Natural ADHD Diet

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to “talk” to several moms of kids with Attention Deficit Disorder about how they manage their symptoms. I say “talk” because we do it on Twitter. If you don’t know about Twitter, you should check it out, and follow me.

More than one mom shared her methods of managing ADHD symptoms, and in each case, cited things that I recommend in The Natural ADHD Diet. Most credited their doctor with the idea, although one or two mentioned various websites, none of which were mine.

I wrote The Natural ADHD Diet in January 2008, and my family has been living the lifestyle for many years. I think I can claim rights to at least some of those ideas.

So, should I be mad that others are offering the same ideas that I am, even though I don’t get credit? Or should I be glad that my ideas finally have “real experts” backing her up?

I guess what I should really be focusing on is how great it is that these people have found a solution that works for them.

By the way, one mom sent me a message: better living through chemistry.

Here’s what I told her: I have no problems with people who use prescription medications to control their ADHD symptoms. I take prescription meds for depression, and I make no apologies. Different things work for different people, and different is OK.

The whole idea behind The Natural ADHD Diet was to offer people a natural alternative that they could try to see if it worked for them. Sort of like when I have a headache: sometimes my peppermint oil does the trick, and sometimes I need Motrin. Whatever works.

Today’s post is a little off topic in that it isn’t really related to Attention Deficit Disorder.

My good friend Carole is selling her book, High Energy Eating and I’m helping her promote it.

You might wonder why I would do such a thing when I have a book called The Natural ADHD Diet that is, obviously, more specific to Attention Deficit Disorder.

Carole actually lost a really good friend recently due to health complications. She is trying to sell copies of her book in order to donate the profits to the family.

I’ve purchased Carole’s products before and they are all first rate. I wouldn’t be telling you about her book if I wasn’t sure that it was good.

If you’re interested, stop by her site and have a look. And thanks.

Prescription medication is often the first and only treatment option that parents are given when their child is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. The same is true for adults who find out that they have ADHD.

There’s no doubt that prescription medications can work wonders for some people with ADHD, but like all medications, they have side effects.

Here are some of the most common:

Weight loss. Sometimes this evens out after 4-6 weeks, but not always. You may find that your child is no longer losing weight, but is not gaining either.

Lack of growth. Some ADHD medications have been shown to adversely affect children’s growth rates. Most go back to normal growth patterns after discontinuing the ADHD medications for several weeks or more.

Headaches are often associated with ADHD medications.

ADHD medications can also disrupt sleep patterns.

Nausea is sometimes also associated with ADHD medications.

As with any treatment option, it’s important to weigh the consequences of each before making an informed decision.

Because I get so many questions about managing Attention Deficit Disorder without prescription medications, I decided to share what my family and I have been doing for years.

The result was The Natural ADHD Diet. The Natural ADHD Diet is much more than a diet, though. It’s an entire lifestyle change that can positively affect your ADHD symptoms.

The good news is that the changes are easy to implement and don’t require a lot of money. Personally, I don’t think any of them are very radical changes to make.

If you make the changes slowly and keep at it, you’ll end up with a healthier body and a healthier, more efficient brain.

This is my first blog post for this site. Stay tuned for continuing ideas on living healthy and managing ADHD the natural way.