Introduction
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the worst neurobehavioral disorders that affect young children, and research studies have proven that there is a specific genetic component attached to ADHD that has about 76 percent heritability. Therefore, the ADHD disorder not only affects children, but their parents and siblings as well since it is hereditary.
Theories the study is based
The research is based on Feingold diet theory, which asserted that there are some food combinations and food additives that lead to ADHD. Feingold found that some behavioral problems diminished among asthma patients, those with hives and other allergic reactions upon prescription of dietary changes (Graham, 2008).
The need for investigation
It is a serious medical concern that ADHD disorder can only be treated, but there is no cure for it. This prompted the need to investigate ways through which parents can treat their children, and possibly avoid foods that affect children with ADHD.
Since very little is known about the cure for ADHD disorder, prevention would be the best alternative. In addition, there is a knowledge gap on the number of children who suffer from ADHD (Ermer, 2010).
Definition of terminologies and concepts
As discussed earlier, the synonym ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The concept ADHD can as well be understood in terms of its symptoms awareness. Some of the major symptoms that can be seen in children include impulsiveness, lack of concentration, distractibility, lack of attention, and very high activity levels.
However, a parent should never conclude that his/her child has ADHD before consulting a qualified medical practitioner since it has been found that many children whose parents thought to be suffering from ADHD were merely active or at times very spirited (Harvard Mental Health, 2009).
The basis for the chosen strategy
The chosen strategy is to criticize the basic assumption, which is not founded on thorough research that ADHD has no cure, but little studies has been carried out on foods which effect children with this disorder that is currently taking enormous toll on many families with their children.
In fact, many children have lost their self-esteem, fallen behind in studies and would need more help. Therefore, it is not important to conclude that ADHD has no cure, but to investigate the foods that effect children with this disorder (Pelsser, Frankena, Toorman, Savelkoul, Pereira & Buitelaar, 2009).
Moreover, ADHD has made many families to suffer also since they must keenly monitor the activities of their hyperactive children because they are not often welcome in teams and other people’s premises due to their impulsive behavior.
The needs of the affected children are critical and their parents with other members of the family are often exposed to constant stress when dealing with the effects of ADHD, a disorder that might have occurred as a result of foods taken, and the children would be saved by simply avoiding such diet (Lyon, 2011).
Though many children can outgrow the ADHD and even learn to manage the symptoms, it is very unfortunate that they continue adulthood, a situation that makes it difficult for them to actively engage in community projects and succeed in careers. Many children who persisted with ADHD into adulthood often find it difficult to form and maintain their families.
In fact, without early preventive measures and treatment, adults suffering from ADHD would be prone to drug and substance abuse, excessive alcohol and consumption, and imprisonment. And, foods that children take should be thoroughly checked at early stages so as to avoid ADHD occurrences (Restricted elimination diet in children with ADHD, 2011).
Main arguments/findings
The numbers of children who suffer from ADHD are not yet known with some levels of statistical accuracy, and often the estimates about children under school-age stand at 3 to 5%, while some diagnostic surveys put the estimate at 20 percent among some population samples. However, research findings ascertain that on average, one child in the US classroom suffers from ADHD, and this puts demand for food analysis (Spencer, 2009).
Many researchers have generally agreed that ADHD is a genetic disorder, but little do they know that the kind of foods taken contribute a lot to this disorder. Focusing on the genetic analysis, when a child suffers from ADHD syndrome there are high chances that his/her kids risk having the syndrome (Restricted elimination diet in children with ADHD, 2011).
According to Feingold’s diet study, about 30 to 50 percent of hyperactive patients under study were found to be the beneficiaries of diets without artificial flavors, artificial colorings and some natural chemicals such as salicylates that found in berries, tomatoes and apricots. And, to support Feingold’s dietary findings, many families with hyperactive children reported some improvements on their children.
Such dietary revelations rendered many ADHD families drug-free since they got some relief by avoiding certain spicy foods (Wigal, 2009). However, Feingold’s critics did not welcome this claim, and these included food processing industries, pediatricians and experts of child-behavior saying that Feingold’s claim was not backed by controlled research and were merely parental observation (Williamson, 2008).
This dietary breakthrough could be attributed to mere wishful thinking and not absence of some food chemicals. This prompted more scientific researches and controlled food experiments (Stevens, Kuczek & Arnold, 2011).
And, to support these scientific research findings, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted similar researches and concluded that certain foods and food additives affect some children with behavioral disorders. Among these foods that cause reactions are chocolate, wheat, eggs and dyes. However, controlled studies revealed that there was little association between Feingold’s diet and hyperactivity decrease.
In fact, Feingold’s diet research suffered some major drawbacks in that it tested only the effects of dyes on hyperactivity and not other foods or food additives that are likely to promote the behavioral disorder. Apart from just highlighting foods and food additives that cause hyperactivity problems, it is important to study some of the best diet therapy (Harvard Mental Health, 2011).
Though certain stimulant drugs are prescribed for ADHD treatment, psychologists, pediatricians and psychiatrists often prescribe training in parenting skills and behavioral counseling. Ritalin is the most frequently prescribed methylphenidate drug for ADHD treatment, but other behavioral problems can be treated using other drug prescriptions.
The choice of Ritalin is based on its high effectiveness in reducing ADHD symptoms and treating many children across the globe, and its little side effects. However, it can cause mild stomachache, loss of weight and insomnia.
Though, stimulant drugs are effective in ADHD treatment, researches have failed to prove that they have long-term effects on the nervous systems of children who are exposed to them for a long time. It is due to these uncertainties about the effects of the stimulant drugs that parents should embrace diet treatments for their children (Natalie, 2010).
Though research findings support the use of stimulant drugs in ADHD treatment, the behavioral disorder can be best prevented by avoiding foods and food additives that cause hyperactivity among children. Children are often affected by food chemical ingredients that lead to reactions. Therefore, it is the duty of parents to identify specific foods and food additives that lead to hyperactivity in their children.
However, foods and foods additive generalizations should not be made because the behavior of children is variable, and this requires parents to come up with only specific diets that affect their children (Stevenson, 2010). This is the most challenging task for parents since it is not easy to control the behavior of their children once they reach school-going age.
This is because foods that contain dyes and ingredients resulting into hyperactivity disorders are often available in schools, restaurants and supermarkets. Besides, it is a major challenge because children are often attracted to such foods, though there are alternatives, they do not want to eat what their friends do not like, and at times they might feel stigmatized or even left out (Pauli-Pott, Albayrak, Hebebrand & Pott, 2010).
Arguably, some parents do not always put their kids on special diets since they respect their children’s demands to feeding on flavored and colored foods. On the other hand, parents who have made attempts to engage their kids on special diet programs have discovered dietary changes that make them less hyperactive, thus making them healthier (Williamson, 2008).
Some of these parents have engaged their older siblings in campaigns against certain food ingredients, and this can involve actions such as reading labels to certain foods and food additives. However, it is not ever child that can respond positively to dietary therapy.
It has been found that pre-school children show more positive response to dietary therapy than old children and this is also seen among those who are suffering from hives, asthma, hay fever, and eczema. And, since stimulant drugs are not the best in ADHD treatment, dietary therapy can be used on them for treating the disorder (Pelsser, Buitelaar & Savelkoul, 2009).
Critically, this research has failed to reveal whether the effectiveness of dietary therapy is associated to a child’s age or the type of his/her behavioral disorder. Therefore, more researches should be conducted in this area to determine whether there are some linkages. In comparison, using dietary therapy is safer and cheaper than that of stimulant drugs for ADHD treatment.
Though, artificially colored foods are more nutritious than natural foods, they do not promote treatment of behavioral problems. In addition, it is important to carry out some analysis to find out if modified diet can help in ADHD treatment (Coryton, 2011).
It is absolutely not possible to think that trying modified diet can make a hyperactive child any better. Indeed, foods that contain artificial dyes and colorings are not definitely good for a hyperactive child.
The list of foods to be avoided includes, but not limited to artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, and saccharin. Also included in the list are artificial colorings such as vanillin, BHT and BHA preservatives. ADHD patients should also avoid consuming foods that contain benzoic acid or sodium benzoate (Curtis, 2008).
The following table shows a list of foods that must be avoided since their effect on children promote ADHD.
Foods Not Allowed.
Though, the table act as a guide to a child’s eating habit, the most important thing to observe is behavior improvement to stick to the diet. Parents should always try to eliminate those foods, which affect their children’s behavior.
However, there are certain cases when a child’s behavior fails to improve at the introduction of the initial diet, and in this case apparent should know that the child is definitely insensitive to the food ingredients (Wender, 1986). Precisely, if the child continues with the hyperactivity disorder upon his/her abandoning the initial it means that some of the prohibited food ingredients are still finding their way into the child’s diet.
However, some situations can be different since it is not only food ingredients that lead to hyperactivity disorder. Some of these health disorders could find their roots from the mind, and in such cases it is important to consult a psychologist or a psychiatric (May & Kratochvil, 2010).
It is also critical that initial dietary changes can persistently fail to yield some success towards treating ADHD disorders, and doctors to recommend that parents should try eliminating different kinds of foods that are meant to be avoided. Some of these foods to avoid would involve the elimination of calcium propionate that is found in baked products, corn sugar, corn syrup, and sodium nitrite.
This exercise should be repeated for many times since it is not easy to know what kinds of foods that a child negatively reacts to negatively. In a child’s diet, parents should avoid those food additives and artificial colorings that lead to hyperactivity. Therefore, it is important to feed a child on fresh meat, vegetables, fruits, poultry, oats, and rice.
However, vegetables such as soya beans and corns should be eliminated in the child’s diet to reduce cases of hyperactivity (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2009). Besides, citrus fruits are not good because they promote ADHD. It is important to note that all these should be undertaken under the guidance of a nutritionist.
Medical experts such as allergists can be contacted once someone undertakes the elimination diet on a child who suffers eczema and other allergy disorders (Stevenson, 2010). Importantly, good nutrition is not only recommended to those children with ADHD disorders, but parents must make sure that their children are put on proper diet.
Most children eat foods with a lot of fat, sugar and salt contents that deny them essential vitamins and mineral salts which are found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
Many children are not good role models to their children because they are not keen on what they eat a situation that has made many children to be careless in their eating patterns. It is important to emphasize to the parents that their children’s present and future health is pegged on healthy diet (Newcorn, 2009).
Knowledge gaps
ADHD persists among many children and families because significant numbers of doctors still lack the technical expertise of diagnosing ADHD using blood test and brain scanning, and they resort to a child’s behavior observation, parents interview, discussing with teachers, and using behavior checklists as means of diagnosing ADHD (May & Kratochvil, 2010).
Even though, many researchers are currently working on some of the most reliable and appropriate diagnostic tools that can be used in determining metabolism and brain structure differences, which exist between the ADHD affected children and those who are not, still there is little breakthrough in this area of study.
References
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