THE SCIENTIST, THE CHEF & ADHD
Creating an Empowering Solution
Imagine your whole family happily coming together to prepare dinner with music playing to facilitate the flow and soften some of the sharp edges of tension that can accumulate during everyone’s busy day. Simple ingredients washed, chopped and combined to create a feast for the all of the senses. Some of the foods, just a few months before, were unknown.
And then imagine that this inclusive recipe for your family was prescribed by a renowned child psychologist, Dr. Frank Crinella and a master Chef Massimo Navaretta.
The two are collaborating to bring this healing prescription to families struggling with the many challenges of ADHD in the form of interactive and enlivening food classes. We believe teaching those who are affected by ADHD like symptoms to be active in the regulation of these symptoms is empowering!
These classes are a part of the latest research study being undertaking by VRF entitled, Behavioral Effects of a Modified Mediterranean Diet on Children with ADHD (MedDi) This study will measure the effects of adequate nutrition on reconnecting teenage boys to their ability to make healthier decisions. Too often, our lifestyle and our eating habits preclude us from adequately nourishing our bodies and minds. This can be especially true with teenage boys.
Our scientist and our chef both have their deep family roots in Italy. Although we cannot all easily adapt the healthy relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle, we can learn to prepare the time honored, simple and health prompting foods of this region.
Both the scientist and the chef will tell you, it’s not just about the food.
Two of our most basic needs as humans are to connect and contribute. The scientist and the chef have created a plan that allows parents and children to collaborate in fun ways for healthy food preparation.
Exploring the Correlation between Violence and Inadequate Nutrition
When most people think of the root causes of violent behavior, they think of socioeconomic factors and life experiences. For over two decades the Violence Research Foundation has been studying something that is rarely mentioned, understood or taken seriously by society: the biological causes of violent behavior. What we’ve found is startling:
Up to 20 to 30% of violent behavior may be
caused by inadequate nutrition.
The nutrition/violence connection
Aggressive behavior is regulated through complex neural networks in the brain. Nutrition is a key factor in the production and function of the neurotransmitters that are the backbone of these neural networks. Poor nutrition can lead to abnormally low levels of these neurotransmitters, which in turn can result in violent behavior.
People therefore need adequate nutrition to experience peaceful and productive lives. Unfortunately, it has been amply demonstrated that a large percentage of Americans are, in fact, malnourished – whether as a result of poverty or dietary choices and preferences.
A low-cost and simple solution to an immense problem
Violence and violent behavior take a heavy toll on our society, in terms of both human suffering and financial costs. While more scientific research is necessary to validate this premise, we hope the time comes when the incidence of violent behavior in our society can be reduced by 20 to 30% through adequate nutrition.
