Feingold Anniversary

Wow.  It's been one year.  Last summer at this time, I was checking ingredients, pulling food out of my cupboards, and learning to shop and cook an entirely new way.

What a difference a year can make!

Last year, the problems escalated when the older kids came home from school for the summer.  This summer, it is a blessing to have all three kids together.  Now they can disappear for hours on end without a problem.  (Not that they're perfect or anything, but they really enjoy being together most of the time.)

Then, I could hardly get my youngest interested in toys for 5 minutes.  Now, he will play independently or sit and look at books without being coaxed.  It's still not his best skill, but it has come sooo far!

One year later, what amazes me isn't completely about how Feingold affected Josiah, but how it's affected the rest of us.

My older kids are concerned about what is in food.  They have good reason to be, because all of them react to some food or additive in some way.

We've pinpointed Micah's digestive troubles to MSG (we think.)

Rachel's health issues have disappeared.

I no longer make weekly or biweekly stops at the pharmacy for my family.  I'm off twice-a-day Nexium, and have given up chocolate (for the most part) and cut way down on my sugar intake.  Wow do I feel better, and have more energy and less headaches and PMS symptoms.  We have used some supplements which replaced medication in our budget, but our need for some of them has already diminished.

I've learned how to cook, really cook.  When Eric and I were talking recently, we even agreed eating out isn't as much fun as it used to be, because home-cooked meals taste so much better.

Josiah hasn't been on an antibiotic for a year and a half, except for ear drops for an ear infection from the swimming pool last week.  I didn't believe it when I first read that kids on Feingold get sick less often, but I do now.  He rarely even had a cold last winter.  I'm hoping my older kids will follow suit now that we've discovered their sensitivities.  Time will tell.

My grocery bills have fallen back down close to their pre-Feingold levels, thanks in part to no longer having to be gluten-free.  I use less coupons (not that I was ever a pro at this but I did try my best).  Now I buy more ingredients and far less processed food.  We eat a wider variety of foods, in spite of Josiah's numerous food sensitivities.

There is still a lot to tweak, but I'm so happy to be on this side of the year!