Nutrition and ADHD

Parents whose children have ADHD have long looked for nutritional answers to help alleviate or cure some of the symptoms that come with ADHD. ADHD is a medical condition that is said to be controlled by many chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters.

These neurotransmitters, usually dopamine, serotonin, and epinephrine, are all known to control emotions, thought organizations, and impulses. Past studies have shown that there is a link between taking in a lot of sugar and things such as hyperactivity and controlling impulses.

Traditional Western medicine has never been able to equate solid nutrition and a healthy diet with a decrease in disease and illness. Traditional Chinese medicine, or Eastern medicine, has been able to connect what we eat with how our bodies are able to recover from things such as illness and stress. Western and Eastern medicine has joined, and all types of physicians have been able to discover that healthy eating has had very positive effects.

When it comes to ADHD and dieting, the necessities aren’t different. Sugar has been said to have a connection with hyperactivity, especially in children younger than five who do not have a greatly developed neurological system and are consuming too much sugar.

Some researchers have discovered that some children react badly to preservatives, flavorings, and dyes that are usually present in many processed foods. These reactions can sometimes lead to things such as eczema, asthma attacks, and other behavioral disorders such as ADHD.

Many parents have found that controlling ADHD and the diet of children with the disorder helps to limit how much medication is needed to control the child’s behavior as well as improve the overall function of the child. Of course these changes do not occur overnight, but parents can usually see a change within 48 hours after a diet change. Though the child might throw temper tantrums when the junk food is reduced, these actions are not because of ADHD.

Those parents who are able to overlook the anger that the child might show after getting rid of certain foods have usually made the same changes themselves and have found that the health of everyone in the family has improved, as well as the behavior of the children.

If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, you should most definitely try removing most, if not all, processed foods from the child’s diet. This is a natural way to treat ADHD because eventually your child will not need as much medication.