How a Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Diet Helped My Son’s ADHD
I was elated the day my 10-year-old son, Oliver, came home and announced the five words that would warm any mother’s heart. No, not, “Mom, I ate my vegetables,” but “Mom, I am popular now!”
Not that I care particularly that Oliver is popular in the captain of the football team or class president sort of way, but when you have an engaging child who loves to be around other kids and his behavior ends up annoying and turning those same children away, it is heartbreaking.
If you have a child or live with someone with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you will know what I mean when I say that every day can be a challenge and test every ounce of patience that you have! While the symptoms of ADHD vary in every individual, in my son’s case he could be distractive, impulsive, and sometimes downright provocative. Getting him up, dressed and at the table for breakfast in the morning could require military-like precision: a change of plans could set him off in a spiral of uncontrolled behavior; his sister could easily provoke him, causing endless sibling fighting; and his behavior could swing from charming and sweet to a hellion at the drop of a hat. There would be days at a time when I literally would feel like every day was Groundhog Day and collapse in exhaustion and frustration. We went through so many babysitters one year that I almost threw my hands up in the air and gave up!
So one day we all woke up and the bad dream was over, completely over! Oliver is easy to deal with now and just a pleasure to be with. He wakes up now every morning on his own and makes orange juice for the whole family. He and his sister are now the best of friends and rarely fight. And he is asked over to other children’s homes now for play dates. There are no more of the dreaded calls from school, and Oliver is just happier and has so much more self-confidence. The house is finally calm and we are all able to breathe a sigh of relief.
By now you are probably wondering how Oliver made such a 360-degree turn in his behavior. Was it behavior modification or the endless parenting classes that we went to (although I am sure all of those helped)? No! One day we decided to visit Dr. Bock in Rhinebeck, New York, the author of “Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies.” For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Bock, he has clients from all over the world and he literally heals (or at least greatly improves symptoms of) many children with ADHD, autism, asthma, and allergies through supplementation and diet change.
After a battery of blood tests, stool samples, and an in-depth interview, it was revealed that Oliver has gluten and dairy intolerances as well as iron and zinc deficiencies. While Dr. Bock put him on supplements and we saw the results of that immediately, the main thing we saw set him off was gluten!
Unfortunately gluten is in everything or at least everything a 10-year-old boy loves! Gone were the beloved morning bagels, the donuts that my husband would take him to have for “treats,” pizza, pasta, cookies, and even the garlic knots and sandwiches he would crave at school.
The good thing is that Oliver has seen the changes in his own behavior and likes the “new him.” In fact, he likes the way he feels so much that it is now him that takes staying on the diet so seriously. When he does lapse and has something with gluten, either by accident or on purpose, we all see the immediate difference.
If you are anything like I was, you completely roll your eyes when a mother explains that her child is on a gluten-free or dairy-free diet or has this or that food sensitivity. At bake sales and birthday parties I thought it was comical the lengths parents had to go to make sure everyone’s food needs are met.
Well it is embarrassing to say, but I have officially joined the food sensitivity group and have taken my son completely off gluten and dairy. It has been so worth it! Never again will I look at another parent’s choices with what I realize now was judgment.
I never thought a small change such as a change in diet could alter a child’s behavior so dramatically, but I have seen it with my own eyes. I recognize that I am lucky. Oliver only has mild ADHD and is able to function at an extremely high level in a challenging school, but the changes we have seen in Oliver are dramatic both at home and at school. For anyone who has a child with ADHD or autism, I ask them to open their minds and hearts and get their child tested or take their child off gluten and dairy for a month and see if changes happen.
These days there are so many wonderful substitutes for the “regular” foods. We have actually had fun trying them all. Both of my kids have a thumbs up and thumbs down system for letting me know how they fall in the rating and whether I should buy them again! Eating gluten-free does not have to be a life sentence and can be beneficial for everyone in the family!
Katherine Pennington is a diet and lifestyle counselor, raw chef, writer, and founder of Be in Balance. She also writes her own blog, Raw Mom Hotdog Kids, about the struggles of feeding kids healthy food in a junk food world. Katherine lives with her husband and two children in New York City.
Photo Credit: macinate
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11 Comments
I’m a huge believer of the power of diet in relation to all sorts of problems – from physical to mental. This article confirms that I need to align my lifestyle with that belief! I am diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, general anxiety, and ADD and I just know in my heart a good healthy diet/lifestyle will at the very least make my symptoms lesson if not heal them completely. I have a suspicion that even my PTSD would be easier to cope with (and that is a circumstantial mental illness)… I’m new here (though I came by before I never really participated), so I hope to find the support and motivation I need. Thanks for this article! It’s one more motivating tidbit. :)
My 9 year old son has ADHD. He has been on and off pills. We both hate the pills. I fear his life when he is on them!
Katherine, my son is unable to focus at school. I see that you wrote your son was able to function at his school, was that before of after the diet change?
Thank you for such an informative and valuable blog!
I wonder if you could share some of the carb substitute the kids enjoyed?
Dear Melissa,
To be perfectly honest, Oliver’s doctor gave him a prescription and I literally held onto it for 1 year before just breaking down and filling it. Oliver was on medication for 2 years and it helped us get to a place where we felt like he started to feel good about himself again and be happy. Once we felt things had settled down, we went to Dr. Bock with the hopes of being able to completely take him off the medication and have him function and we are slowly doing that. I know many people will disagree with me but the medications are good if you are in that “emergency, stressed out” place where you and the child are miserable. It is a way to settle down the situation so that you can turn it around in your own way. No one wins when a child is feeling bad about himself and out of control. Now, Oliver does not have to have it now to function but he is at a place where he periodically will take it if he has a very demanding week at school or if he is feeling like he needs it. He also immediately sees how terrible he feels when he “cheats” and has a slices of pizza or something with gluten in it and it has made him extra careful himself. He likes how he feels and acts now.
Only you know what is right for your child but I have seen first-hand what a radical difference this diet (and the supplementation) has made. One thing that I had not really realized or processed was that Dr. Bock was the first doctor to give him a blood test and check his iron, zinc, Vit B and D levels etc… As adults, we all get checked for deficiences but most children do not. Oliver was borderline anemic and had a zinc and Vit B deficiency so getting those levels up I think helped a lot as well! Good luck with your own journey and feel free to contact me via email katherine@be-n-balance.com.
Dear Rainbow,
We are a HUGE Udi’s fan in our house. They make delicious Blueberry Muffins, Bagels and Sliced bread that the whole family adores. In the morning, I often serve a muffin with a side of almond butter then we alway make fresh orange juice. Kinnikinnick also mades beyond delicious Donuts. We also like Food For Life’s Millet Bread and tortillas. Glow makes delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies. Udi’s also makes pizza rounds that we keep in the freezer and make our own pizza with. For cereals, Oliver likes granola by Udi’s and many of the Enviro Kidz cereals such as the Frosted Flakes are gluten-free too. Tinkyada makes fab rice pastas that do not get too glutenous like the others and literally I don’t think my kids even notice!
Overally, though, I have just changed the way that I have fed the kids. They eat so many more salads, fresh sliced fruits and raw and cooked vegetables and many times I will just serve it with a grain like quinoa or a grilled fish. Because Oliver is anemic, I do make an effort to give him a bit more animal products and like to keep it lean and something packed with Omega 3′s (also good for ADHD and a supplement Dr. Bock has him on!) Hope this is helpful!
Katherine
Dear Sarah Lily,
Good luck on your journey! Our whole family has changed the way we eat as a result of Oliver’s diet and my son and daughter have seen a radical transformation in how they look and feel. Diet makes a huge difference whether you are a child or grown-up! if you are intuitively feeling this may be an issue for you, I encourage you to give up the gluten, invest in a good probiotic (I lke Innate) and perhaps even explore taking some food enzymes until you build up your gut a bit. Thank you for responding to my article.
Katherine
My son doesn’t have ADD or ADHD, but when he eats processed foods or refined foods, we can really see the difference! He becomes more manic and more defiant. I don’t have him on a gluten-free diet, but I try to keep him from procssed foods and dairy. He has never eaten meat.
I find it funny that some of those same people who roll their eyes are picky about what type of oil they put in their car or what type of gasoline they use. The fuel our bodies use makes a difference in the way we perform too!
Thanks for sharing!
We’ve been trying to come to terms with my daughter’s allergies for the past five years after a close encounter with flesh-eating bacteria, and a massive bout of antibiotics through her system into a tail spin. I too went from looking sideways at mums with food allergy kids to being able to whip up a gluten free-egg free-sugar free cake without a second glance! It’s been a long haul and I confess there’ve been times when we’ve just given up. But then after a few nights of sitting with her holding her hands so she doesn’t scratch her arms raw and applying cold compresses etc I start searching again.
We’ve finally narrowed massive skin outbreaks to processed sugar and wheat/gluten (i’m still experimenting with which one it is). And, fingers crossed, my daughter may get her wish that her arms are clear by Christmas.
I know I have family members who think I am some rabid food nazi who won’t let my daughter eat sugar and bread, but then, they’re not around when she’s crying herself to sleep because her arms are so itchy.
I look at those other food allergy mum’s now and I admire them for persisting, for trusting their gut feeling that there’s a way to help their children that isn’t medication or steroid creams.
If nothing else I think it’s a huge lesson for our children that what they put in their mouths affects the way their bodies work and that they need to make informed decisions.
Dear Katherine,
wow, I can’t thank you enough for taking the time and for all the great suggestions. I will explore Whole Food today and see if I can find some of it there.
you are awesome! xoxo
Dear Fiona,
I also encourage you to get her on a very good probiotic, like Innate, if you have not done so already! My son also had massive excema that disappeared as well!!! It is so well worth all the effort when you see your children happy and healthy!!!
Kris, Guest Blogger and readers, here’s a recent, supporting article that comes from Huffington Post by David Perlmutter M.D., Board-Certified Neurologist and author of upcoming book, “Power Up Your Brain.”: “Gluten Sensitivity and the Impact on the Brain”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-perlmutter-md/gluten-impacts-the-brain_b_785901.html.
November 22, 2010