dietary changes for adhd?

[popsycal]

Had a previous thread about suspecting ds1 may have adhd. AM seeing his teacher later this week.

But in the meantime, is there any evidence of dietary triggers? Willing to try anything before pursuing it further.

I remember years ago lots of stuff about orange coloured additives...

TIA

Not sure, I vaguely remember 450 mg a day, but googling found this quote on a diff forum 'The LCP Solution talks about 240 mg DHA daily'

They also recommend significantly more for the first 12 weeks and then coming down to this amount once levels have been restored in the body.

I just bought the supplement with the most DHA. When you are in Holland & Barrett or whatever it'll be clear which is the best out of the ones they are selling.

We have had a really successful week by cutting out as much as possible any colourings, additives and sweeteners and limiting processed food.

Then, about an hour ago, he had some yoghurt covered fruit flakes and he is loud, angry and short tempered....

off to dig the wrapper from the bin!!!

hmmm

doesnt seem bad:
Yogurt Coating (58%): [Sugar, Vegetable Fat, Whey Powder, Yogurt Powder (3%), Wheat Flour, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithins), Flavouring], Fruit Flakes (40%): Concentrated Apple Puree, (An Average of 257g of Apple to Used to prepare 100g of Fruit Flakes®), Concentrated Raspberry Puree (An Average of 44g of Raspberry Used to Prepare 100g of Fruit Flakes®), Fructose-Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Gluten Free Wheat Fibre, Vegetable Fat, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Natural Colouring (Anthocyanins), Natural Flavouring], Glaze (2%): [Gum Arabic, Glazing Agent (Shellac)]

glad you had a good week

out of that list, I would be wary of: (I am extreme with additives, have to be due to dd1's issues)

flavouring: the first itme, it is not listed as natural - definitely chemical MSG. bad news. the second time, it is listed as natural - this is stil MSG (usually made form concentrated bolied down pear skins, I believe). not great, maybe your ds might be able ot tolerate very small amounts (dd1 can have none at all)

fructose-glucose syrup. a lot depends on the source. very concentrated, not good news generally - sends blood sugars way out of whack.

the dried concentrated fruit will aslo really send blood sugars out of whac - and after a high there is always a crash and dip - bad news.

just generally, I am not entirely sure about the glazing agent either - isn't shellac a nasty varnish type stuff? (iirc, from youth, it smells horrid - must eb adifferent thign though)

sometimes, as well, there is no real reason why a dc cannot have a particular product (ie no "forbidden ingredients), but that product just doesn't sit right.

I owuld get oyur ds back to equilibrium, then re-test. if the same reaction, I would ban the product - it's not a treat if it results in bad behaviours and strained tempers all round.

To add to all the really sensible advice on here, a website I recommend thoroughly is www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/. I followed this diet (which seems very extreme at first) with DS1 for a couple of years strictly, then for a couple of years more loosely. There is a cut out and keep list of additives to watch out for that I still have in my purse. The big thing on her site is that natural food chemicals can be a big problem for some children as well - natural salicylates (in fruit and veg), glutamates (in soy and Marmite among other things) and amines (in fermented or matured food, like soy or cheddar).

Other additive biggies I'd add to the list are:
calcium propionate (found in bread products, often listed as E282 and sometimes as whey powder);
not just MSG but other flavour enhancers - ribonucleotides, disodium guanylate, HVP, HSP;
preservatives of all kinds, including sodium benzoate (often in medicines and drinks), nitrites used in preserved meats, sulphites used in dried fruit and frozen fruit/potato products.

We also had no luck with the fish oils, because of the flavourings and colourings in the only ones he would tolerate.

Got to go now but happy to help with any questions about behaviour and changes we saw.

Good luck! It was really worth it for us.

gosh thanks silverfrog and singersgirl

Ds1 just said to me 'I don't feel so crazy now' :(

that website looks great. Will have a proper look later

ALl really interesting and quite scary tbh!

popsy - I can see why you think that is , but really, it is great that he can notice the difference too - half the battle won, imo - if he doesn't like how somting makes him feel, he won't mind as much not having it, iyswim?

it is all definitely fascinating, but it can be overwhelming at first.

eventually, you get oyur head around it, accept that 95% of the supermarket is off limits, and really appreciate the treats you can still have - fresh fruits (if tolerated), really good quality choc, etc.

treats wise (and remeber, I am coming at this from a gluten/dairy/colourings/msg/sweeteners/flavourings free perspective), I have found that online places are better to shop:

dietaryneedsdirect and goodnessdirect both have good ranges, and you can search by what special diet you are after.

once you know what foods (if any, other than the additives) he is reacting to, then it will be easier to plan accordingly.

oh, I looked up shellac as well - it is the same stuff.

it is used both as a food additive, and a wood finish [comfused]

crikey - I knew I had heard of shellac....we are dancers too!!

hi just noticed your thread my ds 7 has adhd and has been on a very strict diet since he was 3.5. the difference is amazing!

the triggers for my ds is all citrus fruits (including citric acid which is added to many things as a natural addditive), all berries, pork, cows dairy, sugar and additives.

it was very difficult it begin with but the results are rewarding.

he did take fish oils for a while but then they seemed to give him an adverse reaction (aggressive, unmanagable) he also had a course of acidopholus (sp)to boost his immune system which also seemed to help.

my ds only has goats dairy (milk,yoghurt,cheese and cream) which is all unsweetened and natural. instead of regular sugar he has fructose (fruit sugar) which is slow releasing so he doesnt get the highs and lows that he would get from regular sugar.

all foods are home cooked from scratch, and if we ever eat out he has either steak and chips or egg and chip as they seem the least offensive!

oh and i also am carefull with washing up lqd (not citrus) air freshners and also his tooth paste. hes had a natural one for years, i recently changed it for a couple of weeks to macleans and he was impossible (bouncing from the walls) changed it back and all went bact to normal!!

i know it sounds extreeme but its what has worked for me!