Foods for Attention Deficit Disorder

Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.
--Hippocrates

When we look at any food or any action we need to observe the end effect on our body and our mind. Pretend your entire life is an experiment - we need to remember to collect the data from all of our life experiments. This way we learn what works for us - we learn to discern which foods, actions, thoughts and emotions are helpful from those that are destructive.

If you do not believe that food has an effect on the body and the mind, I invite you to perform the following experiments:

Experiment #1 - Eat 2 full servings of buttery mashed potatoes, a steak and then have a pint of ice cream for dessert. Notice the effect on your mind and body. Most people will experience slowness. The mind is usually not sharp and the body usually becomes lethargic.

Experiment #2 - Instead eat a salad with a piece of fish and some fruit for dessert. Now notice the effect on your mind and body. Will you feel energized or tired afterwards? Will you be creative or lazy?

Food is one of the most important and easiest factors that can lead to a path of health or a path of disease. We eat every day and over time our diet has a cummulative effect on our well-being.

In Ayurvedic medicine, they talk about 3 gunas, or 3 ways that things effect us. They are:

Sattvic: inspiring, illuminating, uplifting, full of life, brilliance
Rajasic: restless, stimulating, spicy, agitating, throbbing, selfish
Tamasic: slow and dull, dead, lazy, heavy, lifeless, unclear

These 3 gunas apply to everything in life - foods, movies, books, people, etc. So let's now apply this concept to foods:

Sattvic: fresh and light foods, easily digestible, not overcooked or undercooked
Rajasic: strong in taste, spicy, over salted, over-spiced
Tamasic: stale, heavy, overcooked, over-preserved, hard to digest, overly sweet

With these foundational concepts, let's look at foods that should be included in your child's diet and foods that should be avoided at all cost!

Foods to Avoid
Sugars especially High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) - increases agitation and restlessness.
Food additives and artificial colors- this includes NutraSweet and other artificial sweeteners - they are difficult to digest and synthetic.
Processed meats such as sausage and bologna- preservative rich and very hard to digest!
Fried Foods - Oily, heavy and difficult to digest.
Junk Foods - Candy, chocolate, or highly processed foods.
Red Meat - Limit red meat consumption as much as possible.
Caffeine and Coffee - Stimulants and coffee is hard to break down.
Soda Pop - Carbonation is the problem here. Carbonation forms carbonic acid. Acids are agitating and cause restlessness in the mind and body.

Foods to Include
Fruits and Vegetables - remember these? Frsh, colorful and delicious. Cooking is great but avoid the microwave.
Flax Seed Oil - A great source of Omega Oils which researchers have shown are often depleted in those with ADD.
Cooked Foods - Not overcooked! Warm foods are easiest to digest because we do not have to expend energy in heating them.
Moderate Carbohydrates - No more all-pasta meals. These carbs turn into sugars in the body!
Whole Grains- Basmati rice, millet, oats, and barley.
Legumes - Legumes are beans-pinto, navy, split mung, chana and toordal are very helpful to the body. Find ways to incorporate these!
Fish - Use instead of red meat