I am excited to report that I appeared on The Rachael Ray Show on Monday, February 22.
The taping of the show was truly magical. Rachael was so great to work with and the crew of the show really understood our message and did perhaps the best television piece on us anyone has ever done.
I don’t want to give away too much, but I can tell you that they came to our Newport Beach clinic last week to film us doing brain scans of patients, including one of our weight-loss study group patients!
If you missed the show, you can catch an excerpt of it online by clicking here.
If you like what you see, then stay tuned. We will be uploading the segment in its entirety on the Amen Clinics website in the near future. Keep checking this newsletter to find out when it is ready for viewing.
To Your Brain Health,
Daniel
Daniel G. Amen, MD
CEO, Amen Clinics, Inc.
Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
Do calorie counts posted in restaurants really make a difference in what people eat? You bet they do. Researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Business released a study comparing orders at Starbucks outlets that posted calories with locations that did not display calorie counts.
At the locations where calorie counts were on display, it resulted in a 6 percent reduction in calories per transaction. Consumers in these outlets switched to food items with lower calories or purchased fewer food items. The calorie postings did not, however, appear to influence beverage choices.
The fact that posted calorie counts resulted in lower calorie purchases doesn’t surprise me at all. A little knowledge can go a long way!
In my new book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, I include a section called “15 Important Numbers I Need to Know.” One of those numbers is how many calories you consume on a daily basis. But how can you know how many calories you consume unless you know how many calories are in the foods and beverages you are purchasing? And how can you make the healthiest choices if you don’t know what’s in the foods you are ordering?
If you go to a restaurant or even a fast-food chain, ask if calorie counts and other nutritional info are posted and study them carefully before ordering. You will make better choices that will help boost your brain and improve your physical health.
Even better, cook at home so you can be in total control of the foods you put in your body. The new Change Your Brain, Change Your Body Cookbook (written by my beautiful wife) includes more than 60 brain healthy recipes that are simple to make and so delicious.
What's making your child so hyperactive?
For years, I have been warning parents about the link between artificial food coloring and behavioral issues in children. Now a team of researchers has come up with the same conclusion based on an extensive review of the medical literature on this topic.
Published in the journal Prescrire International, the researchers cited one study in which higher levels of hyperactivity were reported in 297 healthy children when they ate foods with artificial coloring.
Their report also analyzed data from 15 double-blind clinical trials involving children already diagnosed with hyperactivity. They found increased hyperactivity in these kids with the ingestion of artificial coloring.
In my practice, I have found that artificial food coloring can cause a number of behavioral problems in addition to hyperactivity, including lack of focus, inattention, and is especially troublesome for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Food coloring can be hard to avoid. It’s in all kinds of foods and beverages that kids love—popsicles, breakfast cereals, Pop-Tarts, fruit juices, and more.
If you suspect that food coloring may be affecting your child, try this test at home. Read nutrition labels and eliminate all foods and drinks that include artificial food coloring, including Blue #1, Blue #2, Green #3, Red #40, Red #3, Yellow# 5, and Yellow #6. Does your child seem less hyperactive? Does he or she have better focus and attention?
After the week-long trial, reintroduce foods and beverages with food coloring and re-evaluate your child’s behavior.
