Diet for ADHD Kids, Teens, or Adults

ADD ADHD Diet:
Natural Alternative for Kids, Teens, Adults with ADHD

ADD Diet and Eating Program for Attention Deficit Disorder

With somewhere between 5% and 9% of children meeting the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, it is becoming very important that we as parents make whatever changes we need in order to help our children. Many of you reading this are parents of children or teens with ADHD, and you are looking for ways to help your child. This ADHD Diet is a great place to begin.

You may already be trying interventions such as medications, Attend, or EEG neurofeedback, which are all good treatment interventions for ADHD. But none of them will work well if you (or your child) is just eating junk. No ADHD treatment intervention is strong enough to over-come a diet of junk foods and junk drinks. And every treatment intervention will work better if the person is eating foods that help the brain to work better, and drinking drinks that help the body to perform better.

Eating foods that help to optimize brain performance is one of the most important things that you can do to help your child, your teen, or yourself. This ADD ADHD diet will help!

This ADD diet is recommended for every member of the family, so in that sense it's not just an "ADHD diet". It's the same program that we put professional athletes and business executives on for optimized performance, with only minor changes.

We have found that this eating program really helps about 20% to 25% of those with ADHD that try it without using any other intervention. We strongly believe that whether one is using a medication such as Ritalin, or using a natural alternative such as Attend, that this type of eating program plays a big role in achieving success when used as a part of a treatment program.

The most common feedback that we get from parents is, "Well, it helped my kid somewhat, but I really feel great!" Results fall into a "Bell Curve." A few do great, a few are completely unaffected, and most do somewhat better but it is not enough as a stand-alone intervention.

Please have realistic expectations with this ADD ADHD Diet, or any diet for ADHD. But please try it. It just may be a big help to your family, and there is no "down-side" to trying it.

Step One: ADHD Diet: First, Find Out if it is ADHD or Food Allergies

What NOT to eat for TWO WEEKS

First, let's find out if there are food allergies causing ADHD - like behaviors. Eliminate these foods for two weeks, then get ready to add them back in to the diet...

• NO DAIRY PRODUCTS, especially cow's milk.

  This is the single most important restriction. The American Pediatric Association estimates that a significant number of children are allergic to milk. Some researchers even think that ADHD is caused by milk allergies (we disagree, but it is interesting). Instead try Almond milk, Rice milk, or Better Than Milk, and drink lots of water instead of milk.

• NO YELLOW FOODS. Especially Corn or Squash. Bananas are white. Don't eat the peel.
• NO JUNK FOODS. If it comes in a cellophane wrapper, don't eat it.
• NO FRUIT JUICES. Too much sugar content. One small glass of apple juice has the sugar content of eight apples. Later on you can have juice, but dilute it with water 50/50.
• CUT SUGAR INTAKE BY 90%. If you can, cut it down to zero. Sugar is in just about everything, but give it a try. Do your best without going crazy.
• CUT CHOCOLATE BY 90%. No more than a single piece, once a week.
• NO NUTRASWEET. None. Period. Never. It's bad for you.
• NO PROCESSED MEATS and NO MSG. Only get meats with labels that say, “Turkey and Water,” etc. If the meat has chemicals listed that you can't pronounce, don't buy it.
• CUT FRIED FOODS BY 90%.
• AVOID FOOD COLORINGS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. See if your child is sensitive to any particular colors, such as Reds, Yellows, etc. For now, though, avoid all if possible.
• AVOID FISH. We hate to say this, as there used to be so many benefits to eating fish, especially the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) or Omega Oils.

  But the problem these days is that the mercury levels in most fish is simply too high to be either safe or healthy. Mercury is the second most toxic metal on earth, and is a terrible neuro-toxin. Until we clean up the oceans and the rivers of mercury, just don't eat it. Sorry.

SUMMARY: Just eat foods that God made for a while. Eat like people did in the 1940's. Go to a used book store and get a Betty Crocker's Cook Book for recipe ideas. There really are about 10,000 meals that you CAN eat. Just not much in the way of “fast foods” or “convenience” foods.

Diet for ADHD: Step Two: What to Eat for the Next Two Weeks

AFTER TWO WEEKS begin adding these foods back into your diet, one food every other day. Eat A LOT of that food every day for four days.

If you have a problem with one of the foods, you will see some kind of a “reaction” within four days. The reaction can vary from big red splotches on the body to ears turning bright red to explosive temper outbursts. If there's a problem, you'll know. If there's no problem, enjoy the food.

ADHD Diet : WHAT TO EAT TO FEED THE ADHD BRAIN

Just as some foods make the brain "foggy", other foods can enhance brain performance. Here are some things to eat to feed the ADHD brain...

• FOR BREAKFAST SERVE HIGH PROTEIN, LOW CARBOHYDRATE MEALS.

  Say, “Good-bye,” to Breakfast cereals and milk. Breakfast cereals are all carbohydrate and sugar, which is the worst combination for the ADHD brain. And many children are allergic to milk. So the classic American breakfast of cereal and milk is just a really bad idea.

  Instead, serve 60% to 70% Protein and 30% to 40% Carbohydrates for Breakfast. Eggs, breakfast meats, and some toast would be fine. Other meals of the day could be 50% Protein and 50% Carbohydrate.

• PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS might be needed to get the added protein for Breakfast. They are often very helpful in the afternoon as well. Here is our favorite recipe for a Protein Shake:

  a) Make a cup of coffee, using one of General Mills' International Coffees, or something like that, with a flavor that you or your child will like (yes, I know I'm breaking my own rules here, as these coffees have dried milk and some sugar, but I'm trying to get your kid to actually drink the thing, and also get some caffeine mixed with the protein.). Pour the hot coffee into a blender with about 6 oz of ice. Turn on the blender for a bit.

  b) Add a good quality protein powder. There are many good ones available. If you can't find one that you like, ask at your local health food store. Get protein powders that are mostly protein and very little carbohydrate. Add between 15 and 20 grams of protein to the cold coffee in the blender.

  c) Turn on the blender again.

  d) Drink it up.

  This protein shake is helpful for a lot of people. For many small kids, and many adults, this recipe works about as well as a small dose of Ritalin (100 mg of caffeine is roughly the same as 5 mg of Ritalin). So many who might just take a small dose of Ritalin might get away with just doing this.

  Don't forget, though, that even caffeine can have some side effects. Every once in a while we find someone that has problems with the caffeine in the coffee. Usually, though, the caffeine in the coffee helps the person to focus better. The protein helps to feed the brain. If you find this helpful, have one with Breakfast, and one around 3 pm. If it is not helpful, then don't bother with it.

• DRINK LOTS OF WATER. The brain is about 80% water, and increasing your water intake to 7 to 10 glasses per day might be very helpful all by itself. Sodas, Gatorade, teas, icees, etc., do not count as water. Only water counts as water.
• MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS may be helpful. Colloidal Minerals or fully chelated minerals are the best. We like the MinPac from VAXA, but there are several good choices. Don't buy minerals in the grocery store. Get good minerals.
• ATTEND, EXTRESS, or MEMORIN from VAXA. We recommend the "Attend" product for everyone. "Extress" is recommended in addition for those with problems with hyperactivity and temper, and "Memorin," in addition to the "Attend," for those with poor concentration or memory. These are strongly recommended. Here is more information on ATTEND, the amino acid based, homeopathic medicine that is a great alternative to ritalin.

  Listen to Dr Young on Attend. Here is a rare radio interview with Gregory Young, Ph.D., Oxon., Neuroscientist and developer of Attend. This is from one of Dr Cowan's old "Your Family's Health" radio program from c.1999 on KERI radio. It is about 14 minutes long and is very interesting and quite in-depth.
  
  

• FLAX SEED or PRIMROSE OIL. These are good sources of Omega oils, and many with ADHD are deficient in Omega oils (or essential fatty acids). Borage oils, flax seed oils, and some fish oils are good as well. These Omega oils are very important. Mix about a spoonful a day into foods as you prepare them, or add to salad dressings, etc.
• EAT LOTS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
• AVOID ALUMINUM EXPOSURE
• AVOID HEAVY METAL EXPOSURES

  These heavy metal exposures come in the form of amalgam dental fillings, which are 50% mercury (extremely toxic), 20% copper (also toxic), and about 15% nickel (also toxic). Nickel is also common with dental braces and with dental crowns. Cadmium is toxic, and is found in dental fillings, and also in cigarette smoke. And there are other toxic heavy metals found in pesticides and herbicides. And now there's also too much mercury in fish.

• Eat in a healthy manner.

Try these recommendations out and let us know what you think.

Oh, before you email back and ask, “Well, what can we eat on this diet for ADHD?” please look through your Betty Crocker Cook Book and you'll find hundreds of recipes that will work well. It's the convenience foods that are most of the problem. Re-discover the lost art of cooking with this ADD ADHD Diet.