Fish oil is always the first thing I recommend for children with ADHD because omega-3 fatty acid is a major brain tissue component, accounting for 8-10% of brain tissue. AND it’s one of the most studies nutritional supplements for ADHD.

While children’s brain is still growing, let’s take advantage of this window of opportunity. 

During early childhood, the brain develops rapidly. You see the rapid progression of infants transitioning from just crying, drinking, pooping and sleeping to walking, chewing, and talking in merely under one year. 

This is also why we always say baby’s brain is like a sponge. It absorbs new knowledge and develops new skills very quickly. In fact, the infant brain doubles in weight by 2 years of age from birth, and continues to develop rapidly until at least 5 years of age. And the brain does not stop development and reshaping until we die. 

Amazing…

As the brain develops more nerve cells, more fat, in the form of fatty acids, is needed. Omega 3 fatty acids make up about 8-10 percent of brain tissues. It is the major components of myelin sheaths on nerve cells. 

Myelin is the fatty coating on nerve cells. The myelin sheaths insulate nerve cells (imagine electrical wiring) to ensure smooth uninterrupted transmission of impulses, preventing misfiring of nerve impulses. The rapid myelination during early childhood is what helps brain develops.

Fish oil and cod liver oil are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), while flaxseed oil and algal oil are excellent sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is the precursor to DHA and EPA. 

ALA is an essential fatty acid, which means our body cannot produce this fatty acid. Our body makes limited DHA and EPA from ALA. This is even more so in children with ADHD. Males, in particular, have a harder time converting ALA to DHA and EPA than females.

This fish oil is the one I always recommend to my younger patients, who cannot swallow pills. This is amazing, it takes only 1/2 tsp or 2.5ml a day to provide 400mg EPA, 250mg DHA and it’s also loaded with vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. 

For older children and adult, who can and prefer to swallow pills, you can’t go wrong with this high potency fish oil. All you need is 1 soft gel a day to get 750mg EPA and 250mg DHA. 

This is particular beneficial for kids and adult with mood disorder and depressive symptoms as the EPA helps with mood. 

I also like to add vitamin B’s, especially vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. 

Vitamin B’s in general are needed in energy generation. Our body needs vitamin B to help extract energy from the food that we eat. 

Related: How to Choose the Right Fish Oil Supplements for Your Child with ADHD 

I recently discovered that OBGYN has been prescribing magnesium supplement for pregnancy women suffering from margarine headaches. 

Magnesium is well-known for relaxing the mind through its role in neurotransmitter synthesis, such as serotonin, which calms the mind and promote a sense of well-being. 

Magnesium also calms the nerves by interfering with the release of acetylcholine (an excitatory neurotransmitter) at the neuromuscular synaptic junctions and the release of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla.

Magnesium is also needed for the production of myelin sheaths that insulate the brain cells in the nervous system. The myelin sheaths act in a similar manner as the plastic casing on electrical wires. This protective layer prevents nerve impulses from misfiring, which can result in seizures.

Magnesium deficiency is also associated with the impulsiveness and hyperactivity in ADHD more so than the inattentiveness. Signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency includes sensitivity to loud noises, insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity, restlessness, panic attacks, salt craving, and both carbohydrate craving and carbohydrate intolerance.

Magnesium is plentiful in green vegetables, grain, nuts, legumes, and chocolate. Food processing and cooking may deplete magnesium content. 

This magnesium supplement that I recommend is the most absorbable form and this particular brand does not contain anything unnecessary ingredients as the other brands. 

I personally prefer the ConcenTrace Mineral Drops because 0.5tsp (2.5ml) provides 200mg magnesium, and it also contains a small amount of lithium, which may be beneficial for ADHD. 

Related: 4 Amazing Benefits of Magnesium for the ADHD Brain

For ADHD and autism, a magnesium supplement is best used together with vitamin B6 as they both complement each other.  

I recommend zinc lozenges all the time, especially for kids who have no appetite and complain that “food smells or tastes funny” or have diarrhea for a while.

This is a very little-known secret. Zinc helps with appetite. Zinc is part of the little finger structure that makes up the taste buds. Most people only know the benefit of zinc supplement that helps to boost the immune system.

Zinc deficiency is highly possible in children with ADHD and kids who eat a very limited diet of processed food.

Children with no appetite tend to eat more junk food because parents think that these are easier food to accept. So many do end up with subclinical zinc deficiency, in which the only manifestation is lack of appetite, which also is the side effects of ADHD meds.

Do you see the vicious cycle happening here?

Zinc deficiency may cause poor or loss of appetite, diarrhea, impaired immune function, poor or retardation of growth, delayed sexual maturation, eye or skin lesions, delayed wound healing, taste abnormalities, and mental lethargy.

In a recent study, children treated with a daily dose of 40mg of zinc as zinc sulfate for 12 weeks showed significant improvement in scores on hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and impaired socialization scales than the children given a placebo, while free fatty acids level increased as well.

Zinc also helps with learning and cognitive function. 

This is the zinc elderberry gummies that I recommend frequently for picky eaters.

It tastes like candy and most kids take them without issues.

Here’s what you get, it has 30mg of zinc picolinate versus 1-2mg in the other brands.

If your child prefers liquid, this is the liquid zinc I’d recommend.

One caveat: These supplements only work if your child follows a clean healthy whole food plant-based diet as well.

Your child’s brain is powered by good nutrition, not just empty calories.

Iron deficiency is common in kids with ADHD. Multiple studies have shown that both low serum iron and low ferritin (storage iron) were associated with ADHD symptoms, such as more hyperactive, inattentive, and impulsive. Serum iron is the iron swimming in the bloodstream and ferritin is iron stored in cells.

In fact, studies showed almost 92% of kids with ADHD have a low ferritin level. Kids with iron deficiency are 67% more likely to have ADHD. The lower the levels are the more severe the ADHD symptoms and cognitive impairment. Children with an iron deficiency do poorly in math and language skills.

Iron deficiency in children is more concerning than in adults because iron deficiencies in young children can lead to permanently lower intelligent quotient (IQ) score, developmental delays, and behavioral issues.

Therefore, early detection and iron supplementation in children is important and may help or even prevent some types of ADHD by positively influencing dopamine neuron development in the early developmental stages.

Low iron level is also associated with sleep disorder, depression, low IQ, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, delayed development, and mental retardation, which are all common in kids with ADHD.

Iron is also needed in making dopamine and melatonin. Kids with low ferritin also seem to need a higher dose of ADHD medication to calm down.

This is my favorite iron supplement that I recommend to my patients all the time. The reason I like this supplement because it also has vitamin Bs, which is needed for making new blood cells.

Related: How Does Iron Help ADHD?

Several studies have found a link between vitamin D deficiency and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD. Vitamin D plays an important role in healthy brain development and function.

In a case-control study done in Qatar, 1,331 children diagnosed with ADHD (ages 5–18) were matched with children without ADHD. There was a statistically lower level of 25-OH vitamin D in the ADHD group compared with healthy controls. 19.1% of children with ADHD vs. 12.7% of healthy controls had 25-OH vitamin D levels of less than 10 ng/mL, indicating severe deficiency.

In a cross-section study, a group in Turkey measured 25-OH vitamin D in children (ages 9 ± 2.2 years old) diagnosed with ADHD (n = 60) and compared these to a healthy control group. The ADHD group had statistically lower levels of 25-OH vitamin D.

Another recent study found that vitamin D deficiency was seen more in children with ADHD than in the control group. In children with ADHD, the average vitamin D level was 16.6 ng/ml; in contrast, in children without ADHD, it was at 23.5 ng/ml.

Related: How Does Vitamin D Help ADHD?

Ok, there you have it…

I hope you find this information helpful. Let me know what you think and comment below.

Remember ADHD does not doom your child to a life of under-achievement. You know your child is bright, full of potential, and deserves the best. In fact, many of the world’s greatest discoveries and inventions were made by people with ADHD.

I helped my crazy wild child who could not read or write when she was little with the four pillars I laid out in the Eat to Focus book. She’s now a merit scholarship student studying premed at Loyola Chicago University.

So stay strong and keep believing in your child.

Check out the Eat to Focus book to learn about my story and the 4 steps that I used to transform my daughter and help her reach her full potential. This information may change your child’s future.

Download your free gift “15 Quick and Simple School Day Breakfast Ideas for Kids with ADHD” before you leave.