Gluten and ADD

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tjsoccermom
tjsoccermom Posts: 500 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a 13 year old that has Tourette's Syndrome and ADD. He is not medicated because many of the ADD meds have an adverse affect on the ADD and the med he did try he didn't like the side affects. I've read a few stories on line about switching to a gluten free diet and how it helps those with ADD. Wondered if anyone here has had any experience they could share. It would be a very difficult switch as he's a picky eater but I'm certainly willing to try anything that might help him to be successful in school, etc. Thanks in advance for any advice you might have!

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Gluten can cause so many issues that if you think it may help then I'd give it a try. I've had digestive issues and been diagnosed now as gluten intolerant. I always thought it was just a gut thing but I can't believe how many other issues I've had went away with the elimination of gluten. It's really not that drastic of a change to not eat it if you can give up breads and cereals. It does require more home cooking but the majority of "real" foods don't contain gluten.
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
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    Gluten can cause so many issues that if you think it may help then I'd give it a try. I've had digestive issues and been diagnosed now as gluten intolerant. I always thought it was just a gut thing but I can't believe how many other issues I've had went away with the elimination of gluten. It's really not that drastic of a change to not eat it if you can give up breads and cereals. It does require more home cooking but the majority of "real" foods don't contain gluten.

    Why give up bread etc just go Gluten free!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Gluten can cause so many issues that if you think it may help then I'd give it a try. I've had digestive issues and been diagnosed now as gluten intolerant. I always thought it was just a gut thing but I can't believe how many other issues I've had went away with the elimination of gluten. It's really not that drastic of a change to not eat it if you can give up breads and cereals. It does require more home cooking but the majority of "real" foods don't contain gluten.

    Why give up bread etc just go Gluten free!

    Gluten free bread products contain so much sugar and crap to make them taste decent they generally aren't worth eating plus they are outrageously expensive.
  • jellybeanhed313
    jellybeanhed313 Posts: 344 Member
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    Gluten can cause so many issues that if you think it may help then I'd give it a try. I've had digestive issues and been diagnosed now as gluten intolerant. I always thought it was just a gut thing but I can't believe how many other issues I've had went away with the elimination of gluten. It's really not that drastic of a change to not eat it if you can give up breads and cereals. It does require more home cooking but the majority of "real" foods don't contain gluten.

    Chex makes AWESOME gluten free cereal. I love the cinnamon chex...tastes just like cinnnamon toast crunch. Also, makes the most amazing "krispy treats"! Also, Udi's brand gluten free bread is awesome, as well as the gf light sandwich bread from whole foods(their brand).
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Gluten can cause so many issues that if you think it may help then I'd give it a try. I've had digestive issues and been diagnosed now as gluten intolerant. I always thought it was just a gut thing but I can't believe how many other issues I've had went away with the elimination of gluten. It's really not that drastic of a change to not eat it if you can give up breads and cereals. It does require more home cooking but the majority of "real" foods don't contain gluten.

    Chex makes AWESOME gluten free cereal. I love the cinnamon chex...tastes just like cinnnamon toast crunch. Also, makes the most amazing "krispy treats"! Also, Udi's brand gluten free bread is awesome, as well as the gf light sandwich bread from whole foods(their brand).

    Isn't all Chex gluten free? Because it's rice...
  • asimmons221
    asimmons221 Posts: 294 Member
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    Well my girlfriend always had stomach problems, on top of allergies to dairy, garlic, and mushrooms. Most of the time you could hear her stomach working and rumbling, but since she has gone gluten free she hasn't had a problem digesting at all as long as it doesn't involve garlic or dairy. As far as it helping ADD, I'm not sure. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was a kid and hated taking Ritalin. I probably am a little ADD, but manage fine with out medication, one thing I have noticed is that my focus is a lot better when I'm eating healthier, so it may be worth a try with your kid. It def wouldn't hurt.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Gluten can cause so many issues that if you think it may help then I'd give it a try. I've had digestive issues and been diagnosed now as gluten intolerant. I always thought it was just a gut thing but I can't believe how many other issues I've had went away with the elimination of gluten. It's really not that drastic of a change to not eat it if you can give up breads and cereals. It does require more home cooking but the majority of "real" foods don't contain gluten.

    Chex makes AWESOME gluten free cereal. I love the cinnamon chex...tastes just like cinnnamon toast crunch. Also, makes the most amazing "krispy treats"! Also, Udi's brand gluten free bread is awesome, as well as the gf light sandwich bread from whole foods(their brand).

    Isn't all Chex gluten free? Because it's rice...

    No, they use barley malt as a sweetener. Same with Rice Krispies. A simple change that no one wants to make.
  • Steve339to162
    Steve339to162 Posts: 2 Member
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    The only way to prove you have Celiac’s is with a biopsy of the upper intestines via an endoscopy. The endoscopy procedure will not be requested by your Dr. unless he test positive for certain blood antibodies so the blood work is first. My son had the procedure in January this year and tested positive for the antibodies and then also with the endoscopy, he has been on just every ADD drug on the market along with anti-depressants and anti-seizure meds since he was 10, (He is 17 now). He is completely drug free after removing gluten and dairy from his diet! It was an incredible change in his personality and energy. He still struggles with concentration at school and homework but I believe this will improve over time since he was basically in a medical comma for 6 years. The removal of dairy was due to his breakout of acne and dairy was the cause. All in all the removal of gluten and dairy has changed his life. It did not happen overnight and he has a long way to go but now that he is on a healthy eating plan and working on his school work I am confident he will be drug free the rest of his life! –PS… it takes 6 months to get gluten out of your intestinal track, can you believe it! The wheat we eat today is not the wheat our Grandparents ate!
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    The only way to prove you have Celiac’s is with a biopsy of the upper intestines via an endoscopy. The endoscopy procedure will not be requested by your Dr. unless he test positive for certain blood antibodies so the blood work is first. My son had the procedure in January this year and tested positive for the antibodies and then also with the endoscopy, he has been on just every ADD drug on the market along with anti-depressants and anti-seizure meds since he was 10, (He is 17 now). He is completely drug free after removing gluten and dairy from his diet! It was an incredible change in his personality and energy. He still struggles with concentration at school and homework but I believe this will improve over time since he was basically in a medical comma for 6 years. The removal of dairy was due to his breakout of acne and dairy was the cause. All in all the removal of gluten and dairy has changed his life. It did not happen overnight and he has a long way to go but now that he is on a healthy eating plan and working on his school work I am confident he will be drug free the rest of his life! –PS… it takes 6 months to get gluten out of your intestinal track, can you believe it! The wheat we eat today is not the wheat our Grandparents ate!

    The wheat and sugar we eat today isn't even the same stuff we ate as kids!!!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i have a wheat allergy (determined by blood test) and was diagnosed ADD back in grade school. i've taken ritalin and adderall in the past but stopped once i found good success managing my ADD with some dietary and behavioral modification stuff.

    some of the dietary stuff i do is have caffeine during the work day since that's really when i need to have focus. fresh fruits and veggies also help. behavior wise i'm very organized with lists and i also have time management things i do (both of which i seriously advise any ADD school aged kid to learn how to do ASAP). i also make sure to get up and walk around a couple of times an hour (once again this is at work) in order to take little breaks plus i'm usually working on 2-3 things at a time, completing those then moving on to 2-3 other things.
    once again most of that is for my work life, Mon-Fri . Sat -Sun i dont care and can be as unfocused as i want :laugh:
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    I'm going to make this short because I could easily write a book. I have a "spirited" child and I have noticed a HUGE difference since cutting out grain (all, except she can have rice and popcorn about once per month), legumes, veg/seed oils, sugar, and limiting dairy and processed foods. The school says they support me but they choose to continually feed her the things that we do not eat and then I am still being called to the school because of her behaviour. The FOOD matters, but most people just can't believe it.

    Anyway, I really think that Paleo lifestyle is a complete WIN for behavioural and health problems (yup, let the ridicule begin!). I would argue that behaviour and psychological problems are actually symptoms of REAL PHYSICAL health problems, usually nutrient deficiency ( and gut flora is part of that). Check out the Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natascha McBride-Campbell. One thing I don't totally understand is the plan to add all the foods back, but at least that way you would see what foods cause what specific reaction. I will never again eat wheat and my child can make her own choice about it once she moves out.

    You do not have to nail down a diagnosis of Celiac's disease to head down this path. It's extremely under diagnosed and you can know immediately if the wheat is bothering your child just by eliminating it for a short time. Nothing bad will happen from eliminating wheat! I promise! I'm not diagnosed with Celiac's disease and yet my and my child's health improvements, if I were to list them here, would fill this entire page.

    PS. "Gluten free" processed foods are worth avoiding too. If you really want to see improvements in your child, go gluten free but also prepare most of your own foods and get educated on food additives. My child is sensitive to more things than gluten: artificial sweeteners, legumes, flavourings, colourings, etc.
  • mrsjones2point0
    mrsjones2point0 Posts: 332 Member
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    You may want to also consider Dairy free (as someone else stated they had). My severely ADHD son is so much worse when he's on Diary, sadly he loves the stuff and sneaks it behind my back - and of course his grandmother doesn't believe me so she buys the kid all kinds of yogurt and milk based products because "that's just silly" - besides, he's 16 and he knows it all anyway, and I'm wrong.

    I would love to get the kid to go Gluten free and see what it could do for him.

    Good luck to you!

    I strongly support your effort - but remember, it's not immediate results, it takes a while to get all that crap out of his system that was already there.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    you can try and see how it goes, but make sure your child is still taken in enough calories. It's something that is seen with kids who have allergies or other food related illnesses, that those kids are smaller then their age mates.

    My son is allergic to dairy (anaphylaxis) and he's always been small and only now I realised that this was because he ate a healthy diet that simply didn't have enough calories. Both milk and cheese (and chocolate and ice cream) do add more then just calcium to a child's diet. In the last 6 months we have increased his overall calories and he's had a major growth spurt and doesn't look like the wind could blow him over.

    Gluten is in a lot of carbs and it's easier to hit higher calories with carbs then it is with protein, so I would investigate some good replacement products as well. Korean Rice cakes (not the sweet ones, the savoury ones) are a good replacement for pasta if you are not a fan of the 'gluten free' ones.
  • mungowungo
    mungowungo Posts: 327 Member
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    Bumping because this interests me.

    I also have a 13 year old son diagnosed with ADHD. He is currently on Concerta. He went through a really bad patch when I separated from his father and became violent. The paediatrician prescribed him with an anti-psychotic - he was hearing voices. Only problem with that is that the anti-psychotic made his hunger uncontrollable and he put on 20kg (that's over 40llb) in 6 months before this he was a skinny kid. He's now off the anti-psychotics because the weight gain really hit his self esteem hard and if anything this made his life more difficult.

    I'm gradually trying to reduce the amount of processed food in our diet to see if that makes a difference. I'm even considering getting a goat for the milk - he also absolutely loves anything dairy.

    I would be really interested if anybody has personal experience with eliminating certain foods and how it worked for them.
  • Wilhellmina
    Wilhellmina Posts: 757 Member
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    I got ADD and am gluten intolerant. In all honesty when gluten was eliminated from my diet my mind is still bouncing in every direction except the right one :)
  • coral_b
    coral_b Posts: 264 Member
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    I work with children with additional needs and from experience many of them suffer with food intolerances that REALLY alter behaviour. Dairy is the most common. You're definitely doing the right thing by looking into it more! You could get intolerance tests that highlight some triggers- surely this way school HAVE to support you. Definitely try altering different things, Gluten is a pain because it's in so many foods that you wouldn't expect. I have IBS and cut out all gluten and dairy for weeks to test which food triggered pains. It's geared at IBS but if you look at the FODMAP diet it may help you find gluten free/dairy free meals that you could adapt and make child enticing! Good luck x
  • tjsoccermom
    tjsoccermom Posts: 500 Member
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    Thank you so much for the replies (and private messages too!). I've talked to my son and he's agreed to try gluten free starting in January. I'm hoping that we'll get to see some positive results quickly, as I don't think he'll stick to it for long if not. Tried to talk about dairy free, but that's a no go for now. We all love our dairy around here, especially cheese and milk, plus his doctor had mentioned the he should be drinking a lot of milk for the calcium and vitamin d, so he and my husband are taking that like it was God's word, although I think we could find substitutes. Anyway, we'll start with the gluten free and hope to see results in 30 days or he might give up, even though I have read it can take 6 months. I think it would be helpful for all of us, and I'm sure we'll all end up with less gluten out of it anyway since that's how I'll be cooking our dinners. I might even try going free as well. Thanks again! You were all very helpful.
  • coral_b
    coral_b Posts: 264 Member
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    If you'd like any tips for gluten free meals feel free to message me- rice, quinoa and potato became my staple carbs! Rice noodles are also amazing ( both for weight and gluten free option) Be careful with condiments as many contain gluten. as for dairy- I can't blame him!! Cheddar has less lactose than most cheeses, and opt for greek yoghurt where possible. Good luck and well done for being a pro-active parent with something so challenging.

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