Today, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects 4.5 million U.S. children. About 2.5 million kids take medication for the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new study has found that children exposed to pesticides could have a higher risk of ADHD. The study published by the Journal of Pediatrics measured levels of pesticide byproducts in the urine of over 1,000 children, ages 5 to 18. They found kids with above-average levels had twice the odds of receiving a diagnosis of ADHD.

The Journal of Pediatrics says exposure to oranophosphates has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems in children in the past.

Zach loves going to the farmer’s market.

Oranophosphates are designed to have toxic effects on the nervous system says Maryse Bouchard, PhD, a researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the university of Montreal. “That’s how they kill pests.”

You can now add pesticides to the legion of chemicals adversely affecting kids. The pesticides act on a set of brain chemicals related to those in involved in ADHD. (The Fiengold Association has comprehensive information on food additives affecting children with ADHD.)  Children are at greater risk from pesticides and other contaminates because their bodies are smaller and still developing. It’s not surprising that pesticides which have toxic affects on nervous systems of insects negatively affect kids.

What Can You Do?
Obviously, thoroughly wash all produce. Better yet, purchase organic produce. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without pesticides and herbicides.

Some produce such as apples, berries, green beans, and spinach are more susceptible to pests. Naturally, they’re more heavily sprayed with pesticides, than worry-free produce like bananas, oranges, and broccoli. When making purchasing decisions, it makes sense to purchase organic produce that conventional growing methods are more likely to be heavily treated with pesticides.

So at the very least you’ll want to avoid the “ dirty dozen.” The dirty dozen are the top 12 fruit and vegetables with the highest pesticide load. They are peaches, apples, sweet bell pepper, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots and pears. It only makes sense that these should be the first organic fruit and vegetables you purchase.

There is another benefit to eating organic produce without pesticides. When plants aren’t coated in pesticides to help fight off disease, they develop stronger compounds to protect themselves. If you eat pesticide-free produce, you get those disease-fighting compounds, too. What’s more, organic produce often has better flavor than conventionally grown foods. Since organic produce may be locally grown, they ripen later and are picked at their peak instead of being picked early to ensure survival during shipping.

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Having a child with ADD/ADHD, who is a picky eater, initially takes more work. You may have a child self-limiting the kinds of whole foods eaten, but the child with ADD/ADHD most likely prefers the very foods causing their problem. Because each child is unique, the chemicals and additives triggering symptoms can vary.

For kids who can’t tolerate food colorings, the tinest smidgen could produce ADD/ADHD symptoms for several days. A small drop of something they cannot tolerate may prompt symptoms of hyperactivity, sleeplessness (sometimes nightmares), and irritability.

Joshy shows us that his tongue is colored red, after eating a piece of birthday cake.

A parent needs to be vigilant, especially in the beginning. You’ll find, as I did, “accidental double-blind studies” will pop up. You’ll become a master sleuth, ferreting out unwanted food additives.

Cleaning out the pantry is vital. With over 3,000 additives in our food supply it can seem like a gargantuan task. You’ll be glad to know that it’s not impossible, but it will take some determination on your part.  I wouldn’t even want to try to put a child on a different diet than the rest of the family. When you’re talking about whole foods, why not improve the entire family’s diet? Take time to read the labels of the foods you usually purchase. See where you can change to a more healthy brand. Reading labels is vital. You might be surprised at what you find.

When my daughter, Jenny, was a child, she could not tolerate most of the additives in our food supply. Nitrates would always trigger ADHD symptoms. They’re in all packaged lunch-meats, and most pork products like ham, bacon and sausage. She’s grown and married now, but, today, nitrates still give her headaches. Red and yellow food colorings were the worst additives for Jenny and would immediately trigger symptoms of hyperactivity. MSG is another additive that can cause problems. It often produces headaches (MSG actually kills brain cells), not just in people with ADD/ADHD, either. MSG can be hard to identify on products, as it hides in a multitude of names. ( CLICK HERE for more MSG info.) MSG can be found in almost ALL fast food.

Sugar, especially High Fructose Corn Syrup, is in just about all processed foods. All these years later, sugar still makes Jenny irritable. Still, once you get in the habit of avoiding sugar, it’s not too hard to eliminate. For sure, you’ll want to avoid High Fructose Corn Sugar which is found in most bakery goods, soda pop, and in packaged foods!

It’s not as difficult as you might think to eat whole foods. Of course many foods available in the grocery store are processed, but you’ll want to purchase products with the least amount of additives and chemicals. I still don’t purchase products with artificial colorings, flavorings, nitrates, or MSG.

I’m not a nutritionist or a dietitian, but I’ve found a few dietary supplements are extremely helpful for kids with ADD/ADHD, even Sensory Processing Disorder and Autism. In fact, many times with dietary changes and the addition of these supplements, positive changes are often seen in a couple of weeks:
1) The first is cod liver oil. I purchase Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil and I take it myself. The lemon flavored one is tasty. Cod liver oil is high in vitamins A and D.
2) The other is a good kids’ probiotic, purchased in the refrigerator section of a whole foods store. Without fail, kids with ADD and ADHD need to have their gut function improved. The gut feeds the brain. When a child has good gut function, their brain functions better as well.
3) The third is that almost ALL people in the U.S. are vitamin D deficient, even kids. A simple test that your pediatrician can do will tell you what your child’s vitamin D level is. In fact, everyone should have their vitamin D level checked. My husband, Dick, and I found we had low levels ourselves. The optimum levels are around 50, but most people are way under that. (Cod liver oil is high in vitamin D, but if your child is extremely low you may want to add this supplement. If you can’t convince your child to take the lemon-flavored cod liver oil, then vitamin D3 supplement is an alternative.)

You, will of course, need to take allergies into account. If your child is allergic to wheat, dairy, or nuts, these foods will need to be eliminated as well. Today, I won’t go into GMO foods (genetically modified organism). This is another issue. My eldest daughter, Julie-ann, thought she was allergic to corn. Then found out it was GMO corn that she couldn’t tolerate. If a product says it’s certified organic, then it’s by default, GMO free.

You can save on organics at big box stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. Since there’s not a Sam’s Club near me, I have a Costco membership. “Costco Organic Products” is a list I just put together for my son-in-law. He has a Costco membership, but lives a distance from a store. Because he will be the one driving to the store and shopping, he wanted to know what organic food products I found at Costco (Sam’s has similar products) and purchase from the store. I’ve put an unofficial list together for him. I’m sure there’s more, but at least it’s a start. CLICK HERE to see it.

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All cured meats, including breakfast sausage, bacon, luncheon meats, and hot dogs, contain nitrites and nitrates. They’re added to processed meats to prevent botulism and enhance the taste and color of the meat. Without nitrates processed meats would be brown, just like cooked hamburger.

Once inside the body, they can form nitrosamines, a cancer-causing chemical. These carcinogenic compounds have been associated with cancer. They have also been linked with leukemia and ADD/ADHD in children.

Between 1980 and 1987, a study conducted in Los Angeles found a relationship between the consumption of certain foods and the risk of leukemia with children under the age of 10. Results indicated that children, who ate an excess of 12 hot dogs per month, had nine times the normal risk of developing childhood leukemia.

Pictured: Zach thinks nitrates are hair-raising scary!

In 2007, researchers in Denver found that children, whose mothers consumed one or more hot dogs per week during pregnancy, had double the risk of developing brain tumors, and children, who consumed one or more hot dogs per week were also at higher risk of brain cancer.

Nitrites are found naturally in many green vegetables, especially spinach, celery, and green lettuce. However, the consumption of vegetables is effective in reducing the risk of cancer. Nitrites found in whole foods are managed differently in the body. It’s the synergy of various compounds, which makes the difference between harmful and healthful. Nitrite containing vegetables also have vitamins C and D, which inhibit the formation of carcinogenic compounds. Therefore, vegetables are quite safe and healthy, and actually reduce your cancer risk.

For health avoid eating meat products with nitrates. Children, who have small tummies, and the picky eater, who is consuming limited foods, shouldn’t eat meats containing nitrates. Always look for nitrate-free meats. In addition, these products usually are high in fat, and the fat is where contaminates are stored.

Food additives are problematic for everyone, but for the child or adult with ADD/ADHD, avoidance of food additives is imperative. There’s sound evidence that food plays an important part in controlling the symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Food additives such as artificial colorings, preservatives, MSG, and nitrates. Of course, avoidance of junk foods, trans fat, and sugar, especially High Fructose Corn Syrup, is also very important.

My daughter, Jenny, was extremely sensitive to food additives, including nitrates. Thirty years ago, her pediatrician thought I was crazy, when I mentioned that food additives made her ADD symptoms worse. Today, parents, who suspect artificial ingredients in food are affecting their childrens’ behavior, can now point to proof. New research, by Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at England’s University of Southampton, reported in a British medical journal, that a variety of common food dyes and sodium benzoate, an ingredient in many soft drinks, fruit juices, and salad dressings, causes some children to become more hyperactive than usual. The younger the children, the more they found they negatively responded to the additives.

Be on the lookout for nitrates: All prepackaged lunch meats contain nitrates. If lunch meet is pink it has nitrates. Ask the deli counter clerk to check the nutrition label for nitrates. Some deli meats may be nitrate-free. Frozen turkey breakfast and turkey Italian sausage packaged in a tube usually don’t contain nitrates.

Most pork products (all cured meats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami, etc.) use nitrates to preserve color and freshness. Look for alternatives. Incorporate easy-to-make egg, tuna, and chicken salad sandwiches in your lunches. Of course, the standby peanut butter and jelly sandwich is easy and always nitrate-free.

When you have a craving for a hot dog, be sure to buy a brand that doesn’t contain nitrates. These are usually found in whole food stores. Or when a delivery pizza is the answer to dinner, order a veggie or hamburger pizza, leaving off pepperoni, ham, and other processed meats with nitrates.

Take the time to teach your children to enjoy whole foods. If you set good eating habits from the beginning with your kids, you’ll avoid ever having a picky eater. Learning to eat a healthy diet starting early in childhood will decrease the likelihood of your child becoming obese and getting diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. I discuss this more in detail in Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

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