Is there any truth to the red dye causes ADHD stories? What about sugar causing children to become hyper? Is the GFCF diet or just a fad?
In my experience as a mom of kids with moderate to severe food issues I have found the medical community (for the most part) just doesn’t want to talk about it. No longer are they telling me I am nuts to see some of these connections but doctors are good at passing the buck. “You need to talk to your pediatrician”…then the pediatrician says, “You need to talk to a Gastroenterologist (GI)” and so the circle goes.
Food is more important than medicines to have right. Why? You have to eat everyday several times a day. If there is a food issue and removing that food stops the whole body problems you may not have to take a medicine!
My daughter, unknown to us, had a severe milk allergy. She would get absence seizures. When we removed the milk those seizures stopped! We did not have to put her on anti-seizure medicine because the CURE to the issue was to stop cow’s milk!
Are you blessed with a child with ADHD. The medical community has finally admitted that a Feingold diet is reasonable.
Starting in 1975, Benjamin Feingold proposed that artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives might lead to hyperactivity in some children. Since his initial theory, researchers and child behavior experts have hotly debated this issue. A recent study showed that some food coloring and one preservative did increase hyperactivity in some children. However, effects varied according to age and additive
Based on this and other recent studies, the American Academy of Pediatrics now agrees that eliminating preservatives and food colorings from the diet is a reasonable option for children with ADHD. Amen recommends that anyone with ADHD avoid these substances:
- Artificial colors, especially red and yellow
- Food additives such as aspartame, MSG (monosodium glutamate), and nitrites
Frankly I was not a big fan of removing dyes. Dyes are in all sorts of food! Also when I was growing up only health nuts went so far as to remove dyes. It was like removing something from your diet was an admission that your body was not as strong as the next person. When we removed the gluten and caseins from the diet we began making foods in a more organic natural way. Thus we had no dyes in our foods for several weeks. We went to the dr and on the way my son got a headache. I gave him medicine (with red dye). He began head banging and rubbing his face on the wall of the doctor office. He was so wild he couldn’t look anyone in the eye. The doctor was very concerned about him. Proof his body cannot handle red dye!
I also found in recent studies sugar does not make children hyper. Sure they get a boost of energy, but sugar only boosts what is already there. On the other hand if you have a child that has ADHD than caffeine will help relax them. My oldest with ADHD stopped taking a nap when she was 1! She is always on the go. Recently she got her first Mountain Dew. She drank it and went and took a nap! While I am not going to use Mountain Dew therapy, it is good to know.
Food is so important to get right. Yes, I have had to change how I cook. We are gluten free, casein free, soy free, red dye free and one of my little ones can’t have corn. We have successfully been on this diet for 6 years. If you have any questions then let me know!
Oh do I have questions!!!
In our home we have 2-ADHD, 1-ADHD w/bipolar, and a child with hydrocephalus, epilepsy, ADHD, and autism.
I cook everything, I don’t buy prepackaged. I would love to learn what to get rid of to help my children, and have no clue where to start.
This is SO true! My son is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. If you go to my blog you can learn more about my GFCF journey, as it is too long to leave in a comment. Needless to say, it helps! A book that really helped me is “The Autism/ADHD Kid-Friendly Cookbook” or something like that. Look it up on Amazon and it should bring up something w/fruits and veggies on the front. It’s written by a nutritionist and an MD, so it’s balanced for skeptics. In the beginning they explain the biology of WHY these kids are affected, then the middle explains a bunch of different diets (including GFCF and Feingold) and then the rest is a cookbook w/an icon at the top of each recipe to tell you what’s in it. AWESOME! And I think they came out w/ another cookbook.
Have you heard of Juice Plus+? Diet does play an important role in how our bodies work, how our immune system functions and brain develops. I think Juice Plus is a very good solution to alot of the problems facing todays families. It is 17 fruits and vegetables in a capsule or chewable, how simple is that? It is highly tested and has top notch clinical studies proving that it does get into the blood stream and do good things there. Check out my website for more information, http://www.jrstetakesjuiceplus.com. My whole family and I are on it and we are doing great. Our immune system is in balance and we are healthier than we have ever been. Check it out and decide for yourself if Juice Plus is really worth your time, I am here to tell you it is. There is nothing out there that has been more throughly researched than Juice Plus+.
I would check out this website also: cchr.org very helpful website regarding the use of psychotropic drugs on children.
Seven years ago I began praying for health for my family. At that time I had two children, one that was extremely hyper active and another that didn’t speak. They were both sick ALL the time. Through God’s leading I began the Feingold Diet. Within two weeks my hyper child could sit and my other began to speak in full sentences. When I told my family they thought I was crazy. To tell you the truth I thought I was crazy but I trusted God. Today I have three wonderfully bright and healthy children. To God be all the glory!!
I just starting my own blog as well.
http://naturalmamanj.blogspot.com/
It is a brand new blog so right now it has limited info but I will be updating soon.
God bless!
Lynn
Diet is so very important. I started out with GFCF and saw some improvements, and have continued fine tuning and adjusting my son’s diet until we ended up with something like the GAPS diet, which is essentially a primal or paleo diet. Nothing but whole foods, nothing with a barcode.
I would look at the GAPS diet website, GFCF sources and Feingold, and then figure out your child’s food puzzle. it is hard work, but very worth it. I can relate to the dye thing as well. My son does not have anything other than pasture raised organic meats, eggs, healthy fats, and veggies in his diet. 6 months ago, he got his teeth cleaned and the dentist’s tooth paste had dyes in it. His behavior or the next 2 days was awful.