I need to up my DS protien levels in the morning and do less carbs. I want him to still be able to have oatmeal, cereal, muffins. I also can't feed him eggs every morning. Any Ideas to get in more protien with out depriving him?
thanks,
Michelle

my almost 16 y.o. dd has ADHD. two doctors have told us--no caffeine. dd is pretty good because she does not want to make her condition worse.

quote:

Originally posted by MnM:
I am going to start a food diary and also write down how he does.
I looked at caffeine as an option because my DH seems to do fine with it.

Michelle

I think the food/behavior diary will help you sort through all the options you are trying. It helps lots of parents stay more clear and objective about what is working and what is not working.


Good luck with the caff. I know some parents have success with it. I also think talking to a doc/psych will be helpful. You could get more info about dosing and options that might help.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sandy,

The only candy he gets now is without flavoring and coloring unless natural. He is sensitive to additives and reacts to MSG. Medicine for him is a nightmare. If it doesn't have coloring in it; it has aspartame or something like it. Which makes him hyper. It seems to make him harder to handle. The teachers are usually happy to hear I didn't give him anything for his cold before school. I have even started to limit his juice to maybe once a day. I am going to start a food diary and also write down how he does.
I looked at caffeine as an option because my DH seems to do fine with it. The medicines scare me. With Caffine, I at least know what I am dealing with. I am thinking of talking with his doctor to make sure he doesn't have a problem with it. Caffeine for my husband is a sedative not a stimulant. To much caffeine will make him very sleepy. It seems to help him focus.

I do appreciate all of your impute. Thank you. Michelle

Michelle

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MnM,

Here is a Mayo Clinic article:

"Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children"

http://www.mayoclinic.com/heal...DS00275/METHOD=print

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sheltieguy,

Kashi GoLean (NOT GoLean Crunch) cereal obviously contains carbs, but it is also high in (soy) protein - 13 grams per 1 cup serving. It only has 6 grams of sugar per serving.

For comparison, unsweetened instant oatmeal has 4 grams of protein per envelope, and unsweetened Cheerios have 3 grams of protein per 1 cup serving.

quote:

Originally posted by MnM:
My Son is ADHD. He is having problems in school with being hyper. [...]MICHELLE

You might want to check the ingredients on what he eats. Lots of food colors and food additives cause kids to be hyper.

Lots of people think sugar makes kids hyper but several studies have shown that sugar actually makes you sleepy. It is the other ingredients in sweets (ie:food colors & additives) that is causing the hyperactivity.

quote:

Originally posted by MnM:
I have reached a point that I am looking into caffeine as an option.

I'd talk to your son's doctor. I have a couple of really bad ADD kids in my class. I can not imagine them on caffeine.

Also, caffeine is a drug. It may be "natural", but it IS a drug.

Heroin is "natural", too and is also a "drug", but not the best when it comes to behavior modification. Sometimes perscriptions are not all bad.

One kid (that I know of) is on meds... and he is like a different person on them... but they have worn off by the time he is in my class.

He requires more creativity on my part, to deal with him.

I also can give him no wiggle room. If I give an inch... he takes a mile.

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/consum.../proteinchildren.htm

Children 7-14 need about .45 g of protein per pound of body weight.

I'm guessing that he is 90 lbs...? So he would need 41 g of protein a day. If you divide it up and round up... he'd need about 14 g. at each meal.

Oatmeal, 1/2 cup (dry) 5 g. protein
1 cup skim milk, 9 g. protein
1/4 cup almonds, 5 g.

That should be more than enough protein for breakfast, I'm guessing.

Hugs, Michelle-
I work with kids and parents who cope with ADHD and similar behavior issues. I know it's a lot to work with.

Keeping a journal about your son's behavior on different foods/combinations of foods might be helpful.

There are great whole grain english muffins on the market and with peanut butter that is a good option. Macrobiotic muffins work with peanut butter as well.
Bean burritos.

There is also no rule that you can't have lunch or dinner type foods at breakfast either.

Good luck Michelle. I hope you find a dietary combination that helps.

My Son is ADHD. He is having problems in school with being hyper. From what I have read online they recommend higher protein and complex carbs. One web site recommends 60% protein, 40% carbs for breakfast and 50/50 split the rest of the time. I am pre-diabetic and a lot of my family is hypoglycemic. What he eats affects him huge. I don't want his diet to be unbalanced, but I need it to be balanced enough. I have never concidered medication as an option, but I have reached a point that I am looking into caffeine as an option.

MICHELLE

I'm curious too-- why do you think he needs more protein?

Oatmeal does have protein.
Milk too- soy and cow's milk.
nuts butter
fruit smoothies with tofu and/or yogurt

I tend to want dd to have mostly complex carbs at breakfast with a bot protein and a bit of fat. The complex carbs give her a "slow and steady" burn throughout the morning. Do you think complex carbs might be helpful?

Why is his needing more protein?

Adding peanut butter as a topping.

Will he eat yogurt? It has a fair amount of protein in it. You could also make smoothies and add a bit of protein powder to them. I like to add wheat germ to mine for a little extra fiber. Several of the Kashi cereals have a high protein content.

What about just cutting back on the egg yolks? When I make scrambled eggs I usually do one whole egg plus two egg whites. It still looks like real scrambled eggs, but much less cholesterol and fat. Faux McMuffins are good. I make a little egg omelette and add it to a toasted ww muffin with a slice of canadian bacon and a little lf cheese. Plenty of protein there.

Jimmy Dean makes a very tasty reduced fat breakfast sausage. It's still not all that great for you, but it's nice for a change of pace.

If he likes savory things, how about rolling up a piece of lunch meat around a piece of cheese. A few of those with a piece of fruit would be a pretty good breakfast. Sometimes I just like cheese on toast for breakfast.

I can't eat it, but peanut butter with some apple slices could be good. I also like to make a fruit dip with yogurt, by adding a pinch of brown sugar, a sprinkle of cinnamon and some nutmeg to vanilla yogurt.

Good luck.