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The Relationship Between Food Sensitivity and ADHD |
 Parents of children diagnosed with ADHD struggle to find a cause or even an effective treatment. Even with the best medical care, it can be incredibly difficult to find the answers they need to resolve the behavioral and other issues associated with ADHD.
Among the many hypotheses for the root cause of ADHD, food sensitivity often surfaces. Many parents and growing numbers of doctors are understandably eager to try treatments that don’t involve pharmaceuticals to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of ADHD.
The connection between food sensitivity and ADHD is still somewhat controversial. That is because researchers haven’t yet been able to isolate sufficient causal factors and other data to gather enough evidence to demonstrate a connection between food sensitivity and ADHD.
Parents who want to avoid use of pharmaceutical intervention may be able to improve their child’s situation by investigating the possibility of food sensitivity on their own. Even if it is not the cause of the child’s ADHD, it may be exacerbating their symptoms.
It can be very complex to isolate the foods, which may cause food sensitivity in a child because many factors may play a role. For instance, a child may have multiple issues, including a non-food sensitivity, such as a cat allergy. The level of exposure resulting in symptoms may vary depending on seemingly unrelated factors.
However, it may be well worth the effort for parents to do some investigating on their own by trying an elimination diet. This is done by eliminating one food type at a time while carefully documenting the child’s diet, behavior, and any other potentially relevant factors. Be sure to read ingredient labels of any prepared foods used, as unexpected ingredients are often found in packaged goods.
Refined sugar is a good place to start. There is significant evidence of the connection between hyperactive behavior and intake of sugar in various forms. Be sure to watch for those hidden sugars in prepared foods such as catsup and canned vegetables. Make a list of all the other names it goes by, such as corn syrup, fructose, etc.
Wheat is another food to which people can develop food sensitivity. Again you will need to carefully read labels to ensure that no form of wheat, including wheat flour, gluten, germ, and other wheat products are included. If sensitivity to foods containing wheat is not demonstrated, it may be that another grain, such as corn or oats, is causing the food sensitivity.
Dairy is another category of food sensitivity to investigate. It may be helpful to switch to soymilk or rice milk for a few weeks to see if this helps. Fortunately, many dairy foods such as yogurt, cheese or ice cream are now available made with soy, rice, or other foods.
Allergies to nuts seem to have grown much more common in recent years. When you investigate this category, be sure to separate tree nuts (pecans, almonds, cashews, etc.) from groundnuts (peanuts), because they are distinct in their chemical makeup and potential for food sensitivity or allergic reactions.
Artificial additives to packaged goods can also be a factor in food sensitivity. It makes sense to prepare your family’s food from scratch as much as possible because preservatives, food dyes, and other additives are often implicated in food sensitivity research. This can be a big lifestyle change, but may have another benefit of a healthier diet for the entire family.
The process of isolating food sensitivity in a family member is not a quick fix. It takes careful attention to many details, and patience to give each food time to work its way out of the system and for changes in behavior to manifest. However, if you can determine one or more food types that should be eliminated from your child’s diet, resulting in improved behavior, it will be well worth the time and trouble.
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