ADHD Diet

Do you have a child with ADHD like me or do you suspect it?  My brother-in-law sent me an article about the best diet for a child with ADHD.

The article states that fast food, sodas, and ice-cream are the worst for kids with ADHD.  If you have a hyperactive child, you already knew that.  My 10-year-old orders non-sweet tea and Coke Zero when he's eating at restaurants.  He almost always throws the waiter off his game.  They say "Non-sweet?"  It's actually pretty funny.

The best diet is simple: low in fat, and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  According to researchers from Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, this diet along with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements can help.  Logan has taken these supplements for a couple of years and it's seemed to help him. 

The article stated that the development of ADHD was significantly associated with Western diets.....rich in sugar and saturated fats.  However, they did not find significant benefits to additive-free diets (like the Feingold diet, which excludes artificial colors and salicylates) except in small groups.  These diets are hard to enforce and impractical. 

They did find that when they tested a kid's hyperactivity with a bowl of sugary cereal, the results were high, but they gave another kid protein with the sugary bowl of cereal and there wasn't a reaction.  This makes you wonder if sugar really is a trigger.  The researchers said that even with this information, parents will still limit sugar and sodas whether or not it's true.  DAMN right! 

My thoughts on the matter.....I know that Logan reacts to sugar.  I also know that anyone, even a person without ADHD should never eat sugar alone.  You should always eat protein with it, so the findings are not shocking to me.  Bottom line, sugar, sodas and fast food should not only be limited for a child with ADHD, but everyone.  Nothing good can come from a disgusting Western diet.  Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are for everyone. 

On ADHD.....don't expect diet and exercise alone to help with ADHD.  In my experience, when a person is not on medication (or child, I should say) he or she doesn't want to or remember to exercise or eat well.  In my opinion, common sense (healthy diet, exercise and supplements) with the right medication is the perfect balance. 

Thanks go to my brother-in-law and ABC News for providing this information. 

Here's your Word of the Day:

bonny \BON-ee\, adjective:

1. Pleasing to the eye.
2. British Dialect. A. (Of people) Healthy, sweet, and lively. B. (Of places) Placid; tranquil. C. Pleasing; agreeable; good.

adverb:
1. British Dialect. Pleasingly; agreeably; very well.

noun:
1. Scot. and North England Archaic. A pretty girl or young woman.