New Nutrition Book Offers A Fresh Approach To Fuelling ADHD And Dyslexic Minds
Rising awareness of ADHD and Dyslexia
In the UK around 2.6 million people (708,000 children, 1,9m adults) have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)[1]. Many areas of the UK have also long backlogs for adult ADHD assessments with around 196,000 people on waiting lists[2].
Dyslexia -difficulties with processing speed, reading and spelling also affects about 1 in 10 people in the UK[3] – so that’s around 6.9 million children and adults[4]. These conditions can also occur together or along with others learning difficulties.
Having ADHD or dyslexia can mean your brain is often working overtime – and nutrition can play a vital role in supporting the brain to function at its best.
Traditional approaches
Typical approaches are to ‘get on with it’, have a formal assessment so that some educational/workplace recommendations can be put into place and in the case of ADHD certain medication(s) may be prescribed.
Within the recommendations section of formal diagnostic ADHD and assessment reports the potential role(s) of nutrition are presently rarely mentioned.
Plugging the gap
The book “Nutrition for ADHD and Dyslexia: Unlocking the Potential for Learning and Wellbeing”[5] is not a replacement for educational and medical interventions. Its intention is to raise the profile of nutrition and the fundamental role that this can also play in fuelling these wonderful minds.
Nutrition sadly has been largely overlooked until now. The new book collates evidence from more than 350 peer-reviewed scientific papers and is written in an easy-to-digest, friendly format.
The author
The book is written by Internationally renowned Dr Emma Derbyshire, Registered Public Health Nutritionist and formally trained Dyslexia Assessor. Emma also has 10 years’ experience as an award-winning University academic so is familiar with teaching and learning approaches. Dr Derbyshire has dual expertise within the fields of pregnancy (in utero) nutrition and Public Health Nutrition.
Emma is the also UK lead on the nutrient Choline and has driven awareness of this critically important brain nutrient. Her recent review[6] published in Nutrients Journal on Choline, its role in bran development and ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism Spectrum Disorder is in the top 25% of the Journals research outputs.
Dr. Emma Derbyshire takes a practical, neurodiversity-affirmative approach to optimising ADHD and dyslexic diets for emotional regulation and mental performance.
The book is intended for parents, healthcare professionals, diagnostic assessors, SENCOs nutritionists, dietitians and anyone with ADHD and/or dyslexia who would like some practical hands-on advice.
Start the day with water.
The brain is about 60% fat and 40% water so needs to be adequately hydrated when learning or working. Sip small amounts and often and aim to drink a glass of water before even heading out for school or work.
Learn in short bursts and pair learning with a brain food.
There is a technique known as the ‘Pomodoro technique’ which is a time management technique used to enhance learning. Studying and learning in 25-minute intervals with a 5-minute break in between and then a longer 15–30-minute break after 4 Pomodoro’s can help to improve focus and productivity[7].
In the 5-minute break pairing this method with a brain food such as a bowl of mixed berries, few cubes of dark chocolates, a snack pot of mixed seeds and dried berries, some kefir yoghurt with seeds/berries sprinkled into it and of course a glass of water could just well help to reinforce this learning approach.
Oil the mind.
There really is something in the saying that fish is a great brain food. Back in hunter-gathered days eating oily fish and the omega-3 fatty acids that fish provides is believed to have contributed to the evolution of the ‘higher order’ of the brain.
Oily fish includes fish such as sardine, tuna and salmon and we should aim to eat about 2 portions a week. It you don’t eat oily fish then eating omega-3 enriched foods, using canola oil in marinades and salad dressing, snacking on walnuts and sprinkling seeds such as chia seeds into cereals, yoghurt or on top of soups can all help to get omegas into your diet.
The power of cinnamon.
Research in the Nutritional Neuroscience journal[8] has found that cinnamon and certain compounds in cinnamon such as eugenol, cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic could help to improve aspects of memory and learning.
You can add cinnamon into the diet by sprinkling it into porridge, overnight oats, natural yoghurt, a smoothie or warm glass of milk.
Give yourself time and make the best use of time.
Give yourself time to eat well and develop effective learning techniques. Eating well is a central part of learning, and we should be talking much more about this. Any mind needs to be adequately fuelled to perform at its best. Make sure you eat breakfast and have a glass of water at the start of the day, so you are fuelled right from the start.
We all lead busy lives so learning from a Podcast whilst travelling to school/work, reading if we have any ‘waiting periods’ and popping memory prompt flashcards into our pockets and looking at these regularly are all examples of ways to help embed information into our long-term memories and will serve us well in the end.
[1] https://adhduk.co.uk/adhd-incidence/#:~:text=Summary%3A%20We%20believe%20the%20best%20data%20is%20for,the%20UK%20with%20ADHD%20%28708%2C000%20children%2C%201%2C9m%20adults%29
[2]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c720r1pxrx5o.amp
[3] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/
[4] https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/uk-population/
[5] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nutrition-ADHD-Dyslexia-Unlocking-Potential/dp/1805010654
[6] https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/13/2876
[7] https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/pomodoro-technique
[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36652384/
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