By: Jack Whalen
A neurodevelopmental issue gives rise to dyslexia. But the brain has plasticity - it can be changed by many things, for instance- diet. Nutrition is a big player in the dyslexia world. Food is fuel for your brain, and the quality of the fuel can help or hinder your brain’s ability to think and process information. Good nutrition isn’t something you can practice occasionally—it needs to be an ingrained habit. But what is good or bad nutrition for dyslexia? How will it help dyslexia?
Food Not Recommended
Wheat: Alternatives could include substituting rice instead of bread, trying gluten-free pizza crust, more potatoes (not potato chips laden with fats and salt), and exotic gluten-free grains such as quinoa, millet, and chickpeas
Dairy: Alternatives include almond milk, rice milk, and coconut milk, which are all suitable milk substitutes
Caffeine: Too much caffeine can cause mood swings, irritability, hyperactivity, and aggressive behavior, which accompany the caffeine and sugar and could contribute to learning difficulties. They prevent children from focusing their brains, paying attention, and learning effectively.
Sugar: Like caffeine, sugar is a stimulant that could make thought processing difficult for dyslexia.
Foods Recommended
Omega 3: The DHA form of Omega 3 is the critical brain and eye food found in fish, organic milk, grass-fed meats, and specialist fish oil supplements. DHA helps with brain development and is vital to developing an excellent working memory; it helps regulate the parasympathetic nervous system, essential for emotional regulation, optimal digestion, and restfulness. DHA is critical for eye health, and this, in turn, helps with tracking when reading.
Choline: Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter critical for learning, memory, and emotional regulation. It is another key part of keeping our nervous system well-balanced and is essential in stress response. Sunflower seeds, eggs, liver pate, whole grains, and peanut butter are excellent food sources of choline.
Lactobacillus: This gut microbe is found in fermented and cultured foods like yogurt and kefir. As well as helping to digest milk, lactobacillus is an essential building block for creating acetylcholine for learning and memory and GABA, which keeps us cool, calm, and relaxed and is necessary for modulating impulsivity. Lactobacillus levels tend to be in lower quantities in the tummies of dairy-free kids and those who have taken antibiotics or proton pump inhibitor medication for reflux. It can be built up again via dairy-free cultured foods like coconut kefir and sauerkraut or by taking lactobacillus-rich probiotic supplements in the longer term.
Magnesium: is super important for the anxious ones and also an essential nutrient for helping learning and working memory – often, dyslexic brains work too fast, which can help mellow things up. Regular soaks in Epsom salt baths or taking magnesium supplements are good to top up by eating lots of nuts, seeds, greens, and cocoa, which are excellent sources of magnesium.
A child’s inability to use both hemispheres of his brain, often manifesting in dyslexia, is a common side effect of the gut-brain connection, a failure in the gut’s overall health. This issue indicates that diet should be a key piece in helping someone with dyslexia. Improving diet will not altogether remove dyslexia and is not meant to replace medication, but it could still have its benefits.
Bibliography
ADA, O. (2012, December 14). How diet may affect a child with dyslexia. American Dyslexia Association. https://www.dyslexia.me/how-diet-may-affect-a-child-with-dyslexia/#:~:text=It%20may%20be %20a%20good,including%20cola%20and%20iced%20tea
Books, P. (2021, November 11). Is good nutrition a dyslexia solution: Dr. Phyllis Books. Dr. Phyllis Books | Where Heart and Neuroscience Meet . https://drphyllisbooks.com/is-good-nutrition-part-of-a-dyslexia-solution/
Lucinda. (2023, April 3). Brain Food for working memory in dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit disorder. NatureDoc. https://www.naturedoc.co.uk/brain-food-for-working-memory-in-dyslexia-dyspraxia-and-attention-deficit-disorder/
Megan. (2021, February 1). How we helped our dyslexic son with diet and exercises. Eat Beautiful. https://eatbeautiful.net/how-we-helped-our-dyslexic-son-diet-exercises/
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