FAB Research Webinar - Nutrition for ADHD and Neurodiverse Minds

Nutrition for ADHD and Neurodiverse Minds: Feeding better mood, behaviour, learning and sleep in ADHD and related conditions

• Dr Rachel Gow - author of Smart Foods for ADHD and Brain Health

• Dr Alex Richardson - author of They Are What You feed Them 

Don’t miss this chance to hear from two of the world's leading experts in nutrition and neurodevelopmental conditions - and get your own questions answered, on:

• How food and diet can affect symptoms of ADHD and related developmental conditions - including Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and the Autistic Spectrum 

• Links between these conditions and Anxiety, Depression and other Mood Disorders, Sleep problems, Eating Disorders and Addictions - as well as physical health and wellbeing - and how nutrition can help. 

Who Should Attend? 

Anyone with a personal or professional interest in

• ADHD and related developmental or mental health conditions
• How nutrition can influence brain health at any age

- including parents & carers, adults, students, professionals or policy-makers in education, health, nutrition, dietetics, mental health, social services, criminal justice or allied areas.

TOPICS COVERED

Dr Rachel Gow – Smart Eating for ADHD and Brain Health

Summary:

• Nutritional neuroscience - key points explained
• ADHD explained: Common traits that often vary in girls versus boys, adult females versus males
• The role of dopamine and serotonin in ADHD, and how to influence these hormones naturally via the diet
• ‘Brain-Selective Nutrients’ and their purported role in brain health and neurodevelopmental conditions
• ADHD and what else? Overlapping symptoms of depression and anxiety 
• Not all fats are the same! The key differences between omega-3 and 6 in brief
• Which foods can help, and which hinder, optimal brain function

This presentation will briefly introduce some of the brain anatomy involved in ADHD, discuss the role of neurotransmitters, and some of the basic nutritional neuroscience involved in brain function in relation to impulse control, learning, and memory. It will overview ADHD - both the etiology and environmental risk factors - including differences in presenting symptoms between girls and boys, and adult females and males, and associated risk factors.

Attendees will learn some of the rich-material in Dr Gow’s new book - Eat Smart for ADHD and Brain-Health - including the role of specific "brain-selective" nutrients, and their impact at molecular and cellular levels to help modulate attention, focus, mood, and behaviour (evidenced-based) with a focus on ADHD and associative overlapping symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Dr Gow will explain why omega-3s are thought of as “fuel for the brain” and assist in mood-enhancing networks, and also discuss the crucial differences between the different types of omega-3 and 6s (e.g., plant-based versus marine-based and their functional significance). The key differences between dopamine and serotonin, both implicated in ADHD, are explained - including how levels can be boosted naturally. Finally, attendees will learn which foods (and supplements) may help improve brain health in neuro-diverse conditions, versus those which hinder (e.g. what foods to include, and which to avoid - and why!).

Dr Alex Richardson – Nutritional management of ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ASD and related conditions: an evidence-based, practical approach 

Summary

• Key features of Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD and ASD, and their overlaps
• Common associated features / traits / symptoms as clues to risk and contributory factors – including nutrition – that are modifiable
• The importance of individual differences (no ‘one size fits all’!)
• The role of dietary fats, and simple ways to ‘get the fats right’
• Managing brain energy levels, and their impact on mood, behaviour and sleep as well as attention & concentration
• Allergies, intolerances and ‘exclusion’ diets – facts, fads and fallacies
• Gut-brain-immune connections, and how to improve resilience and wellbeing by eating better

This presentation will focus on the role of food and diet in other neurodevelopmental conditions that commonly co-occur with ADHD: particularly Dyslexia, Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder, or DCD) and Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but also others that may manifest only in adolescence or adulthood.

Diagnoses are centred on ‘core symptoms’, but attendees will learn how many other associated features, traits and symptoms – including common physical health issues, and anxiety / stress – can often give useful clues for finding effective dietary (and other) interventions. Emphasis is given to the fundamental importance of individual differences, which can often confound research findings - with examples of how recognition of these is critical for success in managing these diverse conditions in practice.

Complementing the key themes discussed by Dr Gow, this presentation will briefly review the latest findings from research into dietary fats (especially omega-3/6 balance) and brain health, as well as other diet and nutrition-related ‘biochemical imbalances’ and sensitivities that can affect sensory processing, stress responses, emotional regulation, and sleep as well as physical health.

All of these factors are not only important for general brain health and wellbeing; they can also influence many ‘core symptoms’ of Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, ASD and related developmental and mental health conditions. Practical guidance, strategies and tips on how to address these issues, while improving diet and nutritional status more generally, will be discussed.

SPEAKER PROFILES

Dr Rachel V. Gow is a Nutritional Neuroscientist, Child Neuropsychologist, and Neurodevelopmental specialist with expertise in a range of mental health conditions and associated learning and behaviour differences.

Her research and experience in the field of Nutritional Neuroscience has enabled her to work at the National Institutes of Health in Washington DC, and more recently, in private mental healthcare in Los Angeles.

Dr. Gow is a Registered Nutritionist (under the category of Science) and a recent author of the best-selling book for neurodiverse communities: "Smart Foods for ADHD and Brain Health" (published by Jessica Kingsley, part of the Hachette Group).

Dr. Gow launched the Nutritious Minds Trust in November 2017 to raise awareness of ADHD and related behaviour, learning and mental health conditions and to provide much-needed support and services to families, as well as host community outreach events to share stories of hope, inspiration, and recovery with a focus on nutrition, well-being, and exercise.

Dr. Gow also has a private practice called Nutritious Minds Consulting; a novel, nutrition, and brain-health clinic providing a unique and comprehensive avenue to psychological health by adopting a personalized, science-based, integrative approach with interventions for the whole family. Nutritious Minds Consulting is based in Harley Street, London, W1.

Dr Alex Richardson is a world-renowned researcher, educator, speaker and published author; and Founder Director of the UK-based charity, Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research.

Based at the University of Oxford for 30 years, the impact of her 100+ publications places her in the top 2.5% of academic researchers worldwide. Her pioneering clinical trials were the first to show that dietary supplementation with omega-3 (and omega-6) fatty acids can improve behaviour and learning in children with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD and related conditions; but her approach and experience is also highly inter-disciplinary, involving neuroscience, genetics, brain imaging, biochemistry, psychology, and psychiatry as well as nutrition.

Her interests centre on the importance of nutrition for brain health, and individual differences - particularly in relation to developmental conditions like ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia/DCD and the Autistic Spectrum, mental health conditions including Depression, Bipolar disorder and the Schizophrenia specturm; and their links with allergies, immune disorders and gut health.

With a background in teaching, Alex is a highly popular speaker for public and professional as well as academic audiences, and an experienced media contributor for the press, radio and TV in the UK and abroad. Her book for parents and professionals, "They Are What You Feed Them" (Harper Thorson) explains how children’s diets can - and do - affect their behaviour, learning and mood, and offers easy-to-follow, practical and evidence-based advice, with all author proceeds dedicated to the FAB Research charity (www.fabresearch.org).
 

• Click HERE to book your place 
  

Terms and Conditions

All proceeds from this event will go to the FAB Research charity to support our work providing independent, evidence-based information to as many people s possible.

• Special concessionary rates are available for parents, carers, individuals with ADHD or related conditions, and students.*

• Attendance is FREE for FAB Associate Members

*A limited number of free bursary places are also available – please contact admin@fabresearch.org for details