How green spaces benefit mental health

big sister hugging little brother in beautiful green space

Green spaces defuse stress, and may help prevent depression and childhood psychiatric disorders. But not every green space is equal.

Secure attachment relationships protect kids from toxic stress

© 2019 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Parents can help children recover from stress by offering physical affection and words of support. But is there more? Maybe secure attachment relationships also help kids develop the ability to self-soothe. What happens when you soothe your baby’s tears? When you make eye contact, engage your baby … Continue reading

Vitamin A supplements: Is your kid getting too much vitamin A?

© 2019 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Vitamin A supplements are helpful for children who have a vitamin A deficiency. But most healthy, well-nourished kids don’t need supplements. And some kids may be getting too much vitamin A — consuming excessive levels of preformed vitamin A in liver, dairy products, fish oil, multivitamins, and … Continue reading

Paleolithic nutrition for kids: Why the traditional, high-starch “food pyramid” might be steering some kids towards obesity and disease

© 2009-2014 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Putting nutrition for kids in an evolutionary context It’s become a cliché. Paleolithic people were athletic, fit, and free from the chronic diseases associated with modern, affluent, sedentary lifestyles: obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Why? They exercised regularly, walking an average of 8 miles a day. … Continue reading

Food and nutrition for kids: An evidence-based guide

New research offers important insights about nutrition for kids. For example, studies confirm that, for their body weight, children burn more fat (Kostyak et al 2007). These and other observations suggest that many seemingly natural, healthful diets for adults are inappropriate for children.  What else should parents keep in mind? Here is an index to … Continue reading

Mercury in fish: What parents should know about tuna and other seafood

© 2010-2014 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Recent research confirms that fish are high in nutrients essential for brain growth. Pregnant women who eat fish, and parents who include fish in their children’s diets, are providing their families with omega-3 fatty acids that may boost cognitive development (Strain et al 2012). But unfortunately there … Continue reading

Childbirth trauma and post traumatic stress

What’s wrong with the status quo? © 2006-2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Childbirth trauma in cross-cultural perspective In Western countries, parents are expected to respond to childbirth with happiness and joy. But when anthropologist Wenda Trevathan reviewed childbirth in other cultures, she discovered that joy is not very common (Trevathan 1987). In many … Continue reading

Prebiotics: How to feed your family’s friendly gut flora

© 2009 – 2012 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Like probiotics, prebiotics are a popular new food additive. Should your family be consuming them? Experiments suggest that prebiotic supplements are safe. They are probably healthful, too. Here is an overview of the subject: What prebiotics are, where you can find them, and why you … Continue reading

Healthful diets for kids: Why some seemingly natural diets can harm children

Everyone has heard about the perils of the high-fat, high starch, low-fiber diet common throughout the affluent, industrialized world. So shouldn’t we steer our families toward a more “natural” diet? Eat the way we were meant to eat. Eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors and enjoy better health. It’s not a bad plan. If you consider … Continue reading

How daycare centers change the stress response system (and what we can do)

© 2009 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Numerous studies report a link between daycare centers and stress. The more time young children spend in childcare facilities, the more likely they are to develop abnormal stress hormone profiles. What’s normal? Typically, the body produces high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the early morning. … Continue reading

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