Diet Changes and ADHD — Can They Really Help?
Are you or someone you love dealing with a possible ADHD diagnosis? Maybe you’ve heard that diet changes can improve signs of ADD or ADHD, but you aren’t sure what to believe.
Recently I received an email from my friend, Kristin, and it was one of those FUN emails to find in my box because it was obvious: this was a Mom ready to make a difference for her family and she was getting it.
Soon she signed up for my Real Food for Rookies class, got my book, and was ready to GO–this is definitely a Mom on fire!
Read Kristin’s story and be sure to pass it along if you know of other parents who are struggling and wondering how they can help their children.
I met Kelly through a group that our daughters are in together. I was intrigued by her email address and decided to check out her website. At the time I thought she was a food Nazi and smirked to myself when I saw her “Legalize Raw Milk” t-shirt. Little did I know that I would be seeking her help in a few short months.
When my husband and I went to my son's spring conferences in March his teacher dropped a bombshell on us, “Do you think he could have ADHD?”
Admittedly, our son has always struggled with self-control issues. I have dreaded going to conferences since he was in Kindergarten because it was always the same story, “He can't keep his hands to himself.” “He makes inappropriate noises.” “He doesn't sit still.” “He doesn't pay attention.” I always chalked it up to him being a boy and me being a bad parent that couldn't teach him self-control. It never dawned on me and no teacher ever suggested that it could be ADHD. Well, when his teacher mentioned it this spring my husband went on the defensive. His brother had been medicated for ADD when he was young and it was apparent that there were undesirable side effects associated with the medication. My husband was not going to do that to our son!
The truth is, he is a wonderful boy and his energy is what we love about him. We did not want to drug those qualities out of him.
So I wasted no time going home and researching ADHD on the internet. I checked out several books from the library about natural treatments for the symptoms of ADHD. The same word kept showing up, DIET, DIET, DIET! It just made sense to contact someone who I knew was into food and see if she had any input…enter Kelly the Kitchen Kop. We met at her home for two hours. She talked to me about healthy fats, alternatives to processed and unnatural sweeteners. We talked about knowing where your meat, eggs and dairy came from.
I immediately started implementing changes based on our conversation.
It has been about three weeks since we have been changing our diet (primarily cutting out sugars and processed foods right now) and I cannot believe the change in my son. After his birthday party both my mom and my sister commented on how good he was and that they could see a definite difference in him. We aren't fighting him to do small tasks around the house. He is not aggravating his siblings as much. We only have to ask him to do something once instead of multiple times ending in a yelling match. But, he is still our son! He still has a ton of energy, he just seems better at controlling it.
I am enjoying being his mother again.
I haven't talked to his teacher yet to see if she's noticed a difference, but the changes we've seen have prompted us to continue moving forward. We are planning to add raw milk to our diet, plant a garden this summer and we've even considered purchasing laying chickens so we know exactly where our eggs are coming from!
It is challenging for me because I have never enjoyed cooking or even being in the kitchen.
I've always shied away from recipes with more than a few ingredients or with multiple steps. Now I'm soaking grains, making chicken stock and driving across town to the health food store. Last night when I went to bed I had three things soaking on the counter for this morning and nuts crisping in my warming drawer! My husband said he's never seen me so excited about anything.
I've never enjoyed feeding my family so much.
I’m having so much fun and it feels great every time I feed my family something that I know is good for them. Thank you Kelly for your advice and support. Thank you for putting up with my emails and my phone calls. I feel blessed that God introduced you into our lives at a time when we could embrace all that you have to teach us about the food that we eat and how it affects our health and behavior!
Thanks for sharing your story, Kristin!
Please share your stories in the comments to encourage others. 🙂
Below I’m adding a few links to some topics Kristin & I have talked about recently that might help you:
- Kristin on finding finding safe meat: “We watched the movie, Food, Inc. and were completely grossed out. I will never buy meat from an unknown source again!” If you don't have a local source, click here for safe, healthy meat.
- On real milk: “My husband started reading a book I got from the library called The Untold Story of Milk: The History, Politics and Science of Nature's Perfect Food: Raw Milk from Pasture-Fed Cows
and he is ready to move to the country and get a dairy cow and start growing our own everything!
and he is ready to move to the country and get a dairy cow and start growing our own everything!- Maybe you’ve tried changing your diet but haven’t noticed improvements? You may need to look into the GAPS Diet. (This diet is what I call ‘The Big Guns’, and also a MUST to read up on if you’re dealing with Crohns, IBS, any digestive issue, signs of Autism, depression or anxiety, auto-immune disorders, and really any health ailment.)
- Kristin’s question about first baby foods: “I usually start introducing solids around 7 months old and our baby is ready. I start with avocado and bananas. I read somewhere that egg yolks were good too? I'm pretty sure whites are something to keep away from until age one. I figure Haley will have the best first food start of any of my children due to our “food conversion”. Do you have any recommendations?” Here is the feeding baby link I sent her.
photo, Creative Commons 2.0
Robin Tandy Lee says
Yes, they help immensely. We went from having multiple melt downs a week to one or two a month. We also added some supplements.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Which supplements did you add, Robin Tandy Lee?
Robin Tandy Lee says
Kelly the Kitchen Kop , we added Neo Cell and Neuro logic which were recommended by Dr. Robert Gibson and he also takes Hardy Nutrtionals Essential Nutrients and greens and probiotics. What a drastic difference in behavior.
Commenter via Facebook says
Hey all, I’m reposting this soon because there are just a few chickens still available, FYI!
KitchenKop says
For readers following these comments and wondering what the Facebook comments are from, it’s because Kristin is now raising and selling chickens and I let my local readers know about it recently. 🙂
Kelly
Commenter via Facebook says
I second and triple this comment!
Commenter via Facebook says
Jamie Roberts – depends on what you have available that’s closer!
Commenter via Facebook says
God Bless Kristin Perez, for doing this. Don’t we all wish we had the time, space, knowledge, etc. to do this ourselves? It is a blessing to have a source for your food that you know & trust to be raised, butchered & processed (by that I mean de-feathered, gutted, & packaged) the way God intended– all natural and humane. Thank you, Kristin, for not only the time and effort, but also the love you put into this!
Commenter via Facebook says
Kelly the Kitchen Kop, it would be 1.5 hour drive for me to pick them up. If you were in my shoes, would you do it?
Commenter via Facebook says
Yes it can!! My daughter was cured from changing her diet!
carmen says
I have seen first hand the traumatic effects certain foods can have on our bodies. My daughter has been diagnosed with several “disorders” (ODD, ADHD, SPD) and we spent years struggling with her Dr. Jeckyl, Mr. Hyde personality and terrible and sometimes dangerous behaviors that she seemed to have no control over. We have been a “Feingold” family for 2 1/2 years now and my daughter is a different person! She is loving and sweet and has such a heart for helping and serving others. The changes started taking place within DAYS of removing all petroleum based additives and salicylate foods. Interestingly, she reacts worse to the natural salicylate foods (almonds, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, apples, berries, and more) than she does to the artificials. It might be worth noting that she had been raised on a Real Food, Traditional Foods-type diet since she was a baby (aside from a one year time frame when I was dealing with an illness).
My wish is that every family would at least try dietary changes for these poor children before considering meds. Although I have a disdain and distrust for pharmaceuticals, I know my daughter would be on several medications by now if the Lord hadn’t led us to the diet changes when he did.
Melissa @ Dyno-mom says
This is so rewarding to read! We live in a world where people just want a pill to make everything go away and it is great to read how some parents want health for the children so much they they take the high (and hard) road. She is so lucky you were able to help her family. Good work!
Cathy F says
I discovered the critical nature of diet when my youngest son began to have violent tantrums at about 14 months or so. He would break into them suddenly and with little or no discernable provocation. This went on with increasing intensity until he was about two and a half or three when I was ready to give him to the first taker. What saved him (and my sanity) was the discovery of a book by Dr. Feinstein about the affect of food additives on children. I removed every chemical from his diet, and within a month he had transformed into a beautiful happy boy. He eventually grew out of it and was able to return to a more “normal” diet. It wasn’t until later I realized his behavioral problems began shortly after starting to feed him table food.
This was 30 years ago. I learned a lot about the evils of additives, but unfortunately didn’t stick to my healthy food regimen over the ensuing years–with four kids and very little money back then. The point is, what we put into our bodies DOES affect us in ways we don’t always know — even when we get sick from it. The more natural you can make your food, the better off you and your family will be.
Darla says
Beyond a shadow of a doubt; it improves it. We’ve been on this new eating plan now for 9 months. My son’s grades have never been better. He’s being asked to work on special committees, etc. It’s amazing to watch.
Sara says
Something that happened last week may have been a coincidence, but it really made me think. We cut out artificial colors a while back, at least 18 months ago. My son, who is almost four, did not react well to them. One evening he was in tears over nothing after eating a few frosted mini wheats my husband gave him. The look in his eyes was heartbreaking, he really couldn’t control it.
So we eat almost nothing with artificial colors. I am not completely anal about it, but I certainly don’t buy stuff with colors. He may have some treat food every now and then.
Last week we dyed easter eggs. We just used the cheapy stuff from the store. I didn’t want blue fingers, so we were careful to not spill, and we used plastic spoons to get the eggs out of the dye.
The next day we dyed eggs at my inlaws house. They used regular food dye. The kids were stripped down to their undies and used their hands. His fingers were blue for two days. That night, it took over TWO hours for him to go to sleep. And not talking or whining or anything, just laying there. This has happened in the past after having artificial colors, though he used to roll around over and over again. Actually, he was probably awake after that, I left after two hours with him. This is opposed to around 20 minutes usually.
Sorry for writing a book! But his behavior was really out of normal. It got me thinking about what could have happened and the food dye is all I can think of. I know some people react badly to markers on the skin, so it kind of makes sense.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
It does make sense, & now you know you have to be even more vigilant, unfortunately!
KarenScribner says
The frosted mini wheats are conventional wheat dried with roundup before harvest. Any wheat cereal will do the same, don’t need colorings to affect sensitive people. Conventional 100% wheat is still a lab created product of the 1950s and 60s. If you want wheat it must be 100% organic, Khorasan or Kamut preferred as it it a different genetic wheat. Spelt is still the same wheat family as hybrid modern lab created wheat. See Kamut.com for the history of wheat.
Andrea Taylo says
We have four children, two of which are adopted. Even though our adopted sons are from different biological families, and were adopted 6 years apart into our family, they are both 10 years old, both diagnosed either ADHD or ADD, ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), and RAD (reactive attachment disorder). We are recent converts to whole foods because it was time to look outside the box. We have already tried counseling (2-4 different ones each), psychologists, psychiatrists, PSR (pycho-social rehabilitation), and medication. We are homeschooling this year, and these boys are so traumatized by their pasts that schooling didn’t happen for the most part from Jan.-Mar. of this year. Then enter whole foods. We are now 100% whole wheat and grains, on coconut oil, and removing refined sugars, colorings, etc. I didn’t want to battle food on top of their behavior, before. How wrong I was. They are old enough to tell the difference, and what a difference! Easter and donuts (a month ago) showed us just how sensitive these children are to the “stuff” in food we used to eat. We don’t eat it anymore! They have schooled so much in the last month we might be able to finish the school year before summer vacation! They tell me that they can think straight! We are med-free, counselor free, service free, and now that they are on whole foods their brains are working well enough to finally process through and start talking about their horrible pasts. It is truly amazing. I thank God for answering my prayers and leading me to whole foods. It is literally saving our children.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Wow, THAT story is another one that could be it’s own post. I love it! If you ever feel inclined, you know who to contact! 🙂
Steve says
Thank you for sharing this story. I had a similar thing happen story in our home over the past few months. Life is enjoyable again with our son, thanks for encouraging others and offering them hope!
nicolette @ momnivore's dilemma says
My oldest son has been GFCF for the past year. His gut is still destroyed, as is mine.
GAPS is our only hope. Thank you for inspiring people…
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Please give us an update once you get going on it & I’ll say a prayer for you both! It won’t be easy, but you can do it!
Bonny says
This is so great! I am also a recent “convert” to real food and reading about Kristin’s story reminded me so much of myself. My husband said to me recently, “I don’t think I’ve ever been as passionate about anything as you are about this.” When you see the changes in your kids, it’s too exciting not to be that passionate!
Maggie @ Maggie's Nest says
Wonderful!! I’m sharing this with everyone I can think of!
Lauren Grosz says
This is the best kind of story. I love how she admits to her initial skepticism and based on results becomes a hardcore convert! I’m so happy for her family.
farmgirl says
How wonderful Kristin, that you and your husband didn’t go the drug route. I’m glad you found Kelly and are using the information you learned from her.
Great job Kelly and Thanks for all you do!
Katie @ Wellness Mama says
I’ve seen the same thing in friend’s children once they improve diet! They ask “can changing their diet really work?” and really, it is often all that does. What a great email!
Amy K says
Great story!! Our son also showed tremendous improvement with the change a natural diet. It is amazing the difference in him. I pray that more parents’ hearts will be open to this for their children and themselves.
Heather says
I love this letter. Two of my children (including my high energy son) was diagnosed with systemic yeast infections from chronic antibiotic usage. Let’s just say “if I knew then, what I know now…” Enough said. Anyhow, we now have a “sugar free” (with small amounts of natural sweetener), no white flour/no white potato diet for three months, and I truly think I’ll continue it for the most part when those three months are done. My biggest problem WAS school and daycare as he really got very little sugar/food dyes at home – and was getting it there daily and was triggering asthma like symptoms from the yeast infection, and was also having attention difficulties. Eating at home is a piece of cake, eating everywhere else is incredibly hard. i never realized just how much sugar and white flour our daycare serves, until I had to scrutinize the menu. And my son also was diagnosed with soy allergies, so school lunch is not even an option. Anyhow…that being said…we had family comment just before Easter JUST HOW MUCH CALMER HE IS. And then the Easter bunny brought one tiny bag of natural jelly beans that he ate half of…and boom…he became like a different child – was having tantrums, bouncing off the walls in church, etc., just over that small amount. I even called that to the attn of his teacher the next day, hoping that she’d see a link there…but she really didn’t. At least we have a medical reason that they cannot pump him full of stuff, and have to be watchful. So…back into the diet again and things are much calmer but it seriously took a couple days. Oh…and did I mention that his asthma has cleared as well??? I should add that he has had these symptoms since he was a baby and is going to be 7 soon. He is my poster child for “you are what you eat.”
Martha says
What an awesome email!
Sharon says
It is very encouraging to hear a how diet changes made a difference. After my youngest had a MRI we made some drastic diet changes. I used the Feingold diet as a bases and started eliminating MSG. I will say that her symptoms were just about eliminated in 25-days. A few years later and more diet changes for me and I am off the diabetes meds.
Belinda @zomppa says
Great piece!! Thanks for sharing!
Renee says
Thank you Kristin for sharing. Now that I know you are “in tune” I’ll be able to seek your encouragement to really implement it in my home. Remind me to ask you about how you are handling all the “at school” treats the kids seem to get almost every day from friends, bday treats, some teachers & bus drivers too.
Musings of a Housewife says
Love it!
ValerieH says
When you see a letter like that, it’s all worth it!