Question regarding nutrition, diet and protein--Long post, reading required
 

My nearly 13 year old son was diagnosed 4 years ago with ADHD. When I say diagnosed, I mean he went through extensive testing, input from his teachers was obtained, a neutral testing person observed him in the classroom, etc. I don't mean that he got on my nerves and I got the doctor to say that so I could give him pills.

I have been resistant to putting him on medications. However, his grades are now really suffering, and I need to do something. He studies very hard, and takes school seriously. He is much, much brighter than is reflected academically. Our general doc says that a lot of children can work around (for lack of a better term) things like adhd, dyslexia, etc in elementary school, but that when they hit junior high, due to the increased responsibility for independent work and more reading that things start to fall apart.

One of the things I have read from many sources is that ADHD diets should be high in protein and essential fatty acids. Of course, given the degree of my son's impairment, I doubt that I can control things solely with diet. But it will not hurt.

I am pretty strict about what he eats anyhow, adhd aside. With the occasional exception, we are not a junk food family. I cook from scratch. After school snacks are things like fruits, nuts, cheeses.

Given all the above, I decided to buy him protein bars to have with breakfast. But I got looking at the labels of one of them this morning, and while yes, they are high in protein, I'm not thrilled about what the rest of the label has to say. They have 6g of sugar each, along with 2g of Saturated fat, for a total of 10% of your daily intake.

The brand of these is South Beach Living. I picked them up in Walmart. What are suggestions on what I could give him that would not have so much sugar in it? Keep in mind that he's a kid, and it is going to have to be palatable.

We have an appointment next month to go to a neuroscience unit of a hospital a couple of hours a way, as that it is the closest place I could find that had someone who has a adhd as one of their area's of specialty. I am going there for help with cognitive approaches to dealing with his issues, but I won't be able to afford to go to often, as insurance won't cover it, and my personal economy sucks right now.

I know that a lot of of you guys, (War Child and tical come to mind) are really knowledgeable about nutrition, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Please note...if you are going to respond and tell me how adhd is a made up thing so pills can be sold, don't waste your time.

Alright..well with ADHD kids you want to get them on a LOW SUGAR NO FOOD coloring diet. A lot of "ADHD" kids are actually exhibiting allergic reactions to food coloring (particularly red food coloring) did any of the doctors test for that? But not only that food coloring and preservatives in food can exacerbate the condition and make it unmanageable. I would also consider looking into the holistic route. Skullcap and Valerian have shown excellent results for adhd children, and they have been doing research on this for 30+ years in europe. Valerian helped my son immensely, it's non-addictive, has no side-effects and you can't overdose on it.

A really good Omega 3 suppliment is helpful too. But try to get seal oil, it's a more complete omega 3 complex than most fish oils. Omega 3 is fantastic for helping the brain.

Going with a lower-gluten diet can also cause great results. This site has some good diet tips for kids with adhd:
http://www.healthcastle.com/adhd_diet.shtml


Best of luck, I've gone through all the same stuff, and no solution is perfect for every kid. Find what works best for YOUR son :)

Thank you for that awesome input, LadyM. He was not tested for any food allergies, but I try to keep it so that if I can't pronounce it, we don't eat it. I'm not always successful, but that is the goal.

I've taken Valerian myself, and had no idea that was one of the uses. I'll read up on that, as well as the link that you gave.

Very much appreciated. :)

stay away from harmful drugs at all costs

I have a good friend who had her son get the same diagnose. Here is what she did:

- She started him on a high protein, low sugar diet.
- He started swim training ( it is daily exercise and not a team sport, some of these kids have problems with teamwork.

Most important, she gave him Pharma Nord Bio-Glandin 25. I think it originally is for women with PMS problems, not sure. But it helped him a lot with his conentration issues and mood swings. You should offcourse check with a doctor first.

This kid is today 19 years and he is off to university with grades that are about as high as they can get.

*hugs and kisses*

back when i was young and didnt pay attention in class they just sent me to the prinicipals office there was none of this diagnosis and drugs. and i went to PRIVATE SCHOOL!

Thank you, Sue, that is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. I want to compile as much as I can, then go over them with our doctor.

And to clarify, because of an icq conversation...he is not really the H part of ADHD. That part of it is manageable with exercise, and he is not the stereotypical child who disrupts the classroom. His issues are with reading comprehension, focus, and organization. Or as he says "I try, Mom, but I keep getting lost in myspace". ;)

Selena,

That is where the Bio-Glandin 25 is needed. It helps with focus problems. The suggestion actually came from a schoolteacher who had seen it used with success. I would try to do anything besides the prescription drugs if possible.

*hugs and kisses*

6 grams of sugar is actually pretty good for a protein bar. Most have a 15-30. Consider an apple could have 10-12 grams of sugar. Some of the protein bars that are no sugar have sugar alcohol, sucralose, etc, which is not really the best thing for you. Even low sugar peanut butter which is good protein has 3 grams of sugar per serving.

there is a big difference between white/refined sugar, and sugar found in fruits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucrose

I didn't read the whole thread but take a look at low carb diets. They're not only for people that try to lose weight.

And, fruit is NOT good, too much fruit suger, and fuck those protein bars.

Want a healthy body? Carbohydrate + Protein... Go to a gym and waste it to model your body and done, that's it! ;)