Feingold Diet
A healthy eating plan to help children with ADHD.
BACKGROUND
Children are being diagnosed with learning disabilities more and more often these days. The reasons are often complex. One possible cause is their diet. First published in the 1970s by Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a pediatrician and allergist, The Feingold Diet, also known as the ADHD Diet, addresses these concerns by eliminating the foods with manmade additives.
Some parents have found that introducing a different diet, one rich in natural foods and avoiding the popular processed additives, can help alleviate their child's symptoms.
PRO
The Feingold Diet has documented scientific studies to support its stances
The website has plenty of success stories posted
Could help children with ADHD
CON
Very restrictive
It's difficult to completely avoid food additives
Carefully read all nutrition and ingredient labels
Does not provide any exercise guidance
DIET and NUTRITION
It's primarily about what you don't eat with The Feingold Diet. The program eliminates the following additives:
- Artificial (synthetic) coloring
- Artificial (synthetic) flavoring
- Aspartame (Nutrasweet, an artificial sweetener)
- Artificial (synthetic) preservatives BHA, BHT, TBHQ
To help you navigate the cans and can'ts of eating with the Feingold Diet, the good doctor released The Feingold Cookbook for Hyperactive Children. Not only does it educate you on the foods to avoid, but also suggests meals and recipes that the entire family will enjoy.
EXERCISE
There's no formal exercise program on the Feingold Diet website, however, it is addressed in articles.
CONCLUSION
As with most diets that may very well be perfectly healthy, The Feingold Diet does have some detractors. But, if you can find the discipline to avoid food additives, and stick to foods in their more natural state, it seems like a difficult approach to argue with.
Common Misspellings
fingold diet, fiengold diet, feingold adhd diet, feingold add diet, adhd diet, add diet
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does anyone know the website for the feingold diet?? if so, could you please email me at
my son was diagnosed as hyperactive and he only followed this diet and regular chiropractic adjustments to keep him on track. Had no need of any drugs to numb him
The Feingold diet has been nothing short of a miracle for our family. My autistic son is very sensitive to salicylates and additives. Since starting the diet, he sleeps soundly through the night, and has had NO behavioral outbursts, which would include hitting, throwing things, biting and pulling hair. The difference in this child's behavior is incredible. Feingold has done what numerous doctors and medications have failed to do...give us a happy, peaceful home.
It's great that the organization provides a lot of detail. I still think a responsible consumer would read the food labels- especially when it concerns the food you're putting in your children's bodies. This review is great, and I agree that the things we avoid feeding our children can have a tremendous impact on their health.
I'm sure Jane meant to give the website you can find this information on. I wonder why it did not print. In case this comment form cannot take URL's, you can go to ADHDdiet dot ORG for more information
Happily you do NOT need to read labels and restrict your diet; volunteers at the non-profit Feingold Association have been compiling this sort of information for the past 33 years. See for details on the Foodlist books, fast food information, newsletters, helpline, etc. etc.
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