Loretta Friedrich: Nutrition
AAGE Adult Support Group
May 20, 2015
Loretta Friedrich of Sprout Natural Nutrition brought her expertise, energy, and enthusiasm to our ADHD adult
support group meeting in May 2015. Good food habits and nutrition are important to everybody, but particularly
so for people with ADHD. Loretta brought sensible ideas to the table and had lots of information and tips to
share. In a lively presentation lasting just an hour, Loretta was able to cover the basics and more; we all went
home with new things to add to our repertoire.
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Loretta Friedrich graduated from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition with a Natural Nutrition diploma and
is a member of the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners. She discussed which nutrients are
best to help brain health and a healthy digestive system.
Loretta started by talking about what happens when nutrients aren’t in balance. When blood sugar is “out of
whack,” our energy, mood, and behaviors show it. Other things that can make us swing from feeling energetic
and hyper to tired and brain foggy are:
 Stress.
 Food allergies or intolerances.
 Or a weak or impaired digestion.
Foods to avoid altogether:
 Refined sugar.
 Processed carbs.
Anti-nutrients should also be avoided:
 Food colouring
 Flavouring
 MSG
 Synthetic additives
Tip: Alcohol has quite a few additives, especially cheaper brands with flavourings. Check the contents carefully.
Foods that should be consumed with care:
 Juice. Freshly squeezed is better than low-quality juice with added sugar. Whole fruit is reasonable,
but keep the white stuff on the outside of the orange. It slows down digestion of the sugars.
 Granola bars have sugar upon sugar. Packaged goods can be particularly troublesome.
Other “caution” foods are:
 Dairy
 Chocolate
 Wheat
 Corn
 Yeast
 Soy
Disclaimer - The health care practitioner of Sprout Natural Nutritional Consulting (SNNC) is not a medical doctor and therefore
does not provide medical diagnostic or treatment procedures nor does the practitioner suggest that any of the services or
products that are offered are cures for any disease or condition. Information provided by SNNC and/or its practitioner is not
intended to replace the advice of a medical doctor or licensed primary health care practitioner. The information provided
through SNNC and/or its practitioner, is in no way intended to postpone or delay an individual from getting competent medical
advice from a medical doctor. SNNC and/or its practitioner cannot accept any responsibility for any ill effects resulting from the
use or misuse of the information provided in this review of the event.
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Citrus
Peanuts
Eggs
Food “stars” or nutrients help balance out those energy, mood, and behavioral swings. They calm inflammation
and work with immune system.
 Pumpkin seeds (zinc). Good for nervous system and healing. Oil. Protein source.
 Broccoli is a superfood. Calcium, vitamin C, iron. Chromium, which balances blood sugar.
 Coconut oil.
 Salmon is another star. Good protein for repair and growth. Good for the heart. Good essential fatty
acid (EFA). Antioxident. Anti-inflammatory.
 Eggs: The yolk has all the great nutrients. It helps with cholesterol. Has essential hormones. Hard
boiled eggs make great snacks.
We need fats to “lubricate” our brains. These fats are all good ones, and also are anti-inflammatory:
 Coconut oil.
 Fish oil.
 Nuts.
 Butter helps calm people down (watch for food colouring and added salt).
 Seeds.
 EVOO (extra Virgin olive oil).
Animal foods are more acidic, so be careful if you have a problem with acidity.
Plant based foods help with inflammation:
 Goji berries, dried, can be bought in bulk without additives or preservatives. Have a teaspoon with of
them with sunflower seeds for a nice, fulling snack. They can also go in hot cereal, where they will
plump up.
 Garlic is a natural antioxident, antibacterial, etc. Add at the end so you don't lose too many of the
nutrients. Or roast it on low heat.
Water is good when you are tired. Often, when we feel tired, we are actually dehydrated. Good things to add to
water include sliced cucumber, fresh ginger, lemon juice, true cinnamon.
Cinnamon is another good anti-inflammatory. It also has good blood stabilizing properties. Avoid the cassia
form if possible (tightly curled; not flaky). Get “true cinnamon” (from Ceylon or Sri Lanka). You can sprinkle
cinnamon on things or into smoothies.
Tip: If you are on blood thinners, take care with some spices. Do the research about which spices might
interact with your medication.
Put half a lemon squeezed into room-temperature or warm water and drink it first thing in the morning.
Anything green is good for digestion. Parsley has great nutrients as well as good taste. It’s also a mouth
freshener. Basil is also good.
Disclaimer - The health care practitioner of Sprout Natural Nutritional Consulting (SNNC) is not a medical doctor and therefore
does not provide medical diagnostic or treatment procedures nor does the practitioner suggest that any of the services or
products that are offered are cures for any disease or condition. Information provided by SNNC and/or its practitioner is not
intended to replace the advice of a medical doctor or licensed primary health care practitioner. The information provided
through SNNC and/or its practitioner, is in no way intended to postpone or delay an individual from getting competent medical
advice from a medical doctor. SNNC and/or its practitioner cannot accept any responsibility for any ill effects resulting from the
use or misuse of the information provided in this review of the event.
Other things that are good for you:
 Avocados.
 Kefir (fermented dairy) or coconut milk.
When bringing in a new food, add rather than subtract. Especially when you have kids or are dealing with picky
eaters. Start slow! Some tips include:
 Add homemade dips, dressings, sauces.
 Add toppings in bowls on the table; then people can add as they wish. A nice sprinkle of parsley looks
and tastes good.
 Add lots of colour. Maybe have a colour theme to add interest to your meal.
Flourless Banana Pancakes Recipe
2 large ripe bananas;
3 eggs;
½ tsp. vanilla extract;
½ tsp. ground cinnamon;
½ tsp. baking powder;
Maple syrup; (optional)
Fresh fruits; (optional)
Mash the bananas; add the spices and baking powder. Cook (smaller pancakes are easier to flip). Serve with
syrup and fresh fruit.
Loretta's Facebook page has recipes: https://www.facebook.com/sproutnaturalnutritionalconsulting?ref=h
Website: http://sproutnaturalnutrition.com/.
For additional tips, recipes, information on webinars, and more, you can join the Sprout Natural Nutrition email
list.
Disclaimer - The health care practitioner of Sprout Natural Nutritional Consulting (SNNC) is not a medical doctor and therefore
does not provide medical diagnostic or treatment procedures nor does the practitioner suggest that any of the services or
products that are offered are cures for any disease or condition. Information provided by SNNC and/or its practitioner is not
intended to replace the advice of a medical doctor or licensed primary health care practitioner. The information provided
through SNNC and/or its practitioner, is in no way intended to postpone or delay an individual from getting competent medical
advice from a medical doctor. SNNC and/or its practitioner cannot accept any responsibility for any ill effects resulting from the
use or misuse of the information provided in this review of the event.