Benefits of Elimination Diet as ADHD Treatment

The use of food restriction to improve health and achieve wellness has been around for almost a century now. The Feingold diet, for example, is used to is based on the idea that additives, preservatives, and colorings, interfere with the nervous system; therefore, ADHD patients should shun such food items. And studies show that the diet has a 58-100 percent success rate when used to alleviate various psychological and physical syndromes.

Different people will always react to certain food and food additives differently. Sensitivity to certain foods and food additives leads to some undesirable physiological and psychological outcomes. The use of an elimination diet to decrease attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder is, therefore, not illogical. The success stories shared by Feingold diet enthusiasts have made parents of kids with ADHD to start developing interest in holistic natural ADHD treatment as opposed to medication that may lead to dependence.

ADHD elimination diet is, therefore, the basis of the4-step proven formula to get the child with ADHD to calm down and focus. Here’s a look at the benefits of dietary interventions in case of ADHD:

1.      Eliminate food and food additives that may make ADHD Worse

As aforementioned, people react to different food and food additives differently. This was discovered in the 1960s by Dr. Ben F Feingold, who was at the time, the chief of allergy at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. He observed that when certain foods and food additives were eliminated from the diets of some allergy patients, the patient’s mood and behavior improved afterward.

Research by the Mayo Clinic reveals that artificial additives such as Sodium benzoate, Sunset Yellow, Quinoline Yellow, Tartrazine, and Allura red make ADHD worse ins some children.

Allergens may also occur in natural food items e.g., a soy allergy, peanut allergy, among others. You can always check with your allergy doctor to find out which foods your child is allergic to, or you can experiment with an elimination diet by avoiding certain potential allergens from the child’s diet.

2.     Feed the ADHD brain with real food

Once you find out which food make ADHD worse, you then use this knowledge to develop a select diet that leads to a fusion of physical and cerebral bliss. A comprehensively balanced ADHD diet must include complex carbohydrates, a sufficient amount of proteins, fruits, and vegetables. If you do not know where to start, follow the ½:1/4:1/4 formula, that is veggies and fruits take half of your plate, then proteins and carbohydrates share the other part equally.

Proteins are essential because the body uses them to make neurotransmitters that awake various parts of the brain. It’s beneficial to include proteins in your breakfast and continue slipping it in the rest of your meals during the day.

Vitamins and minerals help to improve alertness. The unfortunate thing is many diets do not contain enough key minerals, fats, and vitamins. Nutritionists’ advice is that you make use of supplements containing magnesium, zinc, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, and B Vitamins.

Some herb extracts and leaves also help to improves alertness, attention, and memory. This include Rhodiola Rosea, Ginkgo, Ginseng and the polyphenols rich Pycnogenol from the French maritime pine bark,

3.     Feed the ADHD Gut

Research shows that some gut bacteria lead to ADHD, autism, and depression disorders. A recent large-scale international study reveals the presence of higher levels of the bacteria Bifidobacterium in children with ADHD than those living without the condition.

The same research shows that taking micronutrients significantly reduces the number of ADHD-causing bacteria and improves gut health. Diets rich in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are therapeutical to the ADHD gut.

4.    Reboot the brain

ADHD elimination diet routine helps avoid foods that are likely to make ADHD worse and increase food nutrients that improve brain functions. Dieting is, however, not the only way to change brain chemistry. Some calming strategy can be used in combination with the ADHD balanced diet for even greater psychological outcomes.

To hit a “reset” and lessen the overwhelm, most people with ADHD take small breaks from what they are doing to engage in mind-calming activities such as exercises, listening to music, dance cardio, yoga. Meditation or even run simple errands and knock items off their to-do lists. Just watch out for the frequency of the “resets”; don’t let it interrupt the “flow” of the day.

The take-home? The concept of the elimination diet has a logical basis; different people react to various food and food additives differently. Food sensitivity inevitably leads to undesirable physical and psychological outcomes. By experimenting with the ADHD elimination diet, you can develop a select diet to improve brain chemistry and reduce inattention and hyperactivity due to ADHD.