ADD, ADHD, Food and Motion

Have your kids been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD?     If so, what was the advice given either by the pediatrician?   Did they happen to ask about what your, or your kids’ exercise habits are, and what your respective diets look like?

Chances are, probably not.

According to a study published in the Lancet,  it’s the ‘medication’ that we take three times a day that can really make a difference and that medication is our diet.

The study’s lead author Dr. Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands said this to NPR:

“Food is the main cause of ADHD.” The study found that in 64 percent of children with ADHD, the symptoms were caused by food. “It’s a hypersensitivity reaction to food.”

Did that go in?  

64%.  

And think how many kids get diagnosed and are immediately put on Ritalin, yet continue to eat “foods” (I cringe at the idea of calling items with the following ingredients ‘food’….) containing artificial coloring, artificial flavors, added preservatives, Salicylates (a pesticide added to some food plants),  food additives like sulfites, artificial sweeteners, MSG, and processed white sugar.

And on top of that, they don’t move.  

Sitting indoors on the couch playing video games or being glued to the television doesn’t cut it and is the farthest thing from what  any kid should be doing in their ‘play’ time… they should be outside playing!  Running, jumping, hopping, leaping, climbing, whatever the case may be, they’re meant to be moving.

And so are we.

If you’re a sedentary parent with a low-nutrient, highly processed diet, think about the example you’re setting for your kids.

If your child has been diagnosed and he or she is already taking Ritalin, or Adderall, for that matter, check with their doctor and ask about some alternatives and help with getting their, and your diet and exercise regime on the right track.

Hello, Paleo! It can save the day here again.

Wouldn’t you rather not have to give your child  a pill which the US Government has classified as a psychoactive drug with cocaine and morphine because it is highly addictive?

Worth considering…