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ADHD is a health condition that involves the inability to pay attention and focus on tasks. There are many theories about what could cause ADHD and what could help control the symptoms. Aside from medication, experts recommend a few diet suggestions that could help teens with ADHD manage their symptoms better.

• More complex carbohydrates - This includes vegetables and lots of fruits like apples, kiwi, oranges, and more. Eating a complex carbohydrate-rich diet can also aid teens to sleep better at night, which is a common problem for teens with ADHD.


• Lessen simple carbohydrates - As far as diet and ADHD in teenagers go, eating a lot of simple carbohydrates such as candy, sugar, products with white flour and more seem to aggravate the symptoms. It's a good idea to steer clear of simple carbohydrates.


• More protein-rich food - This includes healthy protein sources such as eggs, nuts, cheese, meat, and more. Including these items in your teens' snacks can include their concentration. They can also increase the time of effectivity of ADHD medications.


• More Omega-3 fatty acids - This can be found in tuna, olive oil, canola oil, walnuts, and more. You can also find this in food supplement form.

Many researches have been made about diet and ADHD in teenagers. It's helpful to go through elimination diets to find out if some foods are causing an allergic reaction to your teen and are increasing or aggravating the symptoms of ADHD. Researches show that avoiding food colors especially red and yellow helps decrease ADHD symptoms. The same goes for artificial additives such as nitrites, MSG, and aspartame. Studies also show that a small amount of caffeine can help with some symptoms of ADHD, however, the negative side effects may not be worth the benefits.

When determining the best diet for ADHD teens, It's important to consult with the doctor treating your teen's ADHD. Your doctor can conduct tests to make sure that the changes you'll make in the diet can really help. They can also write a prescription for nutritional supplements that aren't available over the counter. Your teen's doctor should also be able to monitor the increase/decrease of dietary supplements' dosages to help your teen gain maximum benefit from it.

It's also important that you make gradual changes to your teen's diet in order to make sure that what you are removing or adding is really helping. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly which food is causing what reaction to your child unless you make gradual changes. It also helps to make a log of the changes you make to your teen's diet and show this to the doctor every visit.

Additionally, teens with ADHD should take their medication regularly, exercise at least 30 minutes daily, and get sufficient sleep. Learning a few relaxation techniques can also help teens deal with anxiety as well as help improve concentration.