In the Netherlands, about four percent of children between the ages of 4 and 12 have ADHD symptoms. According to the CBS, these are 50,000 to 60,000 children. It concerns symptoms such as impulsivity, hyperactivity and concentration problems.
Limited menu
Floris Smit followed the diet to combat these symptoms. He was only allowed to eat a handful of ingredients. “In the beginning I was only allowed pepper, salt, turkey, cabbage and rice,” he tells EditieNL. “I did that for a week and then we started trying more and more things in a certain order.”
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Then the results were examined. Floris kept track of how he felt on a calendar. “I was doing well. I was calmer than before.” Normally he had trouble concentrating, but that also got better.
Fewer Symptoms
Floris says that he now feels just like the other children. “It’s kind of normal. That’s really nicer, because that way I can get higher grades, concentrate better and make more friends. Now others think I’m less weird.”
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His parents also noticed the positive effects of the diet. “He no longer takes medication. It is really unbelievable,” says mother Maaike. “We think it’s great how well Floris perseveres in this diet. He notices immediately when certain foods trigger him, so that also helps him to persevere,” adds father Thijs.
Saartje Hontelez, researcher at Wageningen University and Research, also sees that the diet produces positive results. “We see in a large number of children that they respond very well to the diet and that they no longer fall into the ADHD category,” she tells EditieNL.
brain activity
The study looked at the relationship between the activity of different parts of the brain and the changing symptoms of children with ADHD. “We know that they have different activity in different parts of the brain.”
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In one of these parts of the brain, a child with ADHD has a reduced activity compared to a child without ADHD. This activity increases with the use of drugs. “We see the same effect after following the diet,” says Hontelez.
Through the study, researchers are trying to figure out which foods are triggers for children with ADHD. For this reason, the menu during this diet is very limited. “It contains a small number of food items. For example, you are only allowed a certain number of vegetables, one or two fruits and one type of meat.”
Not for every child
The process lasted five weeks and the menu became more and more extensive. “After that, the diet can continue for another two years. And then you expand it, as Floris is doing now. It partly varies per child which food is a trigger.”
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It is not the intention that every child with ADHD will follow this diet, the researcher emphasizes. “It is very radical. So we first want to know how it works, so that not exactly this diet, but something more accessible is also sufficient.”
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