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Ask ten different nutritional expert what you should eat and you will get ten, often conflicting diet plans. Add Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to the mix and you will be even more confused.

Firstly ADHD is not caused by diet. There have been numerous studies over the years to support this statement. Does diet affect ADHD children? Of course. Diet, as in “what we eat”affects each one of us whether we have ADHD or nor. If you feel unsteady on a stairway, you grab the bannister to steady yourself. Likewise, if you child's (or your) brain chemistry is off kilter with ADHD, favouring healthy foods engenders equilibrium.

Providing a healthy diet and environment is most pleasurable and the least invasive way of caring for your loved ones and yourself. The information given in this article need not be exclusive for the use of the ADHD child, but all members of the family will benefit from making this subtle yet effective change to their daily eating schedule.

The diet for the ADHD child is the bedrock on which you need to build all other therapies. It is no use adding a handful of supplements to your child's diet, if their actual daily intake is not meeting the basic recommended dietary intake (RDI's) for their age. Supplements, added to a balanced healthy diet will be much more effective if taken with good food, than as an isolated tablet.

The ADHD child's response to therapies like occupational - and physiotherapy will be more beneficial. If the child has the necessary energy resources to draw from during a therapy session. If your child requires medication to treat her ADHD symptoms, starting off with a sound, healthy dietary platform, will only enhance the effectiveness, concentration and participation in class, is a lot more probable if your child has eaten a healthy, well balanced meal ( this is true for all children, not just children with ADHD).

Allergies and their relation to ADHD have been studied extensively. So let's just briefly unpack this before we go into the details of some healthy diet tips. Children and adults, who have allergies be they to foods, additives or the environment, are not generally happy people while their allergies are aggravating them. A child who has rhinitis (runny nose) and is constantly sniffling and coughing due to aggravation of a post nasal drip, will struggle to sit still and focus on what the teacher is saying or the work he should be doing. The distinction needs to be made between food allergies causing ADHD versus the symptoms of the allergy exacerbating the symptoms of ADHD. If you suspect your child has allergic tendencies to certain foods, then you need to get that seen to by taking your child to a specialist or undertaking an elimination diet under the advice of a trained professional.

Having said this changing diet is a process and not like taking a pill. It takes time, commitment, patience and more importantly 'buy-in' from the family members.  When changing eating habits, it is important to involve the family members and give explanations. Children respond well when they understand. Children are also extremely trusting and if the change can make sense they will generally give it a good try. When making changes to the diet, it is important to observe he context of the whole change process. For example if you cut out chicken from your child's diet, it may not be the lack of chicken that is causing irritability and discontent. It might be that you took away all her favourite meals in one shot and she is a little upset about it. Looking at the whole picture is necessary and moderation is always good.

Wanting your child to eat a well is one thing. Getting him to do so is another. As already mentioned, the best way to get your child to eat well is to eat well yourself. That is having good food at hand and minimizing the less healthy choices. Letting your child help prepare food magically whets her appetite. Creating something yummy is empowering no matter what your age.

Daily food to include:
Good Starches: If you take a lot of sugary treats such as sweets, fizzy and sugary cool drinks, cakes and biscuits. It will cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fall due to the insulin (hormone to break down sugar) levels that will rise and fall. This constant up and down will result in mood changes and irritability . When children get a blood sugar drop, unlike adults, they will try and feel better by getting busier and will do whatever it takes to stay alert. This often results in over compensation.

Offer low Glycaemic carbohydrate foods as often as possible like seed bread, rise, pasta, Provitas, etc. Foods are clearly labelled with a Low Glycaemic index labels and these should be foods of choice for you ADHD child.

Limit fruit juices to one glass of diluted fruit juice per day. Eat whole fruits instead. Aim to include 2-3 fruits per day. Offer water for thirst. Iced rooibos tea mixed with a little pure juice is another refreshing option.

Remember that it is the Glycaemic (sugar) portion of the whole meal hat is important to control. By combining a protein with a carbohydrate, the protein will help stabilise the blood sugar levels. When it is unavoidable and the only starches available are high on the Glycaemic index (such as while hot dog roll or a tortilla) add protein to help keep the balance.

Good proteins: Have a serving of protein rich food at every meal and snack, especially breakfast. Healthy sources of protein include eggs, fish, meat, cheese, soy beans, nuts and peanut butter. Healthy snack options are cheese sticks and biltong slices.

Veggies: Use a wide variety of vegetables and prepare them in diverse ways. Aim daily to include 3 different colour vegetables. Crudités and dips are fun for children and make for easy nutritious snacks.

Vegetables versus fruit eaters
Some kids love their cooked veggies ,but other struggle with salads and fruits. Others will eat salads and fruits but turn their noses up at cooked veggies. Aim not to make an issue of their respective dislikes, rather applaud them for the food they do eat and doe a food challenge with the ones they find more difficult to consume. For example, if you have a child that struggles with vegetables, you could make Monday green vegetable day where you and your child choose one green vegetable he is prepared to try. Then come up with a creative way to prepare and eat the veggie of choice.

Good Fats: There are twenty different fatty acids needed in your body. These are all made from linoleic acid and linolenic acid. These two fatty acids are essential. You must get them from foods you eat because your body is unable to manufacture them. Another name for the linoleic fatty acids is Omega-6 fatty acids. The linolenic fatty acids are commonly known as Omega-3 fatty acids.

Your brain is 60% fat – and DHA (an Omega-3 essential acid) is the most abundant fat in your brain. It is also the most abundant fat in breast milk, since babies need it to nourish their growing brains and eye development. Omega-3 fatty acids seem to be important for the connections between brain cells and the helping the transmission of brain signals travel correctly.

Low levels of this Omega-3 fatty acid have been linked to an increase in dementia, mood changes, memory loss, and visual problems. Studies done at Purdue University showed that the children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have lower levels of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Sources of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6): Omega-6 is amply supplied in the typical Western diet.

Good sources of Omega-3 essential fatty acids in food are nuts, soya beans, canola oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil. Fish especially cold water fish such as salmon, bluefish, herring, tuna, cod, flounder, mackerel and shrimp are also good sources.

Food to limit in the daily diet:
Avoid any food that you have confirmed that cause an allergic reaction in your child. Common allergen containing foods are wheat, dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, soya and fish.

Stimulants (including any food, beverage or soda which contain caffeine). Caffeine may appear to keep you more focussed, but in the long run decreases the food the blood flow to your brain and makes attentiveness worse. Caffeine interferes with children's sleep and a study published recently in the paediatric journal cited children who drank caffeine rich drinks slept less, woke up more frequently in the night and were more tired in the day.

Food additives, preservatives and colourants have been shown in more studies to have a detrimental effect on health and behaviour, (not only the behaviour of ADHD children). Keep it simple and the rule of thumb should be: go as natural as possible the majority of the week. Avoid ”biggies” like MSG , tartrazine, sodium benzoate and sulphates most of the time.

Other general tips:
Routine:
We all need and like routine. For the ADHD child, routine is critical in helping him keep his world in order. Routine in eating is critical to maintain constant blood sugar levels and energy levels.

Sleep:
A good nights sleep equals a bright, happy and alert child. Many parent complain that their children don't eat breakfast and one of the reasons for this is that their children are still tired in the morning when woken for school. Try to get your child to bed earlier so that they can wake up earlier and be more 'metabolically' ready for breakfast.

Regular meals:
3 main meals and 3 significant snacks are important in every child's day. This provides regular fuel for their metabolism and prevents low blood sugar and unhealthy snacking.

Lastly keep food fun and without stress. Good healthy fresh food, tap water, exercise, sunshine and lots of laughter will be a good start in helping your ADHD child get the best out of life.

So what should a school lunch box look like?
Option 1:
Carbohydrate:                              Pita pocket with
Fat:                                                  1 TBSP mayonnaise
Protein:                                          Shredded chicken breast (leftovers)
Vegetables:                                   Cut up tomato and cucumber in pita
Fruit:                                               SAD fruit bar (without sugar)
Treat:                                              125ml low fat banana yoghurt
Fruit Juice/Drink:                         Diluted fruit juice (Liquifruit/Ceres/Pure Joy)

Option 2:
Carbohydrate:                              Brown hot dog roll
Fat:                                                  2 TSP Canola Margarine
Protein:                                          Tuna
Vegetables:                                   Sweet corn
Fruit:                                                Melon cubes
Treat:                                              Cereal bar
Fruit Juice/Drink:                         Yoghurt drink

Option 3:
Carbohydrate:                               4 provitas spread with
Fat:                                                   Canola margarine
Protein:                                            3 TBSP grated mozzarella cheese
Vegetables:                                    Peeled baby carrots 
Fruit:                                                 1 apple
Treat:                                               Nut trail mix
Fruit Juice/Drink:                          You can use Junior Ceres fruit juice as a quick option

This article originally appeared in Special Kids second edition.