ADHD Diet? - Joplin,MO

An article in the most recent issue of Parents magazine said that kids with a true ADHD diagnosis likely will not benefit from a gluten free diet. It said that symptoms of a gluten intolerance (not an allergy like celiac disease) may mirror those of ADHD and, when gluten is removed, behavior improves. However, for those with true ADHD, the percentage of kids who actually benefit from removing gluten is quite small.

As a person who has taught parenting classes (I am also a certified teacher...and I have sensory integration dysfunction) for years, I can tell you that there are a few different ways to go.

I will tell you that the diagnosis of ADHD has skyrockted and so had the use of drugs for it over the last decade or so. In this case, the Dad has it, so, the kids could very well have it, too.

Sometimes a gluten free diet does work for SOME children when it comes to their behavior...Especially if a child has sensitivity to gluten !! Many kids w/ ADHD have overlapping allergies !
In some cases, it does not make much of a difference.

I once met a woman who took her kids off almost all artificial dyes, colors, and sugary foods. Her kids behaved sooo much better.

To follow a doctors plan: Feingold.org

Doctor Feingold was a pediatrician and an allergist. His diet eliminates dyes, colors, aspartame, etc... It's really worth giving this a try !!! It has worked for so many WITH ADHD.

Some parents choose to give their children w/ ADHD a very high quality fish oil.

There is more information on CHADD.com. This is a great website for those who need information on ADHD.

Then, there are other parents who have tried all of the above and have found that their last resort was meds.

I would try the suggestions above and resort to meds only if absolutely necessary.

Also, she can call around and find an Occupational therapist that works w/ children with ADHD. I have to do OT for my sensory and it keeps me in sync and it is calming ! Some Moms have brought their kids w/ ADHD to OT and love it !

Tell her to take out a few books at the local library. If her kids are girls, the best book is by Kathleen Nadeau, PhD. Although, I just reread the post. She has boys...so, ask the librarian for rec books on ADHD.

She should take them to an allergist and have them tested for food allergies. Over the yrs, kids who have been thought to have ADHD might have an allergies to gluten and/ or milk casein.

ADHD can overlap w/ allergies, sensory, depression, anxiety, etc.
The kids would have to be tested by an allergist --and, then, neuropsychologist to be sure.

Or, she could take the kids to a naturopath doctor who works w/ individuals w/ ADHD.

Years ago, there was research that SOME kids were being labeled ADHD when the kids were actually very sleep deprived.

Please have her do a little research. PubMed is a good place to start. It is a library of scientific articles NOT the huge volume of anecdotal -'gee, it worked for my kid' info that is most of what is on the web. And the summary - diet does NOT work for ADHD. Gluten free diets help people with gluten enteropathy.

from what i understand (my son was diagnosed with ADHD this school year too, he's in kindergarten) ADHD and a gluten allergy/sensitivity are two different things. ADHD kids' brains are simply wired differently, it doesn't have anything to do with diet. BUT i know that sugars and other dietary factors can have an effect on things like energy levels, attention span, focus...it is certainly worth a shot. part of me wishes that i had been more stubborn with dietary experimentation. we went the homeopathic route with my son's ADHD, i'd be happy to tell you more, if you want you can pm me. our homeopath/dietician strongly, STRONGLY recommends restricting sugar. once i started reading about it it's pretty scary. many sugary things contain 20+ grams of sugar for a serving - 30 per day is what is recommended for an adult female, just to give you an idea of how over-sugared we are. anyways... :)

The diet for kids with ADHD is exactly the same as for any other kid. Gluten-free will make a huge difference if her children have celiac disease; otherwise, there's no point. (ETA: I stand corrected. Sounds like other conditions benefit from gluten-free, but I still stand 100% by the fact that it won't do anything for ADHD.)

There has been extensive research on this and everything has shown diet has nothing to do with ADHD. Kids may have parallel food sensitivities or allergies, but they're not part of ADHD.

ADHD is a brain disorder and not something to be taken lightly. She needs to work with her childrens' medical specialists to develop a treatment plan.

I do believe that there are many things in our diet that contribute to behavior problems. Red dye 40 is one that comes to mind. It can make a totally normal kids go bonkers.

BUT a true ADHD kids brain is firing off randomly, it is not connecting the dots and processing/sending information like it should. The medication speeds the brain function up to a point where the brain syncs up. It starts working and they can suddenly understand the world around them. Without the medication they are in a fugue and the information is just floating around banging in to the other stuff. So meds are sometimes needed for optimum function.

I have an adult friend who struggled all through school. She was never diagnosed with ADHD and eventually dropped out of school her junior year. Her doc sent her to be evaluated. She was put on an ADHD med. She stood there and cried when telling me about her experience with it. She suddenly understood what everyone was talking about. How they could "get" it. She had never been able to figure out what the big deal with school was. She said life had been like that allergy commercial on TV, the one where they are doing stuff and it's hazy then they take the allergy med and everything is crystal clear. Her life is like that now. Crystal clear. She can make a decision, make a choice to respond to any situation, and is able to manage her schedule and family better.

She is now a nurse practitioner and is able to function in her world at optimum ability. She will take meds for the rest of her life more than likely. She takes a minimal dose each morning that is time released.

A gluten free diet will do nothing specifically for ADHD. A gluten free diet is only recommended for people with CD (my kid) or people with a severe gluten sensitivity.

I think the reason why people claim success with it is that by nature of the diet, you end up eliminating a ton of food that has been processed to the ends of the earth...preservatives, dyes, etc. Anyone can react badly to those things, and removal of them can make any feel better. Fee a bit better = behave a bit better. Has nothing to do with anyone's condition.

Kristen has some awesome info for you. Try taking them off dairy to start. Many ADHD children are similar to Autism Spectrum children and require a dairy free diet. Dairy is harder to process and remains in your system, turning to yeast, affecting the behavior, when you are in the Autism Spectrum. Some Dr's have claimed the same goes for ADHD patients. A clean gut, cleans the brain. My godson has Aspergers and his mom cleaned up his diet and it helped with his behavior. Keep in mind, every child is different, but it is worth a try. Good luck!

We personally had ZERO changes when we changed my son's diet. Not that a healthy diet is ever a bad thing. It never hurts to try dietary changes ... as long as they are done in a smart way and ALL of a child's nutritional needs are being met.

She can always give it a try and see if it helps. If it doesn't ... well no harm no foul.

I would try going to a Holistic Doctor that can make reccomendations. I agree that trying to cut out dairy and of course chemicals in the diet (everyone should do this) might be a helpful way to start. Gluten Free diets are tricky.

What your friend ought to try is the Feingold Diet. It's not gluten free, but removes artificial chemicals that are essentially poisons from our diets such as high fructose corn syrup and Red 40, as well as other artificial food dyes.

What happens with these artificial chemicals and preservatives and fillers is that the liver and kidneys can't process them. They can't be digested or filtered, much like when an adult drinks alcohol. And just like alcohol, it's toxic and so the behaviors change because these chemicals course through the brain until the body expels them. So you might see emotional issues, behavior issues, rage issues, hyperactivity, sleep-wake cycle disturbances, etc. Or you might see these things ANYWAY but the things the person with ADD/ADHD and/or other neurological disorders (like Autism or Bipolar or Schizophrenia or ODD) will have their symptoms made much worse when they have these things.

That's the case with two of my children (one of whom has Autism, ADD, and ODD while the other has ADHD and ODD, both with Sensory Processing Disorder).

We eat a lot of homemade food, and avoid processed food-like food. We avoid fast food. We avoid high fructose corn syrup. My autistic daughter is also lactose intolerant, so we avoid foods that have casein, milk, whey, milk derivatives, butterfat, milkfat, cheese powder, cream, powdered milk, etc. so we avoid those too. The worse they feel, the worse their neurological disorder symptoms become. It's that simple.

With my eldest daughter, we didn't have her diagnosed until a year ago. We just... thought that's how she was. It was typical behavior to have a high needs child like that and we just had to deal with it and be strict, strict, strict. After all, she wasn't autistic like her younger sister. She HAD to be typical. Then she hit middle school and we had to MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN she stayed on the Feingold Diet and saw success, and that made me realize after 11 years that we'd better get her evaluated. Within days of going on the ADHD meds it was working.

I do have a typical child, and the older she gets the more I see what typical "should" be. It's been an eye opener.

Ditto to Jessica's recommendation for the Feingold Diet. Cutting out artificial everything (colors, flavors, fillers, etc) makes a huge difference. Check them out online.

CAWriterMom doesn't really have all the facts. Mommyc had some great things to say. It is not only those who have Celiac disease who can benefit from a gluten free diet. It is also those who are intolerant, who have damaged digestive systems, or have other diseases that can benefit from the removal of gluten. (I have polycystic kidney disease and have improved dramatically because I've taken gluten out of my diet.)

That being said, gluten may or may not be an issue for him. It's one of many, many, many potential dietary changes that could help. Casein, a protein found in milk, seems like it could be a more important issue. (It is for many with ADHD.) Even more than that, though, artificial colors and dyes have had a dramatic impact on those with the diagnosis. I've seen studies, read books, watched films, but the thing that "convinced" me most was when my adult friend ate something that had an artificial dye in it and became a different person.

Your friend may want to find a naturopath who can help determine which foods could be an issue for her son. This is much more than allergy testing, which only determines which foods cause a systemic reaction in the body's defense system. Intolerance testing tells which foods will cause small changes in any system of the body, even if the defenses are not alerted.

In any case, good luck to you and your friend!