Question: Are food ingredients contributing to "ADD"/"ADHD?"

[Bamabuzzard]

How much of what's being put in our food do any of you think is contributing to seemingly 1 out of 2 kids/adults having ADD/ADHD? I know the cliche of "We didn't have this when I was young" has been beat to death but I seriously do not remember that many kids having the symptons of what we now call "ADD/ADHD". We had "bad", disruptive students no doubt but it just didn't seem to be at the alarming number it is today.

 

[WMack4Bama]

It absolutely is. And it's contributing to a lot of other stuff. Remember the post I had to you a couple months ago about my daughter going through pre-mature puberty. Cancer is another thing that I think our diets are contributing to our bad health

 

[Bamabuzzard]

It absolutely is. And it's contributing to a lot of other stuff. Remember the post I had to you a couple months ago about my daughter going through pre-mature puberty. Cancer is another thing that I think our diets are contributing to our bad health

Is it more of "what" we're eating or the ingredients the companies have changed in what we've always eaten?

 

[WMack4Bama]

Is it more of "what" we're eating or the ingredients the companies have changed in what we've always eaten?

According to this AMAZING documentary (I HIGHLY recommend it), it's the ingredients. Even the "ingredients" put into meat. It mentions how cows, chickens, pigs, etc. are fed corn. Not necessarily the natural food for either of them. Talks about how the government regulates and profits heavily from it. Really really good stuff, and helps you to really re-evaluate what you put into your body.

 

[Bodhisattva]

I was raised on nothing but soylent green and brawndo and I'm fine.

 

[BamaFlum]

As a teacher and a parent, I believe some of the ADD/ADHD diagnoses is related to poor parenting.

 

[SavannahDare]

Bad stuff goes in, bad stuff comes out.

FWIW, we definitely had ADHD kids when I was a kid in the early 70's. I remember my 4th grade teacher actually taping a boy in our class into his desk because he couldn't stay seated. It's always been around, just not given a name. Kids were just labeled "bad" or "dumb" or (my personal favorite) "socially retarded." The pace of our society, lack of appropriate levels of exercise and poor diet have all contributed greatly to making subsyndromal kids pass the threshold for diagnosis.

I believe ADHD is over-diagnosed, over-medicated, and that a good number of kids could be appropriately managed with behavioral interventions, discipline and a purging of sugar and chemicals from the diet. Also, it was in the 60's and 70's that the food industry started in earnest manipulating food content. I don't think that's a coincidence.

 

[WMack4Bama]

Bad stuff goes in, bad stuff comes out.

FWIW, we definitely had ADHD kids when I was a kid in the early 70's. I remember my 4th grade teacher actually taping a boy in our class into his desk because he couldn't stay seated. It's always been around, just not given a name. Kids were just labeled "bad" or "dumb" or (my personal favorite) "socially retarded." The pace of our society, lack of appropriate levels of exercise and poor diet have all contributed greatly to making subsyndromal kids pass the threshold for diagnosis.

I believe ADHD is over-diagnosed, over-medicated, and that a good number of kids could be appropriately managed with behavioral interventions, discipline and a purging of sugar and chemicals from the diet. Also, it was in the 60's and 70's that the food industry started in earnest manipulating food content. I don't think that's a coincidence.

Me too!!!!

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Somedays I dream of being "over-medicated"....

 

[RVTIDER]

Bad stuff goes in, bad stuff comes out.

FWIW, we definitely had ADHD kids when I was a kid in the early 70's. I remember my 4th grade teacher actually taping a boy in our class into his desk because he couldn't stay seated. It's always been around, just not given a name. Kids were just labeled "bad" or "dumb" or (my personal favorite) "socially retarded." The pace of our society, lack of appropriate levels of exercise and poor diet have all contributed greatly to making subsyndromal kids pass the threshold for diagnosis.

I believe ADHD is over-diagnosed, over-medicated, and that a good number of kids could be appropriately managed with behavioral interventions, discipline and a purging of sugar and chemicals from the diet. Also, it was in the 60's and 70's that the food industry started in earnest manipulating food content. I don't think that's a coincidence.

My teacher taped me up under her desk. I dont remember having a problem. I think she did it for a different reason

 

[bamanut_aj]

I was a 'hyper' kid, so mom wouldn't let me have chocolate, Coke, or too much sugar. Maybe it helped some, but even today I struggle at times with concentration.

I was seeing our church therapist earlier this year and she explained how ADD works, and it makes good sense. Basically, if I remember correctly, it's not that your brain is particularly over-stimulated, it's that a certain part of your brain just doesn't get moving, and needs a kick-start at times.

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Nothing.

 

[rizolltizide]

I was a 'hyper' kid, so mom wouldn't let me have chocolate, Coke, or too much sugar. Maybe it helped some, but even today I struggle at times with concentration.

I was seeing our church therapist earlier this year and she explained how ADD works, and it makes good sense. Basically, if I remember correctly, it's not that your brain is particularly over-stimulated, it's that a certain part of your brain just doesn't get moving, and needs a kick-start at times.

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Nothing.

That;s what I was going to say...back when I was a kid they were called "hyperactive". that probably wasn't clinical enough sounding.

 

[MegaVars]

Also, it was in the 60's and 70's that the food industry started in earnest manipulating food content. I don't think that's a coincidence.

Hey now, don't forget about the, uh, good drugs of the '60s & 70's. :biggrin2:

 

[ValuJet]

I seemed to have a big problem with retarded midgets when I was growing up.

Seriously a friend of mine prepares only gluten free dishes for her family. She claims one of her formerly ADD kids is fine now. She's done the research and swears by it. I have no clue; I guess I'm a 210 pound ball of gluten.

 

[twofbyc]

How much of what's being put in our food do any of you think is contributing to seemingly 1 out of 2 kids/adults having ADD/ADHD? I know the cliche of "We didn't have this when I was young" has been beat to death but I seriously do not remember that many kids having the symptons of what we now call "ADD/ADHD". We had "bad", disruptive students no doubt but it just didn't seem to be at the alarming number it is today.

You're dead on, BB, and it IS something, somewhere, that happened between generations; is it the widespread abuse of drugs? Is it the cumulative effect of a population that, by and large, drinks way too much alcohol and has for generations? Is it in the air? Is it in the water? Is it in the food?
I don't have the answer (may be all of the above, IDK), but there is something at play here.
My older brother is a biochemist by profession, and I asked him how many of the chemicals that are present in our world (everywhere) do we test for in drinking water, and his answer, after a long pause, was to the effect of "Not many".
We didn't have the problems with attention disorder in the number we do today, not even close. Something in our world is the culprit.

 

[MegaVars]

I seemed to have a big problem with retarded midgets when I was growing up.

They did seem to wear their jeans a little tight.

 

[AlistarWills]

Coaching some "ADD/ADHD" kids at my kids ball park, I think there is definately a "sorry parent" angle to some of it. Kids that need that tail lit up to get them in line. Unfortunately all you can do is make em run to wear them out and make them too tired to goof off. Then the kid thinks his coach hates him, so what do you do?
I have heard of people eliminating some foods from their kids diets (McDonalds) and it helping with their behavior. I asked some pointed questions from a person I heard talking about it and never got an answer, as to what all was removed from the childs diet. I also wonder if there are changes to the genetic code passed to the child from each parent, as a result of alcohol or recreational (or prescription) drug use. Possibly even canned carbonated drinks, or other food additives.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I wonder if Skinny Jeans is the problem?

 

[KrimsonNinja]

I just see ADD and ADHD as another way to make money. There are pills for almost everything now. One thing that might help is to have your kids do some actual work instead of having them play video games, watch television and get on the computer.

For adults with this "disorder" just get off your backside and actually go out and do something. Quit taking the easy way out and save your money for important things.

 

[SavannahDare]

Hey now, don't forget about the, uh, good drugs of the '60s & 70's. :biggrin2:

When I was running the inpatient psychiatric unit at Naval Hospital Great Lakes, you better believe I took noted of the very high number of recruits we had from California who had their first psychotic or first manic breaks in book camp. I became convinced it was all the drugs their parents and grandparents had done (and probably the kids themselves) over the years that shallowed that gene pool right the heck out!