The ADHD Diet: What to Eat?

The ADHD Diet: What to Eat?

If your child has ADHD, foods that MUST be avoided include:

– processed, fried, prepared and fast foods.

– preservatives, artificial colors, artificial flavors, MSG- this includes luncheon meats, most hot dogs, margarine, candy, ketchup, soda pop, instant noodles, popsicles, packaged foods, etc.

-anything with nutrasweet or aspartame – check all “sugar free” products for these ingredients.

-highly processed carbohydrates – AVOID ALL WHITE STUFF! This includes white flours, sugar, rice, bread, pasta. 

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1. Start your child’s day with a high protein, low carbohydrate breakfast. This can make an enormous difference in an ADHD child’s ability to focus during the day. A good breakfast sets the pace for the body’s metabolism throughout the day, impacting energy, self-control, and attention.

2. Pack your child’s school lunch, with his/her help. Discuss the nutritional value of what goes in, look for a range of colors in fruit and vegetables, and get creative. Think beyond sandwiches to soups and stews sent in a thermos, wraps in tortilla shells or even lettuce leaves, stuffed eggs, protein shakes or smoothies, or, last night’s leftovers.

3. Snacks: put out cut fresh vegetables, nuts, raisins, sliced fruits, cheese, peas in the pod, edamame to nibble while doing homework. Bake on weekends – make muffins, granola bars, cookies using whole grains and natural sweeteners like agave and coconut sugar. Make sprouts- they have great nutrition value, and are fun to grow.

4. An ideal dinner plate is one that has a palm size piece of protein (preferably grass fed, organically raised meat or chicken, or non farmed fish); a palm size portion of non-white grains; and an assortment of vegetables and fruits. The larger the range of colors on your plate, the larger the range of healthy phytochemicals.

5. All carbohydrates must be complex and limited in how much they have been processed. The more processed the grain, the higher it is on the glycemic index, the less nutrition value.

6. Eat 12-15 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. A “portion” may be an apple snack, a few cut carrots, a handful of raisins, a ¼ cup of peas with dinner, etc.

7. Sneak vegetables into foods, for example: finely chopped sautéed greens in pasta sauce; pureed squash in mac and cheese; chopped celery and cukes in tuna or chicken salad; carrot juice or powdered greens in smoothies

8. Eat organic food whenever possible. Nutrient values aside, organic foods are free of pesticides, sewer sludge, antibiotics, and growth hormones – these are neurotoxic and especially dangerous for young children’s brains. The level of pesticide in children’s bodies is less when they eat organic food. The incidents of ADHD is 2-3 times higher in children with detectable blood and urine concentrations of herbicides and pesticides used in conventional farming. (If you cannot afford to go fully organic – make sure all dairy products, eggs, meat and chicken are grass-fed organic.)

You will find that good nutrition, using unprocessed whole foods will make your entire family feel better and your ADHD child perform better.

Missed the intro to this article? Read it here

Beth Landau-Halpern is a homeopath with a special interest in treating children with ADHD and Autism. She has recently been certified as a CEASE therapist – an affective homeopathic approach to treating autism. For more information, visit Beth at her websites: http://blh-homeopath.com and http://adhdhomeopath.com.

Photo credit: Bruce Tuten

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Lisa Roth Collins is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) and is the Marketing Manager at NaturallySavvy.com. She is passionate about health and wellness and tries her best to make healthier choices every day for herself and her family. Her journey to natural health was driven by her own struggles with digestive discomfort, depression, and anxiety. Lisa returned to school in 2014 to study nutrition at the Canadian School for Natural Nutrition. She threw herself into her studies so she could learn as much as she could to help herself feel better and thrive. Upon completing the program and being certified as an RHN, Lisa began her work at Naturally Savvy where she has been able to help so many people learn to make healthier choices for themselves. Through her work, she has connected with so many incredible people in the industry whether other authors, influencers, or brands. Plus, she is affectionately known as "Techie Spice" because of her ability to wrap her head around technology. Every day she gets up with a renewed sense of energy and ready to make a difference. You can read all of Lisa's content here. In her spare time, Lisa loves to try new recipes, make delicious and nourishing meals, and she is an avid reader. For more information about Lisa, check out her profile on here.