Everyone experiences some of
these symptoms once in a while, but it is the intensity and frequency that can
indicate when it is not a normal condition and where diet could play a
part. This material is for information
only and is not intended to replace appropriate medical care.
For my family it all started with my youngest who complained of an itchy tongue. We have learned so much about food and follow the Feingold diet avoiding artificial colors, red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, artificial flavors, vanillin, preservatives, BHT, BPA and TBHQ. These chemicals effect my kids and so many others who may not even realize it's all in what they are eating.
If you are having problems with your childs self esteem, impulsivity, aggression, test results, reading, sleeping, mood, etc. try avoiding these chemicals. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You will need to give yourself time to read labels while shopping and maybe invest in a good pair of readers!
Kids and adults who eat products containing a chemical additive that they may have an intolerance for can exhibit 1 or more of the following problems.
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Behavior Problems
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Marked
hyperactivity
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- Constant motion
- Running instead of walking
- Inability to sit still
- Inappropriate wiggling of legs/hands
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Impulsive
actions
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- Poor self-control, unpredictable behavior
- Disruptive behavior / disturbs others
- Unresponsive to discipline
- Abusive behavior, unkindness to pets
- Destructive behaviors: throws, breaks things
- Little or no recognition of danger to self
- Inappropriate noises
- Excessive or loud talking, interrupts often
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Compulsive
actions
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- Aggression
- Perseveration/repeating of an activity
- Touching things or people excessively
- Chewing on clothing, other objects
- Scratching, biting & picking at skin
- Workaholic habits
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Emotional
concerns
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- Low frustration tolerance
- Demands immediate attention
- Irritability
- Overreaction to touch, pain, sound, lights
- Nervousness, panics easily
- Mood swings
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
- Frequent crying
- Suicidal thoughts
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Learning
Problems
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Short
attention
span
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- Impatience
- Distraction
- Failure to complete
projects
- Inability to listen to
whole story
- Inability to follow
directions
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Neuro-
muscular
involvement
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- Accident prone
- Poor muscle coordination
- Difficulty writing,
drawing
- Dyslexia/reading problems
- Speech difficulties/delays
- Difficulty with playground
activities, sports
- Eye muscle disorder
(nystagmus, strabismus)
- Tics (unusual or
uncontrollable movements)
- Seizures (if combined with
migraine or hyperactivity)
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Cognitive
and
perceptual
disturbances
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- Auditory memory deficits
(difficulty remembering what is heard)
- Visual memory deficits
(difficulty remembering what is seen)
- Difficulty in
comprehension and short term memory
- Disturbance in spatial
orientation (up-down, right-left)
- Difficulties in reasoning
(simple math problems, meaning in words)
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Health Problems
People who have symptoms of
ADHD that respond well to dietary management also frequently have health
problems such as:
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Frequent
physical
complaints
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- Ear infections
- Asthma
- Bedwetting (enuresis)
- Daytime wetting
- Stomachaches
- Headaches, migraines
- Hives, rashes (urticaria)
- Eczema
- Leg aches
- Constipation, diarrhea
- Congestion
- Seizures (if combined with
migraine or hyperactivity)
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Sleep
problems
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- Resistance to going to bed
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Restless / erratic sleep
- Nightmares, bad dreams
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Where do food dyes come from?
Those
pretty colors that make the "fruit punch" red, the gelatin green and
the oatmeal blue are made from petroleum (crude oil) which is also the source
for gasoline.
You will
find them on the ingredient labels, listed as "Yellow No. 5,"
"Red 40," "Blue #1," etc. The label may say
"FD&C" before the number. That means "Food, Drug &
Cosmetics." When you see a number listed as "D&C" in a
product, such as "D&C Red #33" it means that this coloring is
considered safe for medicine (drugs) and cosmetics, but not for food.
What are artificial flavorings?
They are
combinations of many chemicals, both natural and synthetic. An artificial
flavoring may be composed of hundreds of separate chemicals, and there is no
restriction on what a company can use to flavor food.
One
source for imitation vanilla flavoring (called "vanillin") is the
waste product of paper mills. Some companies built factories next to the pulp
mills to turn the undesirable by-product into imitation flavoring,
What are BHA, BHT and TBHQ?
Those
initials stand for three major preservatives found in many foods, especially in
the United States. Like the dyes, they are made from petroleum (crude oil).
Often, they are not listed in the ingredients.
These
chemicals may be listed as "anti-oxidants" because they prevent the
fats in foods from "oxidizing" or becoming rancid (spoiling). There
are many natural, beneficial anti-oxidants, but they are much more expensive
than the synthetic versions.
There are
other undesirable food additives (MSG, sodium benzoate, nitrites, sulfites, to
name a few) but most of the additives used in foods have not been found to be
as big a problem as those listed above.
Food additives are not new. Artificial colors have been
around for more than 100 years. (Originally they were made from coal tar oil.)
And children have been eating artificially colored and flavored products for
decades.
But then . . . most children ate these
additives infrequently. They got an occasional lollipop from the bank or barber
shop. Cotton candy was found at the circus. Jelly beans were given at Easter,
orange cupcakes at Halloween and candy canes at Christmas. Today . . . the typical child growing up in
the United States is exposed to these powerful chemicals all day, every day.
What
the child growing up in the U.S. in the 1940's got:
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What
the child growing up in the U.S. today gets:
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White
toothpaste
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Multi-colored
toothpaste, perhaps with sparkles
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Oatmeal
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Sea
Treasures Instant Oatmeal (turns milk blue)
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Corn
flakes
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Fruity
Pebbles
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Toast
& butter, jam
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Pop
Tarts
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Cocoa
made with natural ingredients
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Cocoa
made with artificial flavoring, & some with dyes.
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Whipped
cream
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Cool
Whip
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No
vitamins (or perhaps cod liver oil)
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Flintstone
vitamins with coloring & flavoring
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White
powder or bad-tasting liquid medicine
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Bright
pink, bubble-gum flavored chewable or liquid medicine
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Sample
school lunch:
Meat loaf, freshly made mashed potatoes, vegetable. Milk, cupcake made from
scratch.
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Sample
school lunch:
Highly processed foods loaded with synthetic additives, no vegetable.
Chocolate milk with artificial flavor.
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Sample
school beverage:
Water from the drinking fountain
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Sample
school beverage:
Soft drink with artificial color, flavor, caffeine, aspartame, etc.
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Candy
in the classroom a few times a year at class parties.
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Candy
(with synthetic additives) given frequently.
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Environmental Chemicals
Artificially
colored, flavored, scented, or preserved non-food items can also cause a
reaction when inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Pesticides
Pesticides
used outside the home are easily tracked inside and are readily inhaled and
absorbed through the skin. Children are
at high risk of exposure since they are more likely to crawl on the floor and
play in the grass and on the school playground.
Perfumes/Plug Ins
Today,
fragrances are made primarily from petroleum, and can be just as harmful as
petroleum based food additives. When
inhaled, they go directly to the brain, where they can trigger an immediate
reaction.
Sources:
