Simply Ben Glenn | The Simple ADHD Expert

Listen to your body. This is huge. It’s your very own body, and unless the mind transfer that’s so popular in sci-fi B-movies becomes a reality, it’ll be the only body you’ll ever have. Pay close attention to what you’re eating and then record how you feel afterward. Keep a running journal in a notebook or blog. As time goes by, you’ll see the trends and learn from them.

Read those food labels. With two kids at home, I do a lot of grocery shopping. I spend hours reading food labels. While we still don’t exactly know what causes ADHD, it is a well-documented fact that elimination of food additives and refined sugars from the diet of an ADDer definitely has a positive impact on ADHD symptoms (for more info about this check out the Feingold Association). I try my best to buy food that’s clean and free of any weird, funky chemicals.

I’ve also learned over the years of trying to watch my weight that just because something says ‘Light’ or ‘Low-Fat’ doesn’t automatically mean it’s good for you. A lot of low-fat stuff is super high in carbs and sugar and as far as my body goes, both of those are killer. Believe it or not, eating the fatier, low-carb versions actually has a better effect on me.

Of course ideally, I’d love to be able to buy 100% organic food, but where I live (Indianapolis), the variety of organic produce is limited, plus its super expensive. I’m a practical guy and try not to be too compulsive about all this, so I do the best I can; if I can get organic, I do, if not, I try to buy the least processed items I can find.

Strategize your shopping. Here’s a rule of thumb for the grocery store: Shop around the perimeter of the store. That’s where fresh foods like the meats, produce, and fresh baked goods (with more whole grains) are located. The middle aisles are where the processed foods live.  (for years, sometimes).

Don’t fear your caffeine. Because the chemicals inside the brain of a person with ADHD work differently than in those of regular folk, caffeine can have both a stimulating and a sedative effect depending on time of day. In the morning when I drink coffee it has a tendency to pick me up and help me get focused (due to it stimulant effect) and in the evening it has more of a calming effect, actually helping me to wind down and get ready for bed. Might not work for everyone, but definitely works for me. (I’m going to do a separate blog on the subject of Caffeine and ADHD soon.)

Look to the diabetic diet. Several of my relatives have diabetes, and since sugar is an enemy of the ADDer, I’ve used some of their guidelines to help me make better dietary choices. So look for diabetic-approved foods.

Load up with protein in the morning. Instead of sugary cereals and confections, make sure you/your kids get protein – eggs, bacon, sausage, or a protein shake/bar. Protein provides  longer-lasting energy than fast-burning carbs. This is especially important for kids taking meds. They lose their appetites because of the meds, so they need the sustained energy that proteins can give.

I hope these suggestions can help on the road to optimizing your diet for your ADHD. Food is a subject close to my heart, so expect to see more posts about this subject.

To close, here’s a recipe for a simple, delicious smoothie that’s low on sugar and high in protein.

Chocolate-Banana Smoothie (similar to a Starbucks Vivanno)

½ banana (go easy because bananas can be sugary)

8oz 2% organic milk

2-4 packets of Splenda (sugar substitutes are controversial, but my body just responds better to Splenda than sugar)

½ cup ice

1 tbsp cocoa

2 heaping scoops of vanilla protein whey powder

Blend all ingredients. It might take a couple of tries to find your desired sweetness. Once you do, you’re set with a quick, tasty protein blast.

Bon Appetit!

In the arcade were big machines that played games. The very same games that you can now play on your pocket-sized iPod or phone. One such popular game was pinball – you’ve probably seen it. The game is all about keeping a metal ball, the pinball, from rolling into a hole. It can get pretty fast-paced, as there are lots of bumpers and gadgets that make the ball shoot all over the board.

The ADD mind is a lot like a pinball. It’s impulsive, changing directions at lightning-fast speeds and jumping from A to D, skipping over B and C.

My friend and travel partner Larry sometimes has a hard time following my train of thought. Watching me jump from A to D without knowing how to keep up can be extremely frustrating to Larry, a non-ADDer. This can be bad for our friendship and business partnership.

I don’t want my pinball mind to add strain to my relationships, so I try to keep the following in mind and encourage you to do the same:

1. Recognize that that’s how your brain works: There’s no shame in it, and there’s no ON/OFF switch. And because there’s no shame in it, it’s okay to tell people that your brain moves quicker than your mouth can keep up with. A lot quicker. Ask for patience and understanding, but also be okay with being asked to slow down and explain.
2. Learn to keep track of your train of thought: This requires a lot of practice, but it’s well worth the effort! ADDers tend to let the carriage run wild without any control of the reins, to borrow from the Western movie genre, and to take a lesson from Westerns, those carriages are often headed straight toward cliffs – not a good direction to go in. Deliberately track your thoughts to understand how you got from A to D. Why? I’ve found that slowing down and retracing my steps has actually enhanced my creativity because I don’t miss a single turn that my brain takes as it searches for solutions to the questions before me.
3. Think before you speak: Lots of ADDers think/process out loud, and that can be confusing for other people. Listening to what goes through the ADD mind is an experience in chaos – we might start at the North pole and not five minutes later conclude that the South pole is actually where we prefer to be. I try to wait until I have the complete thought before airing it to friends or even an audience of thousands, but if I do catch myself in the middle of a hectic rant, I again try to reassure the person I’m talking to that I’m just processing and to give me a moment to collect my thoughts.

Keep the above in mind and it might help you save your family and friends some major frustration. And that, will help to get us all to a happy place, like the legendary video arcade, together.

Title: Kaneland School District
Location: Maple Park, IL
Description: 1p Assembly (Private Event)
6:30p Parent Event (Open to the public)
Date: 2009-04-06

It was great to be back at Kaneland High School yesterday! In the afternoon, I spoke to a large group of 5th and 6th graders who will all be transitioning to a new building next school year. It will be quite a change for most of them, as they leave their small, old schools behind and merge with a bunch of other middle schoolers in the district in a large, new facility. I can see how that could be both exciting and intimidating.  I love speaking to this age group – they have just the right kind of ADHD energy!

The evening presentation was phenomenal! The school had 114 people pre-register to attend, but we ended up with almost 300 people as students dragged their parents to see the presentation. Thanks guys! Appreciate you braving the nasty weather to come out and show me some love!

As always, every event is an opportunity to meet some incredible people who are making a difference in the lives of students and the community. I was really impressed with the kinds of things that Fran Eggleston, the principal at Kaneland McDole Elementary School and also the head of their Special Ed., Programming is doing with their students. One of them is something that I touch on briefly in my book, but it’s the concept of giving kids with Learning Disabilities, even younger kids, an opportunity to have a say in how they can learn better. I think it’s really important to allow some degree of control in a situation where a person may feel like they have no say whatsoever – I wish somebody had asked me what I thought back when I was diagnosed! So, go Fran!

A huge thank you to Christi, the Super Secretary, and your husband for putting together such stellar frames for me. Textbook! And also to Sara Mumm for all your help!

Thanks for having me back, Kaneland. Hope to see you all again in the not too distant future!

Peace!

Maybe. Let me think about it and get back to you later.

It’s a phrase that every person with ADHD should memorize, but it’s one that we struggle with. Perhaps we struggle because we tend to be impulsive, people pleasers. It also doesn’t help that we wrestle with the concept of time and how long it takes to do one thing vs another.

The ADHD mind moves fast, and it expects life to keep up. We try to physically match the pace with no success. It’s like windsurfing behind a Ferrari. Which sounds really, really cool, but could hurt really, really bad.
.
It’s even worse when someone asks us a favor. We tend to overpromise and overextend ourselves, but the only thing we deliver is disappointment. Reputations get tarnished, and relationships get frustrated.

Before responding to requests and invites, remember to take time before you respond. There’s nothing wrong with giving a “Lemme think about it and get back to you.” It’s the best thing for all involved. Weigh out the situation realistically instead of the usual enthusiastic, high-energy, ADHD-style YES!, which makes people think that it will get done quickly, but that’s not the case at all.

Jim Rohn, the world’s most renowned business philosopher, brilliantly puts it this way:

Whenever you say yes to something, you say no to something else.

So don’t be ashamed to say ‘maybe’. Your friends will understand and they’ll wait for you. Especially if they wanna be your steady.

Title: FBLA State Conference
Location: Raleigh, NC
Start Date: 2009-04-16
End Date: 2009-04-17

What a great time last night! I was so impressed with the energy and enthusiasm that you guys had! Your speeches were amazing – there are going to be some incredible leaders out of North Carolina serving this country and the world in the future! It was an honor to play even a small role in helping you all be the best you can be. A huge thank you to Thomas for being on top of every detail and to Lorraine for making it all happen. God bless you!

Now, off to the workshop, then hopping on the plane to head home to Indy to spend a couple of days with the fam before I hit the road again.

WRONG! Just when you thought you had it all, someone puts out a plate of warm, gooey brownies. You reach for one, and as you sink your teeth into the chocolaty goodness, all you can think is “oooooooooh yeah.” Your bliss is complete.

It doesn’t take long for that entire plate to be gone. Why? Because once you taste one, you want to go back for more. And more. And more. Who cares about huge guys bashing into each other on the field when you have brownies?

As a guy with ADHD, I’ve realized that I have to cherish the brownie moments in my life – when a success or accomplishment tastes so good that I want to go back and taste more of it. It’s too easy for us to remember the bad stuff and get caught up in the times that we have failed. But by intentionally celebrating our achievements, no matter how big or small, we can get that taste of success in our mouths, making us strive for more.

One of the greatest mysteries of all time is how I managed to graduate high school having read only two books front to back. I had struggled with the characteristics of ADHD, learning disabilities, and dyslexia all the way through school. When I had to read a book for class, I would start it and put it right back on the shelf. If it was really important, I’d have someone read it to me, or I would cheat (which I’m ashamed to admit). But after graduation, I decided that I wanted to really read a book.

I started to read He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado. It took me a little over a month, but I actually finished it. I even read the introduction! I was so excited that as soon as I closed the back cover, I started calling all my friends. I wanted them to celebrate with me. The encouragement I got over the phone felt so good that it motivated me to go out and read a couple more books. Just like those brownies, the taste of succeeding despite my ADHD was so good that I wanted more of it.

If you are in the ADHD club with me, find a way to recognize and celebrate all of the little achievements. I know it’s a lot easier to think about all the difficulties and negative stuff, the lack of focus, the distractibility, all the battles. We hyper-focus on the bad and have a tunnel vision that blocks out our successes. Instead of remembering the “A” we got on a spelling test, we remember getting our name put on the chalk board for not paying attention during class. Instead of remembering 199 great shows that I put on in a given year, I tend to remember the one that didn’t go well.

But you can change that by refocusing and setting attainable goals. We tend to be extremely creative and create goals outside the scope of reality, and we feel like we’re only a success if we’ve reached that pinnacle. That just sets us up for failure.

So, make a list of realistic goals. And when you’ve successfully achieved one of them, find a way to celebrate or commemorate that victory. Maybe it’s putting something special on your desk that reminds you of the success, or maybe it’s eating a Little Debbie or something. Whatever it is, reward yourself for your accomplishment. It’s something to look forward to and be excited about, and it will drive you to work toward more goals.

mmm… I think I’ll go make some brownies…