Three and a half years ago, God blessed our family with a much-desired third child. Those who know us or have followed my blog know that we've had our hands full ever since. Josiah is a delightful, curious, strong-willed, energetic, always-on-the-move, intense little boy. But this summer things took a turn I was not anticipating.
My older kids came home from school for the summer, and suddenly became targets for their youngest brother's aggressive behavior. The hitting, kicking, screaming, and annoying were almost constant and consistent, careful discipline was getting us nowhere. I had to keep Josiah constantly at my side in order to keep him away from the other kids, and even there I was having difficulty managing his out-of-control behavior. He rarely played with toys and couldn't seem to find ways to keep himself occupied. At the end of June I reached the end of my rope and took him in to his pediatrician. She already knew Josiah's history and recommended he be evaluated for behavior concerns. We are still in the midst of that evaluation and although I'm not sure how things will turn out, I highly suspect ADHD.
I thank God for my former training as an LD/BD teacher. Remembering the Feingold diet from college (even though I was taught then it did not work--recent research indicates otherwise), I began investigating how diet can affect behavior. We started Josiah on a diet with no food additives, and although we were making a lot of mistakes, we began to see a connection between what he was eating and how he was behaving. Near the middle of July, I joined the Feingold Association and received much-needed materials to put the diet fully into practice.
The results have been amazing so far. We left on a vacation we were somewhat hesitant to take--all the behavioral issues we had been dealing with left us stressed and exhausted. Yet we spent three incredible days with a sweet, mostly obedient child who didn't even need an afternoon nap to stay manageable.
I'm spending a lot more time in the kitchen lately making homemade breads, cookies, and home-cooked meals. Cooking has never been my favorite activity but if I don't cook, we don't eat, so that is highly motivating. After all I have read about food dyes, artificial flavors, and preservatives, I'm not sure I'd want to go back even if we could. And now I have a child who has been engaged for hours this morning in imaginative play with his older sister.
Top Ten Reasons We Can Be Thankful for Feingold:
10. I'm finally learning to cook.
9. Homemade bread
8. Yummy Earth lollipops
7. Homemade sugar cookies
6. Cheetos White Cheddar Cheese Puffs
5. Chocolate seems to be a trigger...and it gives me headaches. More motivation to keep me away!
4. Meijer has a great selection of approved foods. I love that store!
3. We're eating more real food and less processed.
2. I get great recipes from my sister-in-law who is an outstanding cook.
1. And the best reason of all...Josiah's so much fun to be around again!
I'm so thankful for a supportive husband, kids, and extended family. They are the best!
2 comments:
Wow! This is amazing news.
I'm so curious about what you've learned . . . and I cringe, knowing that once I know what chemicals I'm ingesting I will never approach prepackaged goods the same way again. I'm going to be brave. The next time meet, give it to me straight.
Micah and I were talking yesterday and even the two of us feel like we have more energy. I feel less overwhelmed and like I'm walking around in a brain fog, but then again, the stress level has greatly diminished here in addition to diet changes. I'll look at my calendar...hopefully we can get together soon!
Post a Comment