ADHD Thrive Institute

ADHD Thrive Institute Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner. Helping families reduce ADHD symptoms naturally!

02/20/2026

Finally! An answer to the question every ADHD parent asks...

Why?

The ADHD Decoder Kit (which is yours FREE - you just have to pay shipping!) breaks down what’s really going on with your child - helping you understand which of the 5 hidden causes might be beneath your child's behaviors - so you can stop guessing and start making real progress.

⚡️Comment KIT and I’ll send it your way.

You might be inadvertently making your child's ADHD symptoms worse...Here's how: If your child eats only carbs at breakf...
02/19/2026

You might be inadvertently making your child's ADHD symptoms worse...

Here's how:

If your child eats only carbs at breakfast (meaning no protein, no fats, only carbs by themselves like toast, crackers, or cereal), these things can spike blood sugar fast…

And what goes up must come down. That crash can look a lot like ADHD.

You might see sudden meltdowns, mood shifts, hyperactive spirals, etc.

This blood sugar crash is their biology taking a ride on a rollercoaster.

And this doesn’t just happen at breakfast.

School lunches can trigger the same exact blood sugar rollercoaster.

A lunch heavy in refined carbs and processed junk without enough protein or healthy fat can spike blood sugar… then crash it hard. That’s why so many kids come home from school dysregulated, emotional, or completely fried.

I seriously could go on and on about school lunches...but that's another post for another day...

It’s not that school is “too much.” It’s that their brain ran out of fuel.

That’s why I tell all the families I work with: no naked carbs.

Pair every carb with fat or protein — think eggs + gluten free toast, apple + almond butter, or gluten-free crackers + hummus.

Simple changes like this can seriously stabilize behavior and focus, especially in those mid-morning or after-school hours.

Tell me in the comments: what's your favorite high-protein breakfast or snack idea? Share your ideas so we can help each other out!

It looks like ADHD...but is it? It looks like hyperactivity.It feels like impulsivity.But in my experience working with ...
02/18/2026

It looks like ADHD...but is it?

It looks like hyperactivity.

It feels like impulsivity.

But in my experience working with over 1600 families of kids with ADHD, a lot of times, what looks like ADHD isn't just ADHD.

It's a body that’s out of balance. A body that's trying to tell you, "I need support."

In my experience, there are 5 primary culprits driving ADHD symptoms. Culprit #1 is blood sugar dysregulation.

I’ve seen kids go from angry, wired, and restless… to calm, focused, and emotionally regulated —

just by changing how we fuel their bodies.

No meds. No new routines. Just understanding what’s going on underneath the behavior and adjusting as needed.

And I am BEYOND EXCITED to share a new resource with you that my team and I have created - An ADHD Decoder Kit!

This decoder kit helps you determine which of the 5 culprits is most likely to blame for specific ADHD symptoms. And best of all, it's FREE! (you just cover shipping, and I'll cover the rest)

👉👉👉Comment KIT and I'll send you the link to grab yours.

(There are a limited number of free decoder kits, so if you're interested, grab it today before we run out!)

02/17/2026

Some kids can skip meals, sleep late, get sick, and still function.

And then there are our kids.

The ones where one small thing goes off
— the wrong food
— a rough night
— a cold coming on

…and suddenly everything unravels.

For a long time, I thought it was just ADHD or just my son’s personality.

But there’s actually a biological buffer in the body that helps protect the brain from stress and inflammation, and when it’s low, everything feels harder.

🎙️ In this episode, I sit down with Gina Nick to talk about glutathione, brain resilience, and why some kids hit meltdown mode so fast.

💬 Comment PODCAST and I’ll send you the full episode link.

02/16/2026

Here’s the biggest shift I want you to make today.

Stop asking, “What’s wrong with my child?”

Start asking, “What is my child’s body trying to tell me?”

Meltdowns. Impulsivity. Defiance.

These are not character flaws.

They are biological signals.

Behavior is communication.

When we listen to what the body is asking for, real change becomes possible. 💛

Have you ever noticed your child’s behavior shifting with sleep, food, or stress? Let me know in the comments below

All kids get angry...but there's a difference between an age-appropriate response and one that's related to ADHD. Unfort...
02/16/2026

All kids get angry...but there's a difference between an age-appropriate response and one that's related to ADHD.

Unfortunately, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

Read through these images for an explanation to help!

✅ Comment 100% once you've read them all!

02/15/2026

Your child’s brain is like a high-performance electric car.

(Maybe a weird analogy...but stick with me!)

It's beautiful, powerful, and sensitive.

But also requires a full battery to work.

When the battery is drained, nothing works the way it should.

Overnight, your child’s brain goes hours without fuel while doing heavy work (like growth, repair, detox, regulation, etc).

So when morning hits, the tank is already low. If you don't fill back up (and quick!), that's when tricky behaviors start moving in.

It's not bad behavior. It's not something you just “deal with” because of ADHD. It's biological.

And biology can be supported.

👇 Comment BIOLOGY to learn how to support your child’s biology naturally and reduce symptoms at the root.

02/14/2026

It is easy to think of gut issues as only tummy problems.

But for many kids with ADHD, gut imbalance shows up as mood swings, meltdowns, impulsivity, and trouble focusing.

I will never forget a mum I worked with whose son was constantly in trouble at school. She was exhausted and out of ideas. When we finally looked at his gut, we found a significant yeast overgrowth and inflammation.

Once we addressed it, his focus improved, his mood steadied, and she said, “For the first time, I like being around my child again.” 💛

Gut issues are not just gut issues. They are brain and behavior issues in disguise.

Have you ever had that feeling that your child’s behavior might be connected to something going on inside the body? Tell me in the comments.

02/13/2026

Rage isn't always bad behavior. Sometimes it's biology. Sometimes, it's the body crying out for help.

And when we support that biology…when we figure out what the body needs... the anger often falls by the wayside.

💛 If you’ve ever felt this way too, I made something for you: The Biology Beneath ADHD Guide.

Comment BIOLOGY and I’ll send it your way.

You don’t calm anger by getting angry.You don’t calm anger by yelling.And you don’t calm anger by correcting it in the h...
02/12/2026

You don’t calm anger by getting angry.

You don’t calm anger by yelling.

And you don’t calm anger by correcting it in the heat of the moment.

Because anger in kids with ADHD isn’t usually a discipline issue. It’s a biology issue.

When a child’s nervous system is on overload — from blood sugar crashes, poor sleep, gut issues, or just the intensity of the day — their ability to regulate emotion disappears.

They’re not choosing to flip out. Their brain is short-circuiting under stress.

So what actually helps?

✅ Co-regulation

✅ Nutrition that supports mood

✅ Reducing inflammation in the body

✅ Simple tools to ground their nervous system daily

🧠Want to learn how to support your child’s biology instead of constantly firefighting behavior?

Comment BIOLOGY for your free Biology Beneath ADHD Guide!

❤️ Like this post if your ADHD child struggles with anger. Anger in kids with ADHD doesn’t come out of nowhere.It’s usua...
02/11/2026

❤️ Like this post if your ADHD child struggles with anger.

Anger in kids with ADHD doesn’t come out of nowhere.

It’s usually the result of internal overload.

Here are some of the most common ADHD anger triggers we see:

✅ Poor Impulse Control and Emotional Regulation

Children with ADHD often have underdeveloped executive function skills. When something frustrating happens, their brain is wired to react first and process later. This isn’t a child choosing to react in anger. It’s a neurological response.

✅ Inflammation and Gut Imbalances

Many parents have never been told that roughly 90-95% of the body’s serotonin (the “feel good” chemical that helps regulate mood and emotion) is made in the gut, not the brain.

So, if your child is dealing with gut inflammation, the brain becomes reactive, and anger becomes one of the clearest signs that something is off inside the body.

✅ Nutrient Deficiencies and Toxic Load

Another overlooked underlying stressor that can lead to anger in kids with ADHD is nutrient depletion and toxic load.

Think of it like this: when a child’s body is already running on empty, even a small stressor can cause a major reaction.

✅Medication Side Effects

Sometimes, the very thing that’s meant to help can actually make things harder. Unfortunately, some ADHD medications can cause or worsen anger issues in certain kids.

Not all children react this way, and this isn’t about being “anti-medication.” But it’s important to understand that increased irritability, aggression, or mood swings are known side effects of many stimulant-based ADHD medications.

We believe in informed choice, and that means knowing that there are natural strategies that can support your child’s biology without triggering those kinds of side effects.

Anger is information. So, the question is, what is your child's anger trying to tell you?

Now, what do YOU think? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

02/09/2026

We label ADHD kids as difficult, lazy, or defiant…but what’s really happening is that they’re running on empty.

Their brains are trying to regulate big emotions, focus, sleep, and behavior with missing building blocks.

Because here’s the part most conversations skip:

The brain is built from minerals. Calm is built from minerals. Sleep is built from minerals.

So when those minerals are low, the nervous system struggles and behavior takes the hit.

In this episode, I’m joined by Caroline Alan .official who is a mineral expert, educator, and author of The Mineral Reset, to unpack the invisible layer beneath ADHD symptoms that most parents (and practitioners) never look at - minerals!

This conversation will completely change how you see your child’s ADHD symptoms.

👇 Want the full episode? Comment PODCAST and I’ll send you the link.

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About our road to Thrive

Hi, I’m Dana Kay and I am Board Certified Holistic Health and Nutrition Practitioner. It’s my goal to help families who have been impacted by neuro-developmental disorders like ADHD, SPD, Anxiety and Autism (to name a few), through functional lab work to help identify HIDDEN stressors and dysfunctions and implementing a holistic and all-natural family approach to health and wellness.

Not only do I want to share my education, skills and knowledge with you and your family, but I also want to share the wisdom that I’ve gained through the challenges that my family has encountered in dealing with these disorders.

How Our Journey Began

I wasn’t always this passionate and educated about nutrition and neurodevelopmental disorders. Actually, my educational background was in Business and Accounting, where I completed my tertiary studies and spent the next 15 years in those industries. In some ways, I also felt like I became a magician as I pulled off a balancing act with my corporate career and managing our home.