The Number One Reason Why Your ADHD Child is Always Hungry? - Finally Calmed & Focused (2024)

Parents often ask “Why is my child always hungry?”

Or some kind of variations like, “he’s always asking for snack right after dinner? Or “waking up in the middle of the night binging on junk food,” Or “I find candy wrappers in her bedroom”.

People often wonder if ADHD affects appetite.

The answer is “yes” and “no”.

Yes because the dopamine reward center of the brain is messed up in ADHD. This reward center also regulates appetite and hunger. So, naturally, it is affecting appetite.

No because ADHD is not the only reason why your child’s appetite is whacked.

The answer is really simple.

In adults, we call it “cravings”. In kids, we call it “hungry” because that’s what your child always say, “mom, I’m hungry”.

We know when you have craving, your body is telling you something is missing, usually some kind of nutrients, but we always ended up eat junk food with empty calories, then we end up binging because our body did not get what it needs.

The way to look at this is really simple.

When we’re hungry, our body needs energy.

When we’re thirsty, our body needs hydration.

When we have cravings, our body needs nutrients.

Just that simple.

So when your child say, “mom, I’m hungry”. They are hungry for nutrients, things like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

They’re not starving for energy, so giving them more goldfish crackers or granola bar will not help.

Some of you may even notice that your child craves salt as well. That’s definitely a sign of mineral deficiency.

In fact, nutrient deficiencies are very common in children with ADHD. This’s been proven by scientists over and over again. The most common nutrient deficiencies in children with ADHD are magnesium, zinc, iron, vitamin D, vitamin Bs and omega-3 fatty acids.

There are 2 main underlying causes for nutrient deficiencies in children with ADHD making them always hungry and always asking for or sneaking food.

1. Poor food choices.

This comes no surprise because everyday I see parents trying their best to give their children what they think is the best. But what I see is they’re feeding them what food manufacturers think is best for their families.

Every kid that I see, their snacks include a repertoire of processed crackers, cookies, chips, puffs, cakes, candies, chocolates, fruit snacks, sugar-loaded yogurt. Breakfast are always sugary cereals, poptarts, granola, and bagels. Lunch and dinner are usually chicken nuggets, hot dog, pizza, etc.

Where are the real foods? What vitamins and minerals do you get from these food?

These are so-called “kid food” or “kid-friendly food”. Why do kids have to have their own food like dog food and cat food? Shouldn’t kids be eating the same human food as their parents?

I know these parents are trying their best to feed their families.

But these food are cheap, convenient, “fun”, “kid-friendly” and “healthy” according to the TV commercials.

Do you really know what’s in these food? How much does these food affect your child’s ADHD symptoms?

You get the idea?

Besides many of these processed food are loaded with processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which the ADHD brain has difficulty processing. When the ADHD brain is fed a carb-loaded diet and cannot use their sugar for energy, it sends distress signals to the body that it’s starving.

2. Poor Digestion

This is a little more complicated concept. Most people assume everything that we eat are 100% broken down into the basic units of amino acids, glucose, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

But the digestion process is quite complicated and for many people, especially kids with ADHD, this process is not smooth.

When food you eat are not properly broken down, our body cannot pull the nutrients from the food.

When food are not being digested properly, it can actually hurt the intestine and create tiny little holes, where undigested food can end up in our blood stream and trigger allergic reaction and inflammation.

For some kids, the allergic reaction and inflammation caused by poorly digested food one of the many causes behind their lack of focus (brain fog in adult term), hyperactivity (restlessness) and mood swings.

Poorly digested food also changes the intestinal environment causing gut bacteria imbalance.

Poor digestion can also be caused by nutrient deficiency. Your body needs a lot of different nutrients to make stomach acid, and digestive enzyme to break down food.

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The Number One Reason Why Your ADHD Child is Always Hungry? - Finally Calmed & Focused (2024)

FAQs

Why is my ADHD child always hungry? ›

People with ADHD may overeat to satisfy their brain's need for stimulation. It's important to seek professional help for these conditions.

Why do stimulants calm ADHD? ›

Amphetamines and methylphenidate , the two types of ADHD stimulants, work by preventing the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine. This allows the brain to use more dopamine. When there is insufficient dopamine in a person's brain, challenging tasks may not feel rewarding, decreasing their motivation.

Why do ADHD brains crave dopamine? ›

A consensus of the literature suggests that when there is a dysfunction in the “brain reward cascade,” especially in the dopamine system, causing a low or hypo-dopaminergic trait, the brain may require dopamine for individuals to avoid unpleasant feelings.

How to stimulate your brain with ADHD? ›

Here's what to do when you're understimulated and have ADHD:
  1. Listen to music or a podcast, or turn the TV on in the background while you work.
  2. Find undisruptive ways to fidget (e.g., using a fidget toy, fiddling with stretchy bands, doodling while listening to a lecture, etc.).
Oct 18, 2023

What foods help ADHD focus? ›

A food that has a low GI rating lowers blood sugar levels, decreases cravings, and increases focus. Whole grains, beans, seeds, and most vegetables are good choices.

Does coffee help an ADHD child? ›

The bottom line: Caffeine won't help with the symptoms of ADHD. And, though an occasional soda probably isn't a big deal, caffeine can cause sleep disruptions and unpleasant (or even dangerous) health impacts for many kids.

How do you calm down ADHD brain? ›

6 mindful daily practices to calm an ADHD mind
  1. Breathing exercises. Breathing exercises can be a simple and powerful tool to reduce anxiety and improve focus. ...
  2. Listening to music. ...
  3. Move your body. ...
  4. Engaging your senses. ...
  5. Journaling. ...
  6. Asking for support.
Mar 20, 2024

Can caffeine make ADHD worse? ›

Because ADHD has different causes, treatments can affect people differently. Some people find that caffeine helps their ADHD, while others find that it doesn't offer any benefit at all, or even makes their focus worse. Pay attention to your body and work with your doctor to find out what is best for you.

What foods are high in dopamine for ADHD? ›

People with ADD/ADHD tend to have low levels of dopamine, so it's a good idea to eat foods that tend to increase dopamine such as beef, poultry, fish, eggs, seeds (pumpkin and sesame), nuts (almonds and walnuts), cheese, protein powders, and green tea.

Does ADHD get better with age? ›

Research conducted by the National Human Genome Research Project found that ADHD does not go away for between 20% and 30% of people with the condition. 4 While the study found that the condition persists for many, it also showed that around half of adults experience fewer or less severe symptoms in adulthood.

Are ADHD brains faster? ›

People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do. People with ADHD do think differently though, in a sense.

Does ADHD increase hunger? ›

Merely having ADHD may lead to weight gain. Not being able to control your impulses can lead to junk food cravings and overeating. That can make it easy to put weight on and hard to take it back off. But if your ADHD or the drugs you take to treat it lead to a few extra pounds, you're not stuck with the extra weight.

Do kids with ADHD crave sugar more? ›

Because the dopamine system is already severely dysregulated in ADHD, sugar's ability to activate it might lead to a kind of self-medicating behavior where people with ADHD consume sugary foods or drinks in order to compensate for low dopamine levels.

How to help an ADHD child gain weight? ›

A bedtime snack is a must. When appetite is lacking it is easy to skip meals. Aim for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks each day to help avoid long stretches without eating. Alternatively, if meals aren't working be flexible and try 5-6 mini meals.

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