ADHD/Poor concentration

[The David]

What are some foods that aid concentration? I have a very hard time even finishing a short book without getting extremely restless, My brain is a tangled web going in all different directions, I have little motivation, and I feel like I'm spending more time on homework than anyone I know and still making crappy grades.

[FuturePast]

The David, are you diagnosed with ADHD? If not, and you believe it's a problem for you then you should contact a qualified and experienced professional.

With regards to diet, coffee may help, but as already mentioned you should probably be looking at cutting out foods that might be exacerbating your concentration difficulties; any form of sugar being the main culprit.

Vigorous exercise will certainly be of more benefit than diet though.

[The David]

[QUOTE=FuturePast;21341]The David, are you diagnosed with ADHD? If not, and you believe it's a problem for you then you should contact a qualified and experienced professional.QUOTE]

I went to a doctor about a year ago. He didn't do any tests, but agreed that I probably had it, and gave me Bupropion (which didn't work and just gave me unpleasant symptoms).

And when I said 'foods', I mean 'diets,' too. I've been reading more about alternative medicine and I want to find more information that deals specifically with concentration.

[Create]

I also have concentration problems although I do not have ADD and I have done many experiments with different natural solutions.

+ Omega 3-6 and 9 fatty acids, found in fish, oils, almonds and many other sources you should be able to verify easily on the internet. They are the main ingredient in most of the "concentration-aids" and syrups or vitamin supplements sold in natural health food stores for kids and adults.

+ It may be too obvious but drinking the right amount of water every day help tremendously with concentration

+ Like mentionned above it's also what you "don't" eat - you must listen to your body and see how it reactions to, well,everthing. For me the concentration-killers include caffeine, fatty foods or hard to digest foods, and artificial sources of sugar. I find tea in moderate quantities helps and herbal tea too; I have to be relaxed to focus.

As for a specific "diet" , the mediterranean diet including thick leafy greens, aged milk products, lots of oil, vinegar and whole grains as well as lean poultry and tons of fish - has been quoted to be the best "brain" diet ever.

+ check out how you like soy and soy-beverages, especialy the fortified ones (with Omega 3) - good nutrition goes a long way.

[FuturePast]

Originally Posted by The David

I went to a doctor about a year ago. He didn't do any tests, but agreed that I probably had it, and gave me Bupropion (which didn't work and just gave me unpleasant symptoms).

Bupropion (Wellbutrin) isn't a first-line treatment for ADHD, and it's probable that you would've got a better response from stimulant meds.

For more info on nutrition approaches see Food for the brain and you might be interested in a book called "The ADD Nutrition Solution" by Marcia Zimmerman.

[Jmurphy]

The metabolic typing diet is the only diet that I know of that offers customised nutrition, not one size fits all. I would also cut out wheat, pasteurised dairy, sugar, coffee (and all other stimulants), alcohol (duh!), soy and non sprouted grains.
Side note: fortified products are fortified because they lack sufficient nutrition in the first place, and the products used to fortify are cheap and low quality.
J

[Jmurphy]

This article sort of explains it
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