Issues with diet...picky eater! | ADHD Information

Hello all,

I'm new here and will hopefully get the chance to chat with many of you.  For now, I'm going to skip to a problem that we're having in hopes to get some insight.

My son is almost 6 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD in November 2009.  He's on 5mg of Adderal XR and is doing better....although we have a long way to go.  One of the problems I think is contributing to his issues is the fact that he is a terribly picky eater (always has been).  He doesn't eat any meat (and we're certainly not vegetarians), no eggs, fish etc.  He likes dairy, carbs of many kinds, and veges (surprisingly). 

My concern is that he's not getting "brain food" in the form of Protein and Omega 3 (DHA) which I'm told can help ADHD symptoms.  I've been looking into giving him supplements, but want to get as much info as possible before I do so.  Fish oil capsules are so huge I don't think he'll be able to swallow them.  They have chewables, but I've heard they don't taste good and that will be a problem (and a waste of money if he won't eat them).  I also heard they can hinder absorbtion of his meds.

Have any of you tried supplements to boost you childs protein/omega 3 etc.  Have you ever tried ADHD supplements like "Concentrat", "Attention", or "Calm Child"?   

Hi Auggie,

I am new here as well. I could have written your post as it sounds just like
my 8 year old son who was just diagnosed about a month ago.

I highly recommend Carlson's Fish Lemon Fish Oil. We put a little bit of
lemonade into a shot glass and a teaspoon of the fish oil. I know it
sounds crazy to think a child (or anyone really) would willingly take fish
oil, but it does not taste fishy at all. My husband absolutely hates fish and
he vouches for the lack of fish taste. My child would not be able to
swallow a fish capsule and I have heard that one can get fish 'burps' from
the capsules.

By the way, the fish oil is much cheaper to buy online than in the store. I
buy it from the vitamin shoppe online and I have had no issues.

Good luck! Supplements are medicated ADHD kids' best friends. My son eats breakfast
before he takes his pill and a big dinner, but during the day he basically
doesn't eat at all.

Give him good dairy alternatives so he can get protein, and look into what
kinds vegetables can help him. I'd treat him like he's a vegetarian, research
that diet, and make sure he gets what he needs.

And give yourself (and him) a break. Kids actually *need* much less food
than we think they do.

Best of luck!