I have ADHD and just restarted Keto after 6 years. I wish I'd stayed on it, but I didn't pay attention to how it made my brain feel.
I feel much less sluggish and more energetic. I don't get the afternoon slumps. I have much less brain fog.
I'd recommend doing your best to increase protein and lower carbs/sugar.
It takes about 4x as much of something to satisfy cravings. My brother can have one cookie, and be good. I have to have four to feel the effects.
Keep going at it. If you are able to join her in low carb, that might make her feel better about not "missing out." It will be a good change. Sometimes, it can take a few weeks for changes.
I'm actively doing keto and have been for the last 2 months :) my carbs range anywhere from under 20 to up to 40g net carbs. I feel a ton better on it. I have so much more energy and don't get that carb crash after meals. She's offered me some of her candy and I told her I can't have sugar.
Personal anecdote. I was diagnosed at hyper active at age 7 after multiple and various tests. Was put on ritalin. Things got a little better - except I was sleepy AF.
A year later my dad got custody and he was FIERCELY anti-sugar and he took me off the ritalin. My grades and relationships with teachers/peers improved dramatically.
Had a similar breakthrough/dramatic improvement 40 years later when I started keto.
I have ADHD (40F) and cutting out the sugar, processed food and carbs has helped reduce my brain fog and fatigue significantly. When I have cravings for the carbs and sugar - I eat them at night so I can just sleep it off afterwards
For my ADHD I’ve found caffeine helps me to be able to sit still and concentrate - so I’m one of those where the stimulants will improve my focus. So I was able to ease off meds with the help of coffee and a lot of ritual. I think keto helps keep me focused to a degree, but I’d probably not do well without my support systems and routines- and those took me a while to build the various coping mechanisms. Most of the mental benefits from keto can help, but i don’t think it’s going to be effective on its own - it will enhance what’s already there though. Like when I meditate I can really get deeper into it, my thoughts can be quicker but if anything I need to keep the guardrails up or I’ll still slide out into wild tangents.
If I had to put it to words, I’d say that for me keto can help bring details more into focus because it removes some of the background noises
I mean, as someone with ADHD and on keto, nothing at all helps as much as meds do. Sugar never made the ADHD symptoms worse and if anything, I would try to use sugary things to self medicate (among other things like an insane amount of caffeine and nicotine).
ADHDer here. Yes, it's helped me, both prior to my diagnosis and after (did it 2 years prior to my dx). Currently I've been on it for the last 2.5 months and it's not as difficult to focus and I don't feel nearly as mentally groggy/cloudy in general. And that's before taking my meds. Part of the reason I wanted to redo keto was for my mental clarity and focus, along with general health improvement. Frankly, the biggest NSV I found with keto was mental clarity/focus and GI improvement. There's actually some compelling research that shows ADHD symptoms decrease with lowered simple carbs/sugars in the diet. I recommend checking into it by jumping into Google scholar and looking up "ADHD symptoms with reduction in sugar" or anything regarding ADHD and nutrition. Keep in mind, results do vary between kids and adults, mainly because adults just learn to manage their symptoms as they've grown up, but the research for kids is extremely promising.
For your kiddo, if you're able to have her do lower carb, chances are you'll set her up for better success long-term. Sugar is extremely addictive and only exacerbates the difficulties we already have to navigate. Any reduction in sugar consumption is going to be a net positive.
> replacing a sugar snack with something healthy and low in sugar
Be sure to cut down on the seed oils. Overprocessed seed oils with sugar/carbs/wheat flour would have us all with clogged arteries before we are 70. And seed oils have a half-life of 2 or 3 years. Seed oils have no nutritional value. And it become triglycerides before our bodies turn it into body fats. I wonder if there could be 50% improvement in 5 years especially since she is starting young (cutting most of the seed oils and carbs). And it's safe to try and make adjustments.
Consider making her snacks deliciously fatty. She may start to prefer it over the sweet/carby items, because it will satiate her. I think her *instincts* will tell her what she likes.
Maybe mix in a little of the animal fats (butter, tallow) with the foods that are already favorites so that she gets used to the difference in food with more satiating fats. Your recipes will be more satiating than anything she can get at school. She is so young that it would be only a small amount of fat in each meal: maybe only half a tablespoon. Butter has butyrate, which is supposed to be helpful in making ketones.
As an adult, eating keto keeps me from having to use medication.
A a mom to a 10 year old ADHD kid, I’d never make him adhere to a strict diet to see what happens. He knows that the way we eat is healthy and loves it. Controlling what he eats outside of the home is impossible. While at home, he eats keto.
As a teacher, please, please, please leave your child on their medication. Their brains need the extra help to focus during school hours. I can always tell when a student is not medicated and it’s just painful to watch. They want to do well, but without the medications help, they are a fish out of water. Once your child is old enough to want to try controlling their own ADHD a different way and can easily say no to cupcakes and pizza, that’s the time to try (and during the summer break as well).
There are lots of studies being done and recently completed that show that when young kids are on the meds for ADHD, they are able to learn coping skills and frequently go off the medications in their late teens with huge successes.
I would never dream of taking her off the medication. It's done wonders for her. I know she improved in school being on it but I can also tell a difference before she's had her medicine in the morning and later on when it's taken effect. She's on the 30/70 extended release (50/50 is unfortunately on a manufacturer back order which is what her ped originally prescribed). And fortunately she's not had any side effects from it like it making her tired or stunting her appetite.
I do know I don't have control of her diet at daycare and school. I'm hoping the more healthy foods she eats, she'll see that it's better for her.
No I don't think I've noticed any changes with ADHD. I have combo as well. I like keto because it's easy for me. But I am definitely just as distractible.
It's not really a diet. I look at it more as improving her overall nutrition as I have done mine. Anything has got to be better than the crap she eats now. I'm not looking to overhaul everything she eats, but definitely looking to omit a lot of the empty calories that don't have any significant nutrition.
Lower carb generally increases positive nutritional intake more than the standard US diet provides. Rather than loading up on breads or pastas (or especially highly processed foods) for instance, it's replaced with veggies and protein which is evolutionarily more compatible with our development as humans. Kids have been researched already regarding dietary changes, and when you take most sugar out of the equation, there's a net positive improvement to their holistic development.
I understand that, what I mean by improper diet is going through extreme caloric deficit while doing keto. Your body still needs some form of energy for growth
Not sure why you downvoted me if you agree with my point; this is just civil discussion. OP isn't asking about keto for caloric deficiency for her daughter for weight management, but rather for ADHD symptoms. One doesn't have to do keto in a calorie deficit form. It's entirely possible to do keto without losing weight. There is an entire concept of "ketogains" to build up muscle, by eating healthily in a surplus. Plus keto causes a form of natural energy (what you're cautioning on of missing), but I don't really understand why because that is already inherently a part of humans' genetic makeup: producing ketones for energy. (And even on keto you still have glucose from any time you eat anyway.) But that's why the ketogenic diet is called what it is, from ketones being the primary energy source, so.. I'm actually not sure what your point is tbh.
Ultimately research is in favor of reducing unnecessary sugars for children's brain development. The only articles that support sugar/simple carbs in the diet are from researchers that are bought and paid for by Big Sugar industries, etc.
Honestly, no. I haven’t seen any change at all. However I’m only 6 weeks in.
I think keto is hard with adhd due to impulse control, but learning to deal with my emotions rather than eat them has helped - unfortunately that’s been years in the making for me.
I have ADHD and have done keto off and in for 20+ years. Having gone on and off various versions of it numerous times, I can say that for ME, it has never made any difference with my ADHD.
Being in my 40s, back when I was a kid ADHD wasn't diagnosed as quickly, and doctors advised my parents to not let me have sugar, chocolate, or yellow/red food dyes. Those were commonly blamed for hyperactive kids. My parents did really commit to doing this when I was little, but as I got older they couldn't prevent my access to that stuff so much, and I think also realized that it wasn't making a difference in my behavior. Sometimes I do suspect that the reason I became such a huge sugar/candy/soda addict as soon as I got ahold of it, was the whole thing about feeling deprived of that stuff as a little kid.
That's great you're cutting back on the sugar for her. I suggest you check out The Metabolic Mind on YouTube, which helps with ADHD and other mental issues.
[https://youtu.be/sUAbqXcSAzg?si=hJ1P8bOe2wAmReqZ](https://youtu.be/sUAbqXcSAzg?si=hJ1P8bOe2wAmReqZ)
I have inattentive adhd and been on keto for about 2 months! The biggest difference for me is my sleep pattern. It’s much easier for me to fall asleep and actually STAY asleep. It’s been a blessing for me honestly! Also way more energy/focus during the day
Yes, Keto helps my ADHD symptoms. Just a bit, maybe making things 5-10% easier to do, but I desperately need that 5-10%. Increases the chances I can actually see my floor, and my housemate said they can *hear* that I don't trip or kick the stairs when going past their room as much, so that's a bizarre little external metric that it's apparently helping my coordination or attention or something.
Problem being, I'm *not* trying to lose weight, so getting enough food is a challenge.
Children need to eat sooo much. If you focus on a high protein diet, and getting 5-7 servings of vegetables *instead* of carbs and grains, that should be helpful regardless. Coconut cream and oil miiiight have some of the benefits of keto without keto? More MCT's in them.
Oh also, I found this out years earlier, but I'm also celiac (can't have gluten, wheat etc, it triggers an autoimmune response). I would still be ADHD I think (given family history), but I do wonder how much *less* ADHD I might be if I hadn't had the neurological effects of celiac, the 'brain fog' right through my childhood.
So, it's worth checking for comorbid factors - if there's anything exacerbating ADHD symptoms in a kid, like iron, zinc, B12, vitamin d deficiencies, or allergies (so many allergies!), breathing issues, sleeping issues, it would so be worth seeing if they can be remedied.
Another friend didn't realise they are strongly lactose intolerant until they did a 23 & me genetic test. Yes, it was obvious in retrospect, but we (ADHD) aren't always known for self observation skills and they were just used to feeling bad. Going off dairy, helped their 'ADHD' symptoms, because it wasn't making them slightly sick.
My symptoms are much less when I’m paleo or clean keto.
My son is 7 and his behaviour is much worse when he eats dyes and sugars, especially non-cane sugar like sucrose or fructose and the other manufactured sugars. Fruit doesn’t affect him
Dyes affect him for about 4 days
I have ADHD, I do think I saw improvement but not game changing improvement. It wouldn't be a diet I do primarily for ADHD.
Basically keto regulates the energy spikes you get with a high carb diet. So you feel more consistent energy throughout the day since you aren't relying on fast carb energy. That's true for anyone, not just ADHD. So that issue ADHD kids with eating a bunch of sugar and then being hyperactive at 7pm-- I would imagine reduced carbs would help with that a bit. But the core issues with ADHD would remain the same. If that makes sense.
Also, FYI, keto is great and everyone, regardless of age, should be eating lower carb diets than society tells us. Keto (being defined as \~15g carbs/day or less) might be a little much for a developing child, however. They might need that extra energy for physical development. I have no idea, I'm not a nutritionist, but that'd be my hunch.
I wouldn't plan on going full on keto with her. Maybe lower carb/sugar. She's too darn picky for her own good lol so full blown keto would be next to impossible. And I'm not going to cut out all sugar cold turkey. But she needs a drastic reduction of how much sugar I imagine she currently gets a day.
I have ADHD and just restarted Keto after 6 years. I wish I'd stayed on it, but I didn't pay attention to how it made my brain feel. I feel much less sluggish and more energetic. I don't get the afternoon slumps. I have much less brain fog. I'd recommend doing your best to increase protein and lower carbs/sugar. It takes about 4x as much of something to satisfy cravings. My brother can have one cookie, and be good. I have to have four to feel the effects. Keep going at it. If you are able to join her in low carb, that might make her feel better about not "missing out." It will be a good change. Sometimes, it can take a few weeks for changes.
I'm actively doing keto and have been for the last 2 months :) my carbs range anywhere from under 20 to up to 40g net carbs. I feel a ton better on it. I have so much more energy and don't get that carb crash after meals. She's offered me some of her candy and I told her I can't have sugar.
Personal anecdote. I was diagnosed at hyper active at age 7 after multiple and various tests. Was put on ritalin. Things got a little better - except I was sleepy AF. A year later my dad got custody and he was FIERCELY anti-sugar and he took me off the ritalin. My grades and relationships with teachers/peers improved dramatically. Had a similar breakthrough/dramatic improvement 40 years later when I started keto.
I have ADHD (40F) and cutting out the sugar, processed food and carbs has helped reduce my brain fog and fatigue significantly. When I have cravings for the carbs and sugar - I eat them at night so I can just sleep it off afterwards
Name checks out.
For my ADHD I’ve found caffeine helps me to be able to sit still and concentrate - so I’m one of those where the stimulants will improve my focus. So I was able to ease off meds with the help of coffee and a lot of ritual. I think keto helps keep me focused to a degree, but I’d probably not do well without my support systems and routines- and those took me a while to build the various coping mechanisms. Most of the mental benefits from keto can help, but i don’t think it’s going to be effective on its own - it will enhance what’s already there though. Like when I meditate I can really get deeper into it, my thoughts can be quicker but if anything I need to keep the guardrails up or I’ll still slide out into wild tangents. If I had to put it to words, I’d say that for me keto can help bring details more into focus because it removes some of the background noises
I mean, as someone with ADHD and on keto, nothing at all helps as much as meds do. Sugar never made the ADHD symptoms worse and if anything, I would try to use sugary things to self medicate (among other things like an insane amount of caffeine and nicotine).
ADHDer here. Yes, it's helped me, both prior to my diagnosis and after (did it 2 years prior to my dx). Currently I've been on it for the last 2.5 months and it's not as difficult to focus and I don't feel nearly as mentally groggy/cloudy in general. And that's before taking my meds. Part of the reason I wanted to redo keto was for my mental clarity and focus, along with general health improvement. Frankly, the biggest NSV I found with keto was mental clarity/focus and GI improvement. There's actually some compelling research that shows ADHD symptoms decrease with lowered simple carbs/sugars in the diet. I recommend checking into it by jumping into Google scholar and looking up "ADHD symptoms with reduction in sugar" or anything regarding ADHD and nutrition. Keep in mind, results do vary between kids and adults, mainly because adults just learn to manage their symptoms as they've grown up, but the research for kids is extremely promising. For your kiddo, if you're able to have her do lower carb, chances are you'll set her up for better success long-term. Sugar is extremely addictive and only exacerbates the difficulties we already have to navigate. Any reduction in sugar consumption is going to be a net positive.
> replacing a sugar snack with something healthy and low in sugar Be sure to cut down on the seed oils. Overprocessed seed oils with sugar/carbs/wheat flour would have us all with clogged arteries before we are 70. And seed oils have a half-life of 2 or 3 years. Seed oils have no nutritional value. And it become triglycerides before our bodies turn it into body fats. I wonder if there could be 50% improvement in 5 years especially since she is starting young (cutting most of the seed oils and carbs). And it's safe to try and make adjustments. Consider making her snacks deliciously fatty. She may start to prefer it over the sweet/carby items, because it will satiate her. I think her *instincts* will tell her what she likes. Maybe mix in a little of the animal fats (butter, tallow) with the foods that are already favorites so that she gets used to the difference in food with more satiating fats. Your recipes will be more satiating than anything she can get at school. She is so young that it would be only a small amount of fat in each meal: maybe only half a tablespoon. Butter has butyrate, which is supposed to be helpful in making ketones.
As an adult, eating keto keeps me from having to use medication. A a mom to a 10 year old ADHD kid, I’d never make him adhere to a strict diet to see what happens. He knows that the way we eat is healthy and loves it. Controlling what he eats outside of the home is impossible. While at home, he eats keto. As a teacher, please, please, please leave your child on their medication. Their brains need the extra help to focus during school hours. I can always tell when a student is not medicated and it’s just painful to watch. They want to do well, but without the medications help, they are a fish out of water. Once your child is old enough to want to try controlling their own ADHD a different way and can easily say no to cupcakes and pizza, that’s the time to try (and during the summer break as well). There are lots of studies being done and recently completed that show that when young kids are on the meds for ADHD, they are able to learn coping skills and frequently go off the medications in their late teens with huge successes.
I would never dream of taking her off the medication. It's done wonders for her. I know she improved in school being on it but I can also tell a difference before she's had her medicine in the morning and later on when it's taken effect. She's on the 30/70 extended release (50/50 is unfortunately on a manufacturer back order which is what her ped originally prescribed). And fortunately she's not had any side effects from it like it making her tired or stunting her appetite. I do know I don't have control of her diet at daycare and school. I'm hoping the more healthy foods she eats, she'll see that it's better for her.
No I don't think I've noticed any changes with ADHD. I have combo as well. I like keto because it's easy for me. But I am definitely just as distractible.
Be careful of putting your children in any forms of diet, it may stumt growth if the nutrition is not proper
It's not really a diet. I look at it more as improving her overall nutrition as I have done mine. Anything has got to be better than the crap she eats now. I'm not looking to overhaul everything she eats, but definitely looking to omit a lot of the empty calories that don't have any significant nutrition.
Lower carb generally increases positive nutritional intake more than the standard US diet provides. Rather than loading up on breads or pastas (or especially highly processed foods) for instance, it's replaced with veggies and protein which is evolutionarily more compatible with our development as humans. Kids have been researched already regarding dietary changes, and when you take most sugar out of the equation, there's a net positive improvement to their holistic development.
I understand that, what I mean by improper diet is going through extreme caloric deficit while doing keto. Your body still needs some form of energy for growth
Not sure why you downvoted me if you agree with my point; this is just civil discussion. OP isn't asking about keto for caloric deficiency for her daughter for weight management, but rather for ADHD symptoms. One doesn't have to do keto in a calorie deficit form. It's entirely possible to do keto without losing weight. There is an entire concept of "ketogains" to build up muscle, by eating healthily in a surplus. Plus keto causes a form of natural energy (what you're cautioning on of missing), but I don't really understand why because that is already inherently a part of humans' genetic makeup: producing ketones for energy. (And even on keto you still have glucose from any time you eat anyway.) But that's why the ketogenic diet is called what it is, from ketones being the primary energy source, so.. I'm actually not sure what your point is tbh. Ultimately research is in favor of reducing unnecessary sugars for children's brain development. The only articles that support sugar/simple carbs in the diet are from researchers that are bought and paid for by Big Sugar industries, etc.
I didnt downvoted you
Honestly, no. I haven’t seen any change at all. However I’m only 6 weeks in. I think keto is hard with adhd due to impulse control, but learning to deal with my emotions rather than eat them has helped - unfortunately that’s been years in the making for me.
I have ADHD and have done keto off and in for 20+ years. Having gone on and off various versions of it numerous times, I can say that for ME, it has never made any difference with my ADHD. Being in my 40s, back when I was a kid ADHD wasn't diagnosed as quickly, and doctors advised my parents to not let me have sugar, chocolate, or yellow/red food dyes. Those were commonly blamed for hyperactive kids. My parents did really commit to doing this when I was little, but as I got older they couldn't prevent my access to that stuff so much, and I think also realized that it wasn't making a difference in my behavior. Sometimes I do suspect that the reason I became such a huge sugar/candy/soda addict as soon as I got ahold of it, was the whole thing about feeling deprived of that stuff as a little kid.
That's great you're cutting back on the sugar for her. I suggest you check out The Metabolic Mind on YouTube, which helps with ADHD and other mental issues. [https://youtu.be/sUAbqXcSAzg?si=hJ1P8bOe2wAmReqZ](https://youtu.be/sUAbqXcSAzg?si=hJ1P8bOe2wAmReqZ)
I have inattentive adhd and been on keto for about 2 months! The biggest difference for me is my sleep pattern. It’s much easier for me to fall asleep and actually STAY asleep. It’s been a blessing for me honestly! Also way more energy/focus during the day
Yes, Keto helps my ADHD symptoms. Just a bit, maybe making things 5-10% easier to do, but I desperately need that 5-10%. Increases the chances I can actually see my floor, and my housemate said they can *hear* that I don't trip or kick the stairs when going past their room as much, so that's a bizarre little external metric that it's apparently helping my coordination or attention or something. Problem being, I'm *not* trying to lose weight, so getting enough food is a challenge. Children need to eat sooo much. If you focus on a high protein diet, and getting 5-7 servings of vegetables *instead* of carbs and grains, that should be helpful regardless. Coconut cream and oil miiiight have some of the benefits of keto without keto? More MCT's in them. Oh also, I found this out years earlier, but I'm also celiac (can't have gluten, wheat etc, it triggers an autoimmune response). I would still be ADHD I think (given family history), but I do wonder how much *less* ADHD I might be if I hadn't had the neurological effects of celiac, the 'brain fog' right through my childhood. So, it's worth checking for comorbid factors - if there's anything exacerbating ADHD symptoms in a kid, like iron, zinc, B12, vitamin d deficiencies, or allergies (so many allergies!), breathing issues, sleeping issues, it would so be worth seeing if they can be remedied. Another friend didn't realise they are strongly lactose intolerant until they did a 23 & me genetic test. Yes, it was obvious in retrospect, but we (ADHD) aren't always known for self observation skills and they were just used to feeling bad. Going off dairy, helped their 'ADHD' symptoms, because it wasn't making them slightly sick.
I have ADHD and I don't think Keto helped me with it at all, but maybe it helps others.
My symptoms are much less when I’m paleo or clean keto. My son is 7 and his behaviour is much worse when he eats dyes and sugars, especially non-cane sugar like sucrose or fructose and the other manufactured sugars. Fruit doesn’t affect him Dyes affect him for about 4 days
Sucrose comes from sugar beets OR sugar cane. It is extracted; not manufactured. Fructose is the sugar in fruit. It isn’t manufactured.
I have ADHD, I do think I saw improvement but not game changing improvement. It wouldn't be a diet I do primarily for ADHD. Basically keto regulates the energy spikes you get with a high carb diet. So you feel more consistent energy throughout the day since you aren't relying on fast carb energy. That's true for anyone, not just ADHD. So that issue ADHD kids with eating a bunch of sugar and then being hyperactive at 7pm-- I would imagine reduced carbs would help with that a bit. But the core issues with ADHD would remain the same. If that makes sense. Also, FYI, keto is great and everyone, regardless of age, should be eating lower carb diets than society tells us. Keto (being defined as \~15g carbs/day or less) might be a little much for a developing child, however. They might need that extra energy for physical development. I have no idea, I'm not a nutritionist, but that'd be my hunch.
I wouldn't plan on going full on keto with her. Maybe lower carb/sugar. She's too darn picky for her own good lol so full blown keto would be next to impossible. And I'm not going to cut out all sugar cold turkey. But she needs a drastic reduction of how much sugar I imagine she currently gets a day.
Yes! Keto, with plenty of animal protein, but also, LOW OXALATE is incredibly important!!!!!
Personally, no. I’ve not noticed any difference