Anything good for impulse control?

[momto3wolves]

My 2 sons haven't been dx'ed yet, but are most likely ADHD combined type. My younger one is especially impulsive. Is there anything that good for that? I was considering trying the Omega-3's, is that more for focus, or will it help the impulsiveness?? They are 6 and 8, and approx. 60 pounds each.

[catatonic]

All of my son's "acting out" type behaviors improved tremendously with dietary changes. I highly recommend looking at the Feingold diet at www.feingold.org . You can contact them via e-mail and request an information packet at [e-mail] .

As for supplements, my son remains in far better control of himself when taking magnesium and Omega-3 (in the form of fish oil). Your target dose for magnesium would be 6mg per pound of body weight, or about 480mg daily, split into two doses. This may be hard on their stomachs, so start at half that amount and wait a week before increasing the amount. That way they can become accustomed to it gradually and hopefully avoid any stomach aches or loose stools. With Omega-3, you want to give at least 480mg DHA and 720mg EPA daily, again split into two doses. It takes approximately 8 - 12 weeks to correct a deficiency in essential fatty acids, so it will take some time to see results. For us, at about the 6 week mark there was noticeable improvement.

HTH

Forgot to add...if you'd like more information on magnesium, take a look at www.mgwater.com or read the Seelig and Rosanoff book "The Magnesium Factor". For more on Omega-3 see www.omega-3info.com/efas.htm or read the Stordy and Nichols book "The LCP Solution". For a write up on an interesting research study done under the aegis of Harvard Med that concluded nutritional treatments were as successful as Ritalin, see www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/8/3/319.pdf

[momto3wolves]

The study was very interesting, thanks. I saved the info so I can go shopping.

They mention in the study that low protein diets can affect behavior-how much protein is enough?? My older son doesn't like many protein foods, just chicken, pork, the very occasional hot dog, (I know, BAD!) or hamburger. Mostly he eats a lot of peanut butter. Very picky eater, with sensory issues too.

Thanks for your help!

[catatonic]

I try to get some high-quality protein into my son at each meal. Peanut butter is a good source, and one of my boy's typical breakfasts is peanut butter toast and two boiled eggs. I regularly boil an entire bag of boneless chicken breasts, then cut it into bite size cubes and store it in individual servings in the freezer. He snacks on this with ranch dressing.

I've found that it's not the total quantity of protein so much as it is the frequency of eating it. Some kind of protein with each meal works best for us. This can be as simple as adding a can of tuna or some cooked chicken strips to a green salad. I also make high-protein cookie bars (with peanut butter, and protein powder subbed for part of the flour) so that even his sweets have some protein in them. Snacks like nuts contain protein. Or you can try spreading sliced ham with cream cheese and rolling it up. When you fill his lunch box, toss in a couple of string cheese sticks. Make dips and dressings from cottage cheese you run through the blender, rather than using mayo or sour cream. All these things will increase total protein intake.

For my 4 year old, who doesn't like meat or eggs and who is allergic to dairy, it's more of a challenge. She'd be happy eating fruits, vegetables and rice all the time. She'll eat plain boiled chicken or steamed fish if I cut it up bite size and stick a toothpick in each piece. And she'll eat the thin-sliced Deli Select sandwich meats. Her idea of a great dinner is half a package of brown sugar ham and a pile of broccoli, topped off by a bowl of rice eaten with her fingers!

How about yogurt? That's a good protein source. So are beans. Feed him a can of baked beans or franks-and-beans. My daughter loves garbanzos and is happy to snack on them. You can make a great dip for chips by processing a couple cans of great northern beans in the blender with some olive oil, garlic and lemon. They won't even realize they're eating anything good for them.

Just "think protein" and you'll find sneaky ways to get it into your boys even if they're not big meat eaters.

[momto3wolves]

Thanks for the suggestions! He is sooo picky. He hates eggs, beans, cheese, tuna and lunchmeat, so my choices are limited. I like the chicken cube idea, that could work. He loves nuts and yogurt. Maybe I could try yogurt smoothies?? That would work, too. The bean dip sounds yummy! My middle guy would like that.