Does food affect a child's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Let's see what the Feingold Diet is (Feingold Diet)

Does your little one have a hard time sitting still and studying? Or is he/she inattentive and a bit mischievous? As parents, we feel sad and responsible when we see things like this. Some parents think that the food and drink their child eats can also affect this. Based on such an idea, today we are talking about a special diet that we believe will help children with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities.

Simply put, what is the Feingold Diet ?

The Feingold Diet is a dietary regimen that completely eliminates certain foods and their ingredients from a child's daily diet. To be precise, it's called an 'elimination diet'. The proponents of this diet believe that artificial food coloring, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and even certain chemicals naturally found in some fruits and vegetables can exacerbate a child's attention and behavior problems.

What things need to be removed according to this method?

In this diet, some foods have to be completely avoided. These can be found not only in food, but also in the medicines and toothpastes that the child uses. Therefore, you need to be very careful about this. You can understand this clearly from the two tables below. In addition to these artificial ingredients, this method also removes foods containing salicylates , a special chemical found in some natural foods.

How do you do this diet?

This diet is done in two main stages.

Stage 1: Complete elimination of food

In this phase, all the foods and substances listed in the above tables are completely eliminated from the child's diet. This can be a bit difficult, as many foods fall into this list. Some people who follow this method say that they have seen a positive change in their child's behavior and attention span within a few days.

Phase 2: Re-introducing food

After the first phase, the foods that were eliminated are reintroduced to the child one by one, very carefully. Imagine that you are acting like a detective. You only introduce one food at a time. For example, you can give the child an apple and see if there is a change in their behavior for a few days. You see if the previous symptoms such as mischievousness and lack of attention reappear. If so, we can think, "Oh... this is the type of food that my child does not like." This way, we can find out exactly what foods are harmful to the child and what foods he is sensitive to.

Does this really work? What is the scientific basis?

This is the most important question. The Feingold Diet was introduced in the 1970s by Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a former pediatrician and allergist in the United States. The results of the research on this are really mixed. Some studies say that this method can help reduce ADHD symptoms in children who are particularly sensitive to these foods. But this is not something that gives the same results for every child . Even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that things like artificial colors can only cause adverse effects in children who are genetically sensitive to them. That doesn't mean everyone.

Other things to consider besides the Feingold Diet

If following a specific diet like this is difficult, there are other good habits that are beneficial to the child's overall health.

• A balanced, healthy diet: Research has shown that children who eat a lot of packaged foods, foods high in sugar and salt, but low in nutrients like omega-3, fiber and folate, are more likely to develop ADHD. Similarly, children who eat a diet rich in fish, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains are less likely to develop ADHD. So, it's always best to feed your child as much natural, homemade food as possible.

• Blood sugar control: Giving your child something like fruit or yogurt instead of artificially colored toffees, biscuits, or sweetened drinks can help prevent sudden spikes in blood sugar levels . Keeping blood sugar levels stable in this way can also help control ADHD symptoms .

• Be careful with gluten: Another small study found that about 15% of children and adults with ADHD also have a condition called celiac disease. This is a condition in which the body cannot digest gluten, a protein found in grains like wheat and barley. When these people are given a gluten-free diet, their attention and behavior problems have improved to some extent. While this may not apply to everyone, you may want to talk to your doctor about this.

Finally, there are many factors that can affect a child's behavior and learning. Diet is just one of them. Therefore, before trying anything, especially before making a major change in diet, it is essential to seek advice from your family doctor, who knows your child best.