Customer Reviews
ADD Nutrition Solution 
2008-07-06
Great book - very informational - gives the reader hope to correct the situation. Recommend it very highly.
Many suggestions included also help with autism... 2007-04-10
I am an adult diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, though due to significant language delay as a child, I actually meet the criteria for High-Functioning Autism.
I work with children, primarily on the autism spectrum. I am on the artificial additive free, gluten, casein, and soy free diets. I am quite healthy and happy on these. When I removed the artificials, I stopped having seizures, something medication had never controlled. My hyperactivity and insomnia were somewhat reduced.
Removing casein allowed me to begin making eye-contact with people, and I have begun noticing facial expressions. It also makes it harder for me to escape into my own world (I'm not so happy with this one, but it does make it easier to concentrate). Going gluten free reduced my intestinal problems. I only removed soy a couple of months ago, but it has a protein similar to gluten and casein, and I'm reactive to both of these, so I'll see what happens and update when I have reintroduced soy.
I suggest at least removing the artificials for ALL children, not just those with disorders or disabilities. One child diagnosed with autism whose mother removed just the artificials gained over a years worth of language in only 2 weeks. And she wasn't receiving speech therapy at the time.
As for the supplements, I take several. I can tell you that several speech therapists I know recommend that any child with severe articulation problems, apraxia/dyspraxia should take EFA - Essential Fatty Acids, particularly Omega 3s found in fish oil or evening primrose oil. It makes sense to go with a brand that has been laboratory tested and found free of mercury and other contaminants, particularly since so many people on the autism spectrum may be chemically sensitive.
The artificials seem to be the easiest first step. And it may encourage you to remove these if you know that artificial colors (FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Yellow #5/6, etc.) are petrochemicals. That is, these are distillates of raw oil that are left over when they purify out gasoline. Want to bring your child to the gas station and fill them up with your car? That is essentially what you are doing when you give them meals full of these substances. SUSPECT ANYTHING BRIGHTLY OR DARKLY COLORED, particularly candies and processed foods.
As for sugar being the problem, what are you getting your sugar from? Red licorice sticks, lollipops, hard candies, fruit loops, chocolate bars, soda pop... all of which also contain artificial colors or flavors, unless you are careful to buy an all-natural brand.
Worth a look, but caveat emptor 
2007-01-17
I have adult ADD, and I have spent MANY years trying virtually all of the nutritional ideas in this book. The only one that I know for a fact has really helped me is completely eliminating every speck of added sugars in every form, including artificial sweeteners (I sometimes have stevia,and that's it! ;) But a lot of the rest of these claims about what to eliminate, I just do not know. Almost all of us need to improve our diets, and the author's research is good when it comes to the supplments. But does EVERYONE actually need to get rid of every last speck of wheat and dairy-- not just cut down, but avoid 100%? Is it worth the neverending problems and upheaval that causes in our lives when we do it? Try it and see if it is actually making a difference, but diet is not a substitute for medication-- it is a support. There is a REASON why CHADD does not recommend this kind of diet!!
ADD medication isn't appropriate for everyone. Psychostimulants are serious stuff. But if you need them, nothing else will help you the way that you have to helped in order to build a life. Diet and nutrition alone will not do the trick. I have been there, and I know.
I know you hate the drug industry but... 
2006-06-28
It sounds like many of you have children who have ADD and you chose not to go the medication route. Be careful - and don't forget it is your child not you who has to live with this - and you should not judge the success of any plan on "if you think he is behaving better" but rather on his/her happiness. This is not about you - it is about your child. I think any child who changes his diet will manifest different behaviors. But ADD is a genetic, neurological disorder - to use the word "onset" and "prevention" of ADD - this is the most demeaning and blaitantly wrong term I have ever heard. Attention Deficit Disorder is caused by an insufficient release and absorbtion of Dopamine. Can a diet affect this - maybe a little - but concerta, ritalin, etc - actually do affect the release of dopamine. I applaud all of you in your research of ADD but be skeptical - of medication and of "Diets". What I do know is that I attend middlebury college and for the first three semesters I was getting mostly B's some A-'s (all without medication) - then convinced I was trying too hard or atleast much harder than everyone else for the same outcome, I decided to try concerta - which I refused in my earlier childhood years (seven-ten) as most kids do. I took an extra class and I pulled off 4A-s and a B+. I would like to think it was all me - and it really was all me, but the hard thing to understand is that many kids with ADD are intelligent enough - instead it is the neurology. Don't sell your child short by staking yourself as an anti-pharmaceutical parent...The doctors (experts) prescribe it for a reason. Keep your child playing sports, give him structure, have compassion and that is half the battle.
Not for everyone 2006-05-04
After much searching we bought this book to help our son. We are hesitant to try medication due to his medical history so thought this book sounded like a good alternative. Many of the reviews are very positive which was encouraging.
To her credit, Marcia Zimmerman has done her homework. The book is full of references to study after study supporting her diet, almost to a fault. It was easy to get bogged down in the details a times although I appreciated her backing her claims with more than one study.
That said, this diet did not work for our son. It was difficult to keep to the diet exactly (a better system for recommendations or diet plans would have been helpful). We found it especially difficult to eliminate the wheat/gluten along with all the other allergens to avoid. While you can find food that is gluten-free or wheat-free it undoubtedly has some other ingerient we were to avoid. And, it almost never tastes very good.
The only benefit we saw was that our son sleeps better now but there has been no improvement in his behavior, and in fact it may have gotten worse. There is the possibiltiy of course that he does not have ADD but rather some other problem that looks similar and that is why this did not work for him.
The other down side is the expense of finding foods that fit her diet. While it would be worth every penny if the diet worked, it did not for our son and now we have a cupboard full of special flours and other foods that our children do not like.
We plan to keep up a healthier diet overall, which can only be good, but will not continue to try to stick to this diet.
I gave it three stars only because she has done a lot of research and other reviews say it works. But, it did not help our son.
Supplement industry consultant! 
2006-04-29
The first scientifically proven, effective, all-natural nutritional alternative to the much-prescribed drug Ritalin Attention deficit disorder is a nutritional deficiency, not a psychological condition. This is the revolutionary discovery Marcia Zimmerman made during her ten years of research as a nutritional biochemist. That conclusion led her to develop a diet that addresses the specific needs of the 17 million adults and children suffering from ADD. Her easy-to-follow thirty-day plan has been proven just as effective as Ritalin in relieving the symptoms of ADD.
Learn:
- How women should boost their nutrition before conception to prevent ADD in their children.
- Why boys are much likelier to be tagged as ADD than girls
- How to get a reliable ADD diagnosis Reasons why parents prefer a diet plan to prescription drugs for ADD children
- The effects of brain allergies on attention span
- Foods to avoid that may exacerbate ADD
- Fats and oils we all need to stay focused
- Calming effects of carbohydrates
- Concentration-enhancing protein
- Why to stay away from simple sugars
- The dangers of artificial food ingredients, and much more
This important book will help us curb the epidemic growth of ADD in this country and change the way we treat those who have it now by addressing its source instead of merely treating its symptoms.
Options to meds worth exploring 2005-08-21
As a mother of a teenager with ADD-inattentive type who has been off and on meds for 2 years, I had read a lot about possible nutritional changes/supplements that have had some success in helping people with ADD. I thought this book did a great job in explaining the research that has been done regarding chemical/metabolic differences in people with ADD. The explanation of the reasons for temporarily or permanently eliminating certain foods from your diet was pretty sparse. To try and eliminate all those foods would be very hard, so we are trying the vitamin supplement route first to see if that has a positive effect on our daughter. The book definitely made me realize that the meds only solution is not the only answer out there and made me was to explore other options.
Very Interesting 2003-08-13
I think Marcia Zimmerman's book is very interesting. Of course like most other AD/HD books I have read I don't agree with her 100 %. No, I don't think nutrition of lack of nutrition is the cause of AD/HD. I believe that we are born with our AD/HD brains and that it is genetic. I know I have said this before that I do believe that there is a link to nutrition and AD/HD. Our brains do work differently than those with out AD/HD so maybe we do require different nutrients than others.
I have been taking the supplement suggested in Marcia's book for close to a year. I don't take the same name brand ones that she insists that we take though. The supplements have been very helpful. No, they haven't made my AD/HD go away though. But, I haven't followed the actual "30-Day Plan" (I'm sure if I did my AD/HD still wouldn't have gone away...lol)
The author has done research. While this book doesn't not come close to proving that AD/HD is "caused" by poor nutrition it does help to support the idea that nutrition and other environmental factors do have an affect on people with AD/HD.
Good info on supplements and diet 2003-06-13
I'd give this book a higher rating if the book had been updated since '99. This book is a quick read if you've looked at other ADD nutrition books...dump the sugar, simple carbs, food additives, and increase vitamins and supplements...Zimmerman's arguments for why certain supplements, like fatty acids, are good for you, is an interesting read. Her 30-day diet to feed your brain and isolate food allergies that may aggravate your ADD sypmptoms is not as tough as it seems, and I have found the supplements to be exceptionally helpful for treating the aspects of my "creative wiring" that I don't like -- procrastination, inertia, etc. I found it a worthwhile read.
disappointed 2002-08-21
This book promised a lot of help and we did take a few nuggets of useful information from it. The author takes forever to get to the essence of the plan so be prepared for a lot of reptition of information you've probably already heard by the time you are ready to try this plan. I don't know what planet this author lives on but unless you are ready to make every meal,snack etc. from organic scratch, you will have a tough time following the plan, we couldn't commit. Our physician also reported the low possibility of influencing brain chemistry through diet as 1-2% of all the children with this problem. good luck
