Potential Food Sensitivities in ADHD
When you are parenting a child who is neurodivergent, one way you can help them manage their undesirable behavior is by looking at the food they are eating! Reactions to certain foods might aggravate your child’s ADHD symptoms. Join me on how to find out how you can identify food triggers & figure out the best diet for your child, with healthy and tasty alternatives.
—> Be sure to grab your list of PTK Must-Have Items: this list includes Ashleigh Tolliver’s favorite healthy alternatives that she implements in her home!
Dietary Change for Managing ADHD
When thinking about alternative (non-medical) approaches to ADHD management, parents are often surprised to learn that removing certain trigger foods can lead to an improvement in ADHD symptoms. Several studies have shown a significant improvement in ADHD while following an elimination diet! Many children with ADHD display food sensitivities and there are 9 main triggers to be aware of when you are trying to determine whether or not your child’s behaviors are linked to food.
Food Colorings and Additives
Food colorings and additives have been definitively linked to behavioral problems, especially coloring. Researchers suspect this could be due to impaired detoxification processes in ADHD. When working with parents, this is the one food (although it’s not really a food) that I advise ALL parents to eliminate or reduce as much as possible. It is often snuck into foods that are not particularly bright (ex: cereals and bread), I encourage parents to read labels and avoid anything with a color or a number (ex: Red 40). Also, any ingredient that is just a series of letters, like BHT, BHA, TBHQ, is usually a chemical additive.
Seafood and ADHD
Seafood is sometimes indicated as a trigger but this is thought to be due to mercury contamination. The fish with higher amounts of mercury, like tuna, marlin, cod, king mackerel, American lobster is worth avoiding. Sticking to lower mercury fish like sardines, salmon, and shrimp is best.
(Here is a link to a handy wallet card you can print with the highest and lowest mercury fish https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/walletcard.pdf ).
Common Food Triggers for Neurodivergent Children
Dairy and gluten are both known high trigger foods. These food reactions are believed to be rooted in gut issues. Dairy, Gluten, Corn, Nuts, Soy, Eggs, and Chocolate are all generally harder to digest and thus cause inflammation in the digestive system. Our brain and gut are closely linked and poorly functioning digestion can result in altered neurotransmitter production, which is a hallmark of ADHD.
Food to Avoid to Improve ADHD Symptoms
So, which of these foods should you avoid when you are trying to improve ADHD symptoms? Cutting out all of them would not be practical for the vast majority. I would normally not advise anyone to cut out more than 2 things at first. So, which ones do you cut? My advice is to first keep a food and symptoms journal for at least 4 days. See if you can pick out a trend - see if any of those common allergens, particularly gluten and dairy, seem linked to your child’s behaviors. If you can’t see a behavioral link, look for a digestion link - foods that impair digestion will always have an effect on mental health as well. If you can’t find a link to either behavior or digestion, just choose either gluten or dairy - those are the top triggers and lots of alternatives are available.
Healthy Alternatives for Gluten and Dairy
Gluten and dairy are the most common food triggers in almost any condition. Luckily, food companies know this and there are now quite a few tasty alternatives on the market. Many of these healthy alternatives are from large companies whose products are commonly carried in grocery stores and health food stores.
Milk Alternatives
Instead of milk, you can consider Oat or Almond Milk. Oat and Almond Milk tend to be less reactive than other milk substitutes and both contain a decent amount of protein - an important inclusion with ADHD as it is required to make neurotransmitters.
Yogurt Alternatives
Instead of Yogurt, you can consider a coconut or oat-based yogurt. Riviera, Yoso, and Chobani are all brands that carry these alternatives. Many of these yogurts are fortified with pea protein and that helps to give a protein boost since most coconut milk yogurts have negligible protein.
Cheese Alternatives
Instead of cheese, you can consider using Daiya or Chao. Daiya is the most widely available cheese alternative. Chao is hands-down the best “non-cheese” out there but it is more expensive than Daiya.
Chocolate Alternatives
Instead of chocolate consider using Camino. It has been around for a long time and it is well known, easy to find, and they make fantastic chocolate both for snacking/desserts and for baking.
Bread Alternatives
Instead of bread, you can consider Gluten-Free bread. These are usually kept in the freezer section. Little Northern Bakehouse is one of my favorites. This one is also free from the top allergens like egg and soy. It has a good texture and no chalky feel to it. Canyon Bakehouse is the best of the bunch in my opinion. Its taste and texture is more like “regular” bread than any others. O’Dough’s is not my favorite, but people tell me all the time how much they like it. It is also one of the most popular/widely produced brands so it is easy to find.
If these bread doesn’t do it for you, you can try making your own coconut-flour based bread with the recipe below (warning: if you don’t like the taste of coconut, you won’t like this bread!):
Coconut bread recipe https://thecoconutmama.com/coconut-flour-bread-recipe/ really tastes like coconut and takes a lot of eggs….not for egg-free people
Cereal Alternatives
Instead of cereal try gluten-free cereals. My absolute favorite cereal company is Nature’s Path. They have been around a long time and they make great products. They also make some very high-sugar cereals so don’t assume everything they make is the healthiest option, but these two are great, balanced, gluten-free options: Nature’s Path Grain-free Granola (if you tolerate nuts) - all of the flavors are a good option and Nature’s Path Cocoa Coconut Superflakes - not as sweet as cereals like “cocoa puffs” but a delicious breakfast option.
For extra support on your parenting journey of parenting a neurodivergent child, join the official Parenting That Kid Group!
RECIPES HE WHOLE FAMILY CAN ENJOY
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Snack Recipes
If you like to cook and bake, going gluten-free and dairy-free can be quite a hassle. Trying to figure out what to replace ingredients with can be incredibly annoying. I’ve listed my go-to snack recipes below (which I developed) and I’ve also included a link to the greatest dessert option - Gluten Free/Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cups - they are better than Reese by a long shot!
Energy Balls
Almond butter, raspberry, and lemon-flavored
Instructions for these are all the same - put everything into a food processor, blend into a batter - the raspberry ones are a bit more effort. Refrigerate batter for 10-15 minutes so it’s easier to handle. Form into little balls and enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPi4wK7HEqx/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNL3Y2fAOyS/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMVYXOaAyN1/
Fruity chia pudding
This is an easy breakfast if you add some nuts, granola, and fresh fruit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL5XdQZAruM/
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
These are one of my favorite recipes and I’m obsessed with them!
Shawna is a mom to two lovely little ladies, one of whom has anxiety and mild ADD (inattentive type). She has struggled with anxiety since childhood and only discovered her own Attention Deficit in her 30’s – after learning more about my daughter’s condition. Shawna knew firsthand how diet could impact ADHD and anxiety – she has seen it in both her own self and her child. Shawna has figured out the diet and lifestyle strategies that work best for her family. Now, she is dedicated to helping other parents in similar situations find what works for their families.
There are so many options with diet, supplements, and lifestyle changes that can bring about huge improvements in focus, self-regulation, concentration, and calmness. It all comes down to figuring out the right fit for your family – and Shawna is there to help families do this.
Connect with Shawna Hughes on her website Shawna Hughes Nutrition, or on her Instagram at @Shawnahughesnutrition