trying an elimination diet for adhd....i need some recipes!

[mamatwig]

my ds is 4.5 and from the time i can remember has been hyperactive. his behavior issues are getting worse and worse, and recently we have noticed attention difficulties since he is in more school settings now. i have done a lot of resurch and he has every simpyom of classic adhd. i read about a good diet, not as strict as the finegold, but a starting place. ds is very picky, so i am trying to think of fun kid recipes to make this a little easier.

i was wondering if anyone had some ideas. were doing no dairy, only whole grains, no sugar, no chocolate, no fruit juice for right now.


and by any chance does anyone have a pancake recipe that would fit this diet? my husband makes them every sun for us and ds loves pancake morning. i would still love to do this but with a recipe he can have.

any help would be great, i just want my little boy to live a happier life and stop getting in trouble all the time

[Juniper Gerrie-Sue]

I would suggest getting back to basics at first and then get more creative little by little with supplements for the foods you are avoiding. A lot of nights our dinners look like roasted chicken, rice, and salad. There are lots of gluten free pastas and pancake mixes available. Namaste makes a good pancake mix, look at your local health food store for these types of products (you can also google them and read their ingredients lists from home). We are verrrry limited and I make a pancake with buckwheat flour, hemp milk, smashed banana, and flax seed good (an egg supp). You will get the hang of it but it takes time. For lunches I send my son with sunflower seed butter and honey sandwiches on a rice bread make by Food for Life or I send him with rolled up applegate farms lunch meats and fruits/veggies. It's an adjustment but can be done. You're a good mama for making the effort!

[mamafish9]

Try magnesium supps for the ADHD as well - mag deficiency is very common, particularly amongst kids with ADHD behaviors.

ETA: Before going gluten & dairy free, I'd try taking out salicylates and dyes/flavors (this is largely Feingold, but you can do it without following the Feingold diet). Here's a guide that tells you what foods are high in salicylates:

http://salicylatesensitivity.com/about/food-guide/

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by mamafish9

Try magnesium supps for the ADHD as well - mag deficiency is very common, particularly amongst kids with ADHD behaviors.

ETA: Before going gluten & dairy free, I'd try taking out salicylates and dyes/flavors (this is largely Feingold, but you can do it without following the Feingold diet). Here's a guide that tells you what foods are high in salicylates:

http://salicylatesensitivity.com/about/food-guide/

also http://failsafediet.wordpress.com/ and epsom salts baths in addition to extra magnesium.

[MarciaD]

Salicylate levels, Feingold

The salicylate levels you see listed are based on a 1985 study done in Australia. While the levels might be right, the study did not consider the kind of salicylate and there are different kinds of salicylates. The Feingold Association's list is based on experience with salicylates. There are those that react to "low salicylates" and those that react to "high" levels.

Originally Posted by mamafish9

Try magnesium supps for the ADHD as well - mag deficiency is very common, particularly amongst kids with ADHD behaviors.

ETA: Before going gluten & dairy free, I'd try taking out salicylates and dyes/flavors (this is largely Feingold, but you can do it without following the Feingold diet). Here's a guide that tells you what foods are high in salicylates:

http://salicylatesensitivity.com/about/food-guide/

[mamafish9]

Not disputing the lists, but in the experience of people on this forum, we don't all have the same sals reactions to the same foods. I don't think there is any such thing as a "definitive" sals list, just guidance. I think Feingold is definitely one way to approach this, but not the only way, and either can involve some trial and error.

I'm curious what you mean about "kinds" of salicylates?

[True Blue]

I've read about different types of sals, too. If I have time later to find something and link it I will....but there are thoughts of different types of sals, and that some elicit more reaction than others, and that being part of the reason for Feingold's observations of which foods are more urgent to eliminate for most kids with symptoms.

Wait, here it is.
http://www.feingold.org/salicylate.php

[mamafish9]

Thanks Amy!

The deal is, almost all those "kinds" of sals will turn into the same compounds in the body, so I don't know how relevant that is.

His points about the same food containing different levels of sals is very relevant, and you can read more about or conversations around that in the sals tribe, I think.

The last sentence suggests the Feingold list isn't a huge mod off the "original" sals list, so I still say you can start with that if you want, and modify based on reactions. I think the Feingold diet is really useful for a lot of people, but it costs $$, and if you have additional food restrictions, the lists of "safe" processed foods and such aren't all that helpful. I just want folks to know you can get there without Feingold .

[True Blue]

We've done it without Feingold. Thanks to everyone's help here. I'm interested in some of his approved lists though...eventually...but I'd rather buy holiday gifts right now lol. I've scoured the web for whatever free info I can get (my library doesn't even have the Feingold book :irk ) because I'd like to try adding his 'other' stage 1 foods that aren't on the low sals list first, since for some reason they 'seem' to elicit less response in most people. Like, I'd love to get in some grapefruit and melons soon!

[MarciaD]

Which book are you looking for? Why Can't My Child Behave? by Jane Hersey updates Dr. Feingold's books of 1974 and 1979. You can read Part One on the Feingold Association website: www.feingold.org

The money spent on joining the support group is worth every penny. The materials are incredible. Until you can save up the money, check out the Feingold Yahoo group. It is not affiliated with the Association but the people running it are members and the information is good.

[True Blue]

Thanks!  Yes, I'm looking for that book, but I was hoping to just read some parts I needed first.  I'd really like a real list of the foods that are allowed in stage 1, so I can choose from them to add back in first for my kids.  I hate to buy the book if I plan to join later, because it's part of the membership fee!  I'll look for the yahoo group, thanks!

[MarciaD]

Jane Hersey's book, Why Can't My Child Behave? is not part of the membership. Ask your library to get it. The Yahoo group does not give you the list of foods nor allow discussion of brand names. Brands are specific to a region of the country. Also member of the Yahoo group aren't necessarily Feingold Association members and it is important that Yahoo members get accurate and up to date info. Brands change all the time.

[True Blue]

I thought it was?  Hmm, you're right, that page is actually very, very misleading...they make it seem as if that book is the handbook since they tell you to preview the first 50 pages.  I joined the yahoogroup, though, and got the info I wanted for the time being, which is the allowed fruit/veggie list.  We're not buying pretty much anything premade anymore lately, so I don't need the shopping list just yet.  Avoiding corn, soy, dairy, and gluten in addition to salicylates leaves almost anything packaged out of the equation, lol!