Foods That Can Relieve ADHD Symptoms in Children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2015 that roughly 6 million American kids between the ages of 5 and 17, about 9.5 percent, live with ADHD. If your child is one of them, plenty of other families are in the same situation. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the full medical name, and it describes a long-term neurological and behavioral condition built around three features: trouble paying attention, bursts of hyperactivity, and acting on impulse.

A child with ADHD often struggles to sit through anything for very long. He or she may squirm, grow restless, or lose interest fast when a task feels boring. Paying attention in class can be hard. So can holding onto instructions given at home. Some of these children are also impatient or forgetful, a little clumsy, or still working out how to get along socially. Many will dive into a project with real energy and then leave it half-done.

There is a hopeful side to this. Medication helps some families, and changes to daily habits help others, including what ends up on the dinner plate. Because ADHD ties back to how the brain works and fires, the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients a child takes in can shift behavior in a good direction. Below are some of the foods worth leaning on.

Cheese. Most kids love string cheese or a plain slice, and that is one habit you can feel fine about. Cheese carries a lot of protein, and protein keeps the brain running the way it should. For a child with ADHD, enough protein can translate into steadier focus and better concentration. Other good protein sources include eggs, lean beef, chicken breast, pork chops, turkey, fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, low-fat or skim milk, soymilk, tofu, yogurt, pumpkin seeds, almonds, peanuts, and beans. A diet weighted toward protein tends to help these children stay with a lesson and follow directions at home.

Water. Technically not a food, you could argue, and that is fair. Still, a child with ADHD needs to drink a lot of it. The brain is mostly water, around 80 percent, so keeping it hydrated matters all day long. A well-hydrated brain simply performs better, which helps anyone dealing with a condition like this. Skip the sodas, sweetened juices, flavored milks, Kool-Aid, and sugary teas. If plain water bores your child, stir in a few drops of cranberry or all-natural fruit juice for a hint of sweetness. The sugary stuff offers nothing nutritionally and can push symptoms the wrong way.

Oatmeal. Steel-cut oatmeal is the strongest choice here, though your child might go for the fruity instant version instead. Oatmeal delivers complex carbohydrates, the good kind, and those support memory, retention, and focus. Complex carbs also tend to settle the body down, which can take some of the edge off hyperactivity. You will find the same benefit in whole grains like rye, spelt, wheat bread, brown rice, couscous, quinoa, millet, wild rice, and barley, and in fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, oranges, and apples. Many of these double as antioxidants, which help the body and brain recover from everyday wear.

Fatty fish. Tuna, salmon, king mackerel, and halibut can soften ADHD symptoms or, for some children, clear them considerably. These fish are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which play into mood, alertness, mental clarity, memory, and retention. Not a fish family? You can still get omega-3s from walnuts, olive oil, grass-fed meats, enriched eggs, flaxseed oil, and edamame.

Oranges. Worth working more of these into the week, because they are packed with nutrients. A child needs to hit the daily mark for vitamins and minerals; a shortfall in either can set off symptoms or make existing ones worse. Fresh or frozen vegetables belong in the rotation too, since they carry a heavy load of nutrients as well. Go easy, though. Skip the butter, sauces, and oils and keep the vegetables close to how they came. Steer clear of processed options like frozen snacks and prepackaged dinners. A reasonable target is to build about half of an ADHD-friendly diet from fresh produce, with enough variety to keep the vitamins and minerals coming. Those same nutrients help level out mood swings and curb disruptive behavior.

A few things to avoid. Simple carbohydrates, the bad sugars, deserve a wide berth: white rice, white pasta, white sugar, anything made with corn syrup, and products built on white flour. These act like stimulants and can trigger mood swings, blood sugar crashes, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, inattention, and irritability. Fried, greasy foods such as burgers and fries are another thing to leave behind, since the trans fat in them tends to leave kids with ADHD sluggish. And watch for dyes. Research points to food dyes disrupting hormones and body chemistry, which can set symptoms off or make them harder to manage.

Dr. R. Y. Langham

References: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Statistics. WebMD. (2015). ADHD diet.