Difference Between Fruits and Vegetables for ADD/ADHD

Q: We have began making the proper dietary changes in our diet. In the morning I will cut up bananas and apples with my son’s oatmeal (organic). When he gets home from school he will eat more pre-cut fruits; apples, grapes, strawberries- all organic :) that I keep a Tupperware of it in our refrigerator. It’s been hard getting him to eat veggies. He will eat green beans or a romaine salad with ranch dressing sometimes. I will try to increase his veggies. Any advice?

Angela

A: The first time we changed our diet to more fruits and veggies, I didn’t really notice much of a difference in our bodies. However, when I pulled the bad stuff (MSG, artificial colors, dyes, preservatives, HCFS, etc) we saw immediate changes within the first week. We did notice one thing from eating more fruits and veggies, we all began having regular daily bowel movements (sometimes 2-3 times a day). It would take many more months down this road before I finally understood the importance of living foods and enzymes, over cooked veggies, and eating more fruits IS NOT the same as eating veggies.

Difference Between Fruits and Vegetables

1. At least 60% of food intake should come from vegetables, roots and tubers, FRESH herbs, baby greens, salad greens, and the most important veggie of them all…..sprouts.

2. Less than 15% of your food intake should come from fruits.

3. Next, you need to know the difference between fruits and vegetables. For instance, Did you know that tomatoes and celery are classified as a fruit? A very helpful site for me that you should check out:  http://www.greenforlife.com/.

4. Also, Did you know that you shouldn’t eat fruit mixed with other veggies, carbs, or meats? The sugars and acid in fruits slow down the digestion of the carbohydrates causing them to ferment and spoil in your belly resulting in bloating and gas. When you do eat fruit, you should eat it by itself. It only takes 15mins to 30 mins to digest.

5. Did you know that fruit is VERRRY high in sugar? Which is something that ADD/ADHD need to avoid especially in their first month down the natural remedy’s path. Once their body is cleansed of yeast/fungus then you can start introducing good sugars (in moderation) back into their diet. NOTE: Any fruit that ends in “berries” are always good for your kidneys.

6. Living food IS NOT the same as cooked veggies. Once food is cooked above 115 F many important nutrients and enzymes are destroyed. Living foods are chlorophyll and enzyme rich and this is what takes the burden off a toxic overloaded system and allow your body to begin to heal. If your cooking the green beans over this temp then at this point your really only eating it for it’s fiber content. Try to do your best to steam, dehydrate, or eat more raw veggies. Some veggies are better on your digestive system such as carrots when cooked but for the most part try to eat raw when possible.

7. And last, sprouts have the MOST amazing nutritional value (broccoli sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, etc)! Because they contain the highest level of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, they are considered  to be one of the MOST PERFECT FOODS known to mankind! For instance, mung bean sprouts have 25% more protein than  a T-bone steak. Sprouts are easy to grow at your home and will help on cost even growning orgainc seeds ;). You can always top sprouts on any sandwich or you mix them in a smoothie.

My Advice:

1. Look into whole foods such as barley grass, wheat grass, chlorella, spirulina, bee pollen, etc. and begin making green smoothies. To help with cost, take a powder form during the week and on the weekends juice the real thing. For example: We take organic wheat grass powder Mon-Thurs. Friday is our day off. On Sat and Sun we juice real organic wheat grass in our vita mix. 

2. Purchase a vita mix www.vitamix.com. I’m telling you that this will be one of your best investment on your journey. Go to their site and check out their videos. I can tell you that we can not eat fennel, beets, or radishes but we sure can drink it! If you can create a veggie drink of your choice that only takes a few mins, this will be a lot easier on you getting your child to cooperate and it will open the door to endless selections of vegetables that he would not normally touch.

Enthusiastically yours,

This entry was posted on 13. April 2009 at 20:04 and is filed under Questions From My ADD/ADHD Website, Proper Nutrition for ADD/ADHD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.