Are sour vegetables good for ADHD persons?
Find out which vegetables are not so good for vegans with ADHD.
In the course of discussing vegetarian diet for persons with the attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) I have so far discussed about various protein sources and carbohydrate sources as part of balanced nutrition.
Another important part of nutrition is that of vegetables which require special mention. Vegetables are high nutrient dense portions of vegan diet because they contain several minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous and zinc which are important for our general health.
Majority of vegetables are endowed with water-soluble vitamins such as B complex and C. While some vegetables also have fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K.
Another important point to remember is that vegetables are also power sources of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals which help us in maintaining good health throughout our life.
Finally, another reason why we should include in our diet is because they are packed with soluble and insoluble fiber which is essential for maintaining good health.
In this post I am giving here a list of best vegetables and not-so-best vegetables for the persons with ADHD. The lists include leafy greens as part of vegetables.
The first list gives a number of vegetables any person with ADHD can have without any hesitation as given in the following table.
However, the second list given below includes not-so-best vegetables and care should be taken while having them as some persons may not react favorably to them. This list obviously includes night shade vegetables and also some sour taste vegetables widely used in south Asia.
The above lists include majority of items used around the world and am sure there are many I have not added. I would appreciate if readers mentioned any corrections/alterations to these lists and I will correct them accordingly.
I always try to add my personal experience of my ADHD son in the article. When it comes to night shades my son could tolerate them pretty well. However, we only give him in small portions that too during lunch time but not for dinner/supper.
Additionally, the sour leaves of different varieties used in south India with a variety of combinations with other vegetables for their tangy sour taste are appreciated much.
Further in south Asian cuisine tamarind fruit paste is widely used for its sour taste in soups, gravies and curries.
My son can’t tolerate any sour items as and when given he becomes hyper and also his sleep gets disturbed.
Further I have not included moringa leaves in any list because I was not sure about in which list to include them. I understand they are very popular around the world for their nutritional value in many cuisines.
For my son, moringa leaves and moringa fruits (drumsticks) when cooked and given he tolerates them well.
However, when we give him moringa leaves powder as a supplement his hyperactivity is much less but becomes insomniac. Whenever I give him the leaves powder, he will be awake all the night without sleep.
May be while cooking, the phytochemicals present in the leaves getting destroyed. Hence no effect is there on him, but when I give him raw powder although his hyperactivity is much less, but his sleep gets disturbed. It may be because these phytochemicals are disturbing his sleep pathways.
As always there will be wide variation of tolerance levels of any vegetable. This article is only a guidance, and you need to find out yourself or for your child which vegetable is good and which is not-so-good.
Any other inputs from the readers are welcome. The specific reactions to any particular vegetable will be highly appreciated.
Until the next post, cheers
Vara
