ADD and ADHD: Focus on Foods

When it comes to food, some people want it both ways. They want to have the freedom to eat what they want but they don't want to accept the ramifications for what they are eating.

We see this all the time in people with food related issues such as weight problems, food allergies or diabetes, yet they don't change their diets. Sometimes, it takes an actual painful life and death experience for someone to monitor what they eat, or at least make sure they don't eat that kind of food again.

When a food allergy is subtle, it's easily dismissed.

Several years ago, I was working with a young man with "over the top" ADD behaviors. In addition, he'd been diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome. I discovered that he had a wheat allergy. Since he was only nine years old and accustomed to eating what he wanted, he was not thrilled to go on a wheat free diet.

However, within weeks on a wheat-free diet, his abilities to focus increased. His excessive energy level became more manageable. People around him were happy that he seemed to get into less trouble. He even stopped having the tics associated with Tourette's. (Those tics had been especially embarrassing. He was thrilled to be free of them.)

Then, he spent a Memorial Day weekend with his grandparents. They insisted that it was cruel not to be able to eat like the other kids did, and they dismissed his wheat-free diet.

By the time the young man arrived home, his issues were returning, but summer was coming and his parents didn't monitor his diet. By the first day of school in September, the child was back where he'd started. Even worse, his parents agreed with the grandparents and asked, "What's wrong with him just taking his medication?"

The subtlety of the child's allergy disguised the importance of it.

Now, before you run out and take wheat out of your diet, remember this: Wheat might not be your problem. It might be dairy or high fructose corn syrup or... the list is long. Many different food allergies can trigger uncomfortable ADD and ADHD behaviors.

Do not underestimate the power of diet. You may need to eliminate things from your diet, or add things into it, or both. Just as with the removal process, added nutrients can make a tremendous difference.

Remember that dietary changes may be part of a larger protocol. They may help you better access all the gifts that come with ADD and ADHD, and manage the challenges of them. Diet is not always the answer, and it's rarely the only issue.

But, it's a good place to start, with the guidance of a experienced professional.

About the Author

Dr. Kevin Ross Emery is the author of "Managing The Gift: Alternative Approaches for Attention Deficit Disorder." Dr. Kevin travels internationally, offering lectures and workshops about ADD, ADHD and related conditions. He also helps set up supportive, non-medical protocols for children and adults with ADD and ADHD. Dr. Kevin's primary practices are in Portland, Maine and Haverhill, Massachusetts. Visit his website,  www.weboflight.com