A Proper ADHD Diet Can Make A Big Difference - ADD Diet Tips
ADHD sufferers do best when their sugar levels are even and when there's a lot of structure in their day.
A high protein, low carbohydrate ADHD diet will help control all kinds of ADD ADHD...except one.
The exception to this rule is the ADHD Type 3 Overfocused. If you have this kind of ADD ADHD, a high protein low carb diet will make it worse. You NEED your carbohydrates! When someone eats something sugary like a cookie, your blood sugar level rises. Then the body releases insulin (a chemical made by the pancreas) to lower your sugar level back to normal, sometimes to below normal.
When your sugar levels crash, you will become spacey, confused and unable to pay attention.
If you eat and ADHD diet of proteins like meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and soybeans throughout the day, your sugar levels will stay on a more even keel and you won’t be so moody.
Here are some common sense dietary guidelines for everyone...including ADD ADHD's:
1. Try to eat 5 to 6 times each day. This will help keep your blood sugar even without extreme differences during the day. Do not eat three hours before bedtime.
2. Have a serving of protein with every meal, including breakfast. Good sources of protein include eggs, fish, meat, cheese and soybeans. Eat protein snacks like cheese sticks instead of crackers, popcorn, chips and other salty snacks.
3. Give up desserts and sugary products like Twinkies, Poptarts, candy, pie, and chocolate.
4. Limit fruit juices because of their high sugar content. Eat whole fruits like apples and tangerines instead.
5. Remember citric acid can interfere with some kinds of ADHD medications. This means you have to limit your intake of oranges, tangerines and grapefruit as well as their juices, or any foods high in citric acid.
6. Try not to eat white rice, white bread, and other simple carbohydrates. The body converts them into sugar to quickly.
Instead eat complex carbohydrates like whole grains, brown rice, whole grain bread, and beans.
1. Eat some foods with a high fat content, especially fish oils found in salmon and tuna. Fats are important to brain function – the brain’s weight is one half fat.
2. The health of the body depends on the amounts of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats that you eat, so concentrate on healthy fats found in fish, vegetable oils like olive and canola oil, and nuts.
3. Give up caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol. Alcohol mixed with ADHD medications can be life threatening.
They dehydrate the body and affect your mood. All three are addictive. Caffeine may appear to keep you more focused, but in the long run, it decreases the blood flow to the brain and makes ADD ADHD worse.
The same is true of tobacco.
1. Remember that there is caffeine in most sodas, not just dark-colored ones. Read the labels. Mr. Pibb, Sunkist orange soda, Mountain Dew, and many others contain caffeine.
2. Don’t let ADD ADHD children have drinks with caffeine. It interferes with their sleep.
In a study published in Pediatrics Magazine, teenagers who drank colas were found to wake up more often at night, sleep less and therefore be more tired during the day.
Try to use the above ADHD diet techniques to feel better during your entire day.
Additional Articles:While ADHD nutrition may be somewhat helpful for some ADD ADHD patients. ADHD nutrition does not always supply all of the steps that should be taken to help ADD ADHD sufferers...
