[CaddoRose]

How many of you have changed the diet of your ADD/ADHD kids and seen a positive response? What changes did you make, what do/do not fee them, etc?


If you have any leads to actual scientific info or studies with info on the effects of diet on ADD/ADHD, I would appreciate if you would point me toward it.

[joskimo]

Probably I'll get slammed for this, but we did not change our daughter's diet because her doctor said studies indicated that there was significant improvement in about 1% of the kids, the full diet is difficult if your kiddo is in school or daycare, not impossible but difficult. You should also look at the online articles and forums at Attention Deficit Disorder | ADHD Symptoms, Medication, Treatment, Diagnosis, Parenting ADD Children and More: Information from ADDitude For our daughter we do meds, OT, and interventions suggested by the OT. I'm really overjoyed at the significant improvements she's made.

[shy_bear]

We did not change diet either; our daughter's therapist and doc both said there is no proven evidence that diet effects ADD/ADHD
I personally feel as with any kid moderation is the key and if you overload an already hyper child with sugar and artificial junk then you are going to have a more disruptive child.

[Jo Ellen]

My son is now 15 and at the age of 7 was diagnosed with ADHD through testing by a specialist in a local hospital. Over the years until two years ago I had him on adderal for his "ADHD". Three years ago I learned of an eye therapist in our area (there are only two of these therapist in the US) and after testing my son told me that only a handful of children are truely ADHD and with my son completing his program would most likely no longer need the meds. So for 1 1/2 years I took my son to the therapist and did at home therapy homework and by the time my son finished the therapy was able to be off the meds and has held A and B grades the past three years in school with moderate modifications through a resource program. Come to find out he was showing signs of being hyper and lack of concentration do to the fact that his eyes were not tracking as they should and letters and numbers were moving around on the page making it impossible for him to complete his work or to read. For anyone interested in learning more about the eye therapy I would be happy to share more info through a private message. Best of luck to you all dealing with this issue with your children. I know how difficult it can be.

[angelkisses0102]

SOME people have success with either the Gluten Free Casein Free (GFCF) Diet or the Feingold Diet. For DD we tried supplements, never bothered with a super restrictive diet since we eat very healthy. She is on 20 mg of Vyvanse...and it works wonders (she's 8 and just started 3rd grade.) adoptbiomed in yahoo groups is a good resource.

[mom2samuel]

For a while we limited processed meat, red dyes and fruit juices. It did help A LITTLE. However, as ds progressed through school....he needed so much more. Last yr in second grade he was officially diagnosed as ADD and we began to try different meds. He now takes 70 mg of Vyvanse and it definitely helps him during the day. (evenings can still be a challenge, though ) Our ped. concurred with the others mentioned before....special diets do not work.

Michelle

[jp4ga]

My son is 13 and had been on ADHD meds 6 years. We have restricted parts of his diet, fewer processed foods and very little sugar. What we have found is that for his age and weight his dosage is very low when compared with other kids his age. He has been on the same dose of meds for about 3 years. Not sure if diet is making this happen or if he is just getting older and can control things a little more or if he does not have a bad case. I do know that when he does not take the meds he is hyper, and can not concentrate on his work.

[greenrobin]

We have 2 sons with ADHD.

When N was a kid, we tried restricting things like artificial colors, processed foods and sugar. It didn't seem to help, but it did cause a lot of arguments about why he couldn't buy that big ol' box of Sugar-Coated Honey Bang-Bangs for breakfast!

He's an adult now. The only thing that works for him is taking his meds (which he hates) or working until he drops from exhaustion.

Bubba is almost 6. We generally don't eat a lot of processed or oddly colorful foods. Still no Sugar-Coated Honey Bang-Bangs, though. Again, the only thing that has helped has been better living through chemistry.

Our p-doc also doesn't subscribe to the special diet thing.

I recently read about Norwegian fish oil. It's pricey--like $50 a bottle or some such--and there's no guarantee about its efficacy. Will I buy it? Probably. The only thing it'll cost me is $50. And if it works, it'll be worth it.
If it doesn't I can always feed it to the cat.