin with iron should prevent iron deficiency anemia, even if the diet is inadequate in iron.
I gave Nathan the Flintstones vitamins with iron for several years. They were free through his insurance. Once I started learning more about the risks of artificial colors and their effects on kids with ADHD and autism, I started giving him vitamins that don't contain artificial additives. I paid for these myself, which was worth it to me. Although to be fair to the doctor, she might have been willing to prescribe the healthier ones, I just never asked.
It's important to know that gummy vitamins do not contain iron.
It can be hard to get your kid to chew healthier multivitamins. This is something I started having problems with. Nathan got to a point where he wouldn't take the chewable vitamins. Of course, he liked the gummy vitamins. However, I knew he needed iron to prevent anemia, because he wasn't eating much meat at all (or meat alternatives, such as eggs, beans, peas, nuts, seeds). So, I searched high and low for gummy vitamins that contained iron. I could not find one with iron!
So, if you want your child to get iron in his multivitamin, you'll need to find another type than gummies.
(If you know of a gummy vitamin with iron, please let me know)!
So, back to the first step to healing. I didn't necessarily do the steps in order (nor did I even do all the steps. For example, I see no evidence that Nathan is gluten or casein intolerant). However, I'm going to try to talk about them in order–sort of.
Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to jump around from topic to topic when I'm talking. Since I am writing to you, that shouldn't be too much of a problem!
First, like I discussed above, make sure your child is getting his or her basic nutritional needs met. You can do this by:
- Completing a 3-day diary of everything your child eats. (Click here for a basic 3-day food record–it's free–that I whipped up). Make it as detailed as possible, including serving sizes, brand names, time of day eaten, how much actually eaten, how much your child likes the food. Remember it's only 3 days! 🙂
- Try not to make any changes or improvements during this 3-day period. Don't judge yourself or your child. No one has to see this except you.
- Use MyFitnessPal.com or some other calorie/nutrient calculator to help. MyFitnessPal.com will make it much easier to see any major deficiencies (or excesses) in intake off the top.
- For example, proteins, carbohydrates (simple, complex, fiber), fats (saturated, mono and poly, trans), cholesterol
- Vitamins A, C, sodium, potassium
- This is a good starting point.
After you've done a 3-day diary for your children (and yourself, if you're feeling brave :D), The next is to recognize, and then to avoid (or minimize) synthetic (artificial) food additives that are detrimental to his or her (and your) health.
I was going to cover both parts in this post, but I realize this post is getting too long already. high-quality Omega-3 supplement. In the meantime, there's a bit of information in my post, “Artificial Additives and our Kid's Health.”
So, in summary, record and review your children's and your (whole family's?) diets. Look for glaring deficiencies. Think about adding a multivitamin with iron (if not already taken) to your child's diet. Talk to your doctor about having your child tested for iron and/or vitamin D deficiency if you feel it's a problem.
Ask your doctor to test for:
- Vitamin D deficiency. – or you can test at-home using a high-quality Vitamin D supplement. The cost of a Vitamin D kit is around $50. This may be cheaper than going to the doctor. However, either way, you should
Check with your doctor before putting your kids on a high dose vitamin D supplement.
- Iron Deficiency – If the test hasn't been done recently and you are concerned about protein/iron intake.
Here is a basic 3-day Food Record Template, with a couple of pages for note taking.
Click here for a free handout of food combinations that increase absorption of Iron. Hint: Combining iron rich foods and vitamin C rich foods is the key. Click here for recipes and articles on iron rich foods.
In case you don't already know this. Adobe Reader is free and allows you to type into the document. When you click “Fill and Sign,” it allows you to type on the lines. This is something I just recently discovered.
Take care until next time! 🙂
Seven Surprising Symptoms of Iron Deficiency
Recipes High in Iron and Vitamin C
Why Are Kids Picky Eaters?
3 Superfoods that are Truly Healthy
Foods High in Folate and B6
The Benefits of Iron in the Body (eBook)
Cow's Milk Allergy or Lactose Intolerance?
