With attention deficit hyperactivity disorder your child can have problems sustaining attention during a task or controlling her behavior. Many parents choose to give their child medication to manage ADHD: 66.3 percent of children between the ages of 4 and 17 take ADHD medication, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2007 data. But you may not want your child to use ADHD medications. One alternative option is a modified diet, which may help reduce symptoms. Talk to your child's doctor before putting your child on any diet to manage her ADHD.
Types
Several alternative diets exist for ADHD treatment. One is the Feingold diet, which Benjamin Feingold came up with in the 1970s. With the Feingold diet, you take out foods that contain artificial additives and salicylates. With a hypoallergenic diet, you remove foods from your child's diet that commonly cause allergies. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that other diets for ADHD remove sugar from your child's diet, and have your child eat complex carbohydrates and protein-rich foods. Since these diets can become complicated and your child requires adequate nutrients for development, consult a dietitian.
Features
The difference diets for ADHD can involve several steps. For example, with the Feingold diet, you start by taking out any artificial flavors, preservatives and dyes from your child's diet. In the next step, you take out foods that contain salicylates, which include different fruits, such as oranges, and nuts, such as almonds. The third step of the Feingold diet resembles the hypoallergenic diet: you take out foods that your child may be allergic to, introducing them back in after one to two weeks. Laurine Brown, Ph.D., MPH, author of the article "Diet and Behavior: First Do No Harm," recommends keeping a food diary and consulting a dietitian and allergist when dealing with food allergies. Foods that may cause allergies include chocolate, peanuts, shellfish and dairy.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of these alternative diets for ADHD are mixed. With the Feingold diet, scientific research has not found support that it will reduce your child's ADHD symptoms, notes Harvard Health Publications. The University of Michigan Health System adds that further studies are needed to determine whether sugar has an effect of hyperactivity, and if restricting it can help ADHD patients.
Supplements
You may consider adding supplements to your child's diet to help with his ADHD. For example, the University of Michigan Health System notes that children with ADHD may have deficits in iron, magnesium, essential fatty acids and vitamin B-6, and supplements of these vitamins and minerals may improve symptoms. Your child's doctor can determine if your child has a deficit by doing a blood test. Talk to your child's doctor about the different supplements for ADHD, and whether you should give your child one.
Considerations
While these different diets may not improve your child's ADHD symptoms, there are not without their benefits. As Harvard Health Publications notes, a healthy diet that takes out artificial additives and adds in essential fatty acids, such as omega-3 fatty acids, can help with your child's overall health. If you are worried that allergies play a role in your child's ADHD symptoms, talk to your child's doctor about doing allergy tests.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- University of Michigan Health System: Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder
- Harvard Health Publications: Diet and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: ADHD, Data and Statistics
- Illinois Wesleyan University: Diet and Behavior: First Do No Harm
