The psychologist who did my ADHD diagnosis told me that the Keto diet and vitamin supplementation can work as effectively as medication but can take 3-6 months to work.
Has anyone any experience of using diet to effectively treat Adult ADHD (I'm a 58 y/o male)
Hi R28551,
Thank you for contacting CHADD National Resource Center on ADHD. When it comes to eating or changing eating habits, our health improves for the better. Here is a link that can be helpful. chadd.org/about-adhd/nutrit... chadd.org/about-adhd/fish-o... Hopefully these resources are helpful and make sure to speak with your medical provider if there are any underlying medical conditions.
If you have further questions, please let us know. We are here to help!
Liseth
Health Information Specialist
CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD chadd.org
I havent done the keto diet to aid ADHD symptoms, but I have done the keto diet, and yes, I think it's a good idea. I wouldnt say it takes that long either. It's similar to fasting, however 'with certain foods'
So, when we eat, our bodies naturally use the food we eat as fuel. We're suppose to have breakfast, lunch and dinner, with healthy snacks in between, all of which should contain, carbs, fats and protein. Macronutrients.
Carbs are one of the main sources of fuel. When we eat carbs, it turns into sugar/glucose and that's a prime energy source. Protein is good for muscles and fats help deliver all vitamins and minerals around the body
However, if we don't eat anything at all for example, and fast, our body will revert to alternate glucose for fuel. It naturally turns to stored fat on the body into glucose and uses that, as there's nothing in the stomach to live on.
When this happens, it's called Ketosis. The Keto diet is designed to have very little carbs, and high fat, so the body doesnt have any glucose to run on, so it stays in ketosis and uses the fat stores on the body.
When we fast, our bodies naturally revert in to hunter gatherer mode. Our senses ignite, we become more sharp, our taste and smell gets better, all in the process of making you look for food.
If you combine that stage with the Keto diet, your body stays in Ketosis, and uses fat for energy. So, we become very much more aware of our surroundings, more prominent, more sharp, more focused, PLUS, receive more energy as the body uses the whole body for fuel.
I might try it myself with ADHD in mind. I am intermittent fasting right now, and it works, but not for as long I want it to, and choose the wrong foods at the end of the day
You must be aware of the sleep problems that can occur with the keto diet however, because of the extra energy, heightened senses and technically fasting, but with food. Your body will do what it can to get some food it's used to and that keeps you awake.
Overall though, it takes the 2-3 days to enter into ketosis
I think it's a great idea and you should try it, especially since you're a couple of years older than I am and I am really looking into longevity overall as I look into how to manage my ADHD, especially since I can't take any medication (bad reactions).
I've started dietary restriction to cut out most carbs, especially simple carbs, as well as time restriction (fasting) and I'm not quite at caloric restriction yet. It's been about two months and I do feel a bit sharper. In particular, I have fewer memory issues/lapses, and I am better able to finish specific projects, rest a tiny bit to refocus and start another one.
I was just diagnosed a year ago when I turned 50 and it has turned my life upside down. That said, there are things we can do, and I thoroughly recommend you watch very carefully what you eat. For me, simple carbs are a complete killer -> They flat out induce mental fog and I can't function properly.
Aside from dieting, or as Dr. Peter Attia would call it watching your 'nutritional biochemistry', yes, he also recommends supplementation. You're going to have to play around with that, but I can definitely recommend you start taking strong, high quality Omega 3s, unless you eat salmon 3-5 times a week, or the like. I would urge you to get the Nordic Naturals Pro Omega 2000 (I believe that's what it is called). I take that and a few other things, but I would not want to overwhelm you. I'm happy to share my regimen, but remember that what works for me, though it is likely to work for you or at least have some overlap, your experience is likely to be a bit different.
Perhaps it would be best to learn a little more about the specific ADHD symptoms you are looking to manage better and we can start that way.
Not wanting to preach here, but I've spent the last 12 months dialing in my routine and it's been a painful, long process. If I can help anyone shave time off their recovery to feeling better and being more effective/efficient, I'm all for it.
Godspeed.
Hello R28551I'm an older female. Currently trying Keto and excersize along with meditation to help control my AdHD. ( I also take Concerta) I am also using vitamins including D3, B12, multivitamin, C, iron and magnesium.
Both the diet and excersize are really good. For me the medication helps slow down my thoughts.
Good luck on the journey of life.
Best regards
Gatsby the 🐈
I've read that Leanne Vogel of Healthful Pursuits (healthfulpursuit.com/) has used the Keto Diet to treat her ADHD and was able to stop taking her medication. As always, everyone's mileage will vary. Her books are pretty good too. (By the by, I'm not an affiliate or anyting. I just like her site and books. 
Good to see some solid replies already! Pre-diagnosis and medication... and not for any purpose other than to lose some stubborn fat (despite exercising 2-3 times a week), being on Keto was the best I'd felt in a while. I exercise regularly to keep my mental health in check, and I'd been intermittent fasting for a year or 2; which was great for my morning energy levels, so on a suggestion from a friend keto was my next step to self improvement (but it took my partner being overseas for 2 months for me to easily make the change/take the dive).
In a nutshell, it flattened out my energy levels throughout the day, and I never had a carb coma (or post meal fogginess, or much fogginess in general).
Reflecting on my later diagnosis (and revelation) I realise this was my inattentive symptoms being improved due to the more stable energy levels, and there was a certain clarity to my thoughts in general which I can only assume was from this new-found baseline of energy or the body chemistry change...
I actually really liken it to medication in the following ways: innatentive relief, thought clarity, better sleep/restfullness, weight loss being easier, alcohol affected easier (becoming a lightweight).
It's not the easiest or cheapest diet to be on as it requires strict adherence, but I was able to have a "cheat" meal weekly (for self motivation) and was back in the "zone" by the next meal too..
Once you get your main staples/a food recipe regimen happening, the planning and execution (which us ADHDers love so much) becomes a lot easier..
The Keto diet can be dangerous and if you think it will help your ADHD then I have some magic vitamins to sell you as well as a purchase of some land on the moon. While dyes and sugar can fire up children, not so much in adults.
If you have a knowledgeable understanding of psychopharmacology as well as what receptors, ADHD actually affects and how successful medications work, then you would have your answer. If you want to lose weight and not possibly your life in the process, then High protein is the way, the healthy way. I live on Fish and beef as well as Whey isolate, which can be very costly, especially twice a day. I shed 55lbs in like four months and have kept it off, and I never starved myself. Always be wary of claims unless you know for a fact they are true, because far because too many people try to profit off ADHD by pushing all sorts of nonsense on us. You listen to an influencer well then you are listening to nonsense. Look for Russel Barkley on YouTube he's the most knowledgeable and the only person I trust 100% in the ADHD world, his videos are transformative. Good luck.
Go into with healthy skepticism. It might work for you, and it might not. I have heard many people over the past decade who have said that many types of diet can "cure" ADHD symptoms (gluten free, low-carb, no-carb, no preservatives, no dyes, etc. etc.). Each might work for a small percentage of people, but if it worked for the majority, then every health professional would be talking about it. The Keto craze is fairly new, so maybe, after some studies, we will find out that, yes, it can help a significant percentage of people. Or we might find that it only helps a small percentage.
Everyone is different, so it might work for you. I wish this were easier...finding what medication and diet works for everyone. 
Staying on Keto for 3 to 6 months is like exercising two hours a day 6 days a week for 3 to 6 months.
Hugely difficult. HUGELY! I have been on keto during spells here and there. My mood improved and weight, but I'm not sure my ADHD improved. In fact, I'm sure it did NOT improve.
I am not keto, but I am gluten intolerant (grains are keto no-no). It created a malabsorption issue for me. Once I got gluten out of my diet (5+ years now), my vitamin levels came up, notably B12, iron, and vitamin D. I no longer need to oversupplement for these, and stomach and skin issues cleared up, among other problems. Some of my brain fog lifter, but diet changes alone were not enough for me and I take ADHD medication. I would definitely give dietary changes a go, but I am leery of a doctor that thinks it is an absolute solution for everyone with ADHD. Good luck
So Keto diet or Mediterranean diet supervised by a nutritionist is a great way to get healthy. I do the latter. Have a friend who does the former and loves it. It should help your mood too. Vitamin supplements are helpful too. With that said, see a certified ADHD professional about additional steps beyond nutrition and vitamin supplements. Medication and therapy is a must for most of us.
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