Finding a Diet for ADHD Children
If you have a child with ADHD, you understand the frustrations of seeing your child unable to focus
, struggling with impulse control, and a general inability to concentrate for extended periods of time. If you are reluctant to agree to potent drugs with poorly understood long term effects to manage your child's behaviors, then it might be time to consider a specific diet for ADHD.Dietary Changes to Consider
There has been much written and debated about with regards to diet modifications of children with ADHD, but many experts believe that dietary changes can help control the symptoms to varying degrees. ADHD researcher Daniel Amen, MD offers the following:
1. Switch to a high protein diet rich in meats, nuts, fish, cheese, and beans. Incorporate protein into all three meals and make sure that an afternoon snack with protein is offered after school. This may help improve concentration.
2. Reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates offered. That means cutting out candy, cookies, white bread, refined carbohydrates, sugars of all sorts, and potatoes that are cooked without skins. This can be particularly challenging for kids as so many of the foods marketed to them are essentially packed with sugar.
3. Increase complex carbohydrates by sticking to whole fruits and plenty of vegetables and whole grains. If your child has difficulty sleeping, a snack of complex carbohydrates may help them sleep better.
4. Up Omega-3 Fatty acid intake. Extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil, deep sea fatty fish, walnuts, and Brazil nuts are all good sources of this essential nutrient which has such a profound effect upon the brain. You can even opt to get it in supplements, but make sure you get one with a good reputation.
Track Changes for Accuracy
It can really help to keep track of the changes you are making and your child's behavior in response. Keeping a journal of which foods you have added, when they eat them, and how they behave each day will give you an idea of which changes have proven most effective when tailoring a diet for ADHD individuals.
For example, if you have started to include protein in breakfast every day and your child is doing better through the school day based upon reports from teachers, you have a clue that it may be helping. If adding a complex carbohydrate snack at bedtime did nothing for sleep patterns, consider trying a protein based snack instead.
Nutrition has a profound affect upon how anyone acts; figuring out your child's needs is part of the process of using diet for ADHD as a natural avenue of curbing your child's behaviors.
Consider an Elimination Diet as Well
There are a number of foods that can affect behavior negatively. Adapting to these food changes can take some time. For example, caffeine can help, but it can also exacerbate symptoms depending upon the individual. Many additives and artificial ingredients have been shown to have a negative affect on the behavior of children with ADHD as well. In the journal you keep as you make changes in your child's diet, make sure to note any such ingredients and if you see a pattern of behavior that correlates to such foods.
Opting to treat ADHD naturally may take more effort on your part than just handing your child a pill each day, but the results of using diet for ADHD can be well worth the effort.
Finding a Diet for ADHD Children
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