Say NO to Ritalin! The Indigo/ADD/ADHD Child’s Diet

It’s the dreaded Child Split Personality Syndrome – you’ve witnessed it but are you aware that you could possibly be the culprit of it all?! Unknowingly of course.
Let me set the scene.
Breakfast which consisted of bagels, with butter and jam, a bowl of sugary filled cereal and a glass of artificial fruit punch to wash it down, was finished only moments before. Your innocent, sweet, calm, cool and collected children have relocated to the wreck room and are sitting on the couch watching their favorite television show, giggling and playing cheerfully together. As you stand there observing your delightful bundles of joy you can not deny the feelings of love that wash over you. You are so delighted that you created these little holy terrors, I mean precious beings! It’s so sweet that it’s a Kodak moment!
BUT you better have your joggers on to run for the camera quick because in a matter of seconds your beautiful, precious children will have been transformed into she and he devils! What was once a beautiful Kodak moment has now been transformed into a hellish nightmare of yelling and screaming, kids jumping from couch to couch, your ears are shocked with high-pitched screams of pain as your eyes witness a flying chunk of hair! Then a crash, with a smirk and no feeling “Sorry mom, broke your favorite lamp!” As this adorable child superflies through the air once again!
And just think, a few moments ago you were thinking how cute they were and how you should probably give them another sibling?! But because of what you are witnessing the impulsive thought has vanished! Now you hear yourself screaming, “I brought you into this world, I can take you out!”
Ok so maybe you didn’t say it, but we all know you were certainly thinking it! … end of scene.
So what causes the fluctuation in our children’s behaviour?
Today, we will look at their diet. This article will focus on some dietary interventions for Indigos/ADD/ADHD children. These children are very sensitive people, they are sensitive to their environments, what clothes they can wear and the food they eat. In order for children (and adults) to focus, they need to have nutritious food that enhances their energy and concentration. Most children start their day by eating simple carbohydrates such as waffles, muffins, donuts, pop-tarts, bagels, cinnamon rolls and sugary cereals. (By the way, these products usually contain MSG. A little addictive additive that no one should consume! But that’s another article.)
It’s no wonder the majority of kids are behaving crazy and can’t concentrate in the classroom! They are bouncing from one end of the spectrum, high blood sugar levels, to the complete opposite of the spectrum, below normal blood sugar levels. This can be seen in their behavior. Simple sugars or simple carbohydrates stimulate the pancreas to secrete higher levels of insulin into the blood stream, causing the rapid absorption of sugar into the cells. This is the effect we refer to as a “sugar high.” The consumption of simple sugars can contribute to their behavioral ups and downs including anger, distractibility, aggression, impulsivity, hyperactive etc. to the opposite end of feeling spacey, tired, confused and inattentive. Hmm? I wonder if a change in diet is better than drugging our children with Ritalin? I’m here to say YES, it is!
Dr. Allen Buresz - "In 1996 the World Health Organization warned that Ritalin over-use has reached dangerous proportions. Hopefully, by being armed with correct information, you may be able to avoid using Ritalin or other similar medications. Use of these drugs on a long-term basis is questionable. Safety of such long-term use is simply unknown, but many dangerous side effects have been increasing. Ritalin, for instance, may provoke seizures and suppress growth, or it may cause angina, blood pressure changes, depression or any of a very long list of serious side effects."
Dr. Robert Mendelsohn MD - "No one has ever been able to demonstrate that drugs such as Cylert and Ritalin improve the academic performance of the children who take them.... The pupil is drugged to make life easier for his teacher (and some parents) not to make it better and more productive for the child."
I believe that food can be used as medicine and that our diet does matter very much! It does the body and mind good to avoid eating simple carbohydrates - anything made from refined or white flour such as pasta, bagels, white bread and cereals. Stop eating chemically harmful processed foods and pre-packaged foods. Do you know what is in them? It is imperative to start reading the labels of the foods you are feeding your children and yourself. I know, now you are thinking, great so what do we eat? Well we go back to eating the way we did before we went grocery shopping – organic and natural! There is likely an organic store right in your area. Bigger grocery chains usually have a “small” section of organic products. You can also grow your own fruits and vegetables! Start your own garden outside or buy pots and put them in your window sills.
It is also important to take a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement but beware of the dyes! Omega-3 oils, specifically fish oil, is probably the single most important nutrient for an Indigo/ADD/ADHD child to take. Dr. Stoll’s book The Omega-3 Connection is a highly recommended read! A Purdue University study showed that kids low in Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids are significantly more likely to be hyperactive, have learning disorders, and to display behavioral problems. Omega-3 deficiencies have also been tied to dyslexia, violence, depression, memory problems, weight gain, cancer, heart disease, eczema, allergies, inflammatory diseases, arthritis, diabetes and many other conditions.
Here are some food choices to implement in your home. This change being made inside your family unit is a lifestyle change. You need to do your part, if you child can’t eat something than your entire family should make the decision that neither can they. This will support your child in a very loving manner instead of making him/her feel like they are being punished. If your child feels that food is being withheld from them because they see you eating it, they will sneak the foods behind your back. How can you possibly tell a child that something is not good for them and you eat it?! You MUST lead by example especially with these kids!
The first most important substance that is required for the human body is water. Pure natural water and lots of it! Nutritionists recommend a minimum of 8 eight ounce glasses a day, more if you are active. That does not mean that you can consume eight mugs of coffee (for adults) or eight glasses of artificial juice and say well it’s made with water so I got my intake. Wrong! Pure water. Simple. There’s no way to get around it! It is best to avoid substances that dehydrate the body, like caffeine and alcohol. If you do consume dehydrating products than you need to consume even more water to flush out the toxins!
The diet will consist of protein, complex carbohydrates and fats. It is important to eat approximately every 2 to 3 hours, up until 3 hours before bed. This works out to eating approximately 6 times a day. Yes I know this sounds like a lot but really it isn’t because of the small portion sizes. When meals are eaten in this manner it actually boosts the metabolism so you will burn more fat! Your body stays fueled with the proper nutrients and never has the chance to go into starvation mode where it actually stores fat and begins to cannibalize itself eating the muscles for energy!
It is also important for your child to get daily exercise. This is becoming increasingly rare with all the new technological advances being made. Children learn by example. If you don’t exercise, in most cases neither will they. Start going for bike rides with them, or walks, swimming, skating etc. Make it fun! Life has become too serious. It’s time to slow down and enjoy your children. They are only with you for a short time. Enjoy it while you can, you only have a few years to make a great impression as a parent. Always remember that what you teach your children, your children will teach their children!
Every meal will consist of a protein, a complex carbohydrate and a vegetable. Eating in this manner requires discipline and planning ahead. Pre-cooking and pre-packaging for a few days really helps cut time down in the kitchen. The serving size of each will be the size of your palm. Example: You selected a piece of chicken for one meal, if you were to place the piece of chicken into your hand, it will not be any bigger than the size of your palm. The following lists are small helpful tools to get you started. They are by no means the only things you can eat!
Healthiest Quality of Proteins: The first two listed are the best choices (in my opinion) the following if you must consume animal product. If your child refuses to eat meat, please don’t force them! There are many other foods available that can provide the daily required protein intake.
• Protein Powder
• Soy-Based Products
• Egg Whites or Substitutes
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Orange Roughy
• Haddock
• Crab
• Lobster
• Shrimp
• Lean Ground Beef
Healthiest Quality of Carbohydrates: ORGANIC products are the absolute best and should really be considered! Please don’t load them with saturated fats!
• Baked potato
• Sweet potato
• Yam
• Steamed Brown Rice
• Steamed Wild Rice
• Oatmeal
• Barley
• Beans
• Whole-Wheat Bread
• Whole Grains
• Corn
• Strawberries
• Melon
• Apple
• Orange
• Pears
• Kiwi
Healthiest Quality of Vegetables: ORGANIC products are the absolute best and should really be considered! Please don’t load them with saturated fats!
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Green Beans
• Green Peppers
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Peas
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Artichoke
• Celery
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
Healthiest Quality of Fats:
Despite popular beliefs, not all fats are bad. Saturated fats are bad while unsaturated fats, in moderate amounts, can actually be good for you. For example, one of the reasons fish is such a healthy food is because it contains essential fatty acids.
• Safflower oil
• Sesame oil
• Avocados
You are your child’s earth guardian, change their diet and watch them blossom in every area of their life instead of poisoning them with drugs. It is time to take control of our lives and go back to the basics. Eat as natural as possible. You can find all sorts of great books out there with very healthy recipes. Do some research, your kids are worth it!
IMPORTANT: Use this information at your own risk. This information is not to be used in place of appropriate medical advice. If there are problems, always consult your physician.
If you have any questions please feel free to email me lisa@infinitylighthealing.com For more articles and healing tools, please visit my website. As always, keep smiling and play in love!