Many parents have tried nutritional methods, such as taking sugar out of the child's diet, before they seek medical attention. A small body of research has suggested that some children may benefit from nutritional treatments, but there are no well-established methods that have consistently shown to be helpful to most children with ADD/ADHD.
Monitoring a child's diet gets more difficult as a child gets older and more independent, making the research difficult. Also, delaying the use of proven, effective treatments, while trying things with unknown effects may be harmful to children.
[The ADD/ADHD information above is based on source material from the National Institute on Mental Health entitled "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Questions and s," published in March 2000.]
An appropriate diet, when combined with supplements, such as Omega 3 fatty acids, and a structured lifestyle, with a system of rewards, and punishments, such as removal of privileges, helps a great deal.
An increased incidence of abuse of cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth, and other amphetamines has been reported among users of Ritalin, and other amphetamine related medications, which may well predispose them to later abuse street drugs, with all the adverse consequence it entails.
Take at least 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of Mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or its FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or if it is synthetic, avoid it.
Eliminate, or minimize sugar use, replacing with xylitol, or stevia which you can get from the health food stores. Avoid artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, and monosodium glutamate.
Minimize highly processed grains, and use of alcohol .
Suggested books for reference:
1. "The A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. Diet! A Comprehensive Look at Contributing Factors and Natural Treatments for Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity" by Rachel Bell,
2. "Ritalin Is Not The : A Drug-Free, Practical Program for Children Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD" by David B. Stein.
3. "HOW TO BEAT HYPERACTIVITY WITHOUT DRUGS Reversing ADD and ADHD in 20 days" Michael Sichel & Greta Sichel. 2001. Bookbound Publishing.
adhd can not be treated and pills or patches can help to calm you down but not cure the adhd!
Children with ADHD should be following a specific diet that has a lot fish and omega 3 fatty acids in it. It helps the receptors in the brain do what they are supposed to do better. newideas.net/adhd/adhd-diet
ADHD and ADD
http://www.adhdchildparenting.com/adhd-child-diet-therapy.php offers some advice for diets for ADHD patients. http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-diets also offers some great help when it comes to a diet for ADHD patients. It is also advised to check with your doctor about some diet ideas for those dealing with ADHD.
Several different diets can minimize the symptoms of ADHD. These include a gluten free diet and low sugar diet. You can learn more about diets for ADHD here: http://www.adhdawareness.com/control-ADHD-with-diet.html.
When diagnosing patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), doctors often turn to medication as the first course of action for treatment. However, diet can play a huge part in ADHD symptoms, and changing one's diet may ease or alleviate many symptoms entirely. When considering a change in diet to treat ADHD, the most important thing to do is to eliminate simple carbohydrates, such as sugars, processed wheat, white rice and peeled potatoes, and to replace them with complex carbohydrates, particularly healthy proteins and whole grains. This can ease the frequent spikes in blood sugar which exacerbate many ADHD symptoms.
A carbohydrate/protein-balanced diet��_ is a good option for a child with ADHD. You can find more information on that here www.healing-arts.org/children/ADHD/nutritional.htm
If your son has ADHD that only thing that could really be adding to his hyper activity is sugar and caffeine. It is recommended to remove these from a child's diet who has ADHD.
There have been some links between ADHD and nutrition. Some studies have indicated that a poor diet can worsen ADHD symptoms and a good diet can improve them.
The ADHD diet consists of eliminating dairy, all junk food including juices and NutraSweet. You can read more at http://www.addatoz.com/adhd-and-diet.shtml.
Most of the latest research shows that a good diet for ADHD is similar to diets that help autistic patients. Lowering the amount of gluten and casein in ones diet is a great way to alleviate many symptoms associated with ADHD. Check out "The Autism and ADHD Diet: A Step-By-Step Guide to Hope and Healing" by Barrie Silberberg.
Yes, there are several online medical reference resources, as well as ADHD support group websites that you can use to find helpful information about the links between ADHD and diet. Here are a few: www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-diets www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/ADHD-ADD/24685 www.oneaddplace.com/adhd-diet.php