How would you go about eliminating diet to see if it improved behavior?

[OrganicAnn]

I've read the Lancet article about elimination diet and how it helps some kids with ADHD. I would like to eliminate a few things from my DD diet for a short period of time to see if it has any affect on her behavior. She has ADD inattentiveness not hyperactivity. It seems sugar, wheat and dairy are common items to eliminate. Any other food items? Artificial coloring?

 

So does one eliminate all these things at once or one at a time?

How long does it take to see a change?

If you eliminate sugar, can you use honey or artificial sweetener?

[OrganicAnn]

Would it help if we wore kilts while eliminating sugar? Just trying to drum up some responses :)

[Greta]

Not an expert on this at all, but I would think eliminate everything for a few weeks so that her system can "cleanse" itself. Then add it back and see how she reacts. In this way, I learned definitively that I can NOT handle gluten, but I am just fine with dairy.

 

Oh, and no I would not use honey or artificial sweeteners either.

 

You might take a look at the "primal" diet. http://www.marksdailyapple.com//welcome-to-marks-daily-apple/

[~Amanda~]

get rid ofanything in a box, package or wrapper

 

there are elimination diets you can look up... i'm nak sorry so short

[OrganicAnn]

So when you eliminate everything, what is left to eat? Fruit, vegetables, meat. Is that it?

 

I've tried to google, but I either get articles about elimination diets and adhd (but not how to do one) or elimination diet websites where they want to your buy their book.

 

Thanks. I didn't even have to dress my husband up in a kilt and take a picture. :)

[~Amanda~]

I know this isn't exactly what your looking for, but maybe you can glean some information, at least for a jumping off point, from this.

 

http://londonpersonaltrainingstudio.com/elimination2010final.pdf

[Philippians 4:8]

http://jjvirgin.com/cmd.php?af=1358481

 

I did this elimination diet last summer to try to deal with congestion and skin issues...I never felt better in my whole life! It definitely improved every area of my life...for me the biggest culprits are gluten, dairy and sugar. I went without all of them plus corn, peanuts and soy and it was wonderful! Sooo many things were resolved..no more achy joints, skin cleared up, no congestion, better mood, better mental clarity, no bloating, no headaches, no restless legs syndrome. Check it out.

[Philippians 4:8]

PS. JJ Virgin is a nutrition/fitness expert...When I just looked up at that link I thought...man that looks a bit shady. But it's just her name. She does this program with Leanne Ely, you may know her from flylady...she's the dinner diva.

[melissel]

I'm no expert, but if I was going to do an elimination diet (and I really, really should--I just can't imagine life without cheese and yogurt :(), I'd cut back to only meat/poultry/seafood, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and beans. I'd keep honey as a sweetener (because otherwise DD would revolt entirely). I'd cook everything from scratch: no cans, boxes, or bags, nothing processed. I'd do that for a month and see where we stood. If things hadn't improved, I might also cut the honey.

 

In reality, what I've done for my food additive-sensitive 5-year-old is cut all chemicals from her diet. I still buy packaged foods like pasta, tuna, oats, etc. But if there's any kind of artificial flavor/color/preservative in it, she doesn't eat it (and we usually don't either). This alone has made a huge difference for her temperament. For confirmed (even suspected) ADHD, yeah, I'd probably go the route you're planning, and I'd give it at least a month. Dairy alone can take weeks to clear from the system, and gluten can present issues for a long time too.

 

:grouphug: Good luck.

[ElizabethB]

You have to do it all at once, if you leave even a tiny bit of allergen in food, you will not have a positive change.

 

If you google elimination diet you will get a lot of ideas.

 

I personally think it is best to do one that includes rotation of food so you can see different reactions to different days of food.

 

The elimination diets are all similar, but for someone with an Asian background, rice would also be eliminated. Basically, anything you eat a lot of should be eliminated as well as highly allergenic foods--the top 8 food allergens.

 

If you add in a rotation, a few days might look like this, very boring foods and all made from scratch with nothing else added. No sauces or anything to drink but water, no spices. (Almost every spice mix with the word "spice" in an ingredient has MSG, they leave it unlabeled.) You could probably have a tiny bit of salt if you must, but it's best to have no spices at all. Also, no salad dressing, there are millions of ingredients in those.

 

D1. Sweet potatoes, lamb, lettuce, coconut oil, bananas

 

D2. Millet, turkey, squash, olive oil, star fruit

 

D3. Quinoa, buffalo, pears, a veggie you don't eat often, palm oil (spectrum organic shortening.)

 

You need at least 4 different days of foods, then you start over at D1. You feel worse at first, but then great after a week to 10 days if it is going to help.

[Alenee]

I'd do one at a time, but not add anything back in until all had been cleared from the system. I think one of the main reasons most people choose the medication route as opposed to eliminating, is that it appears to be extremely hard. If you take one thing out at a time, it eases the stress a bit. We're eliminating gluten right now (went through sugar in the past and don't allow red dye at all still) and so far, it's going well. Granted, it's only been 24 hours, however we went grocery shopping yesterday and after planning a two week menu, we were encouraged by how much we CAN eat.

[Food4Thought]

I've done gradual elimination diets. I started by cutting out anything containing the major additives/colors that I know can be BAD. For us, that's Yellow 5, Red 40, MSG, BHT & TBHQ.

 

After that, we eliminated gluten. That one was tougher. Hard to get rid of the most prominent food source in America (wheat).

 

Then, dairy, which was even harder because it meant no more... anything.

 

We eat meat, fruits, nuts, and veggies. Right now, we are following SCD (Simple Carbohydrate Diet).

 

When I cut out dairy, along with the rest of grains, sugar & starchy tubers, I followed the GAPS introduction diet. That one requires a lot of bone broth and naturally fermented foods, but it was easy to follow and I felt FANTASTIC during those first few weeks. (I'm a cheater. Sugar owns me. I need to divorce myself from it forever.)

 

Anyway, that's the order I went in. I know a lot of people cut EVERYTHING out and then slowly add things back in, but I started small by cutting little things out and then going whole hog. But I'd take out colors first. They're well-known triggers.

[ElizabethB]

I would cut out sugar for a few weeks.

 

Then, rotate tiny amounts of honey, stevia, sugar, and agave.

 

If you cut it all out, you crave a lot less and can add just a tiny bit and have it seem like a lot.

[nancy in nj]

Have you considered testing for intolerances? There are tests for food & environmental intolerances that will tell you exactly which foods/additives that your child is reacting to. Elimination diets are tough especially for a child.

 

My daughter has had severe health issues since she was about 10 (asthma, sinus infections, headaches) and through the years, we tried to eliminate all of the usual suspects (in addition to parading her to pulmonologists, allergists, ent's, gastro guys etc) and nothing helped. I finally took her to a doctor who specializes in these undiagnosed problems, and he ran the ALCAT test (blood test for food & environmental intolerances, not allergies) and it turns out that she is intolerant to 52 foods plus sulfites, certain dyes and molds. We eliminated these items at the beginning of the year, and I am finally getting my daughter back and she is getting better every day! Soy is the only one of the usual food suspects that she reacted to...her biggest problems were sulfites, vanilla, cinnamon and asparagus! Sulfites (often unlabeled) & vanilla and soy are in virtually every processed food.

 

The ALCAT test is not cheap, but I think you may be able to order it without going through a doctor (obviously you would need to have the blood drawn somewhere). The doctors who deal with this stuff typically do not accept insurance and are very expensive (ours is $6 per minute) but it was the best $2,000 I've ever spent. The ALCAT test has a website where you can learn more details. (No, I am not affiliated with this test in any way...just a very happy mom/customer!)

 

Nancy

[happygrrl]

We followed the GAPS plan (gaps.me). I bought the book, but it can be done using the website and yahoo group.

 

We eliminated everything... stage one is homemade soup (even without spices!). After the body detoxifies, you add in an egg yolk to the soup, then an avocado, etc. etc. The idea is that you add foods in the order of digestibility. This gives the digestive tract time and materials to heal. It was easy to tell what foods set off a reaction.

 

We were on this 'introduction stage' for 6 weeks. After the first hellish week we felt amazing! My husband lost over 25 lbs, with no change in activity, my son's eczema and add begin to clear, and my picky eater (aspie) mellowed out and now eats pounds of veggies. My dairy intolerance disappeared and I can now drink milk (raw). We are currently so far along that we are adding some more complex foods like beans and rice with no problems (though my husband is still very reactive to any gluten and may always be).

 

Best thing we ever did!

[Margaret in GA]

We followed the GAPS plan (gaps.me). I bought the book, but it can be done using the website and yahoo group.

 

We eliminated everything... stage one is homemade soup (even without spices!). After the body detoxifies, you add in an egg yolk to the soup, then an avocado, etc. etc. The idea is that you add foods in the order of digestibility. This gives the digestive tract time and materials to heal. It was easy to tell what foods set off a reaction.

 

We were on this 'introduction stage' for 6 weeks. After the first hellish week we felt amazing! My husband lost over 25 lbs, with no change in activity, my son's eczema and add begin to clear, and my picky eater (aspie) mellowed out and now eats pounds of veggies. My dairy intolerance disappeared and I can now drink milk (raw). We are currently so far along that we are adding some more complex foods like beans and rice with no problems (though my husband is still very reactive to any gluten and may always be).

 

Best thing we ever did!

 

Wow. That's awesome!! I just wanted to point out the bolded part for the OP. No matter what elimination diet you choose, do not add a food back until 6 weeks. It wasn't until week 4 or so that we began to see a life-altering difference in my ds.

 

Good luck! We know for a fact that in our house, at least, food allergies cause ADHD.

 

Margaret

[JudyJudyJudy]

I totally agree about not adding a food back quickly. You can't just do a little bit here and there, either; you have to really stick with it.

 

One food that I haven't seen anyone else mention (I may have missed it) that can cause problems with behavior and health in general is yeast. The author of Feast Without Yeast: 4 Stages to Better Health—A Complete Guide to Implementing Yeast Free, Wheat (Gluten) Free and Milk (Casein) Free Living has found that yeast is one of the biggest culprits for his son. He is a doctor who has a son with autism. (I bought the book because I am allergic to yeast.)

[Anne]

Anyone have any recommendations for books/websites that address the nutritional aspects of ADD/ADHD?

 

I have a relative with a son they think is ADD (inattentive). They haven't had him tested, they don't want to medicate, but they haven't tried (or researched) any natural approaches, either... From this forum, I knew to recommend Omega 3s, but that was all I could remember.

 

Any literature I might send their way would be appreciated.

 

Anne

[melissel]

Anyone have any recommendations for books/websites that address the nutritional aspects of ADD/ADHD?

 

I have a relative with a son they think is ADD (inattentive). They haven't had him tested, they don't want to medicate, but they haven't tried (or researched) any natural approaches, either... From this forum, I knew to recommend Omega 3s, but that was all I could remember.

 

Any literature I might send their way would be appreciated.

 

Anne

 

Have them look into giving him zinc (always on a full stomach) as well. It makes a HUGE difference for me. And some people say they take good-sized doses of fish oil, which helps a lot (I keep forgetting, it makes me burpy :ack2:).

 

GAPS and SCD are often recommended for ADHD symptoms of all types, as are simply going gluten- and/or dairy-free.

[craftyerin]

My son is on a gluten and dairy free diet for ADHD-like behavior (not diagnosed). We eliminated one at a time, one meal at a time. We started with casein (dairy) and made a list of 5 things that he could eat for breakfast that were casein free. We changed breakfast only for a week. The next week we did the same for snacks, then dinner, then lunch. Then we took a week off and started the same for gluten. Made another list for breakfast, and eliminated one meal at a time. We were seeing HUGE improvements in behavior by the 6th or so week. Done gradually, it wasn't too overwhelming to implement, and the improvements we saw gave us encouragement to keep going. Best wishes!

[Lisa in Jax]

We did something similar to the way Food4Thought outlined it below. We started by removing chemicals & artificial preservatives, as well as dairy and gluten.

 

Because it can be overwhelming for you and for the child, consider working on cleaning up one meal at a time for a week. For example, for the first week, eliminate the targeted ingredient/categories from breakfast. The next week, continue the "clean" breakfast, and begin serving snacks that eliminated the categories ingredients you're avoiding. The following week, add lunch to the "clean" foods (and continue having healthy breakfasts and snacks), and finally add dinners the final week. So, it'll take a month to get all four meals cleaned up, but it is MUCH less overwhelming to find "allowed" breakfast foods, for example, than it is to try to make all meals "clean" all at once.

 

Once you've done a week of "clean" breakfasts, it isn't too hard to add snacks to the "clean" list, too. Once you've done two weeks of breakfasts and one week of snacks, it isn't too hard to do lunches, etc.

 

As you begin your meal planning for the elimination diet, start with elimination of artificial colors (don't buy anything with "FD&C" in the name of the ingredients), high fructose corn syrup, BHT, BHA, TBHQ, MSG. MSG is a hidden ingredient in a lot of prepared foods, so you'll have to be careful in label-reading. Avoid all of the following: (From http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/MSG.htm)

 

Additives that always contain MSG

 

Monosodium Glutamate

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Hydrolyzed Protein

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein

Plant Protein Extract

Sodium Caseinate

Calcium Caseinate

Yeast Extract

Textured Protein

Autolyzed Yeast

Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

 

Terms that frequently indicate hidden MSG additives

 

Malt extract

Bouillon

Broth

Stock

Flavoring

Natural Flavoring

Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring

Seasoning

Spices

 

---

 

If you can, buy an issue of "Living Without" magazine and look at the lists of "ingredients that mean gluten/casein" in the back of the magazine. You can clip the lists out and carry them with you, and it'll make it easier to shop.

 

Search these boards for lists of good-tasting gfcf bread, pasta, etc. If there's a specific food you need to replace (pizza, for example?) there have been recipe threads on these boards many times. :)

 

It is hard to do at first, but SO worth it.

 

Lisa

 

I've done gradual elimination diets. I started by cutting out anything containing the major additives/colors that I know can be BAD. For us, that's Yellow 5, Red 40, MSG, BHT & TBHQ.

 

After that, we eliminated gluten. That one was tougher. Hard to get rid of the most prominent food source in America (wheat).

 

Then, dairy, which was even harder because it meant no more... anything.

 

We eat meat, fruits, nuts, and veggies. Right now, we are following SCD (Simple Carbohydrate Diet).

 

When I cut out dairy, along with the rest of grains, sugar & starchy tubers, I followed the GAPS introduction diet. That one requires a lot of bone broth and naturally fermented foods, but it was easy to follow and I felt FANTASTIC during those first few weeks. (I'm a cheater. Sugar owns me. I need to divorce myself from it forever.)

 

Anyway, that's the order I went in. I know a lot of people cut EVERYTHING out and then slowly add things back in, but I started small by cutting little things out and then going whole hog. But I'd take out colors first. They're well-known triggers.

[JudyJudyJudy]

I wanted to add something else here: Often when people go gluten-free, they look for substitutes. Often these substitutes include various "gums" (locust bean gum, guar gum, gum Arabic, and more). For some people, these cause health issues as well.

 

In addition to that, if your child is prone to allergies, you may find that she reacts to some of the new foods. For example, many of the gluten-free products are cross-contaminated with other allergens. Also, we found that ds is allergic to annatto (also known as achiote), which is used as a food dye in a lot of "natural" products like Amy's, Annie's, etc.