| Science has shown time and time again that although | | | | What we don't realize is that our own diet is |
| children with ADD and ADHD respond most quickly to | | | | contributing to the high percentage of children in the |
| medications designed to treat their illness, placing them | | | | United States suffering from ADHD. An ADD/ADHD |
| on a special ADD/ADHD diet can do wonders to | | | | diet focuses on eliminating the unnatural chemicals and |
| improve their self control, their performance in school, | | | | environmental toxins that are included in our food |
| their general happiness and, ultimately, their future-and it | | | | supply and the deficiencies found in most diets, both |
| can do it without any of the side effects caused by | | | | factors believed to strongly contribute to ADHD in |
| today's favorite behavioral narcotics. | | | | children. |
| A study done by physicians in Belmont, Massachusetts | | | | The high abundance of processed foods on the |
| of twenty children with ADD and ADHD compared the | | | | market have been robbed of their natural nutrition, filling |
| results of children who were treated with Ritalin (the | | | | them with empty calories and artificial substances. |
| most popular drug on the market for the treatment of | | | | Unsurprisingly, children who ate a diet high in sugar |
| ADHD in pediatric patients) with those children treated | | | | were more likely to display symptoms of ADHD. |
| with special diet designed to control what are believed | | | | Children with ADD/ADHD have been shown to |
| to be "biochemical heterogeneous etiologies for AD | | | | produce a decreased quantity of the hormones that |
| HD"-in other words, elements in their diet that may | | | | help the body to process sugar, and the body's |
| contribute to their disorder. | | | | attempts to "force" itself to produce more result in |
| These high risk factors in a typical ADD/ADHD diet | | | | hyperactivity. |
| are believed to include:o Food and additive allergieso | | | | For this reason, an ADD/ADHD diet concentrates on |
| Heavy metal toxicity and other environmental toxinso | | | | eliminating sugar and high carbohydrate foods, focusing |
| Low protein/high carbohydrate dietso Mineral | | | | instead on whole grains, fruits, proteins and vegetables. |
| imbalanceso Essential phospholipid deficiencieso | | | | Magnesium and other nutrient deficiencies have been |
| Thyroid disorderso Vitamin B deficiencies | | | | shown to contribute to ADD/ADHD, as have a |
| Those children in the group treated with food | | | | deficiency in essential fatty acids. Incorporating those |
| supplements were given a mix of dietary supplements | | | | into an ADD/ADHD diet has been shown to help |
| that included vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, amino | | | | children function with their disease. Before self |
| acids, essential fatty acids, phospholipids and probiotics. | | | | diagnosing your child with a nutrient deficiency and |
| Physicians conducting the study were pleased to | | | | pumping them full of supplements, however, consult |
| discover that children treated with these supplements | | | | your pediatrician or family physician. Too much of a |
| were able to control and live with their ADD/ADHD | | | | good thing can be a very bad thing, and you want to |
| almost as effectively, if not as effectively, as those | | | | ensure that when you begin to give your child vitamins |
| dosed with Ritalin. (Outcome-based comparison of | | | | and supplements that you are not doing more harm |
| Ritalin versus food-supplement treated children with | | | | than good! |
| AD/HD. Altern Med Rev. 2003 Aug;8(3):319-30.) | | | | |