Written by
so here's my story. My daughter (21 & ADHD- diagnosed @ 13 & bipolar- diagnosed @ 20) started having really bad eczema around age 14. We bounced back & forth between the dermatologist and the allergist for years, with neither providing a cure. Finally found a solution by cutting out wheat, glutin, & dairy. Now the eczema is under control, and coincidentally, her ADHD symptoms seem to be much less severe. In fact, she has not been using her ADHD meds at all? I don't know if the meds for bipolar have been helping with the ADHD, or whether her gluten free diet is a factor. Draw your own conclusions.
If you suspect Celiac Disease (CD) and are considering the GFCF diet or even just a GF diet, it is very important to stay on the regular diet with gluten in it. To accurately diagnose CD, it is very important that gluten still be in the system. If the person doesn't have gluten in the system and gets tested for CD, the test may show that CD isn't the issue.
Just because one has no gastrointestinal issues doesn't mean they don't have CD. Many who have CD are asymptomatic, and can show no symptoms for years. However, since nutrients don't get into your system properly, CD can cause short stature, and you want to get it diagnosed before puberty if at all possible.
I have an ADHD child (that Occupational Therapies or medication have not been able to help over years of treatment) and did not know anything about the so called brain-gut connection. However, as coincidence, my husband and I adopted a gluten/casein/sugar free diet as part of a nutrition plan through our gym. Not one for preparing many different dishes, I began feeding the children only what we were eating. In one week off gluten/dairy/sugar the change in my son was so dramatic that I began to wonder what the heck was going on and came upon this blog while researching. So, obviously, my experience is very limited but my son is focused, relaxed and calm like never, ever before and I plan to continue with this diet for him. I would say it is worth a try, way better than meds with mysterious side effects. I know I also feel more mental clarity & am feeling less stressed since changing my diet (and only in less than ten days!). I believe it is totally possible that a change in diet could help many families with ADHD children.
I am a 46yr old woman who has been physically fit and active for over 10 yrs. I experienced a large amount of stress this past winter, enrolled in college and shortly there after my dad was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. My body gains weight when I am stressing instead of losing weight, I gained 15 pounds. My dad passed away end of April. My dilema, can't seem to lose it now. Doing everything I have done before to drop weight easily but this time I am noticing things that friends have pointed out a Gluten Free diet may help.
I have often wondered if I have ADHD because I can't stay focused in class or even in a conversation with someone I really have to try to remember what they are saying or it's hard to follow the conversation. I can relate to he "fog" statement. I also notice I get overly excited when I have to speak or comment in class or even in life with things that pump me up or make me mad....I tend to get to "mad" or to "loud" or to "excited" as I have been told........I "explode" is another term family has used. I have also noticed after I eat cereal or icecream I get a stomach ache ( I use skim milk) I should mention I have hypo thyroidism and have had my right lobe of my thyroid removed due to nodules. I am on 75mcg of daily thryoid medicine. My dr just recently raised my dosage from 50mcg to 75 after checking my bloodwork due to my fatigue and weight gain. Bloodwork said normal but she raised it anyway to see if i would feel better and rechecked my blood levels in 3 months and it was fine. I also had my gallbladder removed 5 years ago.
I also had issues with yeast infections, acne. I have taken into consideration my age and how full my plate is but was just wondering if gluten could be a possibility. My nephew (my sisters son) has ashbergers, sp? There is no other family history of Autism and some of our cousins have ADHD.
I put my son on a dairy- and soy-free diet when he was age 2, and he immediately improved from constant diahrrea to only maybe once a week. Now at age 4, and with continuing digestive problems and extreme hyperactive behavior, I cut the wheat from his diet a month ago and went gluten-free. The physical symptoms and the behavioral problems have improved somewhat, with calm behavior some days and ADHD behavior other days. I'm wondering if there is yet another food sensitivity that he is still suffering? Should I cut out oats? Or sugar? Or something else?? I'm just a mom trying to keep my kids healthy and happy; I wish I had a nutritionist on my staff!
This is very consistent with my experience. My daughter had horrible poop (still does at 8) no one wanted to babysit her because diaper changes were so icky and frequent. Mini-Wheats cereal caused the worst reaction so we mostly fed her oatmeal and we still do. (I wish I would have made a connection there). She was horribly colicky, so I always suspected allergies, but didn't have a clue what to do about it. Potty training was a nightmare and very delayed. My daughter has ADHD and some obsessive/compulsivity.
My husband just got diagnosed with a wheat allergy (the worst symptom was diarrhea). He has been gfcf for a month. In my research on what to feed him, I ran across the ADHD link to gluten and casein and I am truly intrigued. Its hard to cut out wheat and dairy on a hunch, but since we had to for my husband, I think I'm ready to try it for my daughter.
Hi Regina
Just wanted to respond right away when I saw your comment. Yes...the diarrhea can be horrible when there is a food intolerance or allergy. And feeling that way can contribute to behavior problems.
If you do the GFCF diet with your daughter please make sure to read all ingredients. Oatmeal may or may not be okay because sometimes oats are cross contaminated with wheat. You have to really read everything on the boxes because if wheat is on the same manufacturing lines...it will undo everything you have done. It really is an all or nothing thing so be prepared! The great thing is that the GFCF diet is in the mainstream and now they have Betty Crocker products and even gluten free bisquick.
Let me know if you need any resources or support. I am glad you found my post!
up. My 16 year old has Aspergers. My nephew does as well, and we suspect that my husband does, although he's not formally diagnosed. At this point everyone in the family is pretty much an expert on Aspergers. My 14 year old son and 10 year old daughter have horrible stomach problems that clear up immediately when we eat wheat-free for a few days. My 8 year old son is diagnosed as ADHD and takes addoral (sp?), but I believe that it gives him rages and have been researching other alternatives - including going med-free. He also has eczema and has had horrible poops/diahrea all his life.
So I'm reading this and totally enthralled. Could this work for all 5 of them? That would be close to a miracle after all the issues we've had. Cost wise - will it break the bank? I can do mostly vegetarian and grass-fed beef. We can eat a lot more salmon. Giving up wonderful bread may be really hard for them. I have done some gluten free baking (and buying) - it seems crazy expensive and not as good. Flavor wise -I suppose you can get used to it, but if we can't afford it that's going to be an issue. We live in Los Angeles, so there is a wide variety of places to shop, but I'm overwhelmed with how to start.
My son had not been diagnosed with ADHD but his doctor wanted to keep an eye on it as a possibility given some of his behaviors. He was very impulsive and was not able to sit still in school, at restaurants, anywhere! He also had a hard time maintaining focus, beyond what is typical for a 5 year old boy. His K teacher was very understanding and as accommodating as possible, but he was geting in trouble at school, at Tae Kwon Do, etc. His doctor said we could try the GF/CF diet and see if it helped. For the first two weeks, he was actually much worse. I was nervous, but we pushed on. Noticeable improvement weeks 3-4, but dramatic improvement after week 4. He is calmer, can sit still, stay on task and is able to make better choices since the impulsivity is under control. His K teacher is blown away by the turnaround and said "Whatever you are doing, it's working!" He hasn't been in trouble once and is a much happier and more productive child. He noticed the improvement in himself and is good at self-regulating his diet choices, asking if something is gluten and dairy free before eating it. We provided his K teacher with a bag of "safe" goodies for him so he can have a treat when the class is celebrating a birthday or holiday.
The diet also helped normalize his bowel movements (they were this strange greenish color before) and his eczema is also much better. We would have a tough time keeping on the diet if it wasn't for great GF/CF products out there like Pamela's bread mix, Bell & Evans chicken nuggets, Snyders pretzels and So Delicious vanilla coconut yogurt, as wells as restaurants like Chipotle and ZPizza that have options for us. No, I am not a paid advertiser for these folks but thought it might help some parents, as some of the GF/CF food isn't very tasty.
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
I think that if diet can be linked to other serious conditions in the body, then this can be one more. Certainly diet plays a large role in heart disease, obesity, diabetes and many more not coming to mind at the present.
There is so much unproven. Empirical facts are long and hard to establish. It's a minefield of well-meaning, and some not well-meaning, professionals, family friends, acquaintances and charlatans we walk through in life, while looking for answers.
Skepticism is healthy both ways, looking outward and inward at science and our knowledge of this utterly complex machine we live in. I have no personal experience with a GFCF diet; reading yours is enough to reinforce my beliefs in personal research and not giving up.
Hi Paul,
I have a 10-year old grandson with ADHD who was on a variety or meds and was under the care of a well-known child psychiatrist with a specialty in ADHD. My daughter was unconfortable with the meds and heard about the gluten-free casein-free diet. She tried the diet and had positive results within one week. It is now two years later and he is totally med free. He is an honor student in school and no longer reports that his brain is "foggy." Here is a link to an excellent article on the diet if you wish to look into it further, http://www.gfmeals.com/Articles.asp?ID=158.