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Diets to Minimize the Effects of ADHD in Children

According to information from the medical website Medline Plus, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a condition that can manifest itself in a number of ways, including fidgeting, inattentiveness, organizational issues and forgetfulness. While ADHD can be treated with prescription medications, a more natural approach consists of minimizing the symptoms through dietary manipulations to avoid items that allow symptoms to manifest.

  1. ADHD Diet Theory

    • Understand that according to information from the ADD and ADHD informational website, OneADDPlace, the manifestation of ADHD has been linked to diet. This includes the presence of both nutritional deficiencies and food allergies--in many cases, curing these problems can help to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of ADHD. By following a strict elimination diet for your child, you can help to curb his ADHD without needing to resort to expensive medications that can cause unwanted side effects in your child.

    ADHD Dietary Advice

    • Begin your ADHD diet by having your child tested for common food allergies such as lactose or gluten intolerance. According to information from the health website Healthcastle.com, gluten allergies are especially common among individuals with ADHD. If either of these problems are positively identified, the next step is to eliminate all sources of the offending type from the diet. Beyond dealing with food allergies, another positive step that you can take to alleviate symptoms is to substitute normal foods for organic whenever possible. Organic foods have far fewer chemicals added, making them less likely to exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD. Avoid exposing your child to fish which have a higher level of mercury content, such as swordfish, shark and mackerel. Finally, supplement your child's diet with a fish oil supplement, as children with ADHD are often low in a fat calleld DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a type of fat found in over-the-counter fish oil supplements and other omega-3 fats. The recommended daily dose of DHA is between 100 to 150mg, so check the labeling information on your bottle of fish oil to see how much DHA is contained in each capsule.

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