The Feingold Diet: Helping to regulate behavior and concentration
Myriam Manar
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If you're looking for a behavior-regulation aid to reduce your child's hyperactivity and impulsivity while improving their ability to concentrate for long periods, you've probably heard of the Feingold diet.
1- What is the Feingold diet?
The Feingold diet is designed to eliminate foods such as sugar and food additives thought to accentuate Hyperactivity symptoms, and replace them with beneficial foods and supplements designed to boost concentration and improve brain function.
While many parents of children with behavioral disorders already try to avoid or eliminate sugar from their child's diet, the Feingold diet goes much further.
Here are the basic principles of the Feingold diet:
- Avoid artificial colors and flavors in foods
- Avoid artificial sweeteners
- Avoid foods and products containing salicylates
- Avoid simple carbohydrates and sugars
- Avoid caffeine
- Increase consumption of complex carbohydrates
- Eat meals rich in lean protein
- Increase your intake of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids
Parents are also encouraged to try an elimination diet, where children are put on a very restrictive diet for a period of time before foods are slowly reintroduced, one at a time.
Whenever a new food is reintroduced, parents look for reactions that might suggest intolerance to the element.
This can be tedious and time-consuming, as reactions can sometimes take weeks, but it will help identify foods that trigger or aggravate your child's Behavioral Disorder symptoms.
That said, always consult a doctor and/or nutritionist before changing your child's diet, to make sure it's safe and to discuss any important supplements your child should be taking!
Much research suggests that children with Autism or ADHD may benefit from supplements such as omega-3, zinc, magnesium and iron.
2- Some child-approved Feingold diet food ideas and recipes
While so many parents swear by the effectiveness of the Feingold diet in managing the symptoms of Autism or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, changing children's diets can be extremely painful and difficult.
The good news is that there are plenty of kid-friendly recipes out there, and we've put together a few ideas to inspire you!
Please note that these recipes follow the general ideas of the Feingold diet, but many contain allergens such as wheat, dairy and soy.
If you find that your child reacts negatively to these foods, be sure to avoid them.
3- Freingold diet breakfast ideas
One of the best things you can do for your child is to make sure they start the day with a protein-rich breakfast to fuel the day.
Cereals
Obviously, you want to avoid sugary cereals. If your child doesn't tolerate dairy products well, you can always use unsweetened almond milk or another nut milk of their choice. Wholegrain cereals and oatmeal are excellent cereals to consider, but are certainly less popular with children, as they have less flavor. Consider adding fruits like bananas and berries to give a little extra punch.
Greek yogurt bowls
If your child can tolerate dairy products, Greek yogurt is a great way to stock up on protein for the morning. Add bran or oatmeal, fruit and peanut butter : you'll get a delicious bowl full of energy.
Natural peanut butter on whole-wheat toast
Add sliced bananas for added flavor, potassium and energy!
Smoothies
Kids love smoothies, and moms love providing a great way to get their kids to eat nutritious superfoods like spinach and cabbage (yes, cabbage!) without even realizing it. You can create as many types of smoothies to suit your child's tastes and dietary needs. You can prepare smoothie bags in advance to store in the freezer for quick, easy and nutritious breakfasts.
Eggs
A list of Feingold diet breakfast ideas wouldn't be complete without eggs. Whether your child prefers their eggs scrambled, poached, fried or boiled, they're an excellent source of protein, vitamins D, B2, B6 and B12, iron and zinc.
Meal recipes - Feingolg diet
Again, these recipes support the general principles of the Feingold diet, but you'll need to check the recipes to make sure they respect the degree to which the diet is followed and don't contain ingredients your child can't tolerate.
-Vanilla blinis filled with anko pastry
-Breaded antigaspi meatballs, crudités and Roquefort sauce
-Avocado and mango wraps with smoked trout
-Savoury croissants with goat's cheese and figs
Home-made breaded fish in cocktail sauce
-Croque-monsieur revisited with goat's cheese and tofu
-Chicken, potato and carrot soup for kids
-Round zucchinis stuffed with tuna, tomato coulis and parsley
-Gnocchi gratin with basil and tomato sauce
We hope these Feingold diet tips and recipes inspire you!
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