Diet and ADHD

[Wire Mother]

I do keto--very low carb, high fat--and it has helped with some (though not all) of my ADHD-PI symptoms. I generally feel more grounded and less flighty, while also having more physical energy. And I only get hungry once a day, which is fantastic from an ADHD standpoint because I only have to cook and clean up once a day (and less than that, if I cook a lot of food ahead of time). I also don't eat a wide variety of foods, so I'm much more aware of exactly what is in the refrigerator and everything gets eaten before it has a chance to go bad, which has eliminated food waste. I also don't forget to pick up items when grocery shopping because my list is so short!

Carbohydrates are my nemesis, and I have finally accepted that. I will still eat a few bites of whole fruit occasionally, and I still eat and enjoy some green vegetables (especially broccoli), but sugar, grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, nuts, and tubers--they're all out. If I start eating any of them again, two things start to happen: 1) the craving cycle that leads to overeating, and eventual destructive binge eating, starts again; and 2) all of my inflammatory/autoimmune symptoms start to come back. Not to mention the brain fog and difficulty concentrating that I've always associated with ADHD, but I now suspect are at least in part due to immune response.

Cutting carbohydrate consumption to the bone is what it has taken for me to finally be free of compulsive binge eating and food cravings. It's very strange to not think about food, and what food I'm craving, all the time. Either I am hungry, and want to eat, or I am not, and when I am not hungry I don't think about food at all. It's also eliminated any desire for alcohol, or even smoking weed. I have no moral objection to either; I just don't want to do them any more. I do still drink coffee, but much less of it than I used to because I don't feel so tired and brain-fogged all of the time.

Keto has not been a "cure" for my ADHD by any means, mind you. My brain still has a hard time finding motivation to act; I still have difficulty concentrating on anything that doesn't interest me; and I still have a hard time "shifting gears" between anything I'm focused on and anything another person needs me to focus on. But it has made enough of a difference in my physical health and mental functioning that I intend to keep doing this.

[sarahsweets]

This is exciting to hear because I have been thinking of doing keto to drop 10lbs.

Originally Posted by Wire Mother

I do keto--very low carb, high fat--and it has helped with some (though not all) of my ADHD-PI symptoms. I generally feel more grounded and less flighty, while also having more physical energy. And I only get hungry once a day, which is fantastic from an ADHD standpoint because I only have to cook and clean up once a day (and less than that, if I cook a lot of food ahead of time). I also don't eat a wide variety of foods, so I'm much more aware of exactly what is in the refrigerator and everything gets eaten before it has a chance to go bad, which has eliminated food waste. I also don't forget to pick up items when grocery shopping because my list is so short!

Carbohydrates are my nemesis, and I have finally accepted that. I will still eat a few bites of whole fruit occasionally, and I still eat and enjoy some green vegetables (especially broccoli), but sugar, grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, nuts, and tubers--they're all out. If I start eating any of them again, two things start to happen: 1) the craving cycle that leads to overeating, and eventual destructive binge eating, starts again; and 2) all of my inflammatory/autoimmune symptoms start to come back. Not to mention the brain fog and difficulty concentrating that I've always associated with ADHD, but I now suspect are at least in part due to immune response.

Cutting carbohydrate consumption to the bone is what it has taken for me to finally be free of compulsive binge eating and food cravings. It's very strange to not think about food, and what food I'm craving, all the time. Either I am hungry, and want to eat, or I am not, and when I am not hungry I don't think about food at all. It's also eliminated any desire for alcohol, or even smoking weed. I have no moral objection to either; I just don't want to do them any more. I do still drink coffee, but much less of it than I used to because I don't feel so tired and brain-fogged all of the time.

Keto has not been a "cure" for my ADHD by any means, mind you. My brain still has a hard time finding motivation to act; I still have difficulty concentrating on anything that doesn't interest me; and I still have a hard time "shifting gears" between anything I'm focused on and anything another person needs me to focus on. But it has made enough of a difference in my physical health and mental functioning that I intend to keep doing this.

[PaulTardner]

Has anyone had any luck using specific foods/natural substances to help with symptoms? I've been doing a lot of research lately and it seems there are quite a few naturally-occuring substances which are effective for improving ADD/ADHD symptoms. Of course there are heavy-duty compounds like Citicoline, but I've seen a few clinical trials were things as simple as Theanine and Caffeine can be almost as effective as Adderall in cases of mild ADD symptoms (obviously not in cases of severe ADHD though).



Would be very interested to hear if anyone uses simple foods/herbs/compounds to help ease their symptoms!

[sarahsweets]

Originally Posted by PaulTardner

Has anyone had any luck using specific foods/natural substances to help with symptoms? I've been doing a lot of research lately and it seems there are quite a few naturally-occuring substances which are effective for improving ADD/ADHD symptoms. Of course there are heavy-duty compounds like Citicoline, but I've seen a few clinical trials were things as simple as Theanine and Caffeine can be almost as effective as Adderall in cases of mild ADD symptoms (obviously not in cases of severe ADHD though).



Would be very interested to hear if anyone uses simple foods/herbs/compounds to help ease their symptoms!

I am not trying to bash supplements or diet. I take like 15 vitamins a day due to gastric bypass. As far as I know fish oil supplements are very good for adhd and I suppose omega 3 heavy foods like salmon would help. I also have heard of some people who swear by magnesium. But its important to remember there is a large internet presence that is anti-med for adhd. A google search will bring up hundreds of sites that are anti-med and with all sorts of diets. Its important to research things from reliable sources like the AMA, FDA, Mayo clinic- stuff like that. It has been noted that generally diet is always a good thing to have in check but it does very little to nothing for adhd. There are many parents that fall prey to the idea that stimulants will ruin their children and start doing no sugar (which is fine for health but nothing to do with adhd) and other diets. Some people try to link adhd to gut health and promote these gut health diets but there is no proof.


Like I said, I believe in supplements for certain reasons but its important to remember that the "natural" health industry is a billion dollar industry and nearly all supplements/dietary things are not FDA approved and have poor oversight.

[PaulTardner]

Yes I know exactly what you mean with the sugar. It's a pretty common misconception that sugar makes kids go "hyper", when it doesn't do anything but give you some quick calories, rots your teeth and makes you fat. I do think that cutting out sweets can help with ADHD symptoms though, but mostly due to the additives they put in them nowadays.



Regarding supplements, it's interesting that omega 3 helps with ADHD. Have you got any studies to hand showing a link? I have no idea how omega 3s would influence ADHD symptoms! I have been researching nootropics for quite a while now. There are a lot of substances which seem to be quite effective for enhancing focus and learning capacity (some of which are actually sold explicitly as natural Adderall alternatives). While there are obviously some scam supplements out there claiming to effectively be legal Adderall, compounds like Citicoline, Huperzine A, and Theanine do seem to be effective in the context of people with ADHD.