ADD/ADHD and Diet.
Recently, I had a family member consult me regarding the prescription of medication for her son who has been diagnosed with a "mild form of ADD". The physcian recommended that he be given a low dose of medication to treat his symptoms. Immediately her mother's intuition sparked and she felt that this may not be the best course of action, however, she didn't know what her options were.
Interestingly enough, many physicians may not tell you, but diet plays a huge role in symptomology produced by ADD or ADHD. Many times it is not considered in treatment, but The British Medical Journal stated recently that properly supervised trial eliminating colors and preservatives from the diet of hyperactive children should be considered a part of the STANDARD treatment.
If your child is experiencing symptoms consistent with ADD or ADHD consider the following dietary changes:
1. Eliminate artificial colors and flavors from their diet.
2. Make sure that the child is eating some protein with every meal and
snack. Helps to regulate blood sugar.
3. Eliminate sodas and juices....even natural sugars can cause blood
sugar spikes if the whole fruit is not eaten (the fiber of the fruit
is the important part!).
4. Consider eliminating wheat and gluten from their diet. There are
several links to gluten sensitivity and/or allergy in ADD/ADHD
children.
5. A good quality multivitamin and Omega 3 supplement is a MUST!
Comments
British Medical Journal
(http://www.bma.org/)
BMJ-British Medical Journal (2008, May 23). A Trial Of Removing Food Additives Should Be Considered For Hyperactive Children, Experts Suggest.
Here is a Medline research link with other journal articles. Hopefully the link will work!
http://search.medscape.com/medline-search?newSearch=1&queryText=adhd+diet
Dr.Susan
http://www.lakeshorewellnesscenter.com
Absolutely! If food allergies are suspected I would do one of two things:
1. Food elimination/rotation diet. Slowly eliminate the allergenic foods (corn, soy, eggs, dairy, among others)and then re-introduce them back into the diet one at a time and watch for reactions/symptoms to indicate if that food is an allergen. This is the gold-standard for food allergy testing, but obviously is not quick or easy.
2. IgG and IgE blood testing for food allergies (available through doctors and labs like USBioTek) I would avoid the skin allergy tests that most docs perform--it really is hard to be acurate with a skin test when foods are absorbed internally.
Dr.Susan
http://www.lakeshorewellnesscenter.com
Can you tell me the author and title of the article in the BMJ? I would like to look it up to tell someone else about it.
Hi Dr. Susan, I've also read that children with ADD/ADHD may be more prone to food allergies. Has this been your experience?
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