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We have two children ages 10 and 13 whom we adopted about 7 years ago. Both children came from biological parents with a long family history of eating poorly and having lots of mental health issues. Both have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, one with a mild form of aspergers and one with anxiety and depression. I was told that all of these were simply inherited from their biological parents since their biological parents had the same issues...plus some. The doctors told us to just medicate them and there was nothing else we could do about it. Along with the medications came the appetite suppression that is a side effect of the medications. For this reason the doctors prescribed a high calorie diet rich in dairy and meat to maintain a healthy weight.

I did what the doctors told us to do but now I am really starting to wonder if a change in diet could make a difference.

My daughter started puberty around age 8, my son around age 10. That just cant be normal! At 13 and 10 my children are dealing with acne, hormones and mood swings. They are either too tired or overly hyper, can't concentrate for long and just in general seem very unbalanced to me.

I asked the doctors if all the hormones in the milk and meat was making my children develop at an earlier rate and they just laughed in my face and rolled their eyes at me. I realize that their family history probably plays some role in all of this but I just feel that maybe it can be treated differently.

So I say all this to ask....has anyone had children with these issues improve on the McDougall diet?

It is not all that uncommon and indeed starts when the brain releases certain hormones at age 8 or older.

My daughter's breasts began to swell at barely 9 years old. I was scared to death because I didn't get my period until age 10 and I thought maybe she had a tumor or something.

Like your doctor, my doctor just laughed and said, "she's becoming a little woman." It was no big deal. She grew up healthy and normal.

I would be more concerned if children started puberty earlier than age 8.

I absolutely believe added hormones in meat and dairy cause early puberty in children. I don't know the ramifications of that and it probably isn't reversible but diet should certainly help with the symptoms. As for heredity and nothing you can do? I don't buy into that and I wound investigate more in depth how diet affects their problems.

Dear IdahoMom,

I have experienced dramatic changes in anxiety/depression, mood swings and ADD like symptoms on my daughter as a result of diet. She had an amazing recovery from autism using a macrobiotic diet (based on whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods, mostly animal product free except for occasional fish). When I slack on the diet or she goes to in-laws house where she eats eggs, bacon and bread with margarine for breakfast, crackers and cheese for lunch, and lamb chops/burgers/prime rib for dinner and ice cream, cookies, candy, cake, etc, between the meals, she start exhibiting those anxiety/depression, mood swings and ADD like symptoms. I don't doubt that the tendency for depression/anxiety comes in large part from genetic predisposition. We don't all respond the same way to the same ingredients in food. On some of us, food has no negative effect when it comes to those behaviors. On others, however, it does, and by eating a proper diet we can control that.

MacroMom

It's not only the hormones but the excess animal fats and proteins that cause premature puberty. While you can't reverse puberty, you can alleviate the other stuff quite a bit. Absolutely, a clean diet can calm mental illness storms just as a dirty diet (animal, processed, white) can contribute to them. Also, trauma is often manifest in children as these psuedo diseases of ADD/ADHD. Drugs only mask the symptoms they don't help people learn to deal with pain and out of control thoughts/behavior. Of course this is opinion, but I've worked with enough parents of hyper/depressed children to be pretty darn certain of my opinion.

First and foremost, removing all fake (processed and white) and animal foods from the diet brings peace to an over stimulated mind. Adopting a high-nutrient, starch diet with plenty of distilled water will clean out the bowel. A clean bowel makes often alleviates a nasty disposition and if nothing else keeps one from getting colon cancer. Removing electronic entertainment and spending hours in the outdoors enhances this effect. Instead of video games, soda and potato chips spend time planting and maintaining a garden, picnicking, hiking, swimming, keeping nature journals, skiing, surfing, and all other sorts of outdoor activities together. Instead of Mom doing all the cooking, establish a culture of family meal prep and clean up. Chopping veggies is so calming. Learning skills of self-sufficiency is empowering and thus calming to children. Washing dishes together can be a delightful tradition, with all the singing, talking, joking, towel snapping, and learning about order. Finally, eliminating excess clutter and learning to keep an orderly environment leads to a more orderly, calm mind. Sure it takes time, but that's the reason you wanted children. Damaged children need extra love, which is spelled TIME.

I agree with this 100%. Thank you for posting. As a occupational therapist I work with children with disabilities. Many would not need my services if these ideas were in place.

GENES/FAMILY HISTORY LOAD THE GUN... DIET PULLS THE TRIGGER.



Please see Dr. McD's recommendations for maintaining/increasing weight while eating a healthy, plant-based [and hence almost hormone-free], whole foods diet: http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/030700puhowdoIgainweight.htm

Since hormones seem to be playing a role, though (witness the acne, early puberty, etc), you would probably want to minimize use of soy-based foods, even the McD-acceptable "natural" soy foods like edamame, tofu, soy tempeh, & soy milk.

I went to a conference where this was mentioned -early puberty in children who have been adopted from a care system.
Apparently it occurs if there has been malnourishment/neglect for some time and then they are looked after. When they start to catch up it triggers hormonal changes so that they have early puberty later on.

Not sure if this is relevant to you but thought you might like to research it further.

Those are actual normal ages for puberty. As for the other issues, diet certainly can help. ADHD and autism are very real disorders. A good diet, therapy, and sometimes medication can help. You need support from the school, your doctor, and therapist to truly help them. My son has ADHD and with all of this support he has made great improvements. None of it will make the ADHD go away, but it will certainly help manage it. Good luck.