Ep #37: ADHD and diet

When it comes to ADHD and diet, there is a lot of conflicting information about food children should or shouldn’t avoid.  Always consult your child’s doctor when it comes to making any changes to your child’s diet. Remember that each child will respond differently to changes in diets, so involving your child’s doctor is vital. We are are not recommending one type of diet over another. We do advocating ADHD healthy eating and eating as natural as possible as all doctors agree that eating healthier is best. Food such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, healthy oils and grains, and foods that are rich in protein.  Healthy foods are more comfortable for the body to digest and our bodies the nutrients they need and help them perform at an optimal level.  An ADHD diet for kids based around food that allows them to perform at their optimal level helps them better handle behavior problems, which makes sense if you think about it. All kids tend to have less capacity to deal with things when they are tired or hungry.  Many kids with ADHD already have reduced capacity to focus and handle everyday tasks. Feeding them the wrong types of food can create additional behavior problems. Watch your children for food that may increase their negative behaviors. Help them either learn how to avoid those foods or to deal with the increased behaviors.  As you try to introduce new foods, don’t make it a battle. Slowly add new foods and give your child a choice. Don’t make it seem like they have no say or control over what they are eating. If you have a super picky eater, try to figure out why they have such aversions to foods. Is it a sensory issue? Is it a texture issue? Do they have another issue such as Autism? This understanding will help you better address the underlying issue. Diet is not a cure-all for ADHD, but it can help to better deal with the symptoms of ADHD. For complete show notes on ADHD and diet visit: https://www.smarterparenting.com/adhd-parenting-podcast/