A lot depends on nutrition. In some cases, it can even cause the development of the syndrome, while in others it can aggravate the course of the disease. However, one cannot rely entirely on dietary treatment, as scientists from the Institute for Nutrition at the University Hospital in Giessen write: “Diet helps many children lead a normal life, but not all. This, of course, is due to the complex of reasons that could lead to the development of hyperkinetic syndrome. In particular, if the disease is caused by the use of salicylates and food additives, such as preservatives and dyes, then eliminating them from the diet leads to a significant improvement in the health of the child. Red artificial dye erythrosin and orange tartracine are considered especially dangerous. They are found in some types of juices, sauces, carbonated drinks. We believe that in any case, they should be excluded from the diet of a child with ADHD, even if the cause of the disease has nothing to do with nutrition (for example, in case of birth injuries, etc.), as well as preservatives, flavorings, foods rich in carbohydrates .
Particular attention should be paid to nutritional issues for those patients in whom hyperactivity is a consequence of allergies. Here, of course, there should be no general recommendations, since different children may not tolerate different products. But when it is possible to identify specific «pathogens» and exclude them from the diet, then things are quickly on the mend. Intolerance to certain products is determined in allergy centers using special methods and tests. Quite often, bioelectronic methods are used (in particular, electropuncture according to Dr. Voll), a test for muscle resistance, etc. Even in the case when a specific product cannot be determined, but at least a group is detected, for example, carbohydrates or animal proteins, it is already possible hope for a good result. Of course, the entire group of these products should not be sharply excluded, but they can be reduced gradually, changing, selecting, looking for a replacement for them.
In general, the diet of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should consist primarily of vegetables and salads prepared with cold-pressed vegetable oils, sour cream butter or margarine and consumed mainly raw. White wheat flour must be replaced with gu.e.go flour with otu.e.mi. Try to cook delicious dishes from these products and distract children from chocolates, cola, chips.
List of recommended foods for ADHD:
- vegetables — peas, carrots, soybeans, cauliflower, kohlrabi, red cabbage, white cabbage, broccoli, spinach, beans, long cucumbers;
- leaf lettuce;
- fruits — apples, pears, bananas;
- garnish — potatoes, noodles made from gu.e.go flour, unpolished rice;
- cereals — wheat, rye, barley, millet, flaxseed;
- bread — wheat and rye bread made without milk;
- fats — fermented milk butter, margarines, which do not include yogurt, cold-pressed vegetable oil;
- meat — beef, veal, poultry, fish, lamb (1-2 times a week);
- drinks — unsweetened tea, still water with a sodium content of about 50 mg / kg;
- spices — iodized salt.
Nutrient deficiency
Studies have shown that many hyperactive children suffer from a lack of well-defined vitamins, trace elements and essential fatty acids. Consider which ones, why and where they are contained. See →
Food that affects behavior
What you eat affects how you behave. A child who eats right is more likely to do the right thing. A healthy diet and, conversely, an unbalanced diet can significantly affect a child’s behavior. While some kids painlessly fill their «calm» tummies with all sorts of things, others turn into brawlers by swallowing a pea-marmalade. Parents need to be careful about what to feed their children. It is necessary to determine the «bad» food for your child. Try to answer the questions from the following list. See →
Food
In modern pediatrics, there is a point of view that one of the causes of hyperactivity can be malnutrition of the child. And you don’t have to go far for examples, it’s enough to analyze the current increase in the incidence of ADHD and the products that today fall on the child’s table. After all, as you know, most of them contain various preservatives, flavorings, artificial fillers, food colorings, which negatively affect neurochemical processes. And hyperactivity, impaired attention, anxiety — all these are manifestations, including a chemical imbalance in the brain. In addition, any product that causes an allergy in a child can become dangerous in this case. See →