REMEDY ADHD - Change Your Diet For ADHD & ADD

Diet Does Makes a Difference  - Diets For the ADHD Child or Adult

When we are considering the simple solution of children taking prescription medication to ease and control their ADHD symptoms, one area that is sometimes overlooked is the child's diet.

Diet will make a difference in your, or your child's ADHD condition as can a whole range of non-drug treatments.  A diet requires a lifestyle change both for the sufferer as well as the rest of the family, requiring dedication and patience for the diet to become successful and long term.

A study carried out by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest reviewed the findings of 23 reliable studies to determine the impact food dyes, preservatives and chemicals had on ordinary foods and the behaviour it caused to children suffering from ADHD. 

Some of these studies indicated quite clearly that certain food substances had a dramatic impact on a child's behaviour.

This study showed that children with ADHD behaved better when they were eating a diet without additives compared to how it affected them when these substances where included. 

In Western society today, our lifestyles could be contributing to the possible causes and triggers of ADHD.  Our dietary habits have changed and we are now eating more processed, refined and preserved foods high in artificial additives, salt, sugar and artificially hardened fats (as in margarines, shortening, hydrogenated oils, and also in junk foods) all low or without any nutrient value. 

Our daily living patterns are probably also to blame as we spend less time in a traditional family structure and more energy on our hectic work schedules.   Many may also blame the frequent use of television and video games and have promoted shorter attention spans.

Even though scientists can now assume that the primary cause of ADHD appears to be genetic (inherited), it does not mean that you have NO control over whether you or your child will develop ADHD.  There are many contributing factors that can also trigger ADHD, and these could be;-

- Poor nutrition
- Environmental allergies
- Environmental contaminants
- Increased use of antibiotices

It is completely reasonable to assume that what our children eat will have a large impact on their behaviour.  In fact this has been proven throughout modern day living.  A perfect example would be alcohol.  We have all witnessed the dramatic change alcohol does to someone's behaviour after three or four drinks, and how we feel in the morning after having our first cup of caffeine. 

Environmental contaminants could be another possible link to people with learning disorders.  These can be anything from chemical cleaners to building products that emit noxious substances in the air; to insecticides, pesticides and heavy metals that contaminate both our air, water and food.

There is also mould spores that have accumulated in many poorly designed older buildings and this is already a problem that is occuring in many schools and public buildings.

Studies have shown that children have performed poorly in tests when schools have had their floors chemically cleaned or the school grounds sprayed with insecticides.  The best remedy for this would be for schools to use a more natural alternative.

By ensuring your child has a strong immune system they will be better able to protect themselves from environmental influences.  Eating a diet of whole foods, getting sufficient sleep and exercising regularly will all contribute to a stronger more healthier immune system.  

Reliable Expert Information Teaching Parents A More Natural Approach To Treating ADHD/ADD 

Sugar As A Contributing Factor To ADHD

When you begin to start eliminating things from your childs' diet, one of the things to look at is sugar.  Sugar unfortunately comes in many forms and too much sugar can cause a variety of problems, many of these associated with hyperactivity ad attention problems.

Sugar:-

- leads to malabsorption of protein and calcium and other important minerals
- Slows growth of good intestinal flora and feeds yeast
- Causes the pancreas to work overtime to create more insulin
- Creates unstable blood sugar levels
- Decreases the immune system and its ability to function well.

Sugar can decrease one's ability to concentrate and can also cause destructive, aggressive and restless behaviour when their is increased sugar consumption.

The Body's Missing Minerals:-

Many ADHD children and even adults are missing important minerals in their diet.  These can incluse iron, copper, calcium, magnesium and zinc.  The last three are called the 'sedative minerals'.  A diet that is high in salt will reduce these levels and can lead to hyperactive symptoms.  

Magnesium and calcium can also become reduced by too much phosphorous which is commonly found in soda drinks and red meat.  Zinc prevents the nervous system from over reacting to stress and in today's society stress depletes more of the body's zinc stores that are never restocked due to there being NO zinc minerals added to most refined foods.

Another major mineral deficiency is iron which can cause a decreased attention span, decreased persistence and decreased persistence and also decreased voluntary activity.  When the body is given an iron supplement it helps to increase the ability to concentrate, decreases fatigue and also improves the person's mood.  

Not everyone today has the time to grow or buy organic fruits and vegetables, and therefore will require some form of supplementation to their diet. 

By providing vitamin and mineral supplementation to children with ADHD it can help enhance their performance even when there is no measurably deficiency, so this is definitely worth investing in.

In addition to the nutrients that are listed below, there are some specialists that also recommend taking lecithin, proanthocyanidins, glutamine, bee pollen and specific essential fatty acids that are known as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Here is a simple dosage chart to follow for both adults and children.  The recommended daily dose for teenagers between 12 and 17 years of age is three quarters of the recommended amount prescribed to adults.

Children between the ages 6 and 12 should use one half the dose and those under six, one quarter the adult dose.  Please check with your Doctor or healthcare professional before taking any supplements.

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) are made from two nutrients called essential fatty acids and these are found in the foods we eat and are also natural components of our bodies.

These are the building blocks for many of the fatty acids that end up making the membranes in our cells.  So they are an important requirement.

The two essential fatty acids that our bodies require in order for our bodies to exist are omega 3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid) and omega 6 fatty acid (linoleic acid).  We need these two fatty acids as part of a healthy diet because our bodies can't make them.  We essentially need to get them from the foods we eat or through supplementation.

Omega 3 is found in flax oil and to a lesser extent in dark green leafy vegetables.  Omega 6 is found more abundantly in seeds and nuts, and also in the oils that are processed from these.

However due to the processing method (known as refining) many of the oils natural essential form is destroyed.  What is left is an oil with a harmful trans fatty acid.

These essential fatty acids make up a large part of the brain and eyes.  In fact, the brain is about 60% fat and a high proportion of this fat is made with the fatty acids DHA and arachidonic acid.

DHA is very important for vision and when their is inadequate fatty acids being made in the body, then the brain and eyes might not function properly.  This can be supplemented via Fish oils twice daily.

A link between Fatty Acids and ADHD

Fatty acids and the role they play in ADHD first came to light in 1981 by Vicky Colquhoun and Sally Bunday, founders of the Hyperactive Children's Support Group in Britain who completed a large survey of hyperactive children, mostly boys in West Essex, England, to determine what characteristics were common to hyperactive children.  They found the following link:-

From their studies it was concluded that it's not an essential fatty acid deficiency but more a problem of it's a functional essentail fatty acid deficiency.  This means that the body is not able to use the fatty acids that are supplied in the diet.  So children with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have all the classic symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency, even though they are eating enough of them.

Researches were able to determine that ADHD children were not able to efficiently make fatty acids they eat or that they quickly used up what they made.  This left them without enough arachidonic acid and docasahexaenoic acid (DHA).

In follow up studies carried out it was concluded that children taking higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids such as DHA preformed better at mathematics and were also less prone to behaviour problems such as temper tantrums and sleep problems. 

Those that had lower levels of DHA exhibited signs of the most severe anxiety, impulsivity, hyperactivity and 'conduct disorder". 

Children with lower levels of omega 6 fatty acids also got sick more often and used more antibiotics, so it's concluded that omega 6 fatty acids are very important for the immune system to function at an optimal level as well as the added benefits for optimal brain function.

 Discover the Stunning Power Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids And How To Get Them FAST!