Add – Treatment Through Nutrition

In previous articles we covered what ADD is and how to diagnose
it In this third instalment we’re going to begin a series on
how to treat ADD
ADD can actually be battled from many directions There are
drugs, behavior modification, nutrition, exercise, and a number
of other things that can be done to combat ADD in both children
and adults
In this article we are going to choose the natural route first
and discuss proper nutrition which can have a huge effect on the
behavior of someone suffering from ADD
One of the main contributing factors to children who suffer from
ADD is when their blood sugar level, or glucose level becomes
too low This causes them to become sleepy in class and then
ultimately restless because they are bored Glucose is extremely
important in determining a child’s attention span This may
sound clichéd but the most important meal of the day is
breakfast and glucose should be a part of every child’s
breakfast This will ensure that the child’s blood sugar level
is maintained throughout the day Kids who skip breakfast tend
to have a shorter attention span and a harder time remembering
things
Next is vitamin B Vitamin B is needed because it helps to
release the energy in glucose Without the proper amount of
vitamin B in the diet a child can become aggressive and
depressed There are 12 essential parts to vitamin B so it may
be difficult for a child to get all the vitamin B he or she
needs just from eating, even though cereal is a good source of
vitamin B To supplement the rest a good multi vitamin capsule
will do the trick
Also very important is iron Iron aids in transporting oxygen to
the blood system and the individual cells, most importantly,
brain cells Not enough iron in the diet results in anaemia,
which is very common in children who don’t have a balanced diet
Anaemic children, as well as adults, are very tired and don’t
have the energy to do the things that want to or need to do
Good sources of iron are red meat, tuna, chicken and vegetables
like broccoli
Folic acid is also essential as this helps in the formation of
red and white blood cells Not enough folic acid will also make
a child feel tired, irritable and forgetful Fruits and
vegetables are good sources of folic acid
Zinc is needed to maintain communication between the brain cells
and the nerve cells Zinc deficiencies can cause your child to
have difficulty in solving academic problems, which can lead to
frustration for the child, therefore bringing on ADD symptoms
Zinc can be found in cereals and peanuts
Vitamin A is important for the nervous system Vitamin A also
helps to strengthen vision Many times a child will have
problems in school because of impaired eye sight Vitamin A can
help to improve the eye sight which in turn will lessen the
child’s frustration Vitamin A can be found in carrots and many
orange or yellow fruits like bananas
Proper nutrition is an essential part of a child’s health
whether he or she has ADD or not But in children with ADD,
proper nutrition is critical
In the next article we’ll cover other treatments for those
suffering from ADD

Tags | attention, behavior, diet, glucose, harder, multi, nutrition, result, vitamin