Because the cause of ADHD is unknown, it is hard to say which courses of treatment are best for children with ADHD. Without a known cause, it is difficult to treat because many children may have all the same symptoms but for different reasons, and therefore treatments may vary. However, many children with ADHD can significantly improve with diet.
If you are wondering if it is worthwhile to try exploring diet for your child, here are some signs and symptoms that a custom diet plan for your ADHD child may be beneficial:
Chronic Constipation or Bed/Daytime Wetting: My son was peeing his pants at school and wetting the bed every single night. All the ADHD doctors just chalked this up as “being very common in boys and especially those with ADHD” We took him to a urologist, who discovered he was severely constipated, which in turn placed pressure on his bladder making it more difficult for him to control himself. Most doctors will suggest an over the counter medication called Miralax for constipation. This will probably be necessary if your child is extremely constipated as it will give you and your child some much needed relief. However, you need to find the root cause of constipation in order to decide what types of foods to include and avoid in a diet. For example, wheat has lots of fiber (which can help ease constipation) – but for a child who is gluten intolerant it may make the problem even worse. When we finally treated the constipation, and got his diet on track – guess what? No more daytime accidents and no more bed wetting and no more humiliation for my son at school.
Strong Food Cravings: Did you know that if a person has undiagnosed and untreated food allergies, they often crave the very foods they are allergic to? For example, a child with a milk intolerance/allergy might crave milk and other dairy products. It is because the body starts getting dependent on the chemicals released in the brain when these foods are present. Food addiction is very real and much like addiction to other substances such as caffeine or alcohol for example. Sugar cravings are another common food craving. This may or may not be related to food allergies, but eating a lot of sugar can cause blood sugar levels to go up and down dramatically which can cause a child to go through mood swings, high and low energy periods, and other side effects.
The Non-Vegetable Eater: Kids need to eat vegetables. ADHD kids, generally hate vegetables. Getting my son to just eat peas is a battle sometimes. The natural vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in fresh, organic fruits and vegetables simply cannot be replaced by any vitamin supplements.
Malnutrition Symptoms: Even if your child eats a great diet, that does not always mean that they are absorbing all the nutrients from the foods they eat. While height and weight are the obvious indicators of a child getting the right nutrients, there are also many other symptoms of vitamin deficiencies.
Allergic Shiners: Does your child have deep dark circles around his or her eyes? If your child frequently has “bags” under the eyes or looks like he or she has not slept well even after they have slept, it is generally a good indication that you should either take your child to a food allergist specialist or experiment with elimination diets under the supervision of your child’s doctor.
Frequent/Extended Use of Antibiotics: This is debatable and not well researched, but while I was pregnant with my son I was on antibiotics for much of the pregnancy due to kidney stones. My son as an infant and all the way up until we finally got him healthy through diet also suffered frequent ear and respiratory infections that were treated with antibiotics. Research now shows that good digestive health depends on friendly bacteria such as those found in yogurt. For that reason, you may wish to discuss probiotics with your doctor. (Note: Probiotics are generally best as a supplement as foods such as yogurt generally do not have high enough count).
Food Dye Makes Your Child Go Crazy: My son cannot eat anything red. If you give him something red, such as Hawaiian Punch for example, he is bouncing off the walls, aggressive, and really hard to get to calm down. I never really noticed this, because he was like this all the time before we tried the diet – now I know immediately when someone has given him something to eat with red food dye.
If your child has any of these signs and symptoms in addition to the usual characteristics of attention deficit and hyperactivity with ADHD, then it is worth the time to pursue finding a GOOD doctor or nutritionist to work with and find the right diet for your child.
If your child does not have any of these symptoms, it is important to remember that not all cases of ADHD are caused by food related reasons or related to digestive distress. Because the cause of ADHD is unknown, there is a good possibility many different causes may exist, which means some children might be helped by diet, others may not. Some children may not have any of the above symptoms but still greatly benefit from diet.
