ADD and Diet: Are You What You Eat?
By Dana Rayburn, Adult ADD Coach

ADDed Success is ADD Coach Dana Rayburn's monthly newsletter about living
successfully with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Welcome to ADDed Success!
Are you eating properly? Because if you aren't you could be sabotaging your efforts to live easily with ADD.

It's simple really. What you eat determines how well your brain functions. Yet many adults with ADD have horrid diets and eating habits.

We forget to eat. We skip meals. We forget to grocery shop. When hunger catches up with us, we end up eating what ever we can get our hands on. We binge on junk food in an unconscious effort to self-medicate.

All this plays havoc on the ADD brain.

ADD guru Dr. Ned Hallowell says, "If you don't eat properly, you can become distracted, impulsive and restless. You can look like you have ADD even if you don't!"

According to ADD specialist Dr. Daniel Amen, a good diet may even decrease the amount of medication needed.

I've read many people with ADD do better on a higher protein, lower "simple" carbohydrate diet. But what does that mean? Let's unwrap the mysteries of food and ADHD so you can eat a diet that supports your brain.

Your ADHD-friendly Diet Includes

Protein with every meal. Found in meat, eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, soy and beans; some proteins are high in fat so keep your portions small. Nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.) are an easy snack.

Fruits and vegetables. Since ADD adults avoid anything too challenging, select fruits and vegetables you find easy to prepare and eat. Those pre-washed and cut bags of lettuce and carrots are worth every cent!!

Whole grains (complex carbohydrates). That means whole wheat flours, crackers, cereals and pastas and brown rice. The words 'whole wheat' must be on the package's ingredients list for the product to truly be whole wheat.

A complete vitamin and mineral supplement. Even if you do manage to eat a good diet, numerous studies show our bodies and brains need more vitamins and minerals than we get from our food.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Found in supplements, cold-water white fish such as tuna and salmon, walnuts, Brazil nuts, olive and canola oil. I'll write more about ADD and Omega 3s in a future ADDed Success.

Decrease or Avoid These ADD Enemies

Foods with long ingredient names you can't pronounce. These are likely artificial colors and food additives which can aggravate ADD symptoms.

Sugar, corn syrup, honey and candy. I'm not going to say NEVER have sugar, but with sugar hidden in many foods most people eat way too much so avoid it when you can.

Foods containing trans-fatty acids. Listed among the ingredients as "partially hydrogenated oils", trans-fats are dietary bad-guys that play havoc with your cholesterol.

Watch your alcohol and caffeine intake. Some say to cut them out entirely. I'm a fan of moderation, though. I suggest you notice your brain and body's reaction to them. I've found too much caffeine makes me jumpy and too much wine makes my brain fuzzy for a couple of days.

Foods containing white flour - white breads, pastas, and grains (white rice). Adults with ADHD often find they crave breads and other carbohydrates; it's a form of self-medication. There are better ways to treat ADD than diving into a bread basket!

Do you want your brain to work well? Then it's up to you to give it the fuel it needs to operate at top performance. That means you need to eat healthy foods - a diet that supports your brain.

The Last Word
Many years ago when Scoop, our now 15-year old dog, developed food allergies I started buying his food at our wonderful local health food market, the Ashland Food Co-op.

It didn't take long to see the silliness in buying healthy organic food for the dog while feeding the humans of the household chemical and sugar-laden food from the big chain grocery store! Now we buy most of our own food from the Co-op
as well.

I've found shopping at a small health food market is a big ADD bonus. (And contrary to what you might think, prices aren't really much higher than at the conventional market, and for the quality of products and produce, the value is
consistently excellent.)

At the Co-op they read the labels for me. A snazzy committee makes sure all the foods they sell are healthy before being allowed on the shelves! Wow, I'm automatically avoiding artificial colors, food additives, sugars, trans-fats and most
simple carbohydrates!

Since the Co-op is smaller than regular grocery stores, I'm not overwhelmed by crowds and choices. Also, shopping is more fun since I often run into people I know.

Plus, they have a great selection of good vitamins and supplements so I don't have to remember to go to another store for those.

Not everyone is fortunate to have an Ashland Food Co-op minutes from their house, but perhaps you have a close equivalent. It’s worth checking out. It’s another step to making good eating habits as a means of supporting your ADD naturally effortless.

To Your ADDed Success,
Dana

PS. - Trouble Staying Organized? No Problem! Reserve your copy of 'Organized
for Life' at the special 'early-bird' price.

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