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.

If you liked this article, then you’ll want to read: “A S.A.D. Diet”: CLICK HERE

When you sign up for the Baby Bites Ezine on the right side of the Ezine information page, I’ll send you two helpful reports: “Be Frugal Save Grocery Dollars” and “7 Tips for Healthful Grocery Shopping.”

CLICK HERE for the Baby Bites book.

Although, I frequently shop at a whole foods store, 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. You’d think that Costco would have a list of organic products carried online, but I couldn’t find one. This is my unofficial list. My list is not inclusive and because items are constantly being changed. The most frustrating thing about Costco is that a favorite item will disappear from the shelves…sometimes for good, sometimes for a season.

Not all of these items are available in all Costco stores, some are seasonal and some are for reasons unknown to me are not always available.

Organic Frozen Foods (They keep adding to the organic frozen foods…YEA)
Asparagus (Pacific Meadows)
Blackberries
Blueberries (Scenic Fruit or Pacific Meadows)
Berries, mixed (Cascadian Farms)
Broccoli (Natural Choice)
Cherries (Townsend)
Corn ( Bybees)
Frozen Yogurt (Julie’s Organic lowfat strawberry)
Garden Trio (Bybee)
Green Beans (Lisa’s)
Peas (Bybee)
Peaches (Wawona)
Salmon (check to see if it’s from the Pacific Ocean and not farmed)

Organic Produce
Apples, sliced
Apples and Pears — occasionally are organic
Carrots & Mini Carrots
Edmamame (Fusjsan)
Mangeos (Pacific Meadows)
Spring Mixed Lettuce
Spinach
Roma tomatoes aren’t organic, but pesticide free

Not organic produce with peels or shells, so you’re throwing away most
(I added the word most, after Mike’s comment below) of the exterior pesticides.
Avocados
Bananas
Garlic
Onions
Oranges
Potatoes
Nuts in the shell seasonally

Organic Dairy
Butter (Kirkland)
Cheese (Organic Creamery Sharp Cheddar)
Eggs (Some stores have cage-free eggs) “ Free-range Chicken Eggs.”
(I believe that Sam’s Club carries organic eggs)
Milk, but it’s 1 percent (Whole milk is a whole food, children need healthy fats, see “ Whole Milk Challenge.”)
Tapioca
Tofu
Yogurt

Organic Meat
Organic Chicken Breasts, Thighs & Whole Chickens
Beef (grass fed is better than corn fed, but organic fed is a step up from commercially grown beef)

Organic Grains
Brown Rice, short grain (Lundberg)
Cereal (Ancient Grains, Mesa Sunrise, Natures Path Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola & Kirkland Instant Oatmeal)
Farro (Earthy Delights)
Quinoa (Red Hill)
Wild Rice (Harvest Medley)

Other Organic Products
Alpine Valley Organic Multi-Grain Bread
Apple sauce (Treetop)
Apple Chips (Bare Fruit)
Beef Jerky
Blue Agave
Chicken Broth (small amount of sugar)
Corn (Westrae canned corn)
Coffee (Magnum)
Figs ( Black Mission Figs)
Flax
Granola (Udi’s)
Ketchup (Heinz)
Maple Syrup
Olive Oil (extra virgin)
Peanut butter
Rudi’s Bread
Raisins (Sunmaid-comes in 2 two-pound packages)
Rice Dream Rice Drink
Salad Dressing (Newmans’ Own)
Salsa (Kirkland)
Salmon (Bear & Wolf wild Alaskan salmon)
Seasoning, No Salt (Kirkland)
Soup (Amy’s Lentil & Pacific Red Pepper)
Soy Milk, plain and vanilla  (Kirkland)
Strawberry Spread (Kirkland) It has 8 grams of organic sugar (two teaspoons) per serving.
Spaghetti & Macaroni (Garogalo Organic whole wheat)
Tomatoes (canned, brand changes)

Organic, Not Necessarily Healthful, Because They Are Highly Processed (may have added sugar)
Candy (The ingredients shouldn’t contain additives such as artificial colorings and flavorings.)
Cake mix (Sof’ella Gulten-Free Chocolate Cake and Frosting.)
Cereal (Kirkland Raisin bran & Kashi Autumn Wheat)
Corn Tortilla Chips
Granola bars (Nature’s Path)
Macaroni and Cheese (Annie’s)
Healthy Handfuls (organic toddler cookies, not necessarily healthful, but organic)
Italian Blood Orange Fruit Drink
Oatmeal (Kirkland instant)
Sugar (not healthful at all, but there may be times when a little sugar is needed)

Products which are NOT organic, without too many additives or sugar
Chicken Breast for sandwiches and salads (Kirkland)
Crackers (Milton’s Multi-grain & Crunchmaster Crackers are trans fat & interesterified fat free )
Fruit Leather (Stretch Island Fruit Co. no artificial ingredients)
Mushrooms (canned)
Marinara Sauce (White Linen Collection-needs some added Italian seasonings)
Tuna (Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna)

*These are the brands that I have purchased from Costco, but they can change. If you purchase an organic food item from Costco and it’s not on my list, leave a comment. I’ll add it to the list. Thanks

When you sign up for the Baby Bites Ezine (Look for the fruit face on the right side of this page.),
I’ll send out two helpful reports: “Be Frugal Save Grocery Dollars” and “7 Tips for Healthful Grocery Shopping.”

CLICK HERE for the Baby Bites book.

Shop with a grocery list and you’ll purchase the nutritious foods you need… And you’ll leave expensive, processed, empty calorie foods behind.

< For a printer-friendly copy of the Baby Bites^® Grocery List click on Try Rannosaurus and he’ll serve you up a printer friendly PDF.

Canned Foods
Look for canned foods with low salt & no sugar

• Applesauce (sugar-free)
• Beef Broth (low salt)
• Black Beans
• Cannellini Beans
• Chicken
• Chicken Broth (low salt)
• Green Chilies
• Kidney Beans
• Pineapple
• Pinto Beans
• Refried Beans
• Soup_______________
• Tomatoes: 14 oz or 28 oz
• Tuna, Chunk Light
• ____________________
• ____________________
  
• ____________________
• ____________________

Dairy

• Butter
• Cheese _______________
• _______________________
• _______________________

• Eggs-Grain Fed/Cage Free
• Milk
• Yogurt (plain)
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

Frozen Foods

• Apple Juice
• Broccoli
• Green Beans
• Ground Beef or Turkey
• Fish Sticks
• Orange Juice
• Turkey Sausage
• Peas
• Spinach Chopped
• Strawberries
• Whole-Wheat Waffles
• ____________________

Grains & Nuts

• Bread
• Brown Rice
• Chips ______________
• Cereal______________
• Cookies_____________
• Crackers____________
• Cream of Wheat
• Nuts________________
• Oatmeal
• Pancake Mix (Whole-Grain)
• Pasta
• Popcorn
• Raisins
• Seeds
• Pumpkin / Sunflower
• Tortilla, wheat
• ____________________
• ____________________

Meats & Fish

• Beef _________________
• ____________________
• Chicken _____________
• ____________________
• Chicken/Turkey Sausage
• ____________________
• Fish ________________
• Cod Filets
• Haddock
• Salmon (avoid farm-raised)
• Lamb
• Turkey Bacon
• ____________________
• ____________________

Produce/Fruit

• Apples
• Bananas
• Berries ______________
• Grapes: Red or Green
• Lemon or Lime
• Melon
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Pears
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

Produce/Vegetables

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Cucumber
• Garlic
• Green Onions
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Onions: Yellow or Red
• Parsley
• Pepper: Green or Red
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

Staples/Condiments

• Coffee
• Coconut Oil
• Flour
• Whole-Wheat Pastry
• Whole-Wheat
• Other_____________
• Garlic Powder
• Honey
• Jelly (100% Fruit)
• Juice (100% Juice)
  Grape/Pomegranate/Cranberry

• Ketchup
• Lemon / Lime Juice
• Maple Syrup (100% Pure)
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)
• Olives: Black or Green
• Picanté Sauce
• Peanut Butter(No trans fat or sugar)
• Seasonings__________
• Tea _______________
• Vinegar: White/Wine/Balsamic
• ____________________

Miscellaneous

• Pet Food
• Water
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• ____________________
• ____________________
• Paper Products

• Napkins
• Paper Towels
• Sandwich Bags
• Tissue
• Toilet Paper
• ____________________

Personal Items

• Band-Aids
• Diapers
• Diaper Wipes
• Hand Sanitizers
• Deodorant
• Feminine Hygiene
• Floss
• Hand Lotion
• Mouth Wash
• Soap
• Toothpaste
• Vitamins

Cleaning Products

• Dish Soap
• Dishwasher Detergent
• Furniture Polish
• Kitchen Counter Cleaner
• Laundry Detergent
• Sponges
• Toilet Cleaner
• Window Cleaner
• ____________________
• ____________________