Tips from the American Diabetes Association

Knowing what to eat can be confusing. Everywhere you turn, there is news about what is or isn’t good for you. Some basic principles have weathered the fad diets, and have stood the test of time. Here are a few tips on making healthful food choices for you and your entire family.
 
 
 Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety. Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
 
 Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti               with your favorite pasta sauce.
 
 Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
 
 Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
 
 Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in “loin” such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from  chicken and turkey.
 
 Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
 
 Choose water and calorie-free “diet” drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened  drinks.
 
 Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats  are high in calories. If you’re trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
 
 Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
 
 Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes.

If you want more information on foods that are healthier, or how to establish a plan for eating healthy foods, go to the American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org.

Will my child outgrow ADHD? It is well known that 50% of children diagnosed with ADHD will no longer meet full criteria for the condition by the time they reach adolescence and adulthood. The reason why is becoming clearer. Studies show that children with attention deficit disorder do have normal patterns of brain maturation, but their brains may just mature a little bit later. Findings at the Montreal Neurological Institute reported an average delay of 3 - 5 years in some brain regions, most notably in the front part of the brain which helps with organization, planning, and attention.

Great news - as the ADHD mind continues to mature, symptoms will likely improve. People can literally “grow out of ” their ADHD. Interestingly there are some brain regions that mature faster in ADHD kids than those without ADHD. One such region is the “motor area” which is responsible for initiating movement. This may accountant for some of the restlessness and fidgeting that kids with ADHD experience.

The study appears in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071112/brain_adhd_071112/20071114?hub=Health

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association teamed up to develop a well needed book called ”ADHD Parents Medication Guide” to offer insights into medications and psychosocial treatments for ADHD. The guide contains an overview of ADHD followed by detailed information regarding medication options, effectiveness, and side effects. Non-medication treatment approaches such as behavioral therapies and school services are reviewed as well.

This is a great resource for families. The guide can empower patients to collaborate more effectively with their physicians around medication decisions.

You can download the ADHD Parents Medication Guide in both English and Spanish at http://www.parentsmedguide.org/pmg_adhd.html There is also a link available for the recently updated American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Practice Parameters for the Assessment of Children and Adolescents with ADHD.