There’s no magic food to make your child’s ADD/ADHD go away, but there are proactive measures you can take to alleviate the symptoms, for instance, ensuring good nutrition. The proper balance of nutrients and protein promotes best brain function both in and out of school. Some parental attention to diet can lengthen the attention span and decrease hyperactivity in children with ADD/ADHD. Of course, every child is unique and consulting your medical health professional is advised when using nutritional means to impact, health, brain development and behavior. Here are the first five tips in a two-part guest series by mom of 12 Varda Epstein.

Tip 1: Protein at Breakfast
Skipping breakfast is a bad habit for anyone but only sets the stage for substandard brain function, moodiness, and heightened hyperactivity in children with ADD/ADHD. Even worse is that carbohydrate-laden bowl of morning cornflakes—it just makes the brain foggy and leads to lowered energy levels. A breakfast with protein as centerpiece, on the other hand, primes the brain with the right chemicals to make the day a success by stimulating the production of such neurotransmitters as dopamine and acetylcholine.

Tip 2: High-Protein Diet
Clinical studies regarding the effect of diet on ADD/ADHD suggest that a high-protein diet may alleviate symptoms and improve social and cognitive function, behavior, and attention spans in some children.  Eating protein consistently throughout the day stimulates and preserves optimal brain function. Lower your child’s ratio of carbohydrates, sticking to sources that have low glycemic indexes, such as fruit and vegetables. Here is a FREE Printable to make keeping track of what you eat, fun.

Tip 3: Bargaining Power
Does your child beg for cereal and snack chips? Try bargaining with your child so these foods are earned by eating protein-packed breakfasts and lunches, leaving carbohydrates for the end of the day, when they can’t foul up learning. Don’t try to persuade your child with research on neurotransmitters, but do point out the improvement in his or her schoolwork as a result of clean-eating.

Tip 4: Consider an Elimination Diet
In some children with ADD/ADHD, eliminating gluten and processed foods makes a world of difference in academic outcomes and behavior. It may take trial and error to determine which food sources are the culprits. Enlist your doctor’s help in pinpointing your child’s particular food bugaboos, a research-based approach monitored by a physician is helpful.

Tip 5: Something Fishy
Omega-3 oils promote best brain function. The brain is largely made up of the type of DHA fat found in fatty fish and fish oil supplements. Yet studies have found that children with ADD/ADHD are often deficient in these fats. While research has not shown significant improvement with omega-3 fat supplements, one 2008 study found that children with ADD/ADHD who took multivitamin supplements of zinc, vitamin D, and magnesium, along with omega-3 supplements, had increased attention spans and could switch ably from topic to topic in school. These same supplements appeared to improve reading performance and vocabulary, too.

Varda Epstein is a mother of 12 children and communications writer at Kars4Kids