Gluten Free Diet for ADHD

Well, if you're allergic or senstive to gluten, it WILL make a world of difference.

If, however, you're really ADHD, no... it won't make a bit of difference past the initial placebo point. (The placebo effect with ADHD is kind of fun to play with, because you can squish a few months out using ANYTHING, because you're so intent on the results, your adrenalin and therefore focus climbs).

Because, ADHD ISN'T CAUSED by a nutritional deficiency or allergy. Period. Nutritional deficiencies or allergies can mimic SOME adhd symptoms (only the negative ones, though not the positive aspects). So people used to be commonly mislabeled, because they didn't do a full med screen before the diagnosis.

HINT: People with celiacs, and people in SE Asia have ADHD. Celiacs don't eat any kind of wheat, and very little to no gluten... and SE Asian diets contain little to absolutely no gluten whatsoever, and very little to absolutely no dairy.

If ADHD were caused by gluten or dairy allergies or sensitivities, then ADHD just wouldn't exist in populations that don't consume gluten or dairy. But it does. Because it's NOT caused by food or lack thereof.

ADHD is a way to describe how a certain kind of brain works (like Gifted, Autistic, Musical, Math, Dyslexic). You can't "cure" someone of being gifted, dyslexic, having musical talent, a talent with numbers, etc., by changing their diet. It just doesn't happen.

And, that's another thing, ADHD-c & ADHD-i people nearly always fall very solidly into the 'gifted' range (if you include physical giftedness, than ALL 3 forms of ADHD people fall into the gifted range). Direct correlation to how ADHD brains process and store information. Changing your diet isn't going to change the innate way your brain processes and stores information. Unless you're starving that is, and then your brain function will deteriorate, but it won't deteriorate to "normal" / not gifted. And (as long as you don't cause permenent damage with the starvation) the moment you aren't starving anymore, your brain will process and store info the same way it did before. ((NOTE: I'm not saying that gluten free or dairy free = starvation, merely illustrating a point)). You can't change the way your brain works *physically* without adding a psychoactive component (Rx, OTC, Herbal, or "natural" aka high stress environment = more adrenalin, pregnancy adds hormones, etc.). Add a chemical that mimics or inhibits the reuptake of neurotransmitters, or convince your body to make more of your own and you change the way your brain processes and stores information... but only for as long as the neurotransmitter balance stays different. Then, it reverts to the innate way your brain functions.

8 moms found this helpful

well really unless you allergic to gluten it won't make a difference.
If you really are ADHD-I it won't help.
Sometimes allergies show up as ADHD symptoms.
Riley said it best. (as usual) bravo Riley.

4 moms found this helpful

Ditto Riley's comments.

If you really want to get your ADHD-inattentive type under control, you should see a medical specialist, like a psychiatrist, who deals with ADHD day in/day out. Specialists are best qualified to treat this complex condition and can really help you get it under control.

3 moms found this helpful

We have removed it from our son's diet, and consequently from our entire family. It has made a HUGE difference for my kiddo and I in particular. The best way to describe it is that I feel like a "fog" has lifted and he is struggling much less with school. I can think more clearly and have more energy as well. We are completely wheat and gluten free and have been for about 4-5 months - planning to continue indefinitely.

I have made that change. I must admit, however, that I have never really cared for bread or beer or milk. That made it a little easier, but then I started looking at ALL the things that contain gluten--CRAZY!!

Anyway, after my physical discomfort, my husband was the first to notice my new level of energy. I hadn't even realized that I was feeling sluggish or depressed, until I wasn't. I believe that your feelings abou tit will change once you start. It sounds kinda silly, but that gluten affects the way you think. Research the symptoms of Celiac Disease ro similar ailments connected to gluten. Depression and lethargy are two.

You have to decide if it's worth it to you. I decided that rectal bleeding was not the way to go. I didn't want to have to wonder how long until my colonoscopy results scare me. My body has gone back to its natural sexiness (not the bulk that I could not figure out and didn't want to learn to accept). My disposition is better.

Try it for two weeks and see if you feel the difference.

Those are questions only you can answer for yourself. As we age, our bodies get less and less tolerant. I can no longer have straight milk. I can handle cheese and yogurt, though. I have to say, I don't miss it.

There are TONS of gluten free options out there. Ask your homeopath for a referral to a dietician who can help you work it all out. I don't think it is as restrictive as you think. I have several friends on a reduced gluten or gluten free diet. They are just careful.

Check out ADHDdiet.org. This is a diet I have my kids on because I refuse to medicate them for their ADHD. It is not perfect but it helps immensely. If you join, you will get a food list that includes gluten and casein (the wheat and milk proteins your homeopath wants cut out of your diet) free food and where to find them. It also excludes all artificial food additives- that will also help with the ADHD.

You don't have to go through it alone. I would suggest that you give an honest go for a month and see how you feel. Will it be hard- of course. But you may find it worth it.

What Riley said is true, but several foods mimic or block those neurotransmitters and it is possible to change behavior by changing diet. This most likely means that you have some chemical allergies or sensitivities that are mimicking ADHD and that you don't have true ADHD. The problem with blanket statements is that everyone's body chemistry is different and what works and is true for the majority of the population may not work or be true for you. I am a firm believer that our nutrition (or lack thereof) affects us more then we give it credit.

Good Luck to you!

My 14 month old daughter has Celiac disease, and because I am still nursing, I'm on her gluten free (and dairy free) diet. I love it, I feel so much better, seriously. I miss bread, but still...some gluten free breads are great.

There are a wide variety of gluten free beers available.

It's really not restrictive...there are "gluten free" varieties of just about everything. We do corn or rice pasta...can't tell a difference, really. I've found that gluten free cream of mushroom soup (organic) tastes so much better than Campbell's for cooking. Like I said, some of the bread is okay, and I LOVE Udi's gluten free blueberry struesel muffins. I've also been baking my own stuff, which is turning out great.

I can talk to you more about it if you want, just mail me.

I think only you know if its worth it. I mean, did you really feel that different for those 2 weeks? My son is allergic to dairy although I never had him tested. I know that when he does eat it he gets very angry, irritable, loud, ect. Totally opposite of how he is normally. I think we are just starting to understand allergies and how sometimes our bodies don't like certain things we put into them. Eliminating dairy is not really all that hard. Gluten is much harder to eliminate but like I said, only you know.

Hi there,
I have been encouraged by numerous practitioners to eliminate things from my diet for varying reasons and we also eliminated wheat/dairy, etc for my daughter for years. I found it to be challenging but not impossible.

First of all, what is gluten free...does that mean no grains at all or just wheat-free? If it is just wheat-free then there are lots of products for you and more and more restaurants have wheat-free options.

It became such an issue for me to give things up long term that I found some alternative healers. Their business name is Quantum Techniques and they teach people to heal themselves. They do have you eliminate for a bit, but treat you so that you can get most foods, etc. back. It made such a difference for me that I started studying their work.

Feel free to contact me directly if you want more info about QT.
Blessings,
K.
Kimberly Smith Cavins, OTR, CPE, EFT-Cert
"From the Heart" Family Healing

Helping people with:
~Parenting or Family Struggles
~Unhealed Emotional Issues, Trauma, or Illness
Who need Peace, Love, and Connection

Remedy Center for Healing Arts; 4910 Burnet Rd Austin, Tx 78756; ____@____.com

There are actually a lot of options for you in going gluten free, you just have to be open to trying them and searching for them and being religious about reading ingredient labels. I have several friends who are gluten free and what makes it worthwhile for them is feeling better, but they have Celiac Disease or are Gluten Intolerant and really don't have a choice. It can't hurt for you to try GF and see if you feel better on it. And if what makes it depressing is "no beer" then you ought to know that there's GF beer out there. Just do a Google search. You'll find it.

In regard to ADHD/ADD, you might have good luck with reducing your symptoms if you reduce or eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup/HFCS (also called glucose-fructose) and chemical food dyes such as Red 40 (the biggest culprit), then green, blue, and yellow. My middle daughter has Autism and ADD, and we've had great improvements in her behaviors and in how she feels by removing those things from her diet.

The issues are that the liver can't process those chemicals and the body can't metabolize them, so they course through the body including the brain. But being toxic, the body reacts and brain react poorly (like when you get drunk from too much alcohol) and your ADHD/ADD symptoms (and for others their neurological disorders) can get worse.

Dairy free isn't as hard as it sounds either, but you have to be vigilant about reading labels. My daughter is also lactose-intolerant and milk/cream hide in many foods that you wouldn't think to find them. You have to learn the terminology used to describe milk and milk proteins and milk sugars, and sometimes you have to know how something is made (for instance, no milk is added to pepperoni or salami but the process used to create the sausages creates lactose in them).