ADHD n l plaes a e M recip & nside i
Health wise
ADHD is a neurological syndrome associated with poor concentration and organisational skills. It is, however, poorly understood with many people dismissing it as a ‘fad’ with no foundation in truth. There are medications available to help manage the symptoms and behavioural therapy can be helpful. While dietary causes for the illness have been ruled out by research studies, there’s no question that a balanced and healthy diet is also important in the management of this condition.
DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN WITH ADHD
1. Plan regular, varied meals for your child and make them small and frequent. Don’t allow your child to go for long stretches of time (more than three to four hours) without food. 2. At every meal, include foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI). These foods break down gradually and provide a slow, sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream.
Meal-planning ideas
Choose one option per meal and one or two mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks
Breakfast
7. Plan a serving of oily fish, such as pilchards, sardines, salmon or mackerel two to three times a week. If this is not manageable consider giving your child a daily supplement of fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids).
Smoothie: blend low-fat vanilla yoghurt with two fruits and milk
Snacks
8. Avoid restrictive diets. Overly restrictive diets may lead to nutritional deficiencies in growing children. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before trying any alternative dietary treatment approach to ADHD.
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A small tub of yoghurt, or a carton of drinking yoghurt / flavoured milk A fresh fruit, dried fruit and nuts or peanuts and raisins Home-made popcorn or vegetable crisps A fruit kebab made with melon, pineapple and strawberries Low-GI bread or Pro-vita crackers with peanut butter or cheese wedges Biltong, hard-boiled egg, cheese fingers, chicken drumstick or lean cold meat rolled with chutney
9. Take care with additives in food. Although there is no conclusive proof that food additives can cause or aggravate ADHD, the recommendation is that you should monitor your child’s activity and behaviour after eating foods containing additives, and eliminate those foods from the diet that tend to cause symptoms.
Light meal
Sandwich made with low-GI bread with peanut butter and sliced banana, chicken mayonnaise or ham and cheese, with baby carrots and an apple Mini pitas with meatballs or mini hamburger patty and tomato sauce, with finger vegetables Sweet chilli pasta salad, with a banana Mini frittata with Pro-vitas, marmite and baby corn, or carrots and cucumber sticks with hummus dip
Main meal
Pilchard fish cakes with mashed sweet potato and cucumber and tomato salad Beef stroganoff with rice and carrot and pineapple salad Salmon pasta bake with vegetable sticks
4. At all meals, include protein-rich foods such as chicken, meat, fish, eggs or dairy as the protein helps to stabilise the blood sugar level.
6. Give your child a daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement. The supplement should provide approximately 100% of the DRI for each vitamin and mineral, and ideally it should also contain iron.
A boiled or scrambled egg on toast with a small glass of orange juice Peanut butter and low-GI toast with a glass of milk
3. Avoid refined carbohydrates with a high GI as these may exacerbate ADHD symptoms.
5. Encourage consumption of vegetables and fruits. Children should eat at least five portions of a variety of different vegetables and/or fruit every day.
Wholewheat ProNutro with milk and half a small pawpaw
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Spaghetti Bolognese with a mixture of steamed baby vegetables Optional dessert: banana and berry ice cream
Helpful contacts
To find a private dietitian in your area: Association Dietetics South Africa, www.adsa.org.za Your Special Diet: www.pnp.co.za/healthcorner Recommended recipe books: Sustained Energy for Kids (Steenkamp, Merlin, Wellmann) Simply Good Food (Justine Drake)
This meal plan serves as a guide only. Visit www.adsa.org.za and contact a private dietitian for an individual meal plan and portion guide.
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Healthy living
Shopping list of healthier choices Stocking up on healthy food that includes low-GI starches and reduced-fat protein products will benefit the whole family holewheat ProNutro * W– Original and Apple
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Bake flavours Bran flakes, high-fibre bran, shredded bran Oats porridge – cooked in milk Raw oats-based mueslis
Cooked starches
aby potatoes, * Bsweet potatoes Wholewheat pasta * Brown rice * Mealies / sweetcorn *
Bread and biscuits
* P1ro-vitas 00% rye crackers * and bread Seed loaf and * low-GI breads Ve getables, fruit and legumes
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ll fresh and frozen A vegetables and fruit Canned tomato and asparagus Dried fruit bars and rolls without sugar Canned or dried beans, lentils, chickpeas
Dairy
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L ow-fat or fat-free milk, yoghurt and cottage cheese Low-fat flavoured milks Mozzarella, Cheddar, Gouda and feta
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ow-fat cream cheese, * Lplain or flavoured Cheese wedges *
Meat, fish , chicken, eggs
ean beef, pork and * Lchicken, trimmed of
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all fat and skin Ostrich Bacon and cold meats – trimmed of all fat Eggs Fresh or frozen fish fillets, fingers or cakes Tuna in brine
Vegetable crisps
biltong * LBean okomo Up ‘n Go * and Milo drink
An easy way to boost your kid’s veggie intake. Use any root vegetables you have.
Need tips for packing a healthy lunch box? For great recipes and practical suggestions visit www.pnp.co.za/ healthcorner – or contact the dietitian at the Health Hotline, healthhotline@pnp. co.za or 0800 11 22 88.
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1 small carrot, shaved into ribbons 1 small beetroot, shaved into ribbons 1 small sweet potato, sliced into thin matchsticks 1 small butternut, thinly sliced 1 parsnip, shaved into ribbons 1 Tbsp (15ml) PnP Extra Virgin olive oil
ADHD
Breakfast cereals
Nutritious and so simple, your kids can even make these dishes themselves...
SERVES 4, as a snack Preheat oven to 180˚C. Toss vegetables with olive oil. Spread out on a baking tray in a single layer; don’t overcrowd them. Bake for about 20 minutes until dried out and crispy. Serve warm as a healthy snack or side vegetable.
Omega 3-rich fish
(eat two to three times every week) Pilchards and sardines Mackerel and herring Salmon – smoked, canned and frozen fillets
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Fats and oils
live / canola * O/ avocado oil Seeds * Unsalted nuts * Olives and olive paste * Peanut butter * Avocado * Low-oil dressings * and reduced-oil salad cream
Spreads and snacks hummus * PPnP nP tzatziki * Popcorn kernels *
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Use wholewheat pasta or brown rice to boost the fibre content! Salad: ½ packet (250g) PnP fusilli, cooked 1/3 cup (80ml) PnP cheddar, cubed 1 cup (250ml) PnP frozen peas 2 peppers, diced 8-10 cocktail tomatoes, halved Salad dressing: ¼ cup (60ml) PnP reduced-fat mayonnaise 1/3 cup (80ml) PnP low-fat yoghurt ¼ cup (60ml) PnP sweet chilli sauce
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Banana and berry ice cream This ice cream is as healthy as it is delicious. peeled and sliced * 41 bananas, cup (250ml) PnP frozen * mixed berries cup (250ml) PnP low-fat * 1plain yoghurt 1 cup (250ml) fresh * strawberries SERVES 4
for 1-2 hours or until frozen solid. Tip frozen bananas, mixed berries and yoghurt together into a blender and blitz until smooth. Halve strawberries. Spoon generous dollops of ice cream into bowls and top with fresh strawberries Serve immediately.
Place bananas on a baking sheet lined with cling wrap and freeze
Each serving contains one fruit portion.
ADHD
Sweet chilli pasta salad
SERVES 4 Cook peas according to packet instructions and add to salad ingredients. Combine dressing ingredients together and stir through salad.
Mini frittatas
You can add virtually anything to a frittata – it’s a great way to use up leftover cooked vegetables. packet (200g) PnP * 1diced butternut 1½ discs PnP traditional * feta, crumbled cup (125ml) PnP * ½frozen peas 4 PnP free-range eggs * / cup (80ml) milk * 12 cupcake cups or * silicon moulds
Preheat oven to 180˚C. Line a muffin tray with cupcake cups and divide the butternut, feta and peas among them. Beat eggs and milk together and carefully fill each cup. Bake for 8-12 minutes until set, golden and puffed up. Cool slightly before serving.
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MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
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Healthy lunch boxes… Useful tips for lunch boxes ome lunches can be prepared the night * Sbefore such as pasta salads, sandwich
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fillings, coleslaw – or something from last night’s dinner like chicken kebabs. Try to resist your children’s demands for high-fat snacks and fizzy cold drinks. If your child likes crisps put some in a small bag or wrap some crisps in foil. Buy a sturdy plastic container that’s big enough to accommodate the food without it getting squashed. Eating a variety of foods from different food groups gives children the best chance of obtaining a balanced diet. Most children will leave food that takes a lot of effort to eat, as they want a quick refuelling stop. Peel naartjies and cover with cling wrap, cut kiwi fruit in half or make colourful skewers with bite-sized pieces of fruit. Water is still the best drink to include in a lunch box for children. Freeze the bottle overnight and this will provide your child with cold water through the hot summer day. Bottled sparkling water is a treat for children, but be careful not to include the flavoured varieties or vitamin water. Flavoured milks are also healthy and great for before sport. Add a personal touch. Tuck a surprise like a note or stickers in your child’s lunch box or hide a special treat at the bottom. Pack fun napkins, draw a face on a banana with a marker pen or cut sandwiches into novelty shapes using a cookie cutter. On weekends, get your children involved in the kitchen making things like muffins which they can then take to school the following week.
Published on behalf of Pick n Pay by John Brown South Africa
A healthy lunch box should help to improve your child’s attention, behaviour and learning throughout the day and into the afternoon. Remember that lunch boxes may have to replace three to four meals a day.
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