The developmental changes that take place throughout childhood and adolescence greatly impact a person’s overall well-being into adulthood. Your child’s daily diet plays a central role in this process. Daily diet ultimately determines the quality of health your child will experience as an adult. Today’s Standard American Diet offers little in nutritional value to support the development changes that take place in childhood.
The Hallelujah Diet consists of nutrient-dense foods that specifically equip the body to function at optimal levels. If you’re considering switching your child to the Hallelujah Diet, rest assured this is the very best thing you can do for your child’s health, both now and in the future. Keep reading to see how the Hallelujah Diet can bring out the very best in your child’s health and ongoing development.
The Toxic Effects of the Standard American Diet
The most common eating habits in the United States, also known as the Standard American Diet or SAD, do a lot of damage to the body’s short-term and long-term health.
Years of poor eating habits have left Americans at high risk of developing a number of chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. In essence, the SAD contains anything but the types of foods and nutrients most needed to maintain good health. The foods that make up the SAD have the following characteristics:
- Low fiber content
- High animal fat content
- Processed ingredients
- High in harmful fats, such as saturated, trans, and hydrogenated fats
- Low in good carbs or complex carbohydrates
The Hallelujah Diet Benefits All Age Groups
Nutrition needs remain the same from childhood on into adulthood, so the Hallelujah Diet is just as healthy for your child as it is for you. The main difference for children following the Hallelujah Diet is to ensure their energy intake is adequate by increasing the amount of cooked food to about 50 rather than 15 percent in the adult version. This diet delivers all the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients the body needs to thrives. As a plant-based diet, the foods that make up the HD contain high levels of enzymes, which are the “living” materials that ultimately determine a food’s nutritional value. The human body requires high amounts of fiber, moderate amounts of protein and fats, and healthy, complex carbohydrates. Unlike the SAD, which increases your risk of developing chronic diseases, the plant-based foods that make up the Hallelujah Diet support and strengthen the body’s major systems. In this respect, the HD provides health benefits that
significantly lower the risk of developing chronic diseases.
Effects on Gene Expression
The nutritional benefits of the Hallelujah Diet can have broad range effects on a child’s gene expression. In a nutshell, gene expression lies at the root of the body’s development and ongoing maintenance, controlling a range of factors, including brain functioning, weight, and immune system health. Our body’s DNA turns into RNA, which then turns into protein. This resulting protein forms the body’s cells, tissues, bones, and, ultimately, determines what the overall health of the body will be. While gene expression does exert considerable control over a child’s development,
the food he or she eats influences how DNA performs. In effect, our DNA is made out of the foods we eat. In turn, the quality of food we eat determines the direction gene expression takes in terms of which gene markers are activated or deactivated. This is especially the case for markers that influence overall health, as well as physical and mental development. In effect, the quality of food we eat influences how gene expression plays out. This has broad range implications for a growing body!
Mental Health Benefits
While most people know that good physical and mental health tend to go hand-in-hand, many may not know that good health begins in the body’s digestive tract. Approximately 80 percent of the body’s immune system is in the gut. The gut also houses many of the neurotransmitter chemicals that regulate thinking and emotions. This means maintaining the health of the gut is key to supporting good mental health in your child. The Hallelujah Diet is designed to provide the key nutritional supports that promote optimal health.
Long-Term Health Benefits
Inadequate nutrition accounts for the increasing rates of heart disease, obesity, and mental illness we see today.
The sooner good nutrition becomes a part of a person’s diet, the greater the benefits, both now and in the future. Childhood and adolescence are prime times for starting your child on a nutrient-dense eating regimen. The Hallelujah Diet offers everything your child needs to be the very best that he or she can be!
