There is little argument that a person’s diet can contribute to major physical diseases such as heart disease and type II diabetes. While the effect of diet on mental health disorders remains controversial in the conventional circles, I see every day what a huge difference diet can make on the health of the brain.

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet showed nearly two-thirds of kids on an restricted elimination diet for 9 weeks experienced significant reduction in ADHD symptoms and oppositional-defiant behavior. The symptoms returned when the kids went back to the normal Western diet.

Another study from Australia warns about the effects of a typical Western diet and the rise of ADHD in adolescents. The researchers found a diet high in convenience foods, sweets, processed, fried and refined foods was associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and fish – basically natural foods higher in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber.