http://books.google.at/books?id=hQ6PN_39uOMC&lpg=PA52&dq=adhd%20for%20dummies&pg=PA52#v=onepage&q&f=false
Showing posts with label GFCF diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GFCF diet. Show all posts
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
6 Diet Tips for Children With ADHD
Diet is an important tool is managing symptoms in children with ADHD. Learn about the value of adding fresh, organic foods and certain supplements to your kids' diet.
By Katherine Lee
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH
Diet may play a significant role in managing symptoms in children with ADHD. Adding certain foods and nutrients that may boost brain function, eliminating foods that seem to worsen ADHD symptoms, and trying other diet and nutrition tips to improve your child’s diet may all help with ADHD.
1. Eliminate Processed Foods
Recent research has shown that people with ADHD are more likely to be sensitive to food dyes and other additives typically found in processed foods. “The more you stick to whole foods, the better,” says Sally Hara, MS, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and a nutritionist in Kirkland, Wash.
“Parents today are into convenience such as packaged food and fast food,” says Elizabeth Strickland, MS, RD, an integrative dietitian specializing in ADHD and autism in San Antonio, Texas. “But food is critical for brain function. Natural vitamins and natural fiber are important. Make time to cook real food.”
One strategy is to cook dinners for the first few nights of the upcoming week on a Sunday. Then all you’ll need to do is reheat your homemade meals. Another way to get kids into eating fresh food is to involve them in growing a vegetable garden. “Kids are more likely to eat things they’ve grown,” says Hara.
2. Put Protein in Your Kids’ Diet
Children with ADHD need protein along with complex carbohydrates, especially at breakfast, says Hara. She says studies have shown that kids who eat sugary carbs for breakfast, such as a donut, were fidgety and hungry before lunch. Switching to whole grains is good, but not good enough — youngsters who ate protein were the ones who didn’t have these problems. By combining an immediate source of energy — the carbs — and a later source — the protein, kids were able to stay still and focus more, says Hara. Ideas for a balanced breakfast for a child with ADHD are scrambled or boiled eggs or a piece of turkey on whole-grain toast.
Note that stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) can decrease appetite, which can then result in a drop in blood sugar and affect concentration and attention, and they also don’t work as well when kids haven’t eaten — another reason breakfast is important. If your child is not hungry for a full meal at breakfast, try a smoothie with protein powder or, as a last resort, an energy drink, says Hara.
3. Think Organic
A recent study found that kids with high levels of common pesticides in their urine were significantly more likely to have ADHD than kids whose pesticide levels were lower. “Organic is definitely a benefit,” says Hara. “It depends on the individual’s sensitivity. I can’t see a downside to organic, and it takes out any possibility of chemical reaction.”
Adds Strickland, “Buy organically grown fruits and vegetables as much as you can afford. Pesticides contain arsenic, which is a neurotoxin that damages the brain. It can cause problems with attention, hyperactivity, and aggression.” Pesticides also contain lead, which can lead to ADHD and impulse control problems even in small amounts.
4. Avoid Trigger Foods
Recent research has shown that diet contributes to ADHD, says Strickland. Elimination diets, such as the Feingold Diet, can help parents pinpoint foods that may be contributing to a child’s ADHD symptoms. “Certain foods can cause headaches, GI [gastrointestinal] tract problems, and itchy skin,” says Strickland. These symptoms can then become a part of everyday life.
Eliminating foods with artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives from a diet and then gradually adding foods back one at a time can help parents identify those causing problems, says Strickland. A gluten and casein-free diet can be helpful for a child with gastrointestinal problems and headaches, she says. Casein is a protein found in dairy foods.
Many kids on such a diet find that they have improved gastrointestinal function, better sleep (since tummy troubles can cause kids to wake up throughout the night), and improved behavior and concentration. Today, making substitutions for gluten in a child’s diet is easier than it used to be. “Start introducing new foods such as gluten-free pasta, rice flour, and corn tortillas,” says Hara.
Another tip to keep in mind is that a prolonged drastic elimination diet may not be necessary. “The Feingold Diet removes every possible trigger,” says Hara. “But why eliminate things that may not be a problem? Gradually, over time, you can add things back slowly.”
Hara cites her own son, 12, who was diagnosed at age 5 with ADHD. “He can tolerate milk once a week, but not more than that,” says Hara. “Kids can eat up to their tolerance level.”
Another way parents can help identify trigger foods is by carefully observing their child. “When my son was little he would say ‘my head hurts’ after five minutes of reading,” says Hara. “But when we took the offending foods out, we realized it was his tummy that hurt. For kids, we may think it’s picky eating when it’s really careful eating. Their mouth may itch or their tummy may feel upset.”
5. Consider Supplements
Strickland says that children are not getting enough of the nutrients that are important for brain and nervous system function. Fewer mothers are breastfeeding, she says, and fewer people are eating fish because of concerns about contaminants such as mercury. “Today’s diet is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids,” Strickland says.
This lack of brain-boosting nutrients is compounded by the fact that people eat too much pre-packaged food high in preservatives and trans fats. “Trans fats interfere with omega-3 fatty acids in our body,” says Strickland. “Multivitamins and supplements are critical. You see improvement in symptoms in children with ADHD.”
The B vitamins and B6 in particular along with omega-3 fatty acid supplements may help. Talk to your child’s pediatrician and nutritionist first and, if you decide to try them, make sure the vitamins are free of artificial colors and flavors and look for a fish oil supplement with no mercury, says Strickland.
6. Evaluate Caffeine
As surprising as it may sound, a stimulant like caffeine can be good for a child with ADHD. “For my son, caffeine knocks his behavior into place,” says Hara. She sometimes gives her son a Coke after school. It can help him focus on his homework and improve his concentration, and it wears off in time for bed.
When looking for solutions to manage your child’s ADHD symptoms, experts say that patience and perseverance are crucial. “With kids, you can’t change a diet overnight and you can’t expect behavior to improve immediately,” says Hara. “Work with a dietitian who’s trained in food sensitivity or ADHD.”
(www.everydayhealth.com)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Autism & ADHD Diet: A Step-by-Step Guide to Hope and Healing by Living Gluten Free and Casein Free (GFCF) and Other Interventions
http://books.google.at/books?id=li0Sl3CmlswC&lpg=PP1&dq=The%20Autism%20&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
Colours advice
The Food Standards Agency Board, at its April open meeting, discussed the possible effects of certain food colours on children's behaviour and agreed advice to Ministers to help inform the UK's negotiating position in Europe on this issue.
This discussion took place following the publication last September of research into these colours by Southampton University and in the light of the review of this work by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which was published in March.
The Board agreed to advise UK Ministers that there should be voluntary action by manufacturers in the UK to remove these colours by 2009. In addition, there should be action to phase them out in food and drink in the European Union (EU) over a specified period.
Dame Deirdre Hutton, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, said: 'It is the Agency's duty to put consumers first. These additives give colour to foods but nothing else. It would therefore be sensible, in the light of the findings of the Southampton Study, to remove them from food and drink products. UK industry has already taken great strides to remove these colours from food; this decision builds on the work already done and will encourage industry to continue down this path.'
The Board also discussed the Agency's advice on this issue. At present, Agency advice is:
Parents of children showing signs of hyperactivity are advised that cutting certain artificial colours from their diets might have some beneficial effects. These colours are:
- Sunset yellow (E110)
- Quinoline yellow (E104, found in mouth washs)
- Carmoisine (E122)
- Allura red (E129)
- Tartrazine (E102, FD&C Yellow 5, C.I. 19140, used also in H&M shower gel and Avène face wash *awaywithit*)
- Ponceau 4R (E124)
Food Standards Agency Chief Scientist, Andrew Wadge, said: 'This advice is proportionate and based on the best available science. However, we need to remember that there are many factors associated with hyperactive behaviour in children other than diet. These are thought to include genetic factors, being born prematurely, or environment and upbringing.'
The Board requested that advice to parents is simplified and strengthened as much as possible, and the Agency updates its advice in the light of the Board's discussion.
The preservative sodium benzoate was also used in the Southampton study. Use of sodium benzoate is mainly restricted to soft drinks. The Board decided that advice to Ministers and consumers should focus on the colours used in the study, as the primary function of sodium benzoate is as a preservative.
Today's Board decision does not mean that there is an immediate ban on the use of the six colours in food and drink products. The FSA is recommending to UK Ministers that industry takes voluntary action to remove these colours by 2009 and is pressing for action at EU level.
Once the FSA has given its advice, UK Ministers will discuss this with other Government departments. These discussions will inform the UK’s negotiating position in Europe on this issue.
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2008/apr/coloursadvice
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)