Doubts About Adhd Diets - a Sensible Approach
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Do you, like me, have doubts about ADHD Diets? Are you confused by the conflicting reports?
This article will help you through the jungle, I hope, in deciding what is best for your child to eat. I do not really believe that there is an attention deficit disorder diet as such but I am convinced that kids should eat healthy nutritious food, whether they have ADHD or not.
First Scary Fact
Two facts are uppermost in my mind when I think about a diet for ADHD. One is that the conventional ADHD medications tend to suppress a child’s appetite. If I were in this situation, I would be so worried about supplementing my child’s diet and worrying about the correct amount of protein, vitamins and minerals that I would become crazy myself! Imagine having to worry about whether your child is going to end up with an eating disorder or at best underweight and skinny, with all the baggage that problem brings. This was discussed in a recent issue of ‘Pediatrics’. The latest psychostimulant drugs to come in for criticism are Risperdal and Zyprexa. Federal drug experts have just issued the umpteenth warning about the over prescription of these drugs for children and they use the words ’substantial risks’!
Second Scary Fact
The second fact which scares me is that if a child is not treated in any way for this condition, he or she has a 1.5 times higher risk of being overweight or obese when compared to children who were not suffering from attention deficit disorder. This was the result of a survey done by the National Survey of Children’s Health.
A Strict Diet? Let’s Get Real!
There are some diets for attention deficit disorder which are fairly strict and in my view are just not practical. I do not believe that they can be enforced and I know that my child might start binge eating if cravings for certain foods will affect their behaviour and even their development. One of the things we need to teach kids is to help them differentiate between real hunger and that of seeking comfort food when the real ‘hunger’ is lack of support or even lack of affection.
A Sensible Approach
We should give our kids food which is basically healthy and nutritious. Fruit, veggies and a good supply of protein are essential. Cut back on snacks, junk food and other processed foods. Cut out fizzy drinks and coke where possible as these are full of additives, colourings and chemicals.Try to make sure they have a pre-packed lunch made by yourself and that there is going to be less processed food around the house and the emphasis is going to be on fruit and vegetables.
Exercise Rocks!
As regards exercise try to make sure that the kids have plenty. Studies have been done to show that any outdoor ‘green’ exercise is beneficial so the more skating, hiking, biking and other physical activity the better.
There Must Be An Easier Way
Parents of ADHD children are turning more and more towards natural remedies for attention deficit disorder which have no side effects and certainly do not affect their appetites one way or the other. Wouldn’t you like to know more about these ADHD natural cures which the drug companies will never tell you about? Wouldn’t you like a natural remedy for ADHD which made life easier for you where you do not have to worry about an ADHD diet? There is a helpful link below this article to give you the other side of the story.
Robert William Locke
http://www.articlesbase.com/adhd-articles/doubts-about-adhd-diets-a-sensible-approach-669555.html