Special Diets for Beginners + My Favorite Resources for Special Diets!

What we eat or not eat, can affect literally everything about our life. It can affect our physical health, mental health, behavior, and can help decrease symptoms of diseases or disorders such as ADHD, or it can contribute to it. So basically, food can either be helping us, or harming us. All children would benefit from being on a special diet, or at least benefit from eating whole foods and homemade food from scratch. So that means if all children would benefit, then children or even adults with ADHD would definitely benefit from this!

I am very familiar with special diets, or food elimination diets, etc. When I was a child, my mom experimented with taking caffeine and chocolate out of my diet, and my daughter was only 3 when we started a special diet for her. She is dairy free most of the time, but she is 12 and it is getting increasingly more difficult to keep tabs on what she is eating. When she was 3, she was strictly dairy, gluten and soy free. I also eliminated artificial flavors and dyes, and preservatives. It was a lot! I got lazy on her diet, and when she was 8 I took her to a holistic doctor to get some tests and labs ran. She went through the whole 30 diet, and all was well for a while. She now eats gluten, but I still limit dairy, most of the time. I can always tell when she has had too much. My next big goal is to start making our own sourdough bread! I will update you on the bread when I make it!

What is a Special Diet?

When I say “special diet” I am referring to a diet similar to whole 30, or paleo, or even the gaps diet. It means that there are certain things that parents do not let their children eat, and that is for many reasons such as if they have leaky gut, digestive problems, inflammation, tics, anxiety, depression, excessive hyperactivity, etc. Those are all symptoms that a lot of children with disorders such as ADHD or Autism, show on a daily basis. Some children’s symptoms are severe, debilitating, and their parents fear for the child’s safety. as well as their own or other siblings safety.

Before we go any further let me clear up some common misconceptions about special diets in general.

1. I am just gonna go ahead and address one of the BIGGEST misconceptions of all- that being on a special diet is expensive! While it is true that gluten free and dairy free foods are pricier than regular wheat and dairy filled foods, no one says those are a requirement to buy or to eat while on a special diet! Being on a gluten and dairy free diet doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, I promise! Now, if everything you buy is prepackaged such as snacks and pasta then yes, it may be more expensive. However, just keeping it simple and eating a meat and veggie meal is not too hard, and meals can get a lot cheaper making certain things yourself at home instead of buying things in boxes, bags, and packages. And if you do buy some prepackaged food items, there are still ways to save money such as only buying a set amount of prepackaged foods each week or month, or limiting the amount of cookies or snacks at each sitting to a set amount.
2. Another BIG misconception is that you have to do it perfectly, and this scares some parents into not trying at all for fear of failing! Again, progress not perfection, especially at the beginning. It takes a while to get the hang of it, so leave perfectionism at the door!
3. Another misconception is the thinking that you have to eat this way forever. Some people may have to for health reasons if they are allergic to a certain food. But a lot of people may be able to tolerate gluten or dairy with no negative effects when it’s properly prepared after they have been without it for a long time.

1. Why Do Parents Put their Child on a Special Diet Anyway?

Like I previously mentioned, a lot of children with differences, disorders and the like, can have mild to severe symptoms that can negatively impact their daily life, and the life of their family. For some parents, they just have a literal goal of just keeping their special needs child alive and safe throughout the day. You hear moms say they just want to keep their kids alive in a joking way…but there are parents out there that actually mean this. There are kids that have no concept of fear, or boundaries. That will run out in the street or in front of traffic or in a parking lot. Yes, of course toddlers and preschoolers will do this anyway, whether they have special needs or not. but usually not older kids or teenagers, unless they are neurodiverse. These bigger kids or older teenagers may still run out in the street, or traffic, or in a parking lot because they don’t understand why it’s not safe, cause and effect, and consequences of their actions. These older kids/teens also may not have the tools to deal with frustration, so they can hit, punch, and do whatever they can to make something stop or to get what they want. That is their natural fight or flight response. Do they mean to hurt people? No, they definitely don’t! Some of them may not even get the concept of hurting someone, or even of themselves being hurt or in pain, They may not on’t have the awareness of right and wrong, and how their actions can affect other people. They may not have developed sympathy, empathy, or gentleness yet, and they may never develop that.

Thankfully, there are so many resources out there to help parents that struggle with this! There are so many kinds of therapies today, I have lost count. There are types of therapies out there I have never even heard of, and I have to look it up to see what it is. Along side therapies, dietary changes are one of these resources and tools in our parenting toolbox that most parents have lots of success with!

I don’t know who started experimenting first (I need to look this up), but there are thousands upon thousands of stories from REAL parents like you, that have taken a certain ingredient or type of food out of kids diets, and bam, they started talking for the first time! Or they stopped being so aggressive. Or they started pooping regularly, without miralax or a stool softener, or another type of laxative, when before they would be afraid to poop because it would hurt because it was so hard! These are just a tiny portion of some of the stories you will hear during your special diet research and whole foods journey. For some children or teenagers, the results might be immediate, and for some it might take more time. However long it takes, I think it’s worth it, right? Isn’t it worth it to have peace of mind at night? Wouldn’t it be worth it to get a good nights sleep because they actually ended up sleeping more than than 2 hours at a time? Wouldn’t it be worth it to hear your child say “mama” for the first time ever? Some parents rejoice when their TEENAGER says “Mama” a few times a year! Imagine if they heard that a few times a DAY because of dietary changes?

These are real stories. Not made up, and not exaggerated.

Best Resources for Special Diets for Kids

1. This is the first book/cookbook my mom purchased when we started my daughters special diet. We would pour through this book, for recipes, explanations of ingredients, and success stories! I highly recommend this book! It promotes a paleo diet, but I don’t remember if it says paleo or not. “Paleo” wasn’t a well known term when we were first getting started on our special diets journey, so I just called her diet “gluten, dairy, and soy free.”
2. The clean 15 and the dirty dozen graphics– Print these out and put them on your refrigerator! It is great to have this as a reference guide if you want to buy your food pesticide free, which I highly recommend doing. This way you know what foods you need to buy organic, and which non organic foods have the least amount of pesticides.
3. Whole 30- I’m not going to lie- I’ve never actually done the whole 30 before, but my daughter did. I ate great in front of her, and cheated when she wasn’t watching. This diet was recommended when I took my daughter to a local holistic doctor. It has great recipes in it, but we didn’t follow the recipes. We mostly just ate meat and veggies, and I did make our own mayonnaise and sauces. My favorite part of this book is the beginning where it talks about how food affects us, and the foods that you can eat and not eat, and why. I love knowing the why behind everything!
4. Eat like a dinosaur- This cookbook isn’t as pretty as the next cookbook I’m going to mention, and I honestly haven’t used any of the recipes in it, even though I have had this 4 years already! But some of the recipes do look good, like the chocolate sauce. I do like that a husband and wife tell their families health journey in the beginning of the book, and includes illustrations that kids can enjoy. This is worth buying or looking into, and when I start using some of the recipes I will let you know my thoughts!
5. The Paleo Kids Cookbook- This one is my absolute favorite! It has easy to make recipes and instructions, and it is mostly food that kids already eat anyway! I love all the different recipes for “cheese” and the cheese dishes. They have recipes for pizza cheese, cheese for sandwiches, mac n cheese sauce, and a queso cheese sauce! I have tried them all, and I am blown away at the taste of all of them! I have not been a big fan of any of the store bought alternative cheeses, but I absolutely love cheese made with cashews! However, my daughter prefers the store bought alternative cheese over homemade, because it looks more like real cheese. She isn’t a fan of the taste, because its made with cashews and nutritional yeast. I think if I had started her on this homemade cheese when she was 3, she would like it better. But now she likes the store bought version because she is already used to the taste. Again, for the record- I love all the recipes for the cheese, especially the mac n cheese sauce, and the sandwich cheese!
6. When my daughter was in preschool, we used these molds a ton to make her dairy free chocolate candy! Now there are more options from the candy store I mention below, but I couldn’t find those options when my daughter was 3 and 4. We have the plastic ones, but now they sell them in silicone molds.
7. This online candy store is fabulous! This is a God send, and an answer to prayer for many parents. You want to know why? When children are on a special diet, they can’t have the usual candy for halloween or Christmas, or Valentines Day. It’s hard for them to see other children eating sweets and candy, when they can’t have any. It’s hard for the parents to look at their sweet child looking up at them sweetly and expectantly, and tell them no, they can’t have that piece of chocolate, or that cookie. Well, now you don’t have to do that! This company has peanut free, gluten free, and dairy free candy that comes right to your doorstep! They are yummy, and healthy, And…guess what?? They don’t taste bad! They are not sugar free though, so keep that in mind. They are dye free and preservative free too!
8. Speaking of sweets, most store bought sweets, have some kind of an artificial dye in it, to get that sickening bright color that we all know isn’t real or natural. They do this so kids will like it better! Kids are attracted by bright colors, and the brighter the icing, the more enticing it is for them! So when buying a store bought treat, check ingredients and make sure the colors are derived form natural sources like beets and other fruits or vegetables. And when you’re baking at home, use a dye that is made from natural fruit and vegetables! Even just this little tweak, can make such a biiiig difference in a child’s behavior and emotions! I like this brand!

Common Questions/FAQ About Special Diets

1. What Diet is best for ADHD?

This really depends on the child. For example, if a child gets sick every time they eat chicken nuggets or after eating anything breaded, then you may need to take out gluten and wheat first to see if that is what is causing it. Sometimes, you may know the specific foods that are causing the symptoms, and sometimes you won’t know until you start eliminating some foods. I’m not a doctor so, my first recommendation if you want to go this route, is to ask your doctor or find a new doctor that is trained in gut health, nutrition, and special diets. They will be a wealth of knowledge to the parents, and they can go to them to ask questions, and get any necessary labs and tests completed that the child needs. Next, you can do this even in the process of finding a doctor, but I highly suggest an elimination diet such as the Whole 30. This will give the parent a good starting point, and a road map to go by. Then, they will be able to see if any symptoms went away, or lessened. The last step of the Whole 30 is to slowly reintroduce food back in one type of food at a time, and write down any reactions or behavior changes that the child exhibits. Then the parent knows what foods to avoid, and what foods their child can eat. After that, the Paleo Diet is easy and manageble. With time, the child may be able to tolerate those foods again! Thee GAPS Diet is also another good one to look into, but it is more restrictive than the Whole 30, and is longer. So start with either the Whole 30 or the GAPS Diet.

2. What foods can make ADHD worse?

Again, this can depend on the child because not all food affects all children the same. However, most parents agree that there are a few specific foods or ingredients that can worsen symptoms of ADHD or Autism. These are but are not limited to gluten (anything with wheat) dairy, soy, certain preservatives, MSG, and artificial colors and flavors.

3. Does sugar make ADHD worse?

This might be a trick question. I say that because sugar is like an addictive drug, and the more you have it, the more you want to have. Sugar is actually bad for everyone. not just children and adults with ADHD. In my personal opinion I think it affects almost everyone the same way, and it doesn’t affect just a certain type of person. Let me explain further-with examples. Most teachers and parents joke about their kids acting more hyperactive, and not being able to be still and concentrate after having a class party. I mean, by now, it’s a running joke, because it’s true! Students may start running, laughing, falling out of chairs, etc after a class party. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but if they still have school work to do then… it may be a bad thing!

It’s assumed the children got a “sugar rush” and while that is true, it’s also more likely that they are also suffering the effects from other ingredients in the “party food”, such as artificial dyes, flavors, gluten, dairy, gmo’s, high fructose corn syrup, etc. So while the children do get a high from the sugar and cupcakes, they also crash hard a few minutes later because they got a a hit of dopamine, and then once it’s over, it’s like their system crashes. Then they become the opposite of hyperactive. They can become sluggish, sleepy, mentally and physically exhausted after they crash. Who could concentrate on anything after that??

I think sugar is fine for birthday parties, but sugary treats shouldn’t be allowed at school. Class parties should not include treats with food dye, cupcakes, candy, chips, kool aid, hawiian punch, etc. Food dye is in almost all of those!

4. Where is the best affordable place to shop for gluten free/dairy free foods?

The best place used to be Earth Fare, and when Reagan was young and we were first starting out on this diet, this was where me and my mom frequented. We would buy her gluten free bread and pasta there, along with gluten free snacks like cookies and crackers. Earth Fare used to be the ONLY place that sold vegan and dairy free products like cheese and yogurt. However, most grocery stores must have taken the hint because you can find tons of gluten free and sometimes a few dairy free products in “non fancy” grocery stores such as Food Lion. If you don’t know what Food Lion is, then you must not be from around here! I live in the South ya’ll! I find lots of gluten free foods and a few dairy free alternatives like yogurt and cheese at our Neighborhood Walmart. Of course, Earth Fare, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Publix and Harris Teeter are also known for having lots of these items as well, and if I wasn’t on a budget, I would shop at these stores more frequently, because it’s like a one stop shop, especially at Publix! They just have more options for dairy free, and I would see dairy free products there that I had never seen before at other stores, like dairy free sliced cheese, or the Daiya Gluten and Dairy Free Pizza! Again though, a lot more stores are wisening up and providing more alternatives for people with special diets. Just in the last couple years, Walmart has started selling dairy free ice cream with almond milk and cashew milk instead of just with coconut milk. We used to buy it with coconut milk, but it’s just a really hard consistency, and still has a coconutty flavor. The ones with almond and cashew milk are more creamy, easier to get out with a spoon, and in my opinion they just taste better! My favorite brands for dairy free ice cream are So Delicious (with almond or cashew milk) and Ben and Jerry’s, and Walmart sells both. If you are keeping dairy AND Gluten out of their diet, make sure you read the ingredient label! One of the brands I listed may have gluten in it, and not dairy, so always still check the label! I know this answer got long, but if you’re on a budget, shop at Walmart, or amazon!

5. Do I have to change their diet if we eat organic, clean, whole foods already?

Not neccesarily. First I say good for you! Second, how our food is sourced is so stinkin important that I think for a lot of people and kids, if they would just switch to organic, or whole foods, or even organic grains, that would make a word of difference right there! If you want to go this route, it may save you money in the long run because you aren’t having to buy alternatives to wheat and dairy.

With that said, if you do change to an organic, whole foods, very clean diet and you don’t see any changes in behavior, then I suggest giving a special diet a try! And resist the urge to give up after a week or two because you don’t see any changes yet. Diet changes may be immediate, but they can take time too! I suggest taking dairy out first, because dairy doesn’t stay in your system very long, so you will know sooner if dairy is a problem. Gluten can take longer to completely flush out of your system, so just remember gluten will take longer. You will probably see a quick and definite improvement in eliminating food dyes, and artificial flavors, so that is also an easy one!

The Last Thing You Need to Know about Special Diets

First of all, give yourself grace! People don’t talk enough about when we as parents mess up and our kids do end up eating something they shouldn’t. You know that saying “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again?” Well, the same thing applies to this situation! If we feel like we are failing at this, and that maybe we aren’t cut out for this type of healthier eating, just know you aren’t alone! I still feel like this, and I am 9 years into this! You can do this. Just start! And don’t worry about it being “perfect!” Progress not perfection is the name of the game.

Also, I didn’t mention this but always eat the same thing your child is eating (at least, in front of them)! Be a good example yourself. You can’t expect them to eat the non dairy cheese when you are eating the real cheese in front of them.

I hope this helps you as you’re starting your special diet journey! Please post your favorite special diet resources, recipes, books, favorite food brands, stores etc, so I can try them out as well! I love trying new dairy free alternatives!

Thank you for reading and I will catch ya on the flip side!

xoxo Tara, the ADHD Mermaid