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Kids on ADHD Meds


Lydia37

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Does anyone have a kid on ADHD meds?  My 7 year old son is on Focalin and it speeds up his metabolism.  He does not like nuts, meat or starchy vegetables.  He will eat them if there is no other choices and he is really hungry.  We are on day 8 and he has not cheated at school.  He frequently barely eats breakfast and comes home with 1/2 his lunch uneaten,  This morning he woke up tired, cranky, lethargic and in pain.  I'm concerned he is not getting enough carbs and am wondering if anyone else has had this situation.  We are thinking about adding rice and cheese back to his diet because we are not sure what else to do.  Any ideas?  

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you are on day 8. 8 days is not enough time for anything to work. I would recommend giving it 30 days on plan, and see how it goes--don't give up before the magic has a chance to happen! If he needs more carbs, feed him more vegetables and fruit. It may take time before he realizes you will not give in and starts eating properly, but that will never happen if you give in now.

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Hi Lydia!

 

I know that life with a behavior-intense kid can be really rough, and I think it's fantastic that you're giving this a go with him!  I think the key is in something you said: he will eat them if there are no other choices. If I were in your situation, I would make meat and veggies and fruit the only choices for awhile (or at least wait to give him fruit until he eats his meat and veg).  Once he learns that you're not going to give in, he will likely eat.

 

Caveat: Kids with severe ADHD and other behavior disorders are of a different type. Only you, and your kiddo's behavior specialist, can know if their condition is severe enough to over-ride the basic survival instincts all kids have. Some kids will legitimately starve themselves because of the way their brain is working. If you feel like this is the case with your son (you don't mention how severe his ADHD or if he has any co-occurring disorders like ODD), work with your doctors and give him the best choices you can. Try to identify some food triggers and avoid those.

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My kids both have severe adhd in the form of fetal alcohol syndrome.  See the "this is hard" post.  Each day I try again.  I started them on whole30 but eased up to gfcf, permitting them to eat rice and corn.  They were absolutely out of control this weekend.  I am trying the build up the energy to get them back onto paleo or whole30 to see if I can get their hyperactivity under control.

 

My daughter was on quillivant for a while.  She responded extremely poorly to it, with insomnia and poor appetite/ upset stomach.  I discontinued the drug and decided to pursue a fetal alcohol diagnosis for her, as those children respond poorly to stimulants, and different drugs are used to suppress the hyperactivity.

 

Our world is out of control right now.  I do think the diet is worthwhile, it's just whether you have the energy to stick to it or not.

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I hate to be nosey, drtracyb, but what exactly do you mean that your kids/world are "out of control"?  I don't know much about fetal alcohol syndrome, so I have no idea how the two are related either. 

 

Again, I'm sorry if this is too personal.  I'm just a little confused by what you mean here.  Either way, I hope things are going better!

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Fetal alcohol syndrome causes severe hyperactivity and lack of impulse control.  Affected children may have "normal" intelligence, but the alcohol exposure in utero affects the part of the brain that controls the understanding of consequences.  My children were adopted from Russia four years ago.  My husband and I are older and had told the agency we did not believe we could handle a special needs child.  Our children were given to us as "healthy" children.  On the surface, they are.  Laughing bundles of energy they are.  However, their energy means they NEVER SIT STILL.  They NEVER STOP TALKING.  Their little minds come up with the most ridiculous, stupid things you could imagine a child could do to get themselves in trouble.......

 

So my husband and I spend our lives now trying to figure out a way how to just get some peace and quiet.  How to get these children to the point where they can be self-sufficient adults.  All those kids who are being sent back to Russia or turned in to social services because their families cannot handle them anymore - they are most likely drug- or alcohol-exposed prenatally.  These children have irreversible brain damage that is invisible and does not respond to standard parenting techniques.

 

It's not a fun way to complete your family, I can tell you that.  But they are mine, and for the most part, worth it.

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Hi,

 

My children both have significant ADHD. I have found that they do definitely need more starchy veg and lots of fat.  They don't love the starchy veg that much either, but it keeps appearing on their plates. I am always drizzling ghee or herbed olive oil on their food, and am constantly shoving coconut milk at them. (I do admit that I often make smoothies to put in their lunches - coconut milk and fruit. I know it isn't W30 approved, BUT if my kids truly follow every rule of W30 they lose weight, and they really can't afford to. Sorry mods. I don't want to be a bad example. Our family is a little weird, metabolically speaking and otherwise.)

 

Good luck.

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I don't have any trouble getting the meat into the kids, but they hate sweet potatoes and other vegetables.  I've had to resort to hiding vegetables in food.  I do blanch a few baby carrots for their lunches with the request that they eat at least one.  We made paleo pumpkin bars (not whole30) for Thanksgiving, which the kids loved.

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KellyF - I don't think it's being a bad example, it's just whether a whole30 forum is the appropriate venue to discuss paleo kids.  I choose to post here to provide a record for other parents, but there are probably paleo parent sites too that ultimately are a more appropriate venue for this discussion.

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Not everyone here is doing Whole30, some are post-Whole30, I find the notes really useful when people talk about non-Whole30 things, reminds me to do it too :)

 

My sister is a veggie hater and she grates raw zucchini into wet-type sauces like a tomato-based curry while cooking. It makes it thicker, but you can't tell it's veggies.

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That makes me feel better.  We go in and out of being compliant, as I am still trying to see if it makes a difference.  My children are currently so hyperactive that we can't even bear to be around them.  Let's pray that strict compliance will bring them back to bearable.

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Thanks, we are.  My daughter just got diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, too.  Their hyperactivity does does not respond to the regular stimulant adhd meds so we will see the neuropsychologist to get on meds next week.

 

Meanwhile, I am continuing Paleo on them.  Their hyperactivity seems much improved if I stick to Paleo.  When I add some gluten free grains to their diet, it does seem that their activity level worsens.  I am working on Paleo-compliant breads and treats because I don't believe I can keep them whole30 compliant and happy.  But in a post-whole 30 forum, that is ok.  :-)

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Thanks.  We made paleoparents pumpkin pucks last week and the kids loved them.  I made some cranberry lemon muffins in bar form and they loved them too.  I do make various forms of date/nut balls.  So we're doing ok.  I let them have some homemade popcorn last week and they got hyper within the hour.  My husband let them eat Pirates Bootie from Trader Joe's and it had the same effect.  The good thing is that we are narrowing down the list, since we are already on such a restricted diet.  Their teacher knew to automatically put me up as the volunteer to bring m&m candies for cookie decorating for the Christmas party, since she knows I always run out to Whole Foods to get the natural dye-candies.  So we're getting there.  Except my husband isn't fully on board yet, and it seems every time I have to leave them in his care, he lets down his guard and some form of gluten or dairy crosses their lips.  I fully believe they are better on grain-free.

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Drtracyb, We are in similar situations. My kids don't have FAS, but they spent the first 9 months of their lives in a poor orphanage with not enough nutrition or attention. It wasn't intentional, just a shortage of means. Their birthmothers had no prenatal care either. My kiddos have  developmental delays and raging ADHD.

 

While our son responds well to meds, our daughter does not, and I have found an organic, paleo diet to be absolutely crucial. My kids react to dairy, grains, additives, pesticides, colorings, you name it. We really pay dearly when we off road, but it has taken my husband a long time to fully realize it. He still wants to treat them to pizza and ice cream. It is a process.

 

Good luck with continuing to narrow down your list.

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I think it's extra hard with kids, no one wants to feel they are denying kids some treats or fun, or being "mean".

 

But if the changes are positive, stick with it as much as you can, it'll pay off.

 

My life has never been better since I ditched the grains and it took me over 35 years to figure that out :)

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KellyF- since your husband wants to give them pizza, have you tried a meatza? There is a recipe for one in WellFed, that is dairy free (no cheese) and I know there are several on line (you can check out marks daily apple--that is where I found them originally) It is basically a pizza using ground, seasoned meat for the 'crust' and it is par baked a bit and then you top it with what ever toppings you like and then bake until done--around 20 minutes or so. My husband thought I was bonkers the first time I made it but he prefers that over regular pizza now. And for ice cream--what about a coconut milk/fruit concoction? I know it isn't whole 30, but it has to be better for your kiddos than regular ice cream. 

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Spin, thanks for the tips. I haven't tried the meatza. I'll have to look it up in Well Fed. We have, however tried lots of frozen banana concoctions. Frozen bananas have a creamy texture when put in a blender. I've made fruit flavors and chocolate. They like it ok, but still want ice cream.

 

We are working on it. My husband is inching closer and closer.

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Alexander is desperate for bananas.  We have gone weeks without them and he still begs for one every time he sees one.  When I am sure I have the kids stimulant free, I will do a food trial using bananas to see if he can have them.

 

Both kids got started on Ritalin, which seems to help a bit.

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