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Nutrition, Supplements and Vitamins

Nutrition, Supplements and Vitamins2013-01-20T10:23:50+00:00

The Forums Forums Tools, Techniques & Treatments Diet Nutrition, Supplements and Vitamins

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  • #118558

    ADDled
    Member
    Post count: 121

    In a lot of the information I’m seeing about reducing the impact of ADHD symptoms recommend the addition of vitamins, minerals (such as magnesium, zinc, etc), increasing proteins and reducing carbohydrates.

    I also understand that consuming more protein-rich foods in the AM help to maintain focus longer before noon. It has also been suggested that protein helps ADHD meds metabolize easier.

    Because it’s not always possible to have, say bacon and eggs every morning, does anyone have experience or a “well formed opinion” about the use of protein supplements for this reason? They are available at health-food stores and places like GNC here in Canada that sell nutritional supplements and sports nutrition.

    Would a protein shake in the AM provide the necessary “boost”?

    Just wondering

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    #118607

    Patte Rosebank
    Participant
    Post count: 1517

    Dieticians advise that you eat high-protein & high-fibre at breakfast, to keep you feeling full, to give you sustained energy until your next meal, and to get your metabolism going for the day.  The same applies for lunch.

    Beware of meal-replacement drinks.

    Calories consumed in a liquid do not register as a meal, in your brain & stomach.  So you’ll soon feel hungry again.  Worse, you may end up eating even more, because your brain & stomach think that you skipped a meal!

    Also, dieticians agree that you’re much better off getting your nutrients from the foods you eat, than from supplements.  Your body was designed to get all of its nutrition from food, not from pills & powders.

    If your diet is not balanced (guilty!), then you may need some supplements.

    Iron is a common one, and Vitamin D (especially during the winter, when there isn’t much natural sunlight).

    But you should be getting all the protein you need from meat, nuts, soy, fish, dairy, etc.  A protein shake or supplement is just an expensive marketing gimmick.

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    #118609

    ipsofacto
    Member
    Post count: 162

    I eat a very healthy diet, but still need to supplement. research has shown that people with ADHD are more likely to be Mg deficient that the general population. So I think there is more than just diet involved. Not that that isn’t important, but sometimes it is just not enough. Medications and other medical conditions can make make deficiencies even worse.

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    #118610

    Anonymous
    Inactive
    Post count: 14413

    If you can afford it at all, I’d really recommend getting a full blood workup to test for levels of various things such as vitamins and minerals. Then you know where you’re starting from, and what you need (or need LESS of).

    A good portion of people (up to 30-40%, depending on where you are) need some kind of B-12 supplement. Unless you live in the tropics, you probably need a D supplement from about October-March.

    I’ve been eating 99.9% vegan for a few years now, started out not losing any weight, was up to 225 lbs. and an awful body fat percentage. Vegan by and of itself is not necessarily healthy, Swedish Fish are vegan too! My diet right now consists mainly of fruit, usually with something savory for dinner, like a salad and some brown rice. I’m down to 155 with about 8% body fat and have been pretty stable at that weight for over 2 years now. Normal breakfast for me is 8-10 bananas and a few strawberries or pieces of mango, usually in a smoothie. When the mood strikes I’ll have oatmeal with a tiny bit of hempseed oil and a little honey (hence the 0.1% non-vegan). The vast majority of my calories come from carbs, with whatever proteins are available from the plants I eat and as little fat as I can comfortably swing. I always have plenty of energy both for working and exercising, and I’m in pretty good health for my age. Obviously I don’t ever have bacon and eggs for breakfast, and I don’t take any kind of protein shakes or supplements. If I have nuts or seeds, I try to keep them to a very small handful per day, max. Other than Vitamin D, I don’t take any supplements at all, and I get my levels checked every 3 months to make sure I’m not getting too much or lacking in another vitamin or mineral.

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    #118623

    ADDled
    Member
    Post count: 121

    8-10 bananas for breakfast? Really?

    The idea of a fruit smoothie sounds appealing (no pun intended). Most of what has been suggested by everyone here I already do. Mg, Zn, omega3, B-complex, vitamin D are already part of the program. I think I need the advice of a nutritionist who understands the needs of someone like me that has ADHD, depression and anxiety.

    The consensus seems to be to avoid meal replacements and protein shakes which now sounds logical. But in talking with another health care professional, her advice was that minerals such as Mg and Zn derived from food only is not enough to maintain body metabolism and should be augmented. She believes that current agricultural practices are leaching these minerals from the soil and are not supplying enough.

    I just had another blood test done, this time to check thyroid function. There seems to be a lot  of research that the thyroid controls not only metabolism, but that thyroid abnormalities can contribute to worsening the effects of ADHD or even mimic ADHD symptoms.

    http://connect.additudemag.com/groups/topic/Very_confused_Thyroid_and_ADD/

    Thanks, all

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    #118626

    Anonymous
    Inactive
    Post count: 14413

    @ADDled – Yep, lots and lots of bananas! In the summertime, I can easily go through a 40-lb. case in a week. Most of the produce we buy comes from a restaurant supply wholesaler.

    As far as the soils being leached of Mg and Zn, that’s utter nonsense spread by people who have no idea about farming. Magnesium is an important plant nutrient, Zinc less so, but farmers have their soil tested often, and it’s in their interest (actually critical to their survival) that they amend their soil as needed. There is a lot of information out there stating that adding Dolomite lime adds too much Magnesium, but actual studies have not borne this out in most circumstances. If the soils were deficient in either of this minerals, crops would have obvious problems. In lots of places in the US, there is a near-excess of Mg naturally occurring in the soil. I’m a Master Gardener and I used to do a show on food and gardening 3 times a week, so I try to keep up on the best and latest information from reputable sources. The main concern with non-organic commercial agriculture is pesticides and the use of chemical salts as fertilizers. I put most of my effort into building a healthy living soil, the plants tend to take care of themselves if you’re successful.

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    #118630

    ADDled
    Member
    Post count: 121

    I couldn’t ask for more of more of an authority on the subject that you!

    Thanks for helping me correct my assumptions

    Take care…

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    #118633

    Patte Rosebank
    Participant
    Post count: 1517

    @Gardener, if you’re eating 8-10 bananas for breakfast, you’re definitely not going to have a Potassium deficiency!

    I prefer my bananas just on the cusp between green & yellow.  Any riper than that, and they’re too ripe for me.  (I’m so finicky, Morris takes lessons from me.)

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    #118640

    Anonymous
    Inactive
    Post count: 14413

    @ADDled, not an authority at all, just something that I’m really interested in.

    @Larynxa– Just call me Special K! I like my bananas with a few freckles, too green and they don’t seem to digest as well for me. Always organic, horrible amounts of fungicides on regular bananas, and the difference here is only ten cents a pound. Have to post some photos of the banana trees (they’re not actually trees, they have no woody mainstem) in my in-laws’ yard. Wish I could grow them here.

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    #118665

    terican
    Member
    Post count: 2

    Hi Everyone. I am new to posting in any forums although I have benefitted from reading all your comments for a couple of years now! This is a very interesting thread! I have been using coconut oil because of the fact that it raises HDL cholesterol and is fabulous to cook with because it can be heated at a higher temperature than olive oil. Reading all your posts I was reminded that when I first started taking omega 3 fatty acids, I also had the sensation of clearing the fog from my brain. I noticed the positive effects within ten days. I think it was wild salmon oil then. I was encouraged to try it by a Dr. Michael Lyons who wrote a book called Healing the Hyperactive Brain. He has ADD, is a medical doc and researcher, and has a son with ADD. He wrote a second book called ‘Is Your Child’s Brain Starving’ where he gave account of his entire family going on an elimination diet (he keeps it simple) After two weeks they began re introducing various foods back into their diets. When wheat was reintroduced, his 17 year old BMX champ son developed eczema on both arms. Previously he had eaten wheat at every meal without any visible symptoms. Staying off wheat was a key for his son in his management of his  ADD. Dr. Lyon understands that there is a place for drugs in treating ADD, but also treats with nutritional plans and elimination diets and often the meds are reduced or eliminated.  I went to Google to make sure that I had his name and title of book correctly spelled for you, and I found a gold mine of information at the link I have posted below! I have bookmarked it for myself. There is an 80 min talk by Dr. Lyon there as well as a way to access the parts of  his talk that you want to access in a hurry later. He is a very entertaining and informative speaker. I have a great deal of pleasure sharing this information with you all. http://archive.org/details/ADHD-IsYourChildsBrainStarving

     

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    #124516

    helenboll
    Member
    Post count: 29

    I take Eye Q at the moment, witch is Omega 3 and 6. Not sure if it helps the ADD-symtoms, but it makes my belly feel a lot better. Both Venlafaxine and Strattera are messing with it.

    I take vitamin D when I remember to. Now that we are trying for a baby, my mom tells me to start eating some stuff, something called folsyra in Swedish.

    I have had a really difficult time eating well the last couple of years. My depression removed all appetite, and I had to force myself to eat something, anything. Still have that feeling sometimes.

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    #124536

    blackdog
    Member
    Post count: 906

    @helenboll

    The folic acid (folsyra) is very important during pregnancy and it is probably a good idea to get a head start. So listen to your mother and eat your green veggies, like I am sure she has always told you to do. 😉

    I am terrible at remembering to take any kind of supplements. Just this morning I thought when I woke up that I should take my ” Stresstabs for Women” (B vitamins, folic acid and iron). But I forgot all about it until I read this. I’ll have to try to remember to take it when I’m done here. It’s even harder to remember because I don’t take them all the time, just a few days a month.

    I try to take vitamin D too, since I don’t get much sun, but I rarely remember. It pretty much has to be right in front of me. I have to keep my Vyvanse on the coffee table right where I set my coffee down every morning so that I see it first thing. And even then sometimes it takes awhile for me to remember to take it.

    Depression does make it harder to eat right. I rarely stop eating completely, just when the depression is really severe, like when my dad died. But sometimes I just can’t be bothered getting anything that involves any work. I’d rather just eat a donut or a cookie. If I didn’t have to cook for other people I might live on junk food.

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    #124538

    helenboll
    Member
    Post count: 29

    Ok, thanks @blackdog-gie. =) I think she mumbled something about buying them for me.

    I lived on roast beef-sandwiches in the sommar of ’12. That and water melon. Chips. 😀

    I have a three week-pill box that I bought on ebay for my meds. It’s really clever, ebcause you see if you have taken them or not. This one!

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/21-Slot-7-Day-Colorful-Pill-Tablet-Drug-Box-Case-Organizer-Container-Holder-/121209799637?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c38aac3d5

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    #126192

    kc5jck
    Participant
    Post count: 845

    A new study has found that eating breakfast, especially foods rich in protein, increases the levels of a brain chemical (Dopamine) associated with feelings of reward, which can help reduce food cravings and overeating later in the day.

    http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/10/18/breakfast-boosts-dopamine-helps-regulate-overeating-and-cravings/76300.html

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    #126195

    Patte Rosebank
    Participant
    Post count: 1517

    Something else about protein for breakfast…

    There’s an Anti-Jet Lag Diet that I follow when I travel to different time-zones, to reduce symptoms of jet lag. A big part of it is having a high-protein breakfast and a high-protein lunch (to rev up the brain and the energy levels), and a high-carbohydrate dinner (to calm the brain and make it drowsy).

    The Protein-Protein-Carb system really does have an effect on a person’s brain and energy levels. Whether or not you’re travelling to another time zone.

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)