Thanks to Loren Shlaes of the PediatricOT blog for the heads up on this article
Editor’s Note:   I think most for most therapists and pediatric clinicians, this article won’t be “news” but it is surely worth sharing with parents.
[Source:  The Atlantic.com]

There doesn’t seem to be one particular kind of diet that works best for treating the symptoms of ADHD, but unhealthy food could be a culprit.
While there doesn’t seem to be any one particular diet that works to treat the symptoms of ADHD in children, a review of the research on various dietary regimens suggests that plain old healthy eating may work the best.
Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, a neurologist, and Michelle M. Yee, a nurse-practitioner, both researchers at Children’s Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University in Chicago, reviewed 70 studies dating back to 1976 on the use of diet and dietary supplements for the treatment of ADHD.
The Feingold Diet, popular in the 1970s, advocated the avoidance of foods like lunch meats, hot dogs, soda, apples, grapes, anything with orange or red food coloring, and certain food preservatives. Symptom relief was claimed in over half of hyperactive children treated with the diet; however, subsequent controlled studies did not show the diet to be effective. In their review, the authors stated, “An occasional child might react adversely to dyes and preservatives in food and might benefit from their elimination,” and suggested that parents who wish to try this approach need patience, perseverance, and frequent evaluation by a supportive physician and dietitian.
Read the Rest of this Article on The Atlantic.com