Food and ADHD : Is There a Link?

Red, yellow, blue – it doesn’t matter the exact color of the food, I loved hearing from those of you that contacted me to share your experiences, and I am so glad to know that I’m not alone in what I knew I wasn’t imagining.

In case you missed my post on social media, I mentioned before the 4th of July that I was working on a story examining the relationship between hyperactivity, ADHD and food – something I honestly never really thought much about UNTIL I encountered the blue birthday frosting with my son. Once I started connecting the dots, I realized there was a definite effect when Griffin ate this particular synthetic coloring, and it was a hyperactivity way beyond a normal sugar rush. Because he also happens to have ADHD, I also wondered if this made him more susceptible to the coloring's effects.

Yet, I felt a little “out there” and was careful who I shared my observations with for several years mainly because the FDA deems these synthetic colors “safe” with no direct link to hyperactivity and because I wasn’t sure there was any legit science to back me up.

Is There Actually a Connection?

So when Cooking Light asked me to write a piece on potential connections, I somewhat selfishly jumped at the opportunity to pull research to see how crazy or legit my observations as a parent had been. And while it’s not really “good” news, I am happy to report there’s legit science to back up what we’ve seen in our kids – so much in fact that European food manufacturers require warning labels about potential hyperactivity.

Check out my full piece here : Artificial Coloring Triggered My Son's ADHD. Then I Read This.