Our ADHD diet and eating program for ADD ADHD kids is not a very strict program, like Feingold's ADD diet, unless you are used to having most meals at your local fast food restaurant.
This program is recommended for every member of the family. 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 it really helps about 20% to 25% of the ADHD kids 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. But please try it. It just may be a big help to your family.
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...
This is the single most important restriction. The American Pediatric Association estimates that 30% of all children are allergic to milk. Instead try Almond milk, Rice milk, or Better Than Milk. Drink water instead of milk.
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.
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.
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...
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 30% of children are allergic to milk. So the classic American breakfast of cereal and milk is 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.
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.
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.
Try these recommendations out and let us know what you think.
Oh, before you email back and ask, “Well, what can we eat?” 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.
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