ment for my son's ADHD. What I know now came many years later.

Most of us believe that we are eating and feeding our children a healthy diet. It is difficult to know what a healthy diet is given all the conflicting information we are exposed to on a daily basis. The food industry promotes food products not based on health, but based on sales and demand. Food that is advertised is typically highly processed. These items lack adequate nutrients yet taste so amazing we go back for more (earning the industry more

dollars). Highly processed foods often contain artificial food colorings, flavorings, and preservatives and do not have the micronutrients that are essential for good health. Fast foods and foods high in sugar, salt and fat light up all the dopamine receptors in the brain and can be soothing to those with attention disorders.

What we know is that there is little good science consistently connecting diet with ADHD. We know that there is concern about food additives, preservatives and flavorings, along with other toxins and chemicals found in our food supply. We know that most children with ADHD eat the Standard American Diet (SAD). This way of eating is associated with multiple

disease processes and not optimal for health. We know that most children do not eat the recommended amount of vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains. We know that the gut microbiome plays an important role in overall health and may be strongly associated with ADHD. We know that children lead more sedentary lives than their parents did. Lack of physical activity has a role in ADHD. We know that environmental exposures to toxins has been linked to ADHD.

One treatment that may help in all these

areas is a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet. This style of eating is based on whole foods that have minimal to no processing. Beans, legumes, vegetables, whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds are the foods that provide the macro and micronutrients that promote health. Dr. Michael Greger, nutritional expert, researcher and founder of nutritionfacts.org states these foods contain not only the essential vitamins and minerals, but also hundreds of naturally-occurring phytonutrients that may protect against cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and other chronic health conditions.

ROUNDING INTO SHAPE: Diet may be that added tool that can make a difference with your child today and in his future. Eating a whole food plant-based diet can help prevent obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and many other chronic illnesses. Setting our children up for the best adult life is part of our jobs as parents.

Meat has become the "main dish" in the SAD and many people wonder what plant

based eaters actually eat. A WFPB diet does not need to be complicated. There are recipes available online to satisfy the needs of most families. There are soups, casseroles, salads, side dishes, pasta dishes, comfort foods, amazing desserts, and so much more. Some WFPB eaters are starch based, others based on greens and beans. The possibilities are endless.

Foods that are excluded from this way of eating include added oils, added sugar, all animal products including meat (includes chicken and turkey), fish, dairy (yes, cheese, too) and eggs along with processed foods. These foods are often very high in saturated fat, trans fat, salt and other additives. "Junk" foods are also excluded from this lifestyle as they do not promote healing but can diminish our health. It is important to know that not all "health" foods are healthy.

Growing up, most of us heard repeatedly, “eat your vegetables” … many of us may use these words with our own children. Most of us know that vegetables are one of the healthiest foods we can eat. Many plant-based doctors and nutritionists agree that the more veggies we eat, the healthier we will be.

Foods common in the WFPB diet feed the gut microbiome (the good bacteria in our digestion tract). You may have heard the old adage, "you are what you eat"… this one, too, is very true. What we eat determines what gut bacteria are in our intestines and this plays an important role in our ability to fight disease and our overall well-being. Preliminary human studies have demonstrated the likelihood of a connection between the gut microbiota and ADHD and overall brain health. Eating a WFPB diet improves gut health and consequently reduces inflammation.

T he bottom line is this… there is not ONE right way to treat this complex condition. Often, ADHD is best managed by multiple modalities. Medication is one, behavior therapy is another, diet may be that added tool that can make a difference with your child today and in his/her future. Eating a whole food plant-based diet can help prevent obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and many other chronic illnesses. Setting our children up for the best adult life is part of our jobs as