Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, starts causing symptoms of inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity before the age of 7. The disorder can continue into adulthood: one-third to two-thirds of patients display symptoms into adulthood, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). If your child has ADHD, you may consider alternatives to medications, such as the Feingold diet. Before starting any alternative treatments for ADHD, consult your doctor.
History
Benjamin Feingold, M.D., created the Feingold diet during the 1970s on the theory that the hyperactivity symptoms of ADHD arise from artificial additives. Feingold presented this information at an American Medical Association meeting in 1973, stating that between 40 and 50 percent of his hyperactive patients had symptoms as the result of these artificial additives.
Features
The Feingold diet has three steps. In the first step, you remove any artificial additives in your child's diet. Laurine Brown, Ph.D., M.P.H., author of "Diet and Behavior: First Do No Harm," lists preservatives and synthetic food dyes, which are made from petroleum, and artificial flavors as things to remove from your child's diet in step one. In step two of the Feingold diet, you take out any natural salicylates. Feingold believed that salicylates also have a link to hyperactivity, and UMMC notes that you cannot use aspirin while on the Feingold diet. After taking out all salicylate foods, you can add them back in one by one. In the third step of the diet, if the other dietary changes did not work, you start removing common allergy foods one at a time for one to two weeks, then add them back into the diet, tracking changes in a food diary. Since allergic reactions can become severe, consult a dietitian.
Food Restrictions
The Feingold diet restricts your child from consuming several foods. Fruit-flavored drinks contain artificial flavors. Cereals and cookies that contain preservatives are not allowed. During the second step of the Feingold diet, you need to take out any foods that contain salicylates, which includes grapes, apples, tomatoes, oranges and berries. Almonds and mint flavoring also contain salicylates. During step three of the diet, you may need to take out foods such as shellfish, soy, chocolate or peanuts. Talk to a dietitian about which foods you need to remove from your child's diet under the Feingold diet.
Criticisms
The Feingold diet is not without its criticisms. UMMC notes that many studies on the effectiveness of the Feingold diet found no benefits. In a review of several studies on the Feingold diet, Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., writing in "The Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry" in 1984, explains that the findings of these studies that criticize the Feingold diet are probably incorrect. He notes that these studies tested only a few of of the 3,000 additives that Feingold identified and did not note the participants' nutritional status. Since no consensus exists on the effectiveness of the Feingold diet, talk to your doctor before starting it for ADHD treatment.
Considerations
While the Feingold diet may work for some ADHD patients, it may not work for your child. Between 10 and 25 percent of children have a sensitivity to salicylates, according to the University of Michigan Health System. If you decide to use the Feingold diet, UMMC suggests that your child become involved in making meals.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder -- Other Treatments
- "Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry"; The Feingold Diet: An Assessment of the Reviews by Mattes, by Kavale and Forness and Others; Bernard Rimland; 1st Quarter 1984
- University of Michigan Health System: Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder
- Illinois Wesleyan University: Diet and Behavior: First Do No Harm
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