Hello again ms0~
As Pinkfreud has already pointed out, diet can very much affects a
child’s tendency toward hyperactivity, and may be the root cause of at
least some ADD/ADHD. For an interesting read about how one parent help
her child with ADD by changing his diet, read “Jim’s Story,” by Lori
Herron: http://altnature.com/library/addand.htm She found that
cutting sugars, red dyes, and most processed foods dramatically helped
her son.
The ADD Information Library suggests the following diet for children
who’ve been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD:
“What NOT to eat for TWO WEEKS:
1) NO DAIRY PRODUCTS, especially cow’s milk. This is the single most
important restriction. Instead try Almond milk, Rice milk, or Better
Than Milk. Drink water instead of milk. In fact, drink lots of water.
The brain is about 80% water, and increasing your water intake to 7 to
10 glasses per day might be helpful all by itself. Sodas, Gatorade,
teas, icees, etc., do not count as water. Water counts as water.
2) NO YELLOW FOODS. Especially Corn or Squash. Bananas are white.
Don’t eat the peel.
3) NO JUNK FOODS. If it comes in a cellophane wrapper, don’t eat it.
4) NO FRUIT JUICES. Too much sugar content. One small glass of apple
juice has the sugar content of eight apples. Later on you can have
juice, but dilute it with water 50/50.
5) CUT SUGAR INTAKE BY 90%. If you can, cut it down to zero. Sugar is
in just about everything, but give it a try. Do your best without
going crazy.
6) CUT CHOCOLATE BY 90%. No more than a single piece, once a week.
7) NO NUTRASWEET. None. Period.
8) NO PROCESSED MEATS and NO MSG. Only get meats with labels that say,
“Turkey and Water,” etc. If the meat has chemicals listed that you
can’t pronounce, don’t buy it.
9) CUT FRIED FOODS BY 90%.
10) AVOID FOOD COLORINGS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. See if your child is
sensitive to any particular colors, such as Reds, Yellows, etc. For
now, though, avoid all if possible…
AFTER TWO WEEKS begin adding these foods back into your diet, one food
every other day. Eat A LOT of that food every day for four days. If
you have a problem with one of the foods, you will see some kind of a
“reaction” within four days. The reaction can vary from big red
splotches on the body to ears turning bright red to explosive temper
outbursts. If there’s a problem, you’ll know. If there’s no problem,
enjoy the food.” (“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Eating
Program,” http://www.newideas.net/adddiet.htm )
That said, the U.S. Government continues to insist that diet has
nothing to do with ADD and ADHD. “The government position is that diet
changes won't help most children with ADD or ADHD. A NIH study in 1982
tested the theory that refined sugar and food additives make children
hyperactive and inattentive. ‘After studying the data, the scientists
concluded that the restricted diet only seemed to help about five
percent of children with ADHD, mostly either young children or
children with food allergies,’ NIH says. As a result, most
pediatricians have been telling parents that diet isn't the problem,
despite observations of many parents that certain foods, particularly
chocolate, soda and other sweets, tend to make their kids bounce off
the walls.” (“Breaking the Diet-ADD Link,” by Becky Gillette,
Alternet, http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15315 )
For more information on children’s behavior and diet, try reading
“Diet & Behavior In Children,” by David Schardt:”
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/3_00/diet_behavior.html
And this pdf file, “Effects on Behavior and Cognition: Diet and
Artificial Colors, Flavors, and Preservatives,” by Lucille Beseler:
http://www.int-pediatrics.org/PDF/Volume%2014/14-1/beseler.pdf
Hope this helps!
Kriswrite
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