ADHD Diets

Nutritional Supplements and ADHD

Amen and Sogn suggest that all people with ADHD should take a 100% vitamin and mineral supplement each day. Many children, teens, and adults don't eat balanced diets, especially when rushing around trying to make it through the day's activities.

ADHD symptoms -- and their causes -- vary from person to person. In addition, some of these supplements can make ADHD symptoms worse in some people. So work with your doctor closely before considering any additional supplements.

Elimination Diets and ADHD

In elimination diets, you identify a particular food or ingredient you think might be causing ADHD symptoms. Then you stop eating anything containing that substance. If the symptoms subside, then you continue avoiding the substance.

Can eliminating foods from your diet improve ADHD symptoms? Research in all these areas is ongoing and results are not clear-cut. Here are some common areas of concern and what the experts recommend.

Food allergies or additives

Starting in 1975, Benjamin Feingold proposed that artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives might lead to hyperactivity in some children. Since his initial theory, researchers and child behavior experts have hotly debated this issue. A recent study showed that some food coloring and one preservative did increase hyperactivity in some children. However, effects varied according to age and additive

Based on this and other recent studies, the American Academy of Pediatrics now agrees that eliminating preservatives and food colorings from the diet is a reasonable option for children with ADHD. Amen recommends that anyone with ADHD avoid these substances:

• Artificial colors, especially red and yellow
• Food additives such as aspartame, MSG (monosodium glutamate), and nitrites

Sugar and ADHD

Some children do become hyperactive after eating candy or other sugary foods. No evidence indicates, however, that this is a cause of ADHD. For best overall nutrition, sugary foods should be a small part of anyone's diet, though there is probably not much harm for a child or adult with ADHD to try eliminating sugary foods to see if symptoms improve.

Caffeine and ADHD

Some studies have shown that small amounts of caffeine may help with some ADHD symptoms in children. However, the side effects of caffeine may outweigh any potential benefit. Most ADHD experts recommend avoiding caffeine.

Creating Your Own ADHD Diet

So how do you put together an ADHD diet for yourself or your child? The first step is to be sure to talk with the doctor who is responsible for treating your ADHD. Why? Here are three good reasons:

1. Your doctor is the person best qualified to judge whether the changes you wish to make might be effective for you. Your doctor may request special tests that can help determine how the brain functions, so that together you can decide which diet changes might help the most.
2. Your doctor can help you monitor the changes to your diet to make sure they really help.
3. Some nutritional supplements are available only through a doctor's prescription. Dosages of all supplements should be carefully determined and monitored.

Once your doctor is on board, then you're ready to take your next step. Whether you are changing your food, adding supplements, or eliminating foods from your diet, here are some tips to help make your changes successful:

• Make changes slowly -- usually one at a time. That way you can test whether the change helped or not.
• Keep a diary of your changes and the effects, much like you would for taking ADHD medication. Include what you changed, when you did it, and the effects -- both positive and negative -- you noticed.
• Show the diary to your doctor at each visit.