Anyone tried Feingold diet?

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Since someone here mentioned reactions to food dyes I have been watching and charting my daughter's behavior and intake. It does seem to be that when she has artificial coloring she has a miserable evening. Today her grandmother thought she was giving her a treat and without my knowledge she gave her a popular Ice Cream chain ice cream cone. She's been writhing and irritable all night.

My question is this: Is there any place to find out how to do the Feingold diet without having to spend $100+ just for the program guide? Is it as simple as eliminating all artificial colors and flavorings? I noticed they mentioned preservatives too but I am wondering if I can eliminate the dyes/flavorings (which I understand are already eliminated from food in UK?) first and then "progress" to elimination of preservatives as well?

Any experience on this would be greatly appreciated!

also: I don't think her issues are gluten related. On nights where I let her have a flour tortilla she did not have the itchiness and volatility that she is experiencing tonight.

From what I know, the Feingold diet is more complicated than just eliminating food dyes. You need to eliminate phenols, which occur in some natural foods, foods that are red, such as apples and grapes contain them. The person I know who does it has also eliminated berries.

You mention intake/behavior charts, is that a food log? For two weeks write down what your daughter eats, the times, and any suspected symptoms with the times. The food log should give you an idea which foods are suspect. Once you know what to suspect you can "challenge." A food "challenge" is, after having been off the food for 3 weeks give the child the suspect food and see if the symptoms return.

I did not do the Feingold. For a while a neurologist and a nutritionist were totally convinced my daughter was intolerant of salycilates. Salycilates are in just about anything with antioxidents. My child couldn't have parsley, amongst other things.

I am leary of the Feingold people simply because you MUST pay them to find out exactly what their diet entails. Be aware of anyone you MUST pay for information, there are a lot of scam artists out there.

If you do choose to go this route, then please see mainstream doctors as well as progressive ones. You can read about food logging and food challenging and there is a lot you can do yourself. You can also speak with any allegist about food intolerances and ask how to do a "double blind" study. If your food log is accurate, clear, and supports the hypothesis that food is an instigator take the log to your pediatrician and discuss which specialists he/she would recommend.

Beware of scammers. Beware of zealots. Beware of people who think your child is the "missing link" in "curing an epidemic". If anyone wants to administer treatments and/or tests that insurance won't cover, first find out WHY insurance won't cover it (from the insurance company point of view.

Trust yourself! You watch your child every day! You are intimately aware of everything she eats! If there is a relationship between her symptoms and her food then YOU are the expert.

What I've been doing is when I see the behavior-pulling at her skin, irritable, unable to sit still, whiny, writhing around, unable to fall asleep-I immediately write down what she has had that day. I am trying to figure out if it is food related or activity/sensory related. One day she had this behavior and she had pumpkin pie. It was supposed to be "made from scratch" but these days I wonder if it had artificial flavors/colors. Yesterday she had ice cream. Most days I can control what she eats and I have made foods accessible to her at home all natural/no artificial flavors or colors. Maybe you are right, I need to do it longer. It is interesting to note that she also had play time with peers on those days so that could be the culprit as well.

Because the Feingold is expensive I wonder if there's a way to do my own form of it. I've been researching the colorings that have been banned in UK such as Blue 1 & 2, Red 3 & 40, Yellow 5 & 6, Green 3 & Orange B. I am trying to eliminate these completely but finding it hard when she is away from me as practically everything these days has one of these in it. As I understand it only things marked "No artificial Colors or Flavors" are ok and also "All Natural".

I don't think I want to do the no phenol-although I do know my daughter has reactions to ketchup-and that is high in phenols. As far as the preservatives-I don't know how to get away from them unless you eat 100% from scratch and foods in their natural state.

I am very leery of scammers and "cure" diets. But I do know there's enough evidence to suggest many kids have reactions to these colorings-why else would they ban them in UK? My daughter also has eczema so I'm wondering if it's related?
Thanks for your input.

I've been reading a lot about doing the gluten-free casein-free diet and how that seems to help lots of people on the spectrum. Many people on WP have posted about this too. You might consider it for your daughter, 2 food items you mention are heavy dairy, ice cream and pumpkin pie. The dairy protein casein could possibly be to blame for her reactions as well as additives, colorings and perservatives.

PenguinMom is right though, do the research as you have been doing, keep a food log and work with a medical provider that you trust. I've been reading a book called "Special Needs Kids Eat Right". The author is kinda extreme on some view points but essentially I think the process she lays out has some merit. She suggests a lot of testing which I think is over the top but she also gives information about symptoms you can observe yourself. I am sure there are dozens of other books on the subject that you could find that are less extreme.

In reading the responses so far, I'm seeing a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about the Feingold diet. You can learn all about it at the website of the support group. In fact, it is the only place that would have correct and up to date information. You do not have to join to go on it but without the foodlist, you would be just guessing that the food label tells you everything you need to know, which it doesn't. Feingold "people" would never tell you that you have to pay for information. The dues to join the organization covers much more than a "program guide." There is a picture of the materials on the website. There is also a Yahoo group.

You can approach the diet anyway that works for you, but I would recommend doing it the way the org. says. That way you know you will get the best results. Phenols are basically in all foods. Don't let this confuse you. Salicylates are a subgroup. Tomatoes and grapes are eliminated in Stage One of the diet but NOT because they are red! It is because they are salicylates. Berries and some others are also salicylates. This is only for the first 6 weeks or so of being on the program--until the person's sensitivity to each of them is determined. I hope her daughter is given another trial of the diet--with the correct info.

Give it a try. I did and I'm sure glad!

Keeping a diet diary is a good thing to do. Watch for a pattern. Where did the pumpkin pie come from? Was the crust from the store? It probably had preservatives. Ketchup is from tomatoes and spices plus it has corn syrup. Tomatoes are definitely a salicylate and the spices could be as well. Many react to corn syrup. Ice cream is a dairy product, and while the label may "read" clean, it does not have to have everything in it on the label. And never believe things that say "No artificial Colors or Flavors" or "All Natural". It's not worth it. The Feingold Association researches products and must have signed forms from manufacturers in order for the product to be in the Foodlist & Shopping Guide. There is usually an okay brand for just about anything. I'd spend the $82.50 to join. Membership is worth every penny.

So, if I spend the $82.50 and get the kit, is that all I have to pay ever? Or are there annual dues, etc? Does the shopping guide have products that are available at mainstream groceries? I live in a small town with no access to Whole Foods.

Can you give me a little insight as to how the diet helped your family and how the process works?

Thanks!!

The pumpkin pie was from a restaurant and they said it was made from scratch.

My sons exhibit signs of sensitivity to food dyes and preservatives. We have not tried the Feingold diet. We simply eliminated food dyes and preservatives from our diet 95% of the time (we do allow for some candy/pop on special occasions, McDonald's or other junk food once every few months etc.). We make everything from scratch and eat as "clean" as possible the majority of the time. None of us need food dyes and all that other crap in our diets anyway.

The renewal is $54. You need it to keep up with product changes and to get the new foodlist, fast food guide, newsletter. The shopping guide is about 200 pages of brand names of mostly supermarket items. When we started the diet many years ago, we had no Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc. Later we lived in a remote area. People that live in small towns often ask on the org. message boards where they get certain items or they order them online.

My son is now an adult. He had a rough preschool period, a trial of meds then we gave the diet a try and we are so glad we did! Both my sons still follow it. Have you checked out the Yahoo group? Brand names are not mentioned, but you can read what parents are saying about it. There's really more to being on a Program than a foodlist--how to handle certain situations, how our food system works, etc. I post a link to the free eNewsletter and the Feingold Family Pages but it is not allowed on Wrong Planet. You can sign up on the Feingold website, however.



[So, if I spend the $82.50 and get the kit, is that all I have to pay ever? Or are there annual dues, etc? Does the shopping guide have products that are available at mainstream groceries? I live in a small town with no access to Whole Foods.

Can you give me a little insight as to how the diet helped your family and how the process works?

Thanks!![/quote]]

Mama...asked: Any experience on this would be greatly appreciated... - Yes, I tried it and it failed 100% for my ADHD Inattentive. The best resource I've come across on the topic of hidden food additives and ADHD - ADD - Hyperactivity is the How To book (1981) about ADHD Inattentive by C. Thomas Wild with Anita Uhl Brothers, M.D., of Berkeley, California. The How To book reports that a few food additives (not all food additives) (such as FD&C Yellow Color Food Dye #5 - tartrazine - and the artificial sweetener, sodium saccharin), can act as powerful, undisclosed drugs in a few persons (not everyone). The How To book (1981) by Wild and Brothers calls for full ingredient disclosure labeling for drugs and foods which contain food additives. The How to book (1981) is a 100% reliable account (not a cure) on the topic and the need for full ingredient disclosure labeling. The How To book also reports that the old medicine, coffee - caffeine compounds - (such as NoDoz - a FDA approved alertness aid - contains caffeine - 100 mg) work better for a few (not all) of those with ADHD to temporarily reduce distractibility a little and temporarily increase attention span a little (not a cure). The caffeine connection as reported by Wild and Brothers (not a cure) is similar to (not identical to): http://www.rsna.org/rsna/media/pr2005/Coffee.cfm - (For some users, not everyone, coffee jump-starts short-term memory). Good luck.

This is really the best way to ensure that you're not eating chemical garbage.