People often marvel at how well my son does with his diet. He does not cheat, instead politely informing people that he cannot eat gluten. He walks away from unapproved treats. I like to think that I help by typically finding him a version of whatever he wants that he can actually have. I like to think that he is the greatest kid ever and that he is just very capable and disciplined.
The truth, however, may be even more simple than that. It is possible that he sticks to the diet for the same reason that I do.
Nothing tastes as good as health feels.
The following study was done on 67 people aged 7 to 42 with ADHD. About 15% (10 people) had previously undiagnosed celiac disease. These ten people were tested for severity of ADHD symptoms and then put on the GF diet with no supplements or other interventions besides iron supplements for six months.
After six months gluten free they all reported feeling much clearer headed and their scores on the tests improved. Interestingly every one of them wanted to stay on the diet. Being able to control their impulses and to focus felt so good that there was no food that could compete.
People often remark that it is a lot to give up and tell me they could not live the way I do. They see the sacrifice, but they miss the payoff. It is true that I cannot eat most lasagna or eat an authentic New York slice of pizza. I would like to be able to do those things, especially that pizza. I would, however, like to keep my calm focus even more. I want to live a long and healthy life. I want to stay strong. I want to stay healthy and happy. I want to be able to do what I set my mind to do. I want to be able to leave the bathroom.
And they will never ever invent a slice of pizza that tastes as good as that feels.
You can read the entire study (its not too technical) right here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184556/
And if you think your child could never do this because you could never do it, you may want to try it.
He just might surprise you.
