Feingold Diet??

My advice is to not switch her diet unless you have ADD professionally diagnosed. Here's why - - what if she has autism? What if she has nothing at all, but is just an ornery kid? What if you'd be putting all the effort into one approach when you really should have been doing something else?

So my advice is to do the right thing by taking her to a doctor and finding out what is really wrong.

S

Hi E.,
Just let Mom's & her friends know that she is on a restricted diet. That's what people do with kids who eat Kosher or who have food allergies. You'll have to provide special snacks every time she plays away from home. I haven't read the details about this diet, but my niece who has ADD is able to stay off meds by boosting her protein intake.

My aunt tried this diet with her step grandchildren and it worked wonders in just a week. They were more focused and started doing better in school. From what I understood, it takes about 30 days to detoxify the body. After that, a little something non-organic won't immediately reverse all you've done. But just a once in a while thing. Who knows, after all that good nutrious food, she not even like the preservative filled stuff. You can hope!

Your 5 yr old sounds pretty developmentally normal. Children that age will do all sorts of things and are incapable of thinking about the consequences. Expecting her to think like an adult will drive you crazy. You might try reading the book Smart Love by the Piepers. It is great about what to expect of your little ones. Your child may or may not be ADD. She may be a bright, active normal 5 yr old. You need a professional regarding diagnosis not a fad diet.

Hi E.,
I know this is a old post. Wondering how things are going with you? I to had a child with these same issues didn't show up till school. A year later I had my 3rd child at 4 months found out he had major food allergies. I alway thought we ate pretty healthy!!! Through my search to help my food allergy boy...I learned a ton about the causes of these conditions. All linked to diet and nutrician. I am doing like you no food additavise and pretty much stick with fruits and vegetables and meat, I shop at Trader Joes too. Scary what we consume and don't realise. Something I found and love is Juice Plus we have taken it for 3 years now. AMAZING..it's 17 juiced fruits and vegtables put into gummies or capsules..my allergic child is almost allergy free..and my son with the attention is doing great on no medication. I did cut out dyes and got him on Jp I noticed a diffrence within 6 months! This is a link www.tricocijuiceplus.com let me know if you would like some info. I know do nutritional education with this company becuase I have such a passion for what it did for me and my family. The thing I have learned most is don't buy something just becuase you hear it might be good. Look at what research has been done on it proving that it works. Juice Plus does that they are published in over 15 medical and nutritional journals! Wishing you and your family the best health!

Hmmm you certainly have gotten a wide array of responses. I have to agree while I think a healthy diet is important we all seem to be predisposed to finding something "wrong" with our kids when we find their behavior troubling or puzzling. SOme of us label it ADD or whatever and some think it's an allergy toward perservatives. I'm not saying these don't exist. But nothing you mentioned seems unusual or that off to me. IF your child is properly supervised she won't have time or opportunity to unlock a window and go out on the roof. She may be an imaginative and adventurous child who is also somewhat introverted (not that comfortable in groups). Nothing wrong with that. I realize these are short posts and there may be more issues etc. I just think kids are individuals and we seem to be intent on pideonholing them. For instance I can't figure out for the life of me how we can label kids hyperactive when they are high engery. Little kids are like squirrels. They need to run around and yes sometimes go nuts. (hopefully on the playground) We put our kids in all day daycare and preschool, take away recess, yes, give them sweet snacks, sit them in front of TV's and computers and expect them to sit there and act like adults. Ridiculous!(I'm not saying you of course just in general) Just my two cents.

Wow, a lot of responses already, but thought I'd add my experience as well. My sister does the Feingold diet and they have seen huge improvements. They are also more and more hooked on it as they realize all the chemicals in food and are more disgusted by it really for any of them. I've picked up a few things from it, but am not there yet with learning it all. Anyway, what she does for birthday parties and play dates is send her own snack/treat. She said her 8 year old relatively often will brag to her about cheating and having what she wasn't supposed to have...my sister tells her she appreciates the confession, but emphasizes the importance of eating well to be obedient as well as for the reason that it helps her mood and helps her to not get into trouble. She is getting better to sticking with the good food choices and does well for the most part with it. In the moment, my sister reminds the kids (ages 8 and 6) that going fast and losing focus is what gets them into trouble, trying to nip it in the bud when they become more wild. She CAN really tell a difference in behavior when they have things like bubble gum they shouldn't or food coloring, especially the following day she said, particularly in her daughter who they began the Feingold program for.
Something else to consider along with dietary is tv viewing...if tv is in the daily routine. Research shows and I've seen correlations in children I've worked with that really backs up the studies as well in a few cases, that tv watching at a young age rewires the brain and the symptoms that result are increased impulsive behavior, increased compulsive behavior, lowered attention span, difficulty focusing, restlessness, and more rough/aggressive behavior. It seems to me that some kids may be more susceptable to it. But if you google things like toddler attention span, preschool tv attention span, things like that...the studies and articles will come up. Generally, they don't seem to link ADHD to tv viewing as cause and effect, though they compare them as brain differences seem to resemble one another. A study I read recently said that for each hour of tv watched in the day at age 3 I think it was, chances of an ADHD diagnosis at age 7 was up 10% for each hour...somthing like that. You could look it up if you are interested.
Another thing related is BrainGym, which is a kinesthetic program that teaches movements which help to increase focus, memory, concentration, that kind of thing. I just did a beginning training on it this week actually. It is said to help anyone of any age...though mentions especially those who would have more difficulty with focus and such like those with ADHD, Autism, Alzheimer's or anything else focus/attention/memory related. It talks of the importance of drinking plain water often for your brain's ability to focus, as well as ways to regroup and get yourself back on track focusing through simple movements that calm the body. Another thing to look up if you are interested.
Best wishes to you!

Well I did go organic with my kids mainly because one of my sons had some issues. Now I did bring special snacks for him. Kashi granola bars... on days where there woudl be candy. Event hought he schools all say no sugar Its not true!

Personally I think making changes in the diet does help. You cannot prevent EVERYTHING so just remember some will probably come in somewhere.

Processed foods.. lunchmeats that aren't "natural", hot dogs, candy, high fructose things are the most important to avoid

Do the best you can and see if you notice a difference. I did post this ont he site before we get a delivery from tcforganics

www.tcforganics.net

I LOVE IT. We get a box and the kids get all excited at what will be comign this week. the food is organic and they actually do eat it!! unbelievable isn't it!!

Do the best you can and watch the dairy intake too. Many kids are allergic and some jsut get wayt o much and it affects them. Good luck on your quest I am sure you will notice a huge difference once the diet is changed... the whoel family will be healthier!

Good Luck!

Your daughter sounds similar to a nephew of mine ~ 27 years ago before they were diagnosing ADD. Always seemed in his own world oblivious to other things around him. Unless we were in his face, he didn't seem to hear a word spoken to him. We wondered if he'd make it through childhood ~ he had no fear and was so adventuresome ~ always wandering out on his own (much to the frustration of his parents!). He has since graduated Wheaton college w/a degree in Kinesiology (sp?), is an accomplished soccer player, doing well in his job ~ and a born actor (for which he does on the side). He does watch his own diet and intake of sugar. Because he was so heavily into sports, he ate a lot of carbs and now he has to watch that in his diet.

Don't know if this is of any encouragement or not ~ or even if it fits your situation specifically, but I know how concerned his parents were back then. You can NEVER go wrong however, in taking sugar, etc., out of a diet and going with fresh whole foods. That even makes a huge difference in my daily life.

E.
My aunt works with BD students whom are often labeled with ADD. She has researched many detoxification alternatives to medication. She also came to me to ask me about a product I order online called Melaleuca. It's an all natural "grocery/health" store alternative. My mother in law got me involved, and although I love the product I am not a sales person, and can't really promote it well.
Although one story from a client of her's, is exactly about this. Her daughter began taking the Melaleuca vitamins and she switched out all her products to Melaleuca and she saw an improvement with her daughters ADD>
I'm not saying it's a cure all and you can just buy products from Whole Foods/Trader Joe's/etc. But, I have been using the products for about 8 years now, and I can feel, tell and see the difference.
I am about the only friend that had NO problems getting pregnant and did not need any fertility help. My husband and I have allergies and as long as we take our vitamins it helps. And when I walk down the cleaning aisle at Target it give me a headache.
We never have to worry about our baby getting into dangreous chemicals in out cabinets bc it's all natural and you mix it all with water.
If you're interested and want to learn more you can go to Melaleuca.com. Also, if you want me to tell you more I can. I would say check out Dr. Mercola's website and many alternative treatments for ADD online. Unfortunately we're a medication crazy country, but the side effects cause more problems than help them.
Hope this helps!
D.

My parents found out about the Feingold diet back in the 80's when my baby sister was WILD (I'm sure ADHD by today's standards). It was truely a miracle cure for my sister. Her behavior changed dramatically, and rather quickly. If the Feingold diet is helping your daughter, you will all know it. Also, as your daughter gets older, she will be able to feel a change when she eats or drinks something she's not supposed to (Hawaiian Punch still does that for my sister at age 31). You're not going to be able to control everything she eats or drinks, but once it works its way through her system she'll be back to normal. Just try to talk to the other parents when she goes anywhere.
Good Luck!

Yes, yes, yes!!! Check it out!!

D.

E., I 2nd the suggestion for checking with your doctor. She sounds exactly like my 4 year old son and he has sensory processing disorder, visual motor planning issues, and emerging ADHD. We started in Early Interention with OT, Speech, DT, and PT because he was learning delayed and speech delayed with minor hypotonia. When he turned 3 he was accepted at an Early Childhood program in our school district with blended classes for children with special needs or at-risk needs (foreign language, etc). We also kept up with private speech therapy and OT. We are currently starting a new phase in private therapy. Our OT has started him with visual therapy for his visual motor planning and listening therapy for his sensory needs and attention defecit. He is doing WONDERS with this private therapy. No meds at all. We also do have an IEP with our school and being tagged is really no big deal. In fact the kids get services through the school that help them with focus and attention, speech, and fine motor. But it all starts with your pediatrician. Please contact them and they can direct you to services that would fit your needs. We also did a gluten-free diet with organics mixed in and it helped his processing but also just about elminated his allergy symptoms as well!!! Good luck. If you have any questions about sensory processing disorder, send me an email or check out the SPD Foundation online. Lots of good info there. -Judy

a LOT of allergies can be miscontrued as ADD and immediatly a ped or tradition medicine doctor will throw them on pharmaceuticals, starting a long chain of drugged children. So KUDOS to you to try a more natural approach. You can work with a nutritionist to help you. Another option to try is the book "Is this your Child?" by Doris Rapp -Looks at chemical sensitivities that can cause add behavior.--I've only found it on Amazon, but you might find it at your library. There is also this one: Is This Really My Child? (Paperback)
by Dr. Cathrin Olsen N.D., R.N. which is also a food natural approach to ADD/ADHD and another is Dr. Bob's Guide to Stop ADHD in 18 Days (Paperback)
by Robert DeMaria I think that the money spent on books such as these is well worth it, and better than automatically turning to Ritalin.

I can not help you with Feingold Diet but i tell you about how Dr, Hult helped my girl friends son. He son dealt with ADHD issues. Dr. Hult has the advanced training in Add and ADHD. When she took him to see Dr. Hult they tested him and found out he was allergic to a whole list of foods, #1 was wheat flour. He put her son on some supplements to cleanse his body and She changed their whole diet and started using a lots of whole foods, NO JUNK (as she would say). It was a total transformation. Here is his basic information:
Dr. Frederick Hult
306 N. Front
McHenry, IL 60050

###-###-####
e-mail: ____@____.com

Or google: Hult Clinic

Dr. Hult earned his Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree from National College of Chiropractic (NCC) in Lombard Illinois. University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois for both undergraduate and graduate school.
Dr. Hult earned a PhD in clinical Nutrition; a Diplomat in the American Chiropractic Board of Nutrition (DACBN).
Dr. Hult has advanced training in Biofeedback Therapy for conditions such as ADD, ADHD, anxiety, strokes, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, etc. Dr. Hult has been in practice for over 27 years. He has practiced Meridian Stress Assesment for 20 years and NAET for 7 years.

I have never personally been to him but i know of a few of my friends whose children were dealing with a lot of attention problems who went to him and change in diet really helped them. But i think the big thing is to find out what foods are causing the metabolic changes in your child first.

Hope this helps.

S.

I have no idea, but I did find this site that reviews all sorts of diets.

http://www.weknowdiets.com/TheFeingoldDiet.html?cp=111&am...

I think that if you are going to do this, you'll need to send snacks with your child when she goes on play dates - at least initially.

Best of luck! Keep us posted if you decide to try it.

E.: I am not famililar with the FEingold diet, but at an early age I realized my son was having allergies to my breast milk (what I was eating) and the Drs back then said impossible. (He is 9 now.) So, I took him for rast testing (which I found out about by researching online) and found that he was very allergic to many things ---PEANUT, oat, wheat, dairy, egg, etc.....he has grown through some, and they are now what I call food sensitivities...as long as we somewhat rotate through foods --except for Peanut. (Although I do not monitor it now as much as I used to.)

All that said by way of suggesting strongly that you listen to your own instincts.

In addition, I clearly identified along the way (mostly by behavioral responses) that he had sensitivities to: Red 40, phenoylyn (sp), aspartame, and titanium dioxide. As we observed, it became clearly obvious by his behavior (soon after ingesting). He became a different kid when ingesting these items.. Soon he could also beging to identify the feeling "inside" of him if he had eaten something. Even to this day, I can see him and say, what did you just eat?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, we both say, ahhhh...

He is also slightly gifted, not off the charts. I just wanted to mention because some of these behaviors and sensitivities seem to go hand in hand with gifted children. Usually you cannot test before age 4, but at age 4 we tested, and it was somewhat of a relief to understand that this also contributed to some behavior issues.

I hope this has helped. At the very least, by suggesting strongly that you listen to your instinct. There is more to our story, but in the interest of space, I have omitted.

Best of luck to you. Know that you know your child better than anyone else, and that NOTHING can replace a mother's instinct. If you move forward with that intention, you will surely take the right steps for your child. And, as much as possible, relax and understand that you are doing the best you can. Namaste.

Hi E.,
I had my son on a strict GFCF diet for a whole year, so I know special diets are challenging, here are a few things we learned:
At home you shouldn't have any problems with her getting into things she shouldn't as long as you dont have them available. External places is where we came into the most problems. I always made or brought my son his special food everywhere we went. Even to resturaunts or relatives homes. I would have the waitor heat up a plate of whatever I brought for him and had them bring it when our food came, so he didn't feel left out. One thing to watch for - (We had the biggest problem in this area) - since there were many foods that my son really liked and was not able to have them on his diet, he would just snatch cookies or candy from another child at the park, at school or at a Bday party. Be prepared that this may happen. Also be prepared for grandparents, or aunt or uncles who simply do not understand why you are doing the diet. They tend to feel sorry for the child and sneak them treats. For example my mom would say "How can you deprive a child cookies? Every child should get cookies when they come see their grandma!" So, that is another thing we had to work around.
Good luck! P.S. There are many great groups on Yahoo you can join that are made up of other parents doing the same diet you are and they will be able to give you daily support!

At age 5, she should be able to tell the person, no thank you. I know, easier said than done...right??? If she is at a playdate you need to let the other parent know what she may or may not have. Provide her own snack, or the snack for both kids. If it is going to be a problem, have the playdate at your house. Once school begins, our kindergarten has snack, where we each brought the snack for a week at a time. If her class has snack, you will need to send hers daily so she is not getting it from school, and tell the teacher she cannot have any foods not provided by you. Our schools give treats for everything! Have you checked out the babycenter.com site? They have so many wonderful message boards, you may find a lot of info there. Good luck to you. Oh, one more thing, my son has a severe food allergy and he is a toddler so he is always with damily, but there are websites you can buy stickers for their t-shirts, or even t-shirts, charts for school, etc to warn of food allergies, but maybe something like this to remind the other adults she cannot have the foods you are going to eliminate?

E. - don't self diagnose. Go to your pediatrician with your great detailed examples of what is happening and request a consultation with a psychologist and possibly even an OT evaluation to check for sensory issues (google: sensory integration disorder) as well as for ADD and ADHD. I speak from experience.

Regarding Feingold, a fellow mom friend with a child with SID swears by it. I'm not so sure. That doesn't mean that I don't think Feingold works for her kid, I think it does. We're using other methods and right now don't need meds, but if we ever do, we will.

Bottom line is that with proper professional evaluations combined with our wise insights as parents of our children, you will find the right treatment for your child and it will make her life much easier.

Good luck!

While I have not heard of this diet, I do know other moms that have success with Dr. Dorris Rapp's Book, Is This My Child www.drrapp.com and has a section devoted to changing one's diet with children and adults with ADD and ADHD. She discusses how to do the elmination diet and get rid of the yeast in the body. (It takes about 7 days to get rid of one type of food in the system, so all efforts are not lost)Nightline News this week had a section with food and chemical dyes and how it effects the behavior of kids. I am sure they have the segment to view. I say go for it.

There is a naturopathic doctor that is wonderful and can help diagnosis food and environmental toxins that can exaborate conditions and diseases. www.vitalhealth.org she has a 6m waiting list, but well worth the wait! Often times it is also gluten, soy, dairy, or chemical dyes that are the culprits.

Children on special diets is more common, so when going to a party, just bring your own food and ask the others not to offer anything to her before you go to the party.

Good luck I know it is not easy with food intolerances myself, but others learn to adapt.

I know Dr. Feingold and the family that helped him publicize his diet. She is a close friend of mine. Anyways, it is a strict diet to stick to but if you are not going to be rigid about it - it will not work. You will have to somehow talk to people before she goes places and give them a list of okay foods and pack things for her when she goes on playdates. Like any "alternative" eating, one needs to be a bit of a stickler in order for it to work. We also eat organic and no dyes etc. and always have but I provide my kids with alternative choices and ALWAYS pack yummy sweet treats that are healthy and organic so they don't feel different or left out and we just share them with friends too so everyone is happy. I just have to warn you that it is soooooo expensive. Be prepared. You'll be spending it now instead of on hospital and doctor bills! Food choice. Also make sure to cut out sugars (use agave) and all white EVERYTHING. No wheat flour (rice flours and oat flours ok) and no spelt. It all leads to ADD. Read up on Celiac Disease and ADD. Good luck and if you have other questions I'd be happy to answer.

Hello,

I have 4 children. My oldest is adhd with developmental delays. They put him on ritalin when he was 4. I agreed since he really needed help catching up. Well... he didn't catch up. He was in his own world (not autism but druged) I asked about diets controlling adhd. The docs said it wouldn't help. After many tears and years of frustration, I gave diet a try. It helped. I took him off of the meds and now control everything with diet. We do the feingold for his ADHD. Thru all this we found out he has celiac and colitis. These contribute to his lack of attention and being hyper.
You can help your child naturally. It is easy once you get a hang of it. DONT put her on meds if you can help it. It really hurt my son. Oh, he has reactions to most fruits, just like chemicals. I can see a reaction within 5 minutes. Oh, stay organic. My son is allegic to the antibiotics the feed the animals. He does really well with proteins. I hope this has helped a little. I have been doing this for about 3 years. It does work:) There are some great sites for safe feingold foods. I think he reacts most to salicilate(sp). Also, I found that the hyperness is a reaction to something... Usually food. Look on the web for allergies and adhd children. It is truely amazing. I find that treating his food allergies helps him over all...especially with adhd.
I shop at whole foods and target. Target's brand is actually yummy and less expensive than whole foods.
Good luck

I'm in the middle of having my 3 kids allergy tested. My oldest has ADD. I started trying to do some of the elimation diet stuff by myself, but the problem was that I didn't know what regular foods my kids were sensitve to. We have one with an egg allergy, one with a peanut allergy and one with fish, shellfish, and oranges. I need a spread sheet for my parent to know what the can feed the kids. Doris Rapp or Dr Feingold talk about Alka Seltzer in one of there books (I honestly can't remember which one of them said this, but...)for reversing some of the crazy behavior if they have eaten something they should have. It's actually Alka Selter Gold (the one with out the Aspirin) and we have used this and it really works. Yesterday the kids had high fructose corn syrup when they are with their grandmother. By the time I got them back they were insane. I just took one tablet for each child and mixed it in some organic gingerale or juice and 10-15 mintues later my kids were back and the monsters were gone. Epsoms Salts baths help and so do probiotics to reverse the "party" syndrome. I agree with all the other amazing moms that it's just easier to take something you want them to eat with you most of the time. We also have issues with red dyes, blue dyes, possibly yellow and nutrasweet. My allergist is real supportive of this wholistic approach. She is in Oak Park. Let me know if you need her info.

Hi E.,

I don't think anything can ever be done 100%, but if her immune system is being overworked cutting back on chemicals in her environment (cleaners, laundry products, etc.) and diet (artificial ingredients) should have a positive effect. If you are interested, I would be happy to send you a copy of the Healthy Kids Book. It contains stories from moms on what changed they made to improve the health of their children and what products from Shaklee they used. Shaklee products are free of preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors and other artifical ingredients.

Hi E.. My son is 7 and has ADHD. We tried taking him off sugar, unfortunately it did not help with the symptoms one bit. I know exactly what you are going through, last summer my son also climbed out of his window and onto the roof. Very frightening. My son does not get services through the school, I have chosen not to do that because I do not want him to be "tagged". He saw a social worker and psychiatrist at one point and now is seeing an ADD/ADHD specialist. Dr.Blair is at Dreyer West Aurora on Galena. He has been the answer to our prayers. He not only helps the child, but also the family. My son is on meds right now and is doing very well. He still does make bad decisions at times, but they are not as much as they used to be. Good luck... I hope this helps... I know what you are going through.
K.
K.

E., it sounds to me like she is a "normal" five year old child. I get the impression that she may be seeking your attention through negative behaviors. this is quite common for children with working parents,(I'm a single mother of two)though you should not take light of this as well. Try focusing the natural curiosities of childhood with verbal expressions of what your child is looking for by doing whatever it is at the time you feel has the potential to have a negative result. Diet is always good to be aware of, perhaps you might send an organic treat or snack with juice when there is a playdate!I would really take a look at the fact that your child might just be more "hands on" and well suited with a more physical setting as opposed to a sitting, session.Good luck

E. it sounds like you are doing the right things for your daughter. i am a special ed. teacher and early intervention is key and even if this turns out to be an age issue the diet would be good for all of us to be on and it will be interesting to see if it changes behavior. my guess is that it will change her behavior for the better. although that doesn't mean that she had add as i think that additives change all of us kids are just more effected. does her school have any food restrictions? noonan academy in mokena has a wonderful program at their school where they prohibit trans fats, artificial sweetners, baked goods, and many other things at school. that would help in your situation because that is one less place that you'd have to worry about her getting junk. regarding play dates etc. you will have to be very clear with people she plays with that she cannot have certain things. with that and reminders she will grow to realize what she cannot have. good luck your daughter is lucky to have you!

Dear E., lighten up don't make this such problem (the diet) if more people would think about how and what they feed their children we wouldn't have so much add, adhd and all the rest of the D's your whole family should eat this way and when she does eat out and eats the wrong foods just get her back on the right track when she gets home, I had to put my son on no sugar, wheat, preservatives and addititves for one year after an allergist just about did him in with medications and I couldn't be with him all the time but when he came home he was always almost glad to get back on the diet because by this time he was wheasing from his allergies.
Good luck and stick with it, it is worth every minute of hard work in the end.

I agree with the person who posted about Feingold... if you are going to commit to doing this, you need it on board 100% of the time... relaxing those standards means you won't be following the Feingold diet. So, yes pack snacks.. but make them "cooler" than the other kids, so your kid won't feel deprived. There is a blog... http://lunchinabox.net that is maintained by a mom re: her and her preschooler's lunch, when she originally had to do gluten free / casein free lunches for her family. Turns out the diagnosis of celiac disease was incorrect, so she is no longer strict with that, but all of it is designed to be quick and easy, and much of it is designed to be gluten/casein free, and all of it would look cool if properly done for a 5-6 year old. Good luck.

Hi, E., I love Shaklee products, and that is one way to start with supplements,cleaning products, etc... My Shaklee Distributor told me about a place called Timber Creek Farms. They deliver organic products, fruits, and veggies and an assortment of grocery items, directly to your home. I have a fruit and veggie box delivered to my home once every two weeks for about $30. Their address is TCFOrganics.net. It is so easy to have that waiting for us at our doorstep in the morning and the kids love to see what's in the box! You can't do anything wrong by changeing your child's diet for the better. It is a great place to START and then go from there. Good Luck to you!

Not that I want to scare you, but the thing I would be most concerned about is the compulsive behavior that doesn't recognize a consequence. This can be very dangerous. Before you start any program, you really need a correct diagnosis. My daughter had similar issues, seen every doctor possible, taken every test for quite a few years, before being diagnosed with NLD(non verbal learning disorder), which is on the PDD(pervasive developmental disorder) spectrum. Her primary doctor, recommended adhd medication, but I never allowed it as I always felt there was something else involved, which there was. Tell your doctor the things that shes doing and your concerns that she may get hurt, and ask for her to be evaluated by a child psychologist or a neurologist first.If he's a good doctor, he should agree with this. If not, find another pediatrician. Just let me know if you need any help, L.

Hi E.! My 4 year old son has been on the Feingold diet since April 7th. He has had eczema all his life...and I am happy to report it cleared it up in 8 days. Now I know when something has aggrevated him either topical or food-wise...he will get a rash immediately. Feingold is daunting at first but once you are familiar with the brands and their types to get...it becomes much easier. I've also eliminated soy, gluten, dairy and wheat as much as I can. I hope to be on this diet with him for the full 3 months and then start adding one "contraband" ingredient at a time to see what he reacts to. The Feingold thought about removing synthetic fillers, additives and colors is a good one. Once you find out what is used in our foods it is appalling. My son is pretty with it as far as his "special" diet and he can eat certain chocolates, and Trader Joe's makes an organic lollipop that he loves...but he can only have the watermelon, pomegranate and lemon varieties. Apples, grapes, tomatoes are a no-no in the stage one part of the diet. These foods and some others are high in salycilates...which could cause some of the intolerances. Salytic acid is the bad stuff in aspirin. My son is not cured from his autism BUT he is more focused, more calm and less aggrevated since there is no rash.
Also, many of the foods are available at a regular grocery store...you just have to follow the food list to see which items don't have the bad stuff.
For playdates - pack her own foods. People understand food intolerances...you don't have to go into the autism thing.
Good luck!
S. in Lisle

While I am not familiar with this diet. I am familiar with dealing with a special diet which will make my child sick if not adhered to very strictly. She has celiac and my other child is being evaluated by the school district at age 4y5m for developmental delay/autism/sensory. Here is what we did early on right after diagnosis(I know you have done your own, but I would suggest an official diagnosis so that you can get your child the all the help early that they require). We had a shirt made up saying STOP please do not feed me anything other than food from my special lunchbox for health reasons. Whenever we go on playdates she takes her lunchbox and sometimes treats for all. This is so they can understand her food tastes normal it is just different than theirs to keep her safe. If your child is in the public school system or right before their school years call the school or school board to get your child formally evaluated. These are rights your child has to get evaluated and get the services they need to be a successful student and help them make longlasting relationships with teachers, school mates and others in general.

I think that this could be good if you stick to it and give it time. I have heard great things about subtracting bad foods and changing diets. My daughter has dairy sensitivites and they cause her to act out. We also started an awesome new supplement that has help both our focus greatly. I have heard that several deffiences can cause these problems, so we looked for something that we could use for the family. Let me know if you have more questions, ____@____.com Luck, G. Chambers

Hi E.,
We did an elimination diet with my son several years ago. One of his reactions is to sugar (refined, high fructose, corn syrup, etc). His reaction is almost completely behavioral, he begins to talk like a robot and behave out of control like a completely different child. This is an allergic reaction, although many people don't see it that. His other reaction was to cow's milk and anything dairy . . .breaking out in hives.

Anyway . . .I think any type of elimination diet is a good thing to really see what she can and can't have. We used the book "Is this your child" by Dr Doris Rapp (found it used on amazon.com for a penny!)

Yes, you have to watch your child like a hawk and eventually she will know what she can and can't have. My son at the time was about 3 and if someone offered him something, he knew to ask if it has sugar in it. S-U-G-A-R was one of the first words that he could spell, because we taught him where to look on the package. Things like "cane juice" are ok. Its the refined stuff that send him into a reaction.

There are many recipes and products out there that are dye free and sugar free (be careful to stay away from aspartamine as well). You just become really good at reading labels. As for parties . . .sometimes you may want to bring a "special" snack for your daughter. We have often used the fruit salad as my son's dessert when they are passing out cake and ice cream.

You will get looks from other people and think that it is so cruel to keep these things from your child. Stand your ground. Its hard at first to make the lifestyle change, but you can do it if you are committed to it. Always keep a "safe" snack with you incase you are ever anywhere that doesn't have snacks that she can have. Raisins are a huge hit in our house.

I even found an allergy free cupcake recipe if you want to try it. I definitely recommend checking out Dr Rapp's book. Its got a great schedule of how to do the elimination diet and then gradually introduce new foods to see if there is a reaction.

Any questions, let me know!
B.

I would definitely add a probiotic frm kalir labs it si allergy free and works wonders !!!!!!!!!!! Also I wuld check into bipolar for your daughter. I would try teh diet for sure and doe teh pedatrician knwo all tha tis going on?
I hope you are well and wish you the best ! you are a great mom fr all your efforts
J.

Dear E.,
I don't know anything about this particular diet but have a friend with 6 year old twin sons who are autistic. She also has numerous allergies and has adjusted diets for herself and her sons. She uses gluten free stuff and has some kind of enzymes that she takes when she or the boys cannot eat their usual kinds of foods. She gets these things at a health store, and I could ask her for more info if you'd like.
Also, I am aware of a nutrition products company that I've worked with for 4 years now. I don't sell any more, don't care for that part of the program, but tremendously appreciate the products and think they have helped me a lot. Over time I've heard alot of stories about the benefits to children with ADD. Don't ask me how, but somehow having proper nutrition balances out the body and takes care of a lot of problems. Certainly no medical claims can be made, but it couldn't hurt and could help your daughter a lot; could help all of you for that matter. The products come in powder form, contain all the nutrients one needs, and you combine them with a liquid. There is a special product for children called Kids Now.
You can get more info through
reliv.com
orI can connect you with someone who has a lot more information. It is a multilevel marketing company but if you can get past that and focus on the products, it's great. I've used them for more than 4 years.
Good luck.
S.