Nutrition & Kinesiology for Children

Could something happening inside the body be making life harder for your child?

When a child is struggling with concentration, energy, emotions, behaviour or learning, our attention naturally goes to what we can see.

They can't concentrate.
They're exhausted.
They're anxious.
Their behaviour has changed.
They struggle to regulate themselves.
Learning seems harder than it should be.

But sometimes it is worth asking another question:

Could something happening within the body be adding to the difficulty?

Nutrition, digestion, gut health, stress and other physiological factors can all form part of the wider picture. This is why I consider them alongside the developmental, sensory and emotional factors that may be affecting a child.

Looking beyond what we can see

Children don't always have the words to explain how they feel.

They may not be able to tell us that they feel tired, uncomfortable, overwhelmed or simply not quite right. Instead, we may see changes in their concentration, mood, behaviour, sleep, energy or ability to cope.

Kinesiology gives me another way of exploring what may be going on.

Using gentle muscle response testing, alongside the information you give me about your child, I can explore areas that may warrant further attention.

I don't use kinesiology to diagnose medical conditions. Instead, I use it to help identify and prioritise areas where the child may benefit from support.

What might I explore?

Every child is different, so I don't work from a standard list of tests or assume that the same things will be relevant to every child.

Depending on the individual child, I may explore areas such as:

Nutritional status
Digestion and gut health
Energy production
Stress and emotional wellbeing
Hormonal or endocrine balance
Environmental factors
Other areas of physiological wellbeing

The purpose isn't to find as many things “wrong” as possible.

It is to work out what appears most relevant for this particular child and what we should prioritise.

Nutrition can be part of the puzzle

A child's nutritional needs can be influenced by much more than whether they eat a conventionally “healthy” diet.

Some children have very restricted diets or strong food preferences. Others may eat a wide variety of foods but still have areas of nutritional support worth exploring.

Digestion, gut health, individual requirements, stress and other factors can all form part of the picture.

Through kinesiology, I can explore whether particular nutrients or nutritional support appear relevant and use those findings to help guide what we do next.

I don't believe in giving every child the same supplements or following a standard protocol.

The aim is to understand the child in front of me.

How could this relate to learning and behaviour?

The brain and body aren't separate.

A child needs energy to learn, concentrate, move, regulate their emotions and cope with the demands of everyday life.

This doesn't mean that nutritional or physiological factors are the explanation for every learning, behavioural or emotional difficulty. Often there are several things contributing at the same time.

For one child, neurodevelopment may be particularly important. For another, auditory processing may be placing them under considerable strain. Another may have significant stress or sensory difficulties.

And for some children, nutrition and physiological wellbeing may be another piece of that picture.

This is why my approach is about looking at the whole child rather than focusing only on the symptom or diagnosis.

Kinesiology as part of my wider approach

Nutrition and kinesiology don't sit separately from the rest of my work with children.

If I am already working with a child through a neurodevelopmental or auditory programme, kinesiology can help me continue to explore other factors that may be affecting their progress.

It can also be used independently when a parent particularly wants to explore their child's nutrition, digestion, energy or general wellbeing.

Either way, my starting point is the same:

What might be making things harder for this child, and where would it be most useful to begin?

What happens at an appointment?

Before your child's appointment, we have a free 15-minute telephone consultation.

This gives you the opportunity to tell me what you've noticed, what concerns you, your child's history and anything else you feel may be relevant.

I prefer to have this conversation without your child present. Children can be very aware when adults are discussing their difficulties, and I don't want them to arrive feeling that there is something “wrong” with them.

When your child comes to see me, I use gentle kinesiology muscle testing to explore the areas that appear most relevant to them. I adapt the way I work according to their age and individual needs so that the session feels comfortable and relaxed.

Once I've gathered the information, I'll explain what I've found and discuss any appropriate next steps with you.

The aim is to give you a clearer picture and a manageable place to start.

Could this be relevant for your child?

If you're wondering whether nutrition, gut health, energy, stress or other physiological factors could be contributing to how your child is feeling or functioning, book a free 15-minute telephone consultation and we can talk through what you've been noticing.

Free 15 Min Phone Consultation