Feingold Diet?

[lovelavender]

Has anyone here had experience with the Feingold diet? That’s the diet for hyperactive kids where you cut artificial flavors, artificial colors, and some preservatives out of the diet. We did it for almost a year and it was a pain! And we still can’t tell how effective it is. We did it for our son, and his behavior at school was better during that time, but there were also other factors that may have affected him. (Like a teacher who was absolutely wonderful for him) We also found that it was too expensive. We had to grocery shop at an organic grocery store. Very expensive. You couldn’t get a loaf of bread for less than $4.00.

Have any of you tried it, and what was your experience on it? Was it effective?

 

[puzzleannie]

it was big in the 70s when my son was diagnosed with what today would be called ADHD, then he was just called hyperactive. the first part of the diet is an allergy elimination regimen, which is good for any person having a persistant health or behavior problem, which did show up some allergies and sensitivities missed by testing. He still avoids those foods to this day. The next part, no artificials, we were already doing (and always have done in our family) but the thinks like sulfites, the stuff in aspirin, apple juice I forget what it is, stuff that is in so many products is very hard to eliminate completely.

The only way I could begin to make it work was make the whole family eat that way, which was hugely unpopular. We were already into organic food, making our own bread from locally grown grain (his speech therapist was a Mormon who helped us greatly with this and other natural foods). Even before this time I had to make all his babyfood from scratch, he couldn’t eat any canned baby food brands.

I honestly can say the diet helped, but as you say so did lot’s of other factors, but ultimately the ADHD was only part of his problems which still have not all been fully addressed.

Get on the net and research updates on the diet, now that it has more of a track record, and good luck, you will need it. Actually if you stop buying all junk food, sodas and processed food for your family it will free up a huge chunk of your food budget.