Research in academic journals suggests that hyperactivity, inattention, and other ADHD symptoms can be triggered by artificial food additives, especially food dyes.
Artificial food dyes come from chemicals that were not meant to be eaten, and can affect the brain's functions in subtle ways when they enter the body.
How can you tell if artificial coloring is responsible for your child's ADHD? First, eliminate all foods with artificial coloring - you easily identify them by looking at the ingredients and checking for any colors.
Food dyes are always listed as a color and number, such as Blue #2 or Yellow #6.
After eliminating these foods for seven days, slowly reintroduce foods with additives.
Observe your child's behavior for the next three hours.
If your child becomes significantly more hyperactive, slowly eliminate foods that contain artificial additives.
Here are some tips that can help you get started.
Buy 100% fruit juice Fruit drinks, fruit punches, and soft drinks are all artificially flavored and artificially colored.
Instead of these drinks, buy 100% natural fruit juice from a health food store or squeeze out fresh juice from fruit.
If your child really must have soft drinks, Sprite or 7-Up contains the fewest artificial additives - but they do contain sodium benzoate and sugar, which are also known to trigger ADHD.
Bake goodies from scratch Those colorful cakes and cake mixes are loaded with artificial coloring.
By baking cookies and cakes from scratch, you can control the ingredients that go into your child's desserts.
Use pure vanilla extract instead of artificial vanilla or vanillin; not only are they safer for your child, but they also taste better.
Avoid colorful cereal As you have guessed, colorful cereal contains the most artificial additives and the fewest nutrients.
Instead of these, buy breakfast cereals free from these additives and make it more palatable by adding fresh bananas or blueberries.
Make sauce from scratch If you use store-bought salad dressing to spice up your greens, or if barbecue sauce is a staple ingredient in your cooking, consider making these sauces from scratch.
The use of artificial coloring is not limited to sweets - many commercial sauces contain Red #40 and a number of chemical preservatives.
Look beyond food Artificial dyes and flavoring can also be found in a number of personal care products like toothpaste, which can easily be swallowed by a child.
As with food, look at the labels before buying them.
Plain white toothpaste should be safe, and organic mouthwash is an excellent substitute for their dyed counterparts.
Many children's medicines also have artificial flavors and dyes.
Ask your pediatrician if there are additive-free medications your child can use in its place.
Artificial food dyes come from chemicals that were not meant to be eaten, and can affect the brain's functions in subtle ways when they enter the body.
How can you tell if artificial coloring is responsible for your child's ADHD? First, eliminate all foods with artificial coloring - you easily identify them by looking at the ingredients and checking for any colors.
Food dyes are always listed as a color and number, such as Blue #2 or Yellow #6.
After eliminating these foods for seven days, slowly reintroduce foods with additives.
Observe your child's behavior for the next three hours.
If your child becomes significantly more hyperactive, slowly eliminate foods that contain artificial additives.
Here are some tips that can help you get started.
Buy 100% fruit juice Fruit drinks, fruit punches, and soft drinks are all artificially flavored and artificially colored.
Instead of these drinks, buy 100% natural fruit juice from a health food store or squeeze out fresh juice from fruit.
If your child really must have soft drinks, Sprite or 7-Up contains the fewest artificial additives - but they do contain sodium benzoate and sugar, which are also known to trigger ADHD.
Bake goodies from scratch Those colorful cakes and cake mixes are loaded with artificial coloring.
By baking cookies and cakes from scratch, you can control the ingredients that go into your child's desserts.
Use pure vanilla extract instead of artificial vanilla or vanillin; not only are they safer for your child, but they also taste better.
Avoid colorful cereal As you have guessed, colorful cereal contains the most artificial additives and the fewest nutrients.
Instead of these, buy breakfast cereals free from these additives and make it more palatable by adding fresh bananas or blueberries.
Make sauce from scratch If you use store-bought salad dressing to spice up your greens, or if barbecue sauce is a staple ingredient in your cooking, consider making these sauces from scratch.
The use of artificial coloring is not limited to sweets - many commercial sauces contain Red #40 and a number of chemical preservatives.
Look beyond food Artificial dyes and flavoring can also be found in a number of personal care products like toothpaste, which can easily be swallowed by a child.
As with food, look at the labels before buying them.
Plain white toothpaste should be safe, and organic mouthwash is an excellent substitute for their dyed counterparts.
Many children's medicines also have artificial flavors and dyes.
Ask your pediatrician if there are additive-free medications your child can use in its place.