“I am so overwhelmed by all the information out there about how to support my child with ADHD. I just don’t know where to start.”
If you have ever thought something like this, then you are in the right place.
Today, I want to help take that overwhelm out of the picture by providing a clear, concise framework to help you know what dietary changes need to be made to best support your child with ADHD.
(Prefer to learn this information in a video? We’ve got you covered here: https://info.adhdthriveinstitute.com/dietary-action-plan)
I probably say this over and over again, but it’s so important that it’s worth repeating.
When you are building a house and you don’t have a solid foundation, the house will fall down.
Diet has to be the foundation of any ADHD meal plan, even a traditional medical plan or a holistic plan. It’s really important to remember that.
So where do you start?
The first step is to remove the foods that inflame the gut: gluten, dairy, and soy.
This should always be the first course of action in any dietary plan.
Then we really want to look at foods that show a reaction on the food sensitivity test.
When we went through this process with my son, he was really reactive to raspberries and corn, so we removed them from his diet so we could work on reducing inflammation in his gut. This wasn’t permanent for us, but it was important because it allowed us to work on his gut without it constantly being pounded with foods that were aggravating it.
Next, we want to reduce the amount of refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.
Instead, use natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and dates.
We also want to avoid artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and MSG.
I know you might be wondering, how do you do that with so much candy and processed foods your children have access to. But remember, there are always substitutes that don’t contain these nasties.
One of the things I do when working with families is make sure they know good substitutes for everything.
Choose organic, non-GMO when possible. I like to use the EWG website, which is www.ewg.org. On there you can get the clean 15 list and the dirty dozen list. I encourage families to buy organic with any items on the dirty dozen, but it’s not as critical to buy organic for items on the clean 15 list.
We also want to focus on eating whole fresh fruits and veggies, grass fed animal protein, and healthy fats such as avocado, coconut, and olive oil.
Next, we want to be drinking lots and lots of spring water. Water is such a critical piece of the detoxification process, so make sure and provide lots of it to your child.
And lastly, consider if there could be any underlying stressors in your child. For instance, some kids can be sensitive to certain chemical compounds in foods. Things like oxalates, salicylates, amines, glutamates, etc.
It would be wise to get a practitioner’s help if you need to go deeper because this can get complicated.
As always, if you need any additional support making these changes, my team and I are always happy to help.
Want to know more about how we can help YOU get to a place of peace and calm with your child using natural strategies?
Let’s talk!
with one of my expert team members to help you take your next step toward a healthier, happier home. There is absolutely NO RISK. It’s free, and there are no obligations. All we will do is chat about how we can help you get to where you want to go!
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And as always, I am not a medical doctor and the above post is based on my experience. No information on this site should be relied upon to make a medical diagnosis, treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.
