Feingold Diet for Hyperactivity

For parents of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eliminating the hyperactive behavior can seem like an unreachable goal. Some parents have tried a diet known as the Feingold Program or Feingold Diet in an effort to get relief. This diet is based on the idea that changes in diet can bring about changes in behavior in people who experience hyperactive tendencies.

The Problem

• Advocates of the Feingold Program believe that certain foods can worsen hyperactive behaviors in people with ADD or ADHD. Specifically, they focus on food additives and preservatives (such as artificial colors and flavors) as causes of these behaviors. People who subscribe to the program agree to change their or their children's diets and to follow Feingold's advice for improving their behavior.

The Solution

• Followers of the Feingold Program emphasize the need to remove all junk foods from the diet and to replace certain foods with more "natural" substitutes. For example, you might be able to eat a particular brand of cheese snack with natural white coloring but not that same brand's artificially-colored snack foods. Followers of the diet also recommend removing certain fruits and vegetables from your diet because they contain properties similar to the ingredients in aspirin. These properties are believed to contribute to hyperactivity.

The Critics

• Critics of the Feingold Diet claim that there is no scientific research to back up its claims. They also take issue with the diet's recommended removal of certain fruits and vegetables that they consider healthful. Since most members of the medical field believe ADD and ADHD are caused by certain differences in the brain, not the intestinal system, they put little or no faith in Feingold's program.