Customer Reviews

The A.D.D. Nutrition Solution: A Drug-Free 30 Day Plan

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I wish I would have found this book before putting hundreds of hours at the computer researching the same subjects in order to help my 5 year old son. I didn't think anyone had published a work such as this because the three doctors we have taken our son concerning his ADHD and behavorial problems practically laughed in our faces concerning the treatments outlined in this book; they wanted to medicate, medicate, medicate. And while medication has helped my son concentrate in school, it did nothing for his anger, aggressiveness, and tantrums. I have read a lot of books on ADHD in the past 7 months trying to help my son, but this book is the best at explaining the full range of things that could be affecting your child's behavior, concentration, and hyperactivity. Marcia Zimmerman explains the relationship between essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, nutrition, and allergies as they pertain to proper brain functioning, but is technical without being overwhelming. If you have tried medication after medication and nothing is working then medication cannot be the solution to your child's problems. If you have been looking for some nutritional and biochemical answers to your child's problems, this is the book for you. If you are just starting down this road with your child and medication is not what you want, this is the book for you. If you want what is best for your child, this is the book for you. The investment in time you give to reading the book and trying the techniques outlined in the book can certainly make a difference in the life of your child.

Over the past six years, I have read literally hundreds of books and articles on A.D.D., and consulted with some of the "best in this field" doctors. I truly wanted to help my son, and I did not agree with the doctors' "solution" of several doses of Ritalin daily. Marcia's nutrional plan was the only thing in my six year search that has really made a difference! After just altering a few of the many suggested dietary items, everyone noticed a remarkable change in Sean's behavior. He has been learning faster, is happier, and is much more like a "normal" kid. And the best part - he has been off Ritalin for over a year and a half! Parents - for yourself, but especially for your child: Read Marcia's book! It will make a positive difference in your family's life! The book is very interesting and is an easy read. (Unlike alot of experts who write on this subject, Marcia truly cares about our kids, and wants to make a difference!) I considered myself quite knowledgeable on this subject, but I learned so much from Marcia's book! THIS SHOULD BE THE FIRST BOOK YOU READ IF YOU EVEN SUSPECT YOUR CHILD HAS A.D.D.! God Bless Marcia! A very grateful parent, Lynn Stone

I'd give this book a higher rating if the book had been updated since '99. This book is a quick read if you've looked at other ADD nutrition books...dump the sugar, simple carbs, food additives, and increase vitamins and supplements...Zimmerman's arguments for why certain supplements, like fatty acids, are good for you, is an interesting read. Her 30-day diet to feed your brain and isolate food allergies that may aggravate your ADD sypmptoms is not as tough as it seems, and I have found the supplements to be exceptionally helpful for treating the aspects of my "creative wiring" that I don't like -- procrastination, inertia, etc. I found it a worthwhile read.

Finally, A book worried parents can use to tell whether or not their child has some type of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) or is merely exhibiting symptoms of normal, exuberant development. It goes on to explain AD/HD in depth. TFL contributing editor Marcia Zimmerman, a nutritional biochemist, talks about causal factors-environmental,genetic, and allergic-and options for treatment. Well-researched chapters on stimulant medication and dietary modification lead to "How Food Affects the Brain," a fascinting look at the chemical processes at work, the importance of maintaining healthy glucose levels in the brain, and the way sugar sabotages them. Zimmerman devotes more than 60 pages to her "drug-free, 30-day plan," and includes research-based recommendatons of nutritional supplements, foods and additives to avoid, menu plans, food substitutions, and recipes. Appendixes include helpful rersources that parents and professionals will welcome.

In searching for books about ADD I found almost all are geared towards parents with children who had ADD/ADHD. Finally, here's a book for people of ALL ages that looks like a book for grownups. All my questions were answered and I found out more than I thought I wanted to know. I didn't follow the 30-day plan (I'm living alone on a tight budget and have an erratic eating schedule) but the supplements worked wonders. Within two months I was feeling 90% better. If only I'd found this years ago.

Congratulations to Ms. Zimmerman on a well-written book that has the ability to change lives.

I am an adult diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, though due to significant language delay as a child, I actually meet the criteria for High-Functioning Autism.
I work with children, primarily on the autism spectrum. I am on the artificial additive free, gluten, casein, and soy free diets. I am quite healthy and happy on these. When I removed the artificials, I stopped having seizures, something medication had never controlled. My hyperactivity and insomnia were somewhat reduced.
Removing casein allowed me to begin making eye-contact with people, and I have begun noticing facial expressions. It also makes it harder for me to escape into my own world (I'm not so happy with this one, but it does make it easier to concentrate). Going gluten free reduced my intestinal problems. I only removed soy a couple of months ago, but it has a protein similar to gluten and casein, and I'm reactive to both of these, so I'll see what happens and update when I have reintroduced soy.
I suggest at least removing the artificials for ALL children, not just those with disorders or disabilities. One child diagnosed with autism whose mother removed just the artificials gained over a years worth of language in only 2 weeks. And she wasn't receiving speech therapy at the time.
As for the supplements, I take several. I can tell you that several speech therapists I know recommend that any child with severe articulation problems, apraxia/dyspraxia should take EFA - Essential Fatty Acids, particularly Omega 3s found in fish oil or evening primrose oil. It makes sense to go with a brand that has been laboratory tested and found free of mercury and other contaminants, particularly since so many people on the autism spectrum may be chemically sensitive.
The artificials seem to be the easiest first step. And it may encourage you to remove these if you know that artificial colors (FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Yellow #5/6, etc.) are petrochemicals. That is, these are distillates of raw oil that are left over when they purify out gasoline. Want to bring your child to the gas station and fill them up with your car? That is essentially what you are doing when you give them meals full of these substances. SUSPECT ANYTHING BRIGHTLY OR DARKLY COLORED, particularly candies and processed foods.
As for sugar being the problem, what are you getting your sugar from? Red licorice sticks, lollipops, hard candies, fruit loops, chocolate bars, soda pop... all of which also contain artificial colors or flavors, unless you are careful to buy an all-natural brand.

I bought and read this book with great anticipation and excitement. I cannot do ritalin and frankly prefer to be off any similar medication. Her desription of vitamins and foods were very educational and helped me understand a lot. Her writing about the brain and its needs was fascinating. However, the portion on supplements I found a little out-dated and worrisome. The best example is the recommendation of FOCUS who are now being taken to court over false claims. Also it is not mentioned that DHA contributes to reduced blood clotting.

Otherwise this book was very informative. I would recommend but read with discernment.

This book is right on target in its approach to alleviating ADD symptoms through diet. I had become concerned about a possible addiction to Dexedrine and was searching for more "organic" ways to relieve my ADD. A MUST have for anyone interested in moving off ADD meds and into a more "focused" way of treating ADD through a healthy diet.

After much searching we bought this book to help our son. We are hesitant to try medication due to his medical history so thought this book sounded like a good alternative. Many of the reviews are very positive which was encouraging.

To her credit, Marcia Zimmerman has done her homework. The book is full of references to study after study supporting her diet, almost to a fault. It was easy to get bogged down in the details a times although I appreciated her backing her claims with more than one study.

That said, this diet did not work for our son. It was difficult to keep to the diet exactly (a better system for recommendations or diet plans would have been helpful). We found it especially difficult to eliminate the wheat/gluten along with all the other allergens to avoid. While you can find food that is gluten-free or wheat-free it undoubtedly has some other ingerient we were to avoid. And, it almost never tastes very good.

The only benefit we saw was that our son sleeps better now but there has been no improvement in his behavior, and in fact it may have gotten worse. There is the possibiltiy of course that he does not have ADD but rather some other problem that looks similar and that is why this did not work for him.

The other down side is the expense of finding foods that fit her diet. While it would be worth every penny if the diet worked, it did not for our son and now we have a cupboard full of special flours and other foods that our children do not like.

We plan to keep up a healthier diet overall, which can only be good, but will not continue to try to stick to this diet.

I gave it three stars only because she has done a lot of research and other reviews say it works. But, it did not help our son.

Here's the book we have all been waiting for! We must stop simply treating symptoms, and address the underlying causes of ADD, which run the gamut from food allergy to nutritional deficiency. This book provides specific, health-enhancing, scientifically-based alternatives to medication. This should be read by parents, teachers, and especially, physicians, who should be informed about these natural treatments.