If you’ve been following me for very long, you might know that when my son was first diagnosed with ADHD, we tried medication.
It FAILED miserably!
Unfortunately, each medicine we tried led to more and more side effects (and some of the side effects were worse than the original ADHD symptoms!)
When the doctor recommended a 4th medication (that was solely to counteract the side effects of the other 3), that’s when I said, “Enough is enough!”
And I started digging into research about more natural strategies.
It was during that time that I first learned about the gut-brain connection and the effect of food on ADHD and other similar disorders.
It’s also when I realized how much I love to geek out on research! ?
Ultimately, it was the RESEARCH that convinced me to give natural strategies a try.
And ever since then, I’ve continued to stay on top of new research as it comes out.
I do the research so you don’t have to!
I wanted to write up a quick post today to share with you about an exciting new study that was done earlier this year that clearly showed the link between diet & mental health.
This particular study looked at the effects of diet, gut microbiome (or microorganisms living within the gut), & various disorders including…
✔️Depression
✔️Anxiety
✔️ADHD
✔️Autism
✔️Epilepsy
✔️Eating Disorders
✔️Alzheimers
✔️Parkinson’s Disease
Basically, what this study revealed (which other studies have shown as well) is that…
Brain health is closely tied to gut health!
Here are 3 specific ways that our diet affects our mental health.
3 Ways Diet Affects Mental Health:
Changing the diet can improve leaky gut, and improving leaky gut can improve brain function!
The Standard American Diet (or SAD) often leads to something called leaky gut, and leaky gut can show up in various ways including ADHD symptoms, anxiety, depression, constipation, diarrhea, emotional dysregulation, skin rashes, food sensitivities, etc.
If you’re not familiar with Leaky Gut, check out this article OR this video where I explain it in more detail.
Changing the diet can help with the development of necessary neurotransmitters.
90-95% of the body’s serotonin and 50% of the body’s dopamine is produced in the gut.
These neurotransmitters are the ones that help us manage emotions and balance mood.
So again, improve the gut….improve the body’s ability to manage emotions and mood.
Changing the diet can provide the body with nutrients that are linked to brain health.
Deficiencies in certain nutrients can lead to decreased brain function. For instance, B vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc are all critical pieces of brain function, so a deficiency, as you can imagine, can create a lot of problems!
I LOVE it when new research backs up what we already know – that what we eat matters!
But the reality is, changing the diet isn’t always easy.
I changed my son’s diet completely on my own.
No support system.
No guidance.
No help from anyone.
And it was CRAZY difficult!
I don’t want anyone else to have to go through making these changes alone.
That’s why I created a FREE (yes, 100% free) group on Facebook, where like-minded caregivers can go to learn from one another, share concerns, and get advice.
Will you join me over there?
Or, maybe you’re looking for even more support than my free Facebook group?
If you want to stop trying strategies that *might* help your family and instead do something that has worked for nearly 1000 other families of children with ADHD, you can .
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!
Alternatively, for more details about how you can help reduce your child’s ADHD symptoms, sign up for my today
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.
