Gluten Free Diet and ADHD does it work?

I was wanting to put my 15 yr old son on a Gluten free diet and was wondering if in fact that it works. I really want to try this for my son and he wants to as well. I just don't know how to start it and where to find Gluten free foods. Instead of being on medicine the rest of his life.

Hey Emily,

I was in the same situation with my son, and I was against any meds. The treatments in this article really helped him.

Proven Methods For Treating ADHD
http://www.hearts-and-kisses.com/attenti...

You might try the Candida diet, which avoids all foods most people can be sensitive to, then they are reintroduced, gradually, to see the reactions. Read up on ADHD and Candida. It is a gut problem. Try reading the book, "Allergies and the Hyperactive Child", by Dr. Doris Rapp - used online sites. Be prepared for a possible escalation of symptoms on a temporary basis - whether behavioral or physical. This could last for a few days, and your son may need to be aware of this, since he will also need to deal with it.

Has your son been diagnosed with Celiac disease? Otherwise, I don't see how it could help his "ADHD".

Patients with Celiac disease are "allergic" to the gluten. Gluten is a protein in foods that have wheat. Patients with Celiac disease will have symptoms of abominal cramps, diarrhea, and other GI symptoms after eating foods with wheat.

In these patients (with Celiac disease), a gluten-free diet can improve those symptoms as well as "ADHD" (they never had ADHD if the symptoms of ADHD improved after a gluten-free diet).

I've seen many ADHD kids improve on a gluten free diet, BUT it is usually also casein free (milk protein) at the same time, often refered to as a GFCF diet. I've seen some take it one step further still and do GFCFSF (sugar free - making sure not to use sugar substitutes other than Stevia). I've also heard from parents that it is just a stop gap, and that often further intervention is needed to heal the body completely so special diets are no longer needed. These interventions often include vitamin/mineral combinations to help heal the body's processing of nutrients or heavy metal chelation.

I will say though, that I've heard of great responders to this, but have also heard of non-responders. Each person is different, and some may not be reacting to gluten/casein intolerances or excessive sugar.

Best bet, try it and see if you see any difference after a month. Give it a month though, as his system will need to clear out.

As a footnote, I will say that I've also heard of great responders to discipline routines - scheduling, timing and less mental time to ones-self. This is usually guided by a psych or social worker. It is what my s-i-l did for her ADHD son instead of drugs or diets, and it worked like a charm for him. They had a meeting with a school psych and got the detail from him.

I can only speak for myself and the students that I have worked with over the years..

I would suggest that if you feel your son as an allergy that you do go with a gluten free diet..check his progress and see if their are any changes ( there is no harm in it). Many health markets will have a certain section of gluten free products.

If that is not it, it could very well be something else..so many of my students have had allergies. The most prevalent ones being Red dye 40, dairy,MSG, or other artificial additives.

My son was diagnosed with allergies to wheat, soy, milk, peanuts, sugar (yes, sugar) and some other foods -- as well as molds. He was a super hyper kid and going on the diet did wonders. We were blessed to find an allergist who specializes in environmental allergies.

There is anecdotal evidence to suggest it helps 're-balance' the body. Google gluten free diet and foods to gain a better insight. Also just switching away from processed white flour and other rubbish is a good move health-wise, anyway. A high quality Salmon oil may also benefit him.

its really hard to follow and 4 bagles cost 10 bucks . Its alot of preparing from scratch and the food chioces are super limited

There's some research that a gluten/casein free diet can help adhd. But it's a tough diet, and it will be at least a few weeks before you can be sure about this. If gluten and casein are the culprits, there are likely to be withdrawal symptoms because the likely cause is a substance similar to opium which is produced as the first stage in the digestion of these proteins in everybody - if there is a leaky gut, this can leak into the bloodstream and cause many different effects.

As your child is 15, this can be explained to him, and he can tell you what he is feeling, which makes it both easier - and more difficult, as 15-year olds tend to be wayward anyway, just as part of growing up and taking their place in the adult world.

It's also best not to discontinue medication too quickly, as that can also cause withdrawal symptoms. It has to be done slowly under instruction from the prescribing doctor.

I do think it's worth trying, as the medication really doesn't have good long term effects. If the diet turns out not to work for you, at least you will have tried.

Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye and some other closely related grains. Casein is one of the proteins in milk and dairy products. Almost all processed foods contain gluten, casein or both.

Meat, fish and eggs are your main protein sources. You need fresh meat/fish, with no coating or sauce. Frozen fish products are pretty much all off the menu, and many frozen meat products as well, although you might find a gluten free 100% beef burger in some freezers.

Fresh fruit, vegetables, dried fruit, nuts without coatings, should all be gluten and casein free, but if they are in a packet, check the label in case something has been added that contains gluten or casein.

There are gluten free breads on sale at high prices, but you will most likely have to try many different brands before you find one you like, if at all. Real Foods Pty do Corn Thins, all except the multigrain are ok, and they make a good substitute for a sandwich with some meat, jelly or whatever you like on top.

I use rosti instead of bread for things that used to go on toast.

The best brand of pasta I've found is Orgran. They do a lot of varieties, although unfortunately my local stores only keeps spiral types. They do do other types, though, and I am prepared to bet their spaghetti is pretty good, judging by their other products.


Cutting out gluten and dairy is not an easy road, but you can start off by going back to traditional meat and two veg type dinners.

I can speak from experience about the diet - my son and sister have celiac (it's actually a gluten intollerance not an allergy.)

At first the diet seems hard....but over time a month or 2 it's second nature. And I have actually started eating gluten free too.
If he saw benefits it would be easy for him to stay on it.
There are plenty of GLuten free products at normal grocery stores - but we go to a health food store (whole foods) aabout every 30 or 45 days....for things like amy's frozen MAc n cheese, the best GF noodles and GF chicken nuggets.

A couple of points to think about - there's gluten and there's wheat - they are different. All wheat products contain gluten but all gluten products do not contain wheat....Rye, Barley and malt have gluten, but they are not wheat products.

A gluten free diet is slightly less convenient and slightly more expenive than a traditional american diet. Less processed foods....more make ahead of time things....no school baught lunches.

Biggest things that are missed - Pizza at a normal pizza place, ready made soft sandwich breads, and soy sauce at chinese restaurants (usually has been made with wheat)
Things that have gluten (but you wouldn't think they would) - Rice crispies....Corn flakes....most oatmeal....some ice creams...and some french fries at restaraunts ( mc donalds adds gluten to thier fries)

You can check alot of restaurants for gluten free info on thier websites.

little tricks eating out - To go Soy sauce in little packets is usually gluten free - see the ingredients to be sure. Order hamburgers without the buns and they are GF.

You have to think of the benefits.....that usually can take a month to materialize (weather celiac or not....) and you have to think of it as an adventure....or it will just seem too hard and easily given up on. Breakfast was hardest to find a routine......Cocoa pebbles....rice chex....Frozen Vann's waffles...certain brands of oatmeal. ANd Pamela's products makes great pancake and waffle mix that I use for practically all kinds of substitutions.....cookies, muffins waffles, corn bread, fried chicken, casseroles, roux for gumbo etc..... there are tons of gluten free mixes and alot of them taste like sand, you just have to find one that works for you. for us Pamela's is the best.

Check out some online resources.
http://www.gfutah.org/Starting%20the%20G...
http://www.ehow.com/how_4686387_start-gl...
http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/
http://www.dogtorj.com/

or there are many books on the subject too -
Kids with Celiac Disease : A Family Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy, Gluten-Free Children (Paperback)
Gluten free for dummies.


Good luck.