I have designed this blog post to shock you. Maybe if I shock you enough, you will truly see the connection between health eating and child development.

Here are some little known facts showing the link between healthy eating and child development:

1. The global average height of human beings is lower than ever at five-foot-five. This is due to a lack of nutrients being at an all-time high. The current global average height in men is five-foot-eight and in women is five-foot-two. At one time, the global average height in men used to be six-feet and in women used to be five-foot-seven. Healthy eating patterns begin in childhood.


2. The biggest cause of ‘failure to thrive’ in babies and children is that these kids are not absorbing the nutrients from grains! And this is due to the way grains are being processed. These kids need to avoid consuming grains themselves or avoid consuming them in their mother’s breast milk. This does not need to be a “life sentence” if the proper supplements are taken to heal the gut.


3. Children exercising too much can end up smaller than other children. When exercising excessively, it is vital to obtain enough nutrients from food and drinks to make up for all the minerals lost through sweat.


4. Lack of protein is a leading cause of poor development in children. Think about body builders who want to build muscle and get bigger – what do they always consume? Protein shakes. A child needs a serving size of protein every time they eat, which should be every three hours. A serving size is the size of their palm without the fingers.


5. Babies are born with their parents’ toxicity. A low birth weight generally means there is a nutrient deficiency. Babies can be born with heavy metal toxicity, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and systems that are out of balance. This is why it’s so important for parents to eat healthier and take the necessary supplements prior to conceiving.


6. The majority of today’s children do not have good intestinal health; they are lacking in healthy bacteria. This comes about from birth by c-section and exposure to chemicals, sugar, stress, fear, vaccinations, drugs, alcohol/tobacco, laptops/cell phones etc, all of which play a large role in our society. Unhealthy intestines cannot properly absorb vitamins and minerals.      


7. The number of children with chronic illnesses has quadrupled since the time in which their parents were kids! According to a 2010 study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, chronic childhood illnesses (Diabetes, obesity, asthma, autism, ADD) doubled from 12.8% in 1994 to 26.6% in 2006. Healthy eating literally prevents and improves each of these conditions.  



I hope that I have made the link between healthy eating and child development very clear. I believe it is our responsibility to help others become aware of this connection. Each generation will continue to be sicker than the one prior, unless more and more of us can do things differently. It is not difficult to implement healthier eating in a household. And what I love about working with children is how quickly their bodies respond to nutritional improvements!  

Hi! I’m Meredith Deasley, BA, RHN, RNCP, ACC, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Life Coach who has helped families become healthier and happier since 2002. For more information on the link between healthy eating and child development, please order my book The Resourceful Mother’s Secrets to Healthy Kids . For an individualized nutrition consultation for your child, please contact me.      

Sources: World Health Organization, Preventing Desease through healthy environments 2006, Journal of the American Medical Association, Dynamics of Obesity and Chronic Health Conditions Among Children and Youth, 2010, Children Sicker Now Than in Past, Harvard Report, 2007.

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