ADHD diet? The poor distracted parent thinks that it is just another fad hyped up by the medical community and the media. Or maybe some nutritionists and cookery writers want to make some money from a diet for ADHD! Well, here are a few facts just to set the record straight.

Over here in Europe our Members of the European Parliament have not been idle. They have legislated that certain food dyes (colourings), also named as the Southampton colours, should be banned from kids' food simply because they "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." These are the ones with the E label as such as E102 and E110. They are also known by their rather attractive names such as Sunset Yellow and Carmoisine. In the UK, a lot of food companies (including McDonalds!) are substituting these colours with healthier alternatives. The British Parliament haven't passed a law about ADHD diet yet!

Now a lot of kids' snacks and food still contain artificial preservatives (MSG for example) and colourings, in spite of the European and British recommendation which is voluntary at the moment. Eventually they hope that a ban can be enforced at the end of 2009.

I know one parent who actually cut out all this processed food, baked her own bread and got in as much organic food as she could. She also banned breakfast cereals as they give a quick high but later the kids crash as their glucose levels fall. Eggs are a better bet at breakfast. The first thing she got rid of was the red coloring (Red # 40) and then she applied all the other changes gradually. Her ADHD child began to improve, was less distracted and kicking and screaming on the carpet became a thing of the past. Her hyperactivity lessened and her attention span increased. That was her ADHD diet and it is so simple.

This is an anecdote and just one case, but combined with the facts from the European parliament which were based on research findings from nutritionists, this seems to be the way to go. A balanced nutritious diet is all you need for a diet for ADHD and you do not have to worry about anything else. Staying away from highly processed foods is the key while giving preference to fruit, veg and white meat . Combining this with a natural ADHD cure which will NOT affect the child's appetite is the ideal way to help children with ADHD. One of the side effects of the
psychostimulants such as Strattera, Ritalin and Risperdal is that there is a loss of appetite and weight loss which can be alarming for parents. This can all be avoided by going for a natural ADHD cure and following a few simple dieting rules.