11 Brain-Building Food Rules

What is ADHD brain food? Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals like zinc, whole grains, and water — to begin. If you’re skipping breakfast and carb-loading at lunch, you need to read these nutrition rules to understand how powerful nutrients can help your health.

By Edward Hallowell, M.D. Verified Updated on March 24, 2023

silhouettes of two heads with brains filled with unhealthy and ADHD-friendly foods

Food rarely comes up when we talk about the mind and brain, even though what you eat plays a role in how effectively your brain operates. It is so obvious that it is often overlooked. The most common food errors, like skipping breakfast or self-medicating with food, can sabotage the best of ADHD treatment plans.

If you do not eat properly, you can become distracted, impulsive, and restless. You look like you have ADHD, even if you do not. Therefore, ADHD treatment — like any effort to lead a healthy life — must consider balanced meals an essential component of a proper regimen.

Here are 11 food suggestions that you or your child should follow every day. I do.

#1: Balance your ADHD meal plan.

The meaning of “balanced” changes as we learn more. Omega-3s are now part of balanced nutrition, as the USDA Food Pyramid itself undergoes reconstruction. Most authorities recommend less starch and flour-based foods than they used to, and more fruits and vegetables. Protein ought to be included in every meal — especially breakfast — if possible. Eat fresh foods, and avoid junk or anything that come in a box, bag, wrapper, package, or tube.

Steer clear of anything with additives or preservatives, as well as trans-fatty acids and high-fructose syrup. Skip foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce — long words that usually end in “ite” or “ate.”

[Free Download: What to Eat (and Avoid) for Improved ADHD Symptoms]

It is best to get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables, since pills are not as effective as vitamin C found in whole foods. Vitamin C helps modulate the synapse action of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter needed in treating ADHD.

#2: Protect your brain.

Eat blueberries, grape seed extract, blue-green algae, almonds, cashews, walnuts, broccoli, wild salmon or bluefish, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, meat, cumin, turmeric, spinach, watercress, and avocado, as well as olive oil and flaxseed oil. These foods are premium gasoline for your brain.

#3: Get tested for zinc.

Some research¹ suggests a possible correlation between low levels of zinc and ADHD symptoms. Don’t add zinc without the supervision of a doctor. Adding or subtracting minerals indiscriminately could lead to problems.

#4: Take a good multivitamin.

Consider taking a daily multivitamin supplement that contains vitamin C, vitamin E, B-12, selenium, and folic acid. A safe way of avoiding vitamin and mineral overload is to take a multivitamin that contains the recommended daily allowance of key vitamins and minerals.

[10 Foods (and Supplements and Vitamins!) to Boost Your ADHD Brain]

#5: Curb your sweet tooth.

We seem to live on sugar, inviting all kinds of negative health outcomes, from tooth decay to diabetes to impaired immune function to lethargy to cognitive dulling. The more you cut back on refined sugar, the better.

#6: Watch the carbs.

Refined carbohydrates (which contain hardly any fiber) stimulate the release of dopamine, just as stimulant medications and adrenaline do. This means that people with ADHD get in the habit of turning to carbs to get that dopamine squirt we all love. Beware of that quart of ice cream at midnight, or the extra large Hershey Bar, or even the soda or fruit juice. Carbs cause insulin to be dumped into your system. This causes a drop in blood sugar, making you feel sluggish. This can lead to a craving for more carbs.

#7: Ditch gluten and dairy.

Many of my ADHD patients improve on gluten-free mealplans. At the suggestion of my friend and colleague, Peter Martone, a chiropractor, I tried it myself. It made me feel better, and I lost 20 pounds, to boot. If you were tested for gluten sensitivity, and found that you do not have celiac disease, you may still do better to go gluten-free. Many experts believe that a pure vegan lifestyle is the healthiest. I can’t give up cheese, but if you can give up dairy, you might fare better. Try anything that works, as long as it is safe and legal.

#8: Look for other food allergies.

Many people with ADHD have undiagnosed food allergies. If these are detected and dealt with, life can change dramatically for the better. It’s worth getting tested for food allergies, but make sure to find a reliable allergist. Some “professionals” sell their own proprietary remedies for various “sensitivities.” They cost a lot of money but do not do much good.

#9: Drive yourself to drink.

Water, that is. Water is good for you in many ways. It is estimated that 75 percent of us are chronically dehydrated, which can lead to decreased focus. Water makes up 75 percent of your brain. It’s not hard to see that not drinking enough could make your ADHD symptoms worse.

#10: Monitor eating habits.

People with ADHD are at greater risk for developing an eating problem than the general public. That’s because people with ADHD often turn to food as a source of stimulating conflict. They do battle with food, and find it engrossing. Remember, people with ADHD are always on the lookout for focus, even if it is obtained in negative ways. As unpleasant as bingeing and purging can be, the unhealthy cycle of an eating disorder is one way to focus.

[Free Download: Brain Food: Healthy Eating Tips to Counter ADHD Symptoms]

#11: Change your oil.

Most doctors these days recommend taking omega-3 fatty acids daily and can help you find the best omega 3 supplement. Low levels of omega-3s lead to chronic inflammation throughout the body, which increases the risk of everything from heart disease to diabetes. Studies² suggest that those with ADD are especially low in omega-3s. Aside from the general health benefits of correcting an omega-3, fatty acid-deficiency, we know that omega-3s increase the levels of dopamine in the body, as do ADHD stimulants. So it is logical to think that omega-3 fatty acids may provide a specific nutritional treatment for ADD.

You can add omega-3s to your menu by eating wild salmon, sardines, tuna, and walnuts, or by taking a fish-oil supplement or flaxseed oil. We must get omega-3s from food and supplements regularly because our bodies are unable to synthesize them on their own.

A child can take up to 2.5 grams per day of an omega-3 supplement, like fish oil; adults can take up to 5 grams. Make sure that the oil you choose is pharmaceutical-grade and free of contaminants. You can check its toxin levels by logging on to ifosprogram.com (International Fish Oil Standards), an independent website that analyzes fish-oil products.

ADHD Brain Food: Next Steps

¹ Oner, Ozgur, et al. “Effects of Zinc and Ferritin Levels on Parent and Teacher Reported Symptom Scores in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.” Child Psychiatry & Human Development, vol. 41, no. 4, 18 Aug. 2010, pp. 441–447., doi:10.1007/s10578-010-0178-1.
² Young, Genevieve, and Julie Conquer. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Neuropsychiatric Disorders.” Reproduction Nutrition Development, vol. 45, no. 1, 2005, pp. 1–28., doi:10.1051/rnd:2005001.