Calming Foods for Calmer Kids

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links.

Anyone else’s children get really high (and wild) an hour or so after having more sugar or treats than usual?  Yep, mine too. But we’re not doomed (thank goodness!). Certain foods, thanks to the vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants they contain, can help calm children and even help reduce anxiety. Want to know more about calming foods for calmer kids?

Read on, wellbeing author Becky Goddard-Hill wrote about it all in this guest post! The lovely Becky is a former social worker and psychotherapist and she’s also a certified life coach. She’s also one of those rare people who are beautiful inside and out. She blogs at Emotionally Healthy Kids.  The first book in the Create Your Own series, Create Your Own Happy*,  came out in 2018 has now sold over 15,000 copies. Over to you, Becky!

Calming Foods for Calmer Kids

Being able to create your own calm is a skill for life and the sooner we all learn how to be calmer and think more clearly the more peaceful and happy our lives will be.

Create Your Own Calm* is an activity book for 6 to 12 year olds. It contains 50 calming activities, to empower kids to manage their emotional wellbeing in fun and creative ways.  It gives children the tools to cope with life’s stresses, builds their resilience and makes them empowered.  

This is such a timely book.  Growing up in a pandemic and going back to school after a long period at home has caused anxiety for a lot of children. During lockdown, Childline reported a 40% increase in calls from under 11’s who were struggling to cope. 

If you’re worried about Coronavirus, the future, school or lockdowns, click here for Childline, who are there to support you.

The ability to help themselves to and to look after their emotional health is such an important gift to give children and one of the most important things a parent can do.

Included in the book is a section on food and specifically which food calms kids down. It may well be worth encouraging your kids to eat more of the following and to bake with these ingredients too. Want to read about calming foods for calmer kids?

Eggs

Eggs contain an amino acid called tryptophan which helps create serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical  in our brains that helps to even out our moods, helps our sleep and decreases anxiety. 

Check out our little Cress hair activity and recipe for the best egg sandwiches ever!

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds are high in magnesium, zinc and iron. These all help your brain work really well. When your brain is in good health, stress levels can lower too. 

Have you ever tried making bread? This easy peasy no-knead, no faff Pumpkin & Sunflower Seed Loaf is absolutely perfect as a first bread to make as a family.

Spinach 

Leafy greens such as spinach also contain magnesium, which can help boost your mood. 

Blueberries

Blueberries are full of vitamin C and other antioxidants which can improve your brain health and as a result help you feel less anxious (all berries are good for you actually!).  

Check out our delicious fruit skewers here.

Bananas 

Just like eggs, bananas also contain the amino acid called tryptophan, which makes your body produce serotonin. This raises your spirits and helps reduce stress.

If you like pancakes, then you’ll love our Banana Pancakes, which are gluten-free, vegan, and free from refined sugar.

If you’ve got overripe bananas at home, why not try our Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins. They’re my children’s favourite recipe to make mid-week.

Create Your Own Calm* was published in September 2020 by Harper Collins and is available on Amazon and in all good book shops.

Create Your Own Calm introduces kids to a wide activities such as yoga, baking bread, meditation, deep breathing, anchoring, cloud watching and even earthing! There are so many ways that kids can help themselves to feel calmer and learning how to do that can be great fun.

Thank you Becky for such an insightful article about calming foods. Wherever text is in bold, it’s because I wanted to add a sentence or two (couldn’t help myself, could I?) as well as links to some of our recipes. 

Could rethinking what they eat help our children get calmer?

If your little ones are overactive a lot of the time, re-thinking their diet might be a way to slow down their frenzied habits. As Becky outlined above, it is scientifically proven that certain ingredients can help children calm down. 

There has also been a lot of talk about diet for children with ADHD. To help hyperactive children focus better, it’s important they eat plenty of protein and vitamin-rich food. Avoiding sugar as well as artificial flavours are also key. Check this post if you are thinking of trying a gluten-free, diary-free diet with reduced refined sugar. 

As I was looking for photos of my children cooking or handling food, I fell in a photo rabbit hole and I loved every minute of it. Looking at the photos of my children since my eldest was born nearly 13 years ago, it was glaringly obvious how prominent food has always been in our lives. 

From photos of the children picking fruit, to weaning shenanigans, to food allergies to cooking together as a family, it was all there, an integral part of our daily routine. Our photos really reflect how important food is for us all. Food rocks!

Win a copy of Create Your Own Calm by Becky Goddard-Hill

I ordered Becky’s book on the day it came out as the idea behind it is completely up my street. In the fast-paced, technology-fuelled, goal-oriented society we live in, I want to help my children have moments of calm and peace every day. I honestly don’t think changing everything or moving to an electricity-free commune is the answer.

What I believe in is focusing on introducing new, healthy habits every day. It could be as simple as playing a card game as a family. Other simple calming activities include reading, baking, gardening, walking, yoga. How about making a habit of being grateful for the little things in life or practising mindfulness? Becky’s book helps you do just that. 

You can get Create Your Own Calm by clicking on the Amazon link below (affiliate link*).

The book is brimming with ideas and strategies. In her book, Becky will help like problem-solving, cloud watching, creating your own feelings game, pet therapy as well as recipes, meditation tips and many more. If you’re ready to help your children find a bit of peace and quiet in their lives,  then Create Your Own Calm is a must!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

You can pick and choose a range of ways in which to enter. The only one you must click on to get into the draw is the one asking you to leave a blog post comment. You must also leave a comment telling me what your favourite thing to do is when you’re trying to be calmer. 

This giveaway is open to UK residents over 18 and entries are open until 23.59 p.m. GMT time on Sunday 4th July 2021.

Becky’s book

*This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and go on to buy the product(s) I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!