It has now been 2 months since our family officially began eating additive-free. When I began to see changes in my son's behavior as a result, my mind quickly went to other families, individuals, and children who struggle with ADHD and other disorders that could also be helped. I began to pray for opportunities to tell our story. God has already answered, allowing occasions to talk with both individuals and groups. With that in mind, I thought I would post some questions and answers to help those who may visit here hoping to learn more.
1. How did you hear about an additive-free diet?
God planted many seeds along my path over the years. In my training as a special education teacher, my textbooks mentioned the Feingold diet, which was pioneered by Dr. Feingold in the 1950's-1970's. Dr. Feingold was an allergist who stumbled across a diet that seemed to help many children dealing with learning and behavior problems. He published his findings in the 1970's, but they were quickly dismissed by the medical community after other studies seemed to show little correlation between diet and behavior. That was the information I learned while in college. However, as an Early Childhood Education teacher I taught students who were identified as ADHD even as preschoolers. One of my students came into our program almost unmanageable, but made huge gains in his behavior after his mom changed his diet. I also have a dear sister-in-law who quietly used Feingold with her own children. Although I was a bit skeptical due to the information I had learned in college, I decided many years ago that if I ever had a child with ADHD, I would try diet changes before using medication.
2. If you were a skeptic, what convinced you to try this with your own child?
An additive-free diet, while perhaps complicated to implement at first, is not harmful in any way. It is simply an elimination diet, and it would only take a matter of weeks to see if it was helpful. Also, more recent studies indicate that this diet is effective for some children, and one released just this month is even beginning to pinpoint why it works.
Medication, on the other hand, has side effects. For ADHD, medication is most often used to help children focus in order to learn in school. I needed something that would help my child behave at home!
3. What does your doctor say?
I'm anxious to know this myself! Josiah has a well-check coming up in a few months, and I hope we can talk more at that appointment. However, she did mention dietary changes as one option to try with Josiah. There is quite a bit of evidence that indicates gluten-free diets are helpful for children with ADHD and Autism. One book on this topic, The Autism and ADHD Diet, actually suggests eliminating food additives as a first step before going gluten (and even casein) free. (These diets eliminate wheat and milk products.) By the way, gluten-free and casein-free are more complicated and eliminate entire food groups; therefore, additive-free is a great first step!
While many pediatricians and doctors may be skeptical of the effectiveness of an additive-free diet, there is more and more evidence coming out regarding diet and its effects on social/emotional disorders. The American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend that doctors suggest trying an additive-free diet to patients struggling with hyperactivity (see article in sidebar to right.)
4. Have you found anything else Josiah is sensitive to, besides food additives?
Yes, we have. He cannot tolerate any amount of chocolate and also seems to be sensitive to corn sweetener like high fructose corn syrup or dextrose. We've also discovered that Josiah does much better with plenty of protein. We're not sure if this is due to a blood sugar problem or simply because he does not like meat and wasn't getting enough in his diet to begin with.
5. How do you know he's having a reaction, and how long does it last?
We can tell Josiah is having a reaction to food when he reverts to pre-diet behaviors. He yells, hits, kicks, becomes hyperactive, loses impulse control, and will sometimes plug his ears and bang on them. Reactions can last anywhere from a few hours to 3 days.
6. How has this diet changed your eating/cooking/shopping habits?
First let me say, I never have considered myself much of a cook. I can follow recipes but really did not enjoy spending much time in the kitchen. However, when the well-being of my child was at stake, it was amazing how that changed my motivation! For me, cooking this way is an adventure and I am learning all kinds of new things. My time in the kitchen is well-rewarded with delicious food! Two of my children love to cook, so this is a great time of bonding with them, one I may have missed out on without this forced change in our lifestyle.
I think additive-free has also forced us to eat better nutritionally. While there may be things we can no longer eat, there is a whole world of good, nutritious food yet to be explored. We consume more whole grains, we're trying for more veggies, and eating more food with real ingredients. Not only that, it really tastes better to eat this way than to eat processed food.
When we started eating additive-free, our grocery bills did go up. However, now that I've found more options at our local supermarket, my bills are dropping back down to where they were before, even though I can no longer use as many coupons. I think this may be because cooking more from scratch is saving us money!
7. If only Josiah is affected, why are you all eating this way? How do your other kids feel about it?
After reading the research on food additives, I really don't want to be consuming them full time. There is mounting and convincing evidence that they may cause cancer, along with other health problems.
For the cook's sake, it is much easier to prepare one meal we can all eat than make something special on the side for Josiah. It also feels safer to eat in our house when we know all the food in the cupboards is safe to consume by everyone. My husband doesn't have to worry that he's given Josiah a snack that he shouldn't have simply because it was in the cupboard and available!
Micah and Rachel have been very supportive of diet changes. I know Micah misses his Cool Ranch Doritos and other snacks, but he sees the difference in Josiah's behavior and feels that it is worth it not to have any at home. He also loves all the homemade food!
Also, we've found that Josiah is not the only family member that has benefited from being additive-free. Rachel seems to also be affected by food additives, although she is less sensitive. They seem to make her moody and anxious. She can feel the difference when she's not eating them, and also feels like it is worth it to stay away from food with additives. If our entire family hadn't been on the diet, we would not have known Rachel could be helped as well.
I do try very hard to offer my kids delicious substitutes whenever possible. We've bought some natural candies like Yummy Earth lollipops, B-Fresh Gum, and Sunspire Chocolate Candies (a natural version of M&M's) to have on hand in exchange for the treats we used to have.
8. If I'd like to go additive-free for health benefits, where can I start?
Start by reading labels! Look for anything artificial: preservatives like BHT, BHA, TBHQ, and maybe sodium benzoate; or artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners.
If you would really like to start slowly, simply begin with eliminating artificial colors. Taking this small step will remove a lot of other harmful additives and excess sugar from you and your family's diet (according to July/Aug. Pure Facts, published by the Feingold Association).
9. I think my child would benefit from going additive-free for behavioral or learning issues. Where should I start?
The Feingold Organization is an excellent way to start. Their web address is http://www.feingold.org/. In addition to an excellent website, you can purchase a membership which includes a monthly newsletter, a foodlist of researched foods for your location, a fast food guide, and a handbook that explains how to put the diet into practice. Their member's message board is also invaluable to talk with and ask questions of other parents who have used the Feingold diet.
I have had professionals tell me that they've rarely seen this level of success for a child on an additive-free diet. I do not think that is because Josiah is unusual; I think it is because you really have to get additives completely out of the diet to see success. This would not have been possible for us without the Feingold membership. The additives can be hidden in food or even packaging, so reading labels is not enough to remove it completely from the diet.
10. Be honest, is this hard to do?
I will be honest. The first few weeks were tough. I had to learn new brands, new ways of doing things, and find new recipes. However, once we were past the first month, things got much easier.
One of the hardest things for us is finding ways to eat away from home. There are a few restaurants that we are just beginning to try, including McDonald's and Fazoli's. I've had to talk to Rachel's teacher about sending in special food for her to eat instead of birthday treats and classroom snacks/rewards. I was pleased to find her very easy to work with. Josiah has to have a special diet wherever he goes, but so far that has gone well, too. If we go to a birthday party or other social outing, I have to bring along pre-made cupcakes or cookies, or even pack him his own lunch/supper.
I really cannot say this is a burden, however. It was hard to manage an out-of-control child and see how he was affected by food additives. It is relatively easy to learn a different way of cooking. I love the way our relationship has already changed as a result of less family stress. Believe me, this is well-worth every effort I put into it!!
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