Food Sensitivities and ADHD

Do you have days when you just don’t understand the way you react to some situations, or you just don’t feel on top of your game? For many people what they eat affects not just their gut and microbiome, it affects the way they process information, their emotions and emotional control as well as how their whole body feels. If you have ADHD these changes can be amplified even more.

In the past couple of years when we lived in isolation due to the pandemic, a lot of people have noticed things about themselves and their loved ones that went unnoticed prior to 2020. One this I have noticed an uptick in people being newly diagnosed with ADHD? I for one am a newly diagnosed mature woman with ADHD.

Since my diagnosis I have learned that a lot of older women are being diagnosed. Interesting! Why now? Well for me I was diagnosed as a result of my daughter who is in her late 30’s being diagnosed and learning there can be a genetic link. While we thought we were very different we actually share many of the same behaviours of ADHD. If you are interested in learning more about ADHD behaviours I recommend you read a book called ADHD 2.0. It was an eye opener for me, but that is not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about ADHD and how food affects people who have it, specifically food sensitivities.

My oldest grandson had some challenging behaviours from an early age. He was tested for food sensitivities when he was about 3 1/2 yrs. Once his gut had healed from eliminating those foods and foods were reintroduced, we soon learned that he could only tolerate eggs once a week, but if he had them twice he became angrier, it was harder for him to control his emotions and his reactions. Today, he is calmer, and more in control of his emotions and the way he reacts to situations.

At age 6 in Grade 2 he was officially diagnosed with ADHD. It didn’t answer all the questions but it sure explained a lot! What we discovered over the next years was that certain foods, more than just eggs definitely affected his behaviour, how he felt and this ability to focus and think.

My recent diagnosis made me reflect back on my life and wonder how thing might have been different. I have had food sensitivities all my life, but was self diagnosed with the wrong foods for over 30 years. It was only about 9 or 10 years ago that I had an actual food sensitivity test done and learned the foods that I am actually sensitive too! Since eliminating those foods, I can see now a distinct change in my behaviours aside from no longer having gut issues. I think I am calmer, I think clearer, I am less emotional and more relaxed and am better able to focus. In short, I think I deal with things better now than I did before those foods were eliminated.

If you ask Mr. Google about foods to avoid if you have ADHD, or think you do, you will get a wealth of information. The list varies website to website and they all have different foods on the list, but at the core is foods like gluten, eggs and dairy. Gluten, eggs and dairy are 3 foods that my grandson and I are both sensitive to. Other suggested foods are chocolate, soy, beans, corn, tomatoes, grapes and oranges for example. That could be very long list and you might react to some or all.

Doing an elimination diet yourself to learn what foods affect you, or self diagnosing is a challenge, because if you eliminate everything on their combined lists, it is hard to then narrow down what you specifically need to avoid, as you may not be sensitive to all of them. Then there is the problem of ingredient lists and making sure you are not getting unconsciously getting contaminated with something you are trying to avoid because you do not know all the ingredient names.
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So then what CAN you eat! It can be an overwhelming process. That is where having a coach/nutritionist to guide you comes into play.

First having a food sensitivity test done gives you a place to start by showing what your  body is reacting to a the moment, and then you need a plan of attack. How you are going to do this?That is where I come in as a Food Sensitivity Coach. I am able to order the testing, and put together a personalized plan to get your through the healing period, after which we work together then to challenge your body with the foods you have eliminated to find out ones you must continue to avoid. There is no question, it is a process, but you don’t have to do it alone.

You can make a difference in your life with the foods you eat, and I am here to help.

Contact me today through my website or by emailing me at [email protected] for more information.

You do not have to be defined by your symptoms, be them gut related or behaviour related you can make a difference in your future.

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Helping your Explore the World of Food
Certified Culinary Nutritionist and
​The Food Sensitivity Coach

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