What type of diet is good for ADD? Right now I'm taking fish oil and becalmed supplements, which seem to be helping. However, I'm still on frozen food and hot dogs and honestly I don't know what else to eat. I usually try to avoid soda and fast food altogether. What I get fast food, I usually get fruit punch but I learn that has red dye which is bad. I live on my own so I don't have anything anyone to cook for me :( what is there to eat?

How about eating fresh fruits and vegetables? Getting a juicer and making your own fruit juice is always good. Lots of people with ADD do good with lots of protein (protien for breakfast can be helpful) If you dont like meat or just dont wanna cook it you can buy protien shakes or protein snack bars.

What type of diet is good for ADD? Right now I'm taking fish oil and becalmed supplements, which seem to be helping. However, I'm still on frozen food and hot dogs and honestly I don't know what else to eat. I usually try to avoid soda and fast food altogether. What I get fast food, I usually get fruit punch but I learn that has red dye which is bad. I live on my own so I don't have anything anyone to cook for me :( what is there to eat?

i find that for me, add without hyperactivity, a diet lower in carbs, high in protein and moderate amount of fats work the best.
too many carbs make me really tired and irritated...makes my blood sugar level fluctuate too often throughout the day.
higher protein balances my blood sugar levels giving me more energy
fats i consume are mainly from flax seed oil and nuts..cashews being my favorite!
for carbohydrates i stay with the more natural kind and stay away from white bread, flour, instant stuff, etc. i eat several bowls of plain oatmeal daily...i know bland taste..but i buy a sugar free-fat free chocolate syrup and mix it in. chocolate oatmeal! yummy! great source of complex carbohydrates (carbs that are slowly digested so they don't cause a surge in insulin levels) and a good source of dietary fiber. subway has those new atkin wraps and those are so good! i get the chicken breast one. i make mine with chicken breast, mustard, lettuce and tomato.
my protein mainly comes from chicken and whey protein mix. you can buy a 5lb. tub of whey protein at vitamin discount stores for 35-40 dollars and last me usually a month or so. each scoop contains 24 grams of protein, 110 calories, and only 1 gram of sugar. optimum nutrition is a great brand and they also have a natural version of whey protein which has no added colors, artificial flavorings, etc. i usually try to get in 4-6 servings a day. whey protein has the highest value of branced chain amino acids which are very important to your mental/physical health.
flax seed oil has been shown to be more effective than fish and other sources of omega-3 fats at helping with mental disorders. since our brains are 60% fat and most of that is from essential fatty acids (such as omega-3's which our body can NOT manufacture therefore we must get from our diet or supplements) we do not get enough of these healthy fats and this leads to mental problems. for me i find that 2-3 tablespoons daily help a lot.
for breakfast i will have one serving whey protein, one cup cooked oatmeal (not the instant kind or flavored..just the good old fashioned oats and add fat-free, sugar-free chocolate syrup for flavoring,) half cup scrambled eggs (egg beaters..great source of protein..no fat and low calorie) and one tablespoon of flaxseed oil
couple hours later have a snack like a cup of unsalted cashews or peanuts. or a low carb, low sugar protein bar.
lunch is usually wendy's chicken salad with reduced fat ranch dressing, one serving of whey protein and one tablespoon of flaxseed oil
dinner varies a lot. sometimes just a chicken breast with a small salad (plus one serving flaxseed oil and whey protein,) or subway's chicken atkin's wrap (plus one serving flaxseed oil and whey protein,) steak, low fat hamburger meat, etc.
i have a george foreman grill and love it! always cooking turkey burgers, chicken breast, steak, etc.
this is the diet that works for me but you might be different. i also include a men's multi-vitamin (multi-vitamins must have!!,) and additional fiber such as psyillium in the form of pills or powder (sugar-free,) and on an empty stomach single amino acids such as l-tyrosine or dl-phenylaline.

oatmeal sounds good for breakfast. I usually don't eat breakfast, mostly because it takes me about 45min to get out of bed because I'm so tired(after a 8-9hour sleep). I assume I should avoid the instant stuff. Occasionally I'll get a sausage biscuit after I arrive at work, but they are so expense :(

What about milk? I actually don't like milk unless it chocolate, even then I rarely drink it. Orange juice is good, right?

oatmeal sounds good for breakfast. I usually don't eat breakfast, mostly because it takes me about 45min to get out of bed because I'm so tired(after a 8-9hour sleep). I assume I should avoid the instant stuff. Occasionally I'll get a sausage biscuit after I arrive at work, but they are so expense :(

What about milk? I actually don't like milk unless it chocolate, even then I rarely drink it. Orange juice is good, right?


ok..avoid the sausage biscuit and anyother fastfood breakfast LOL more healhier would be to just grab an atkins breakfast bar or other no sugar, high protein bar. actually at mcdonalds you can order scrambled eggs which is a good source of protein. milk is ok...if i do drink milk, i make sure it is fat-free since the other kinds are loaded with saturated fat (and sugar) i LOVE chocolate milk and now buy this chocolate drink that tastes exactly like chocolate milk...but it is lower in calories, only 4g fat per cup, but no sugar and higher protein! it is atkins approved. lol
the fruit punch u like...too much sugar. sugar is bad, esp. added like in drinks, candy, etc. i know in some states u can find diet hawaiin punch which is really good!! orange juice is good yeah...but would limit to only 1 or 2 cups daily. there is a lowered sugar orange juice out now. not sure of the brand name though.

We are doing diet modification for our son... age 15... things are goinng os much better

He eats and organe or 2 and a banana in the morning, a salad with either meat but no carbohydrates at lunch (so chef salad with meat but no cheese or croutons) OR a salad with croutons and breadsticks (the schooll makes awesome sticks) and then an apple and in the afternoon he has an orange, and then at night we have a meal of either a starch and vegetable or a vegetable and a protein.

Sometimes we will blow the diet and order a pizza (usualy Tuesdays because we run late then) and I do keep some junk in the freezer for quick fixes... but for the most part we have eliminated any sugars and dyes from his diet.

He is off meds, and had his best evaluation since 7th grade. His report card was the best he had since then too...

He has been on just about ever medication possible for children and really none of them seemed to work well enough. I guess that is why we decided to take theis radical approach.

[QUOTE=Just..Me]
He eats and organe or 2 and a banana in the morning

Also try making a smoothie for breakfast with water, soaked raw almonds, a banana, and an apple or orange, plus vanilla extract for flavor if you like. The almonds should be soaked for ~12 hours and are ok in the fridge for a few days if they're kept dry. Almonds are a great protein source and they work well to stabilize blood sugar. Soaking them makes them easier to digest.

forgot to say - in general, nuts are criminally overlooked for people who want protein, ADD or otherwise. they seem to have gotten a bad rap due to the roasted/oily/salted variety usually sold in stores. but RAW nuts with no fat added are just great for you - almonds, cashews, etc.

I just bought a can of mixed nuts(no peanuts) for snacking at work. I also ate a bag of popcorn at work, not exactly healthy though =\

Lori and Sodawater,
This is very encouraging...this is a raw food diet, wether you realize it or not. To be considered raw, it only need be 75% of your total weighed food intake.
I have been researching this diet for quite some time now, and am going that route.
Although all of it's advocates haven't mentioned it helping ADD. But this is now something I am beginning to hear about. Here.
And Sodawater, soaking raw nuts, that is also something I have read about in raw circles. It activates the 'life force' of the nut, becoming alive rather than dormant. This apparently is transferred to the consumer. Stomach acid apparently does NOT kill enzymes, it only paralyzes them so to speak, untill they reach the small intestine at which point they become active again.
Anyways, starting to ramble, I do have a question...how in the world do you get a teenager to eat healthy! Was this a conscious collaborative effort from the whole family, or did it happen bit by bit unnoticed?
My son is such a picky eater, and ofcourse loves the junk, and even the breads etc. I am making progress, but honestly, a diet like that with no or little dairy etc. too, would take discipline.
Maybe I could bribe hime somehow just into trying it and then he could see how it feels...maybe the difference would be further incentive..any tips?
Thanks,
Anna.

So is it good or bad to soak nuts in water? (havent read all the posts under the topic so its prolly already been answered, sorry :rolleyes: )

What about boiling them?

Soaking nuts is good, they begin to sprout. Spouts are the ultimate living food, according to some.
Boiling is baaad....how would you like to be boiled?
Okay, lol, but if you can look past that and give it some thought...how many other species cook their food before they eat it? How many other's drink another's milk? Better yet, try eating just raw food for even a couple of days, there really is something to it. I really have a suspicion it will help my son a lot.
Anna.
Man, kicking old habits and starting new ones brings me totally out of my comfort zone...even when I feel way better.

I tried a raw diet this past summer for 6 weeks at the recommendation of a western-trained, but naturopathic MD. I think the whole phenomenon is pretty extreme and pretty fringe - these are the people who had to invent MOCK tofu because regular tofu is cooked - but I am certain there is some real kernel of truth in the whole thing.

When I did it, I felt amazing. I was able to completely stop alcohol, coffee and cigarettes (notorious ADD self-meds) with no discomfort. I found it much much easier to make myself exercise and to concentrate and my sleep immediately normalized. I felt generally calmer, happier and more emotionally stable than i had in years.

There seems to be little evidence for the more extreme claims made by somewhat wide-eyed raw-food people, but I felt something too strong to be placebo/psychosomatic.

I love food deeply and I don't want to restrict my pleasure too much. So when I eat out I'll still eat meat, etc. but I now eat about 85% raw food at home. And my diet is not so unusual. Lots of fruits/veggies/nuts, etc.
Its actually a pretty easy framework for making common ADD diet modifications: less simple carbs, less (refined) sugar, lots of protein. And with a few marked differences, its not really that different from a typical Mediterranean diet. I do still eat eggs and fish at home, but I've largely stayed off dairy since the raw experiment, because I've noticed a marked impact on my focus and on my seasonal allergies.

Probably the biggest thing I came to realize was this - as I said before - raw nuts are terribly overlooked in the American diet. In addition to containing all kinds of healthy oils, they are a wonderful source of protein and help to stabilize blood sugar. They've become a permanent part of my own diet.

As for trying to persuade your son, I might begin by trying to find the recipes that ACTUALLY taste great (and there are more than a few) and serving them without making a big deal about it. If he likes these and comes to see Raw doesn't equal gross hippy food and lots of sprouts, he might be more willing to try it. You will have to wade through alot of not-so-good recipes, but there are some amazing ones out there. Maybe start with a book called The Sunfood Cuisine by Frédéric Patenaude. Their website has some good sample recipes on it - too bad I can't link it, try google. I thought these were great - especially the soups.

Thank you so much, Sodawater. That is great.
While I agree that mock tofu is fringe, I think a lot of those mock recipes you find in raw and vegetarian diets, are just a way to try and bring in the things you miss most of your past diet. And some of them are really good, better than the original...
I think they are trying hard to compete with our old ways of thinking, that's all.
With respect to their claims, it's definately not a cure all, or for everyone. But it does specifically help many things dramatically, like diabetes, heart disease, chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia (sp?), hypothyroidism, obesity, arthritis, addictions, and now apparently ADD too, or atleast some subtypes...what type are you?
Anyways, gotta go,
Anna.

what type are you?
Inattentive.

Interesting! My son is also...so that is encouraging. I wonder how many people have tried a raw diet for their ADD....
Anna.

oatmeal sounds good for breakfast. I usually don't eat breakfast, mostly because it takes me about 45min to get out of bed because I'm so tired(after a 8-9hour sleep). I assume I should avoid the instant stuff. Occasionally I'll get a sausage biscuit after I arrive at work, but they are so expense :(

What about milk? I actually don't like milk unless it chocolate, even then I rarely drink it. Orange juice is good, right?

My 7 yo son is ADHD and Asperger's which is quite a combination. I know for him any kind of refined sugar is terrible. One day at school he had a bowl of tomato soup. The next day it was like he was shot out of a cannon. He does fine with honey, pure maple syrup, fruit source, and grain sweetners. On top of that, you might try avoiding dairy and hydrogenated fats. These are the suggestions we got from our chiropractor who wrote a book called treated ADHD without drugs.

I wouldn't drink a lot of straight fruit juice. That causes a problem just because it is so concentrated. Stick with water. David also takes a supplement called Provex Plus that is helping him some. I can get you the info on how to get it if you want to try something other than the one you are currently on.

I hope you find what works for you. Everyone resonds so differently to food that it takes trial and error to find the right diet.

Mom2DavidnAbi,
What are the ingrediants in Provex Plus?

What type of vegatables are good? Are foods like canned corn, green beans, mixed veges any good? How about beans? How about meat? Hamburger, steak, and chicken good?