Food Dye Dangers are REAL
Some kids have something entirely different going on than their ADHD diagnosis makes it seem–I just wonder how many are suffering with these issues right now and have no idea how quickly their symptoms could go away?!
When our kids were toddlers and acting up, some days we almost went insane! It wasn’t until I connected it to the junk I was feeding them that things improved a TON. If you can relate, have you thought about what they’re eating?
THIS (and all the dangers in the photo below!) is why I try to feed my family mostly whole foods (foods with only one ingredient, for example, an apple is JUST an apple), and it’s why if I DO buy food in a bag or box, I get organic because even though it’s basically organic junk food (not many nutrients), at least it won’t have GMO’s or food dyes or dangerous preservatives. (It often WILL still have dangerous veg oils like canola or soybean oil, so watch out for those & avoid like the plague!)
It's not just ADHD to worry about:
(Source)
Food Dye Dangers–One Mom's story:
This story was sent to me from Jane at the Feingold Association, where they help parents recognize and avoid the dangerous fake colorings and additives in their kids' food. (Learn more in my Real Food for Rookies Class where Jane is interviewed.)
Please pass this along if this story sounds like anyone you know…
Before our family was on the Feingold Diet, the stress level in our home was very high.
Our 2 1/2-year-old son, Michael, would undoubtedly be diagnosed with ADHD when he hit school age. He could not sit down for longer than 2-10 seconds. He was constantly hitting his older sister and me, kicking, yelling, crying, taking toys from his sister, hitting the dog, climbing up the entertainment center or fish tank, throwing toys, jumping off the couch, throwing 45+ minute tantrums where he was inconsolable and uncontrollable, having night terrors 3-4 times per week, a constant runny nose, and rarely saying he loved anyone.
When I would try to put him in his car seat, he would pitch such a tantrum that, at almost 30 years of age, I could barely hold him in his seat to buckle him in. I would pick him up numerous times and hug him and tell him it's OK before finally getting him buckled into his seat.
He could not sit down long enough to listen to a bedtime story.
I did not have any of his “artwork” on my refrigerator because to him, “coloring” consisted of scribbling for 1 second, hitting the dog, taking Katie's crayons and dumping them on the ground, scribbling for 2 seconds, telling me that he hated me, climbing the entertainment center, scribbling for 1 second, hitting his sister and pulling her hair, scribbling…etc.
We had his speech tested last November because we felt he was developmentally behind where he should be. His speech was often slurred, and members outside of our family could rarely decipher what he was saying.
Our daughter, Kaitlyn, acted like a 15-year-old in a 5 1/2-year-old body. She was very “mouthy,” disrespectful, and would have 30-plus minute melt-downs complete with screaming, crying, and kicking over things that didn't warrant that kind of reaction.
Unfortunately, many people thought this was just “normal kid behavior,” or for Michael, the “terrible twos.”
When my friend told me about how the Feingold Diet helped her family, especially her son, I began to think that this would be something Michael could benefit from. After our first 48 hours without the artificial dyes, flavors and preservatives, I noticed significant changes in not only our children, but myself as well.
My daughter was transformed into a polite, thankful, happy little girl.
I was becoming more patient with the children and my temper wasn't so quick. My feelings of depression and anxiety slowly started to dissipate.
After the first two weeks, I was overjoyed. Michael's speech and vocabulary were improving at a rapid rate.
He was now able to sit still and cuddle with me for a 30-minute period. He actually sat down and colored his first picture. At the end of the first two weeks, Michael ran up to me, full force, and threw his arms and legs around me. He hugged me so tightly that it hurt, looked up at me with the biggest smile I've ever seen, and said, “Mommy, I'm so happy!” I couldn't believe what he was saying. I had never heard this from him before.
As time goes on, I frequently hear, “I love you SOOOO much.”
Our children's behavior continued to improve over the next 8 weeks. My kids were indulging in pretend play, sharing with each other, helping out around the house, being polite to each other and us, and now making an average of only 2 trips per day to the “naughty corner.” I received many compliments on how my children's behavior had improved. I noticed changes in myself. I was remembering things without a list and was more productive at work and with my schoolwork, and my kids said I was the “best mommy ever!”
We took a trip to Florida in March. Despite riding in the truck for two days, our children were so content and quiet — much different from our trip to North Dakota last year. I had a huge bag full of Feingold-approved snacks that the kids just loved!
At Disney World, I made a special diet request, so the chef took me around the entire buffet, and we discussed what foods were suitable for our family. The chef said not to get a cupcake, but the ice cream was OK. Right after the children ate their dinner of chicken, baked potato and vegetables, I gave them a big bowl of ice cream! Not 30 minutes later, they transformed into whiny, aggressive children who turned a deaf ear to any instruction from my husband or me.
The next day at Disney was horrible — they were pulling, kicking, crying, and fighting — completely uncharacteristic of my quieter, gentler, petroleum-free children! That night we were at a different restaurant with a different chef. He said that all Disney restaurants use the same brand of soft-serve ice cream. He checked the label and told me it has yellow dye and artificial flavor!
This confirmed for me that the Feingold Diet is the right thing for our family. In the four months since then, we have had only 3 other “mistakes” as we call them. One of the most severe reactions came when we failed to read the label and bought a jelly that contained Red 40. Our children were inconsolable when upset, were very aggressive towards each other as well as my husband and me, and had night terrors frequently for a week and a half until the chemicals started to exit their systems.
I have no doubt that the artificial ingredients have harmful effects on our behavior and thought processes. It is such a blessing to see my REAL children, who they are without all of the chemicals in the way.
By Jennifer S.
My books can help you with this!
My first book, Real Food for Rookies, is for everyone, and the whole first chapter is a grocery store cheat sheet to help you navigate the supermarket and to know to buy “this” not “that”. My kids book, “Real Food for Happy Kids” is to help you plant seeds in your kids so they can grow up knowing this stuff!
Read more:
- Hidden truth about artificial food colors
- Dangerous dyes and other food additives states want to ban
More you might like:
- Healthy popsicle alternatives!
- Did you know that buying organic is one way to avoid food dyes?
- Did your doctor recommend low-fat milk for your children after age 2? Read this about HEALTHY MILK first!!!
- Recently someone asked me if you could eat fast food every day as long as you work out a lot to burn off the calories. Answer: HECK NO!!! Read about fast food dangers to find out why. Now read about some nutritious and easy fast food alternatives to help you avoid the temptation to hit the drive-thru.
Above story reprinted with permission from Pure Facts, the newsletter of the Feingold Association of the United States, www.feingold.org.
Maureen Hernandez says
No because we didn’t eat the candy. I gave my boys a choice to keep the candy or surrender it for toys. They chose the toys!!! Yay! Good choice boys!!
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
By the way, Joanie shared some great ideas here for nipping a migraine in the bud: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/how-to-stop-a-migraine/
Danielle says
I know this is a really old post, just wanted to say how awesomely inspiring it is! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! I was lucky enough to find out about real food when my kids were still tiny, so they never had to go through a lot of this anguish (except my oldest’s colic as an infant), but hearing this story is such good motivation to continue to be careful, and to keep eating “weird” food. 🙂
Kristi says
Hi, Kelly. A friend turned me onto your site a few months ago and my eyes were opened…WIDE. We started implementing changes as quickly as possible and as much as we could. And through reading through your site I learned of the Feingold Association. My son is a very active little boy who just started Kindergarten this year. Two months into the year I had met with his teacher twice and exchanged many notes and emails regarding his behavior. He’s smart and sweet, just can’t sit still to learn….and let others learn. Two weeks ago we went full in to the Feingold Program. He’s still an active boy, but he can now focus on his work and isn’t getting in trouble all day long. His writing and drawing has even improved. He was eating the school lunches, but never again. I just wanted to thank you, Kelly, for all that you’re doing to help people everywhere. Thanks from my family (and my son’s teacher)! LOL
KitchenKop says
Awww, I absolutely LOVED hearing that today, Kristi. I’m so thankful God has led you down the right path to find help for your son!!
Thank you for sharing that amazing news!
Kelly
Kelly Cook says
I came across this post when I did a search for “tuna”. It was in the results list and I decided to read it, because just this week my husband and I decided to officially remove all dyes from our son’s diet. I briefly explored the Feingold web site and my son has most of the symptoms listed. I wasn’t willing to pay the membership fee though, so we’re just cutting the dyes and preservatives. For those that have seen improvement-were “habits” that developed while on the “chemical foods” hard to break? From the comments here it sounds like the behavior just went away.
Lexi says
Been there, done that. Well, not the Feingold Diet–but we did delete all artificial food colors (and most additives) from our diet, and it has made a HUGE difference! My 7 year old is still exuberant, but now, people like him, and he isn’t quite as spastic.
A couple weeks ago he had birthday cake with red icing and that night he was crying about ceiling fans. makes me so glad we cut out those nasty colors!
Jeanmarie says
@Rebecca, In most areas of the world, livestock are going to need to eat hay during the winter, and that’s natural and normal. There is nothing wrong with hay. It’s dried grass of various kinds, and if it’s harvested at the peak nutrient level, it’s very nutritious for ruminants, it’s their natural food when fresh growing grass isn’t available. And there’s certainly nothing “unorganic” per se about hay, although of course certified organic, uncertified but organically raised, and “conventionally” grown hay are all available. If you live in Minnesota, either you’re going to have to eat local meats from animals fed hay during the winter, or pay for shipping for exclusively pastured meats, or make do with feedlot meat. Because of the “rediscovery” of grass farming, many people make the mistake of thinking hay is inferior food. Hay, like anything else, comes in varying quality levels, but any farmer who cares about their livestock will want to provide the best quality hay when grass isn’t available. All we can do is do our best, but setting impossible standards of perfection instead of simply making progress in the right direction can hamper us. Animal foods are a blessing, and even if the most choice variety isn’t available, they’re still better for us than eating grains. Some people like Mark Sisson (The Primal Blueprint) advocate cutting off the fat if you eat conventionally raised beef, and eating additional healthy fats like butter, coconut oil, etc, to compensate, rather than getting the high-Omega 6 levels and possibly bad additives in the fat. Good luck!
Rebecca says
@jeanmarie — I think that I will have to look a bit harder for the local farmers out here, and what they have to offer. Many “organic” farmers out here will pasture feed their cattle during the warm months, and feed them hay during the winter months.
@dani — the oldest of the kids is 12 years old — she has a severe acne problem… but when I was telling her how horrible her food was (as she was snacking on Doritos) — I was telling how MSG is in almost everything, and how it is used by scientists and they inject it into lab rats to decrease their IQ. And she said to me “but I am never sick, so it can’t be bad for me” and while I didn’t say it, I totally thought “look at your face — those pimples are NOT natural” — I have to keep my mouth shut sometimes, as the adult. Oh well. Your skin is one of the first things that gives your body signs that something is wrong. I ozonate my own olive oil and put pure essential oils in, to make my own face moisturizer and skin balm (for cuts and scrapes). I may be in my mid-30s but my skin looks so young and healthy. Thankfully, I grew up with a stepmom who was into natural things, and I never had acne issues in my life, or other skin issues. I rarely get sick, even though my mom was dying of cancer when she was pregnant with me. I never got to be breastfed, I was born premature, but ready to face the world… I take care of myself now, and I really think it will pay off.
But also, I, too, am “mocked” when I try to make healthy choices in front of others. How sad, huh?
Dani says
First, a question; then, a suggestion.
So many of the anecdotal stories are of younger children. However, I have a 15-year-old (soon to be 16! OH MY!) that has recently turned… well, sullen. I really have no other way to describe it. She also flies off the handle at the slightest change in her “plans” (that she never had approved to begin with), etc. She is every other week at her other parent’s house, and since I am effectively a single working mom, making all the food in our house is, unfortunately, out of the question. Furthermore, for peace of any kind, ONLY certain purchased things will do–must have granola bars and Capri Suns; I am mocked at the other parent’s house for my abhorrence of “normal” foods, and at her age, she picks up on alot of that. However, I am convinced that her surliness would improve if she would cut the dyes, at the very least. Anyone have success stories with teens? (Are the “terrible teens” really as much a culture- and SAD-driven moniker as the terrible twos?)
Now for my suggestion: Wardeh, over at https://gnowfglins.com, is right in the middle of a sourdough ecourse. A few weeks ago, the lesson was on sourdough cakes, one of which was chocolate, with chocolate icing. The other cake was a spice cake, with two additional frosting choices of cream cheese and vanilla. I have yet to make these cakes, but you might find it useful, Rebecca, to start out with some things that are very familiar to them. I do believe there was a recipe for cinnamon rolls, too–last week, maybe? Anyway, Wardeh has a great format where you can come in at anytime (at least, I THINK that’s how it works), and do the lessons at your own pace. She also has a number of other very “healthy” dessert and snack alternatives, including a kefir-based ranch, homemade seasoned salt (with added kelp!), etc., that aren’t part of the lessons but are part of the regular blog. If you’re not familiar with Wardeh, may I suggest that you head over there and get some great ideas! (Mmm… fudge!)
I do think Anna has a great suggestion by serving them their familiar SAD diet items but made with healthy ingredients, but I am also familiar with the “well, we’ve got to have some of our regular SNACKS!” which are, of course, loaded with HFCS and dyes and all kinds of other nasty stuff! It’s a tough place to be, trying to be the good influence but still have the happy relationship!
Jeanmarie says
@Rebecca, It’s criminal what federal and state authorities are doing to make it difficult for people to find good food and for producers to stay in business and find their markets.
We have several grass-fed or at least pastured and naturally raised beef options here in Mendocino County, Calif: John Ford Ranch, Covalo Beef, Eel River Beef, some of which are available at Harvest Market, a local grocer, and some at Roundman’s, a butcher shop here in Fort Bragg. We are actually looking into getting a couple of feeder calves, probably miniature Herefords, to raise for 9-12 months and slaughter here on the farm (a pro would come here to do it). We have pasture that desperately needs to be grazed, and our four goats are doing their best but can’t keep up with 3-4 acres. The question is just whether we’ll keep ahold of the farm! We are planning to sell some of the extra meat to WAPF people in the greater San Francisco Bay Area through quarter-shares or something. I don’t know where to direct you except to try sites like eatwild.com (or .org? not sure) or localharvest.org to look for sources, and there’s always U.S. Wellness Meats, which ship anywhere I think. There must be others who ship. There are ads in the back of each issue of Wise Traditions journal (join the Weston A. Price Foundation to get it if you aren’t already a member) of pure food producers who ship around the country.
Incidentally, some ranchers like John Ford Beef keep all their cattle on pasture year-round (the climate here allows for that) and towards the end they supplement with grain for some of them (they segregate a few to stay 100% grass-fed only because there’s some demand for that). They never force-feed the grain and the cattle *always* have hay or pasture available and that is always their primary food, but they do like a little grain. So that is the extent of the “grain finishing” for John Ford cattle at least. If you have a chance to talk to the producer about their practices, that’s a good thing to ask about, as well as their policy towards using antibiotics or growth hormones etc. We haven’t visited their ranch yet but we have an open invitation to do so. Same with Lovers Lane Farm, who we just bought half a hog from (and we buy their honey at the farmers market). There must be a way to find your local farmers. Try craigslist in your area, or find out if there’s an online community bulletin board. Another option: try to find someone who has dairy goats, or if you have a backyard try to raise one yourself. Fresh goat milk is delicious and as good or better than cows milk in flavor. Good luck!
Rebecca says
those are some good ideas. I have potatoes in my garden for the first time, (I am learning to garden and learn more things each year) and they are ready for harvesting. So, homemade french fries, here we come! I don’t have any refined flour or even white sugar — it is all organic pure sugar cane, or Stevia that I use. We have some homemade pure maple syrup too, I did make them homemade pancakes and gave them a choice of pure maple syrup or the imitation stuff from the store, but of course they chose mrs. butterworth… bleh. They DID help me make cookies one time, and ate them, too, this was about 4 months ago… whole wheat flour, organic eggs, organic raw butter, organic brown sugar, pure sugar cane… real vanilla… sea salt… yes, they liked those, but when we made them I didn’t even mention to them that it was “healthy”.
Anna says
Rebecca, while carrot cake and zucchini bread sound good to me, I can see they might not appeal to junk food-eating kids. Maybe try pizza or chicken nuggets, as Kelly suggested. Even if you’re using refined flour, it’s still better than the junk they’re eating, and they’d get real cheese, meat, butter, etc. Try to make their SAD favorites, with real food. Maybe even pita chips (oven-baked pita slices, brushed with with butter, garlic and herbs, for example), or grilled cheese sandwiches made with monterey jack cheese or mozzarella, home-made french fries (cooked in tallow or lard). Most kids adore butter, cheese and potatoes so anything made with them has a leg up.
Rebecca says
Kelly,
Thanks for your response. I have actually made homemade carrot cake with them (to try to fill their desire for sweets) and also zucchini bread with real butter. Their servings were so small, that it didn’t make a difference, I am sure. And they only tried because I forced them to… I also thought that having them “cook” with me would work… they helped me pick my veggies from the garden (after complaining). I thought it would be fun for them, since they live in the city… to actually see things growing, participate in the preparation, etc. Oh well. Maybe when they get older they will look back with fond memories, but not now 🙁
KitchenKop says
Rebecca,
Wow, I feel for you. It’s nice what you’re doing, but maybe you can take a stab at telling the parents not to bring food, and then make foods like homemade pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. that they’ll eat, but with good ingredients. Wouldn’t it be cool for the parents to be amazed when they pick them up at the drastic change in their kids?
If you can’t find a local source for healthy meat, did you check out my resources page? (Orange tab up at the top.)
Kelly
Rebecca says
Jeanmarie — where do you get your grassfed beef from? I am in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota and our local stores offer grassfed, but that doesn’t mean it is free of hormones or antibiotics. Better than cornfed, but I am still looking for a place to get better and healthier meats. I did have a local farmer who I got it from, along with raw milk from guernsey cows. But then the government started shutting down all the creameries in the state that offered raw milk, so he went out of business and had to move. Now it is back to shopping at the grocery stores for organic milk (better than nothing, but still disgusting compared to the raw milk I used to drink), and beef and chicken that may or may not be all natural, free range, etc.
Rebecca says
I am wondering whether detox foot pads would help pull out the toxins from the processed foods. I read this article and am always concerned about toxins, especially from our food. The artificial preservatives, dyes, etc. The reason I am wondering is because I have a brand of my own detox foot pads (Purify Your Body) and while I am not trying to sell them on here, I have a question about whether detoxing will help. I do take care of my friends kids’ frequently. I don’t have kids of my own, but these kids come over for about 1 weekend a month, and boy is it hell. They eat junk food, they refuse to eat the food I prepare for them. Their dad has to bring food with them so that they won’t starve. It is disgusting to me. They talk back, are ALWAYS hungry, and don’t have any focus in their lives. Their attention span is short unless they are swimming outside. Then they can “play” for hours. But they forget all the rules of the house, run screaming through it, etc.
I am wondering if my detox foot pads would work on them to calm them down for the times they are with me. I guess I will try it. The last time they were here it was for 4 days and I almost swore I would never take them in again (they are from a divided family and are very poor so it is a “treat” for them to come visit me, I enjoy bringing some fun into their lives but also am a nervous wreck by the time the weekend is over).
I will post later to let you know how this worked for me. I understand how hard it is to stick to a strict diet, I try but fail. So I use my foot pads to pull toxins out of me so that I can sometimes “cheat”. Thanks for listening to my rant about these kids.
Jeanmarie says
I don’t have kids, but when I see what’s for sale at local stores in the advertising fliers that come in the mail — does anyone else think it’s significant that so much so-called “food” is sold at the DRUGSTORE?? — I don’t wonder that so many kids have behavioral and learning problems, not to mention obvious health problems like obesity now and much worse in their future. We eat plain, simple food — grass-fed meats and vegetables, mainly — and am so glad to avoid all the junk in processed food, in addition to the sugar, wheat, soy oil, hydrogenated oil and high-fructose corn syrup. I have enough problems!
Jennifer Spacht says
I’m glad so many families can relate, and understand the problem with petroleum-based “ingredients”. Check out naturalcandystore.com They have India Tree natural food colors. They work great, are beautiful colors, and are all natural!!
Elizabeth says
Hello Kelly,
My sister-in-law introduced me to your blog about a month ago and I am very excited about it. It has so much useful and helpful info. I am also following your other blog site.
A few weeks ago I was looking around on your blog and thought I found a recipe on here for coconut “bark”. I’m not really sure of the name. It may have even been peppermint bark. It had a few other ingredient ideas to make it into almond bark. (which would probably go better with my picky eaters..lol) I just can’t seem to find it. I may’ve clicked on another blog under that particular article. Could you help, please???:) Thank you so much for the time you take to give people helpful info to help them live a more simple life….the life God intends for us to live.
Blessings,
Elizabeth
http://www.christschild-ourblessedfamily.blogspot.com
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Hi Elizabeth,
Was it comment #8 here: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/02/share-your-healthy-coconut-recipes-on-real-food-wednesday.html?
It took me a while to track that one down! 🙂
Kelly
Brittany says
It’s interesting how many other mommies can attest to this! My almost 4 year old goes nuts when he gets artificial dyes in him. Luckily both my and dh’s families are super supportive and always checking the labels before giving him snacks.
According to my mom, I was the same way with food dyes when I was younger. Back then it was much less publicized and even the pediatrician thought she was crazy.
Audrey says
Thanks so much for posting this! I have always loved cooking from scratch, and I never bought things with artificial dyes in it just because I wanted to make things myself, and my daughter was too young for some of that stuff anyway. Well in January of 2008, my daughter was 18 months old and my husband and I got pregnant and miscarried, which devastated us. I didn’t cook for months, we ate all pre-packaged snacks and food. My daughter was a basket case all the time–becoming hysterical over everything and nothing, throwing fits, she stopped communicating, etc. It was terrible! I finally had enough and I took her off all dyes and preservatives after reading about it somewhere, and she went back to her normal, sweet, smart, well-mannered self in a matter of a couple days! Now at 3 years old, most of my family knows not to give her anything with dyes in it–some of my family thinks I’m crazy and that she’s just a “typical kid”, but those who know her and have seen her after she has something with dye in it know it’s not “typical kid” behavior. I wish more people would at least do trial runs and take their kids off dyes just to see what happens–more often than not, they’d see big differences in their behavior and probably never go back to dyes!
Thanks for sharing, I posted on facebook so hopefully my friends and family will see that other people have had the same results as my daughter and I’m not crazy! 🙂
Melodie says
Excellent article. I can relate to behaviours resulting from food dyes and sugar too. Eliminating these “foods” is good for everyone no matter the behavioural issues that may or may not be there.
Sarah says
My family does not eat food dyes and artificial flavors but I make our own playdough, modeling wax, beeswax crayons and other fun things. I haven’t found anything that works to color these things other than regular petroleum based food dyes. I know some of the natural things to use but for playdough it has to be something that will not get moldy. Are there any reasonably priced natural dyes out there? Where can I get them? What do the companies who make Waldorf crayons use to color their crayons?
jennie says
Perfect timing for back to school, Kelly. Thanks!
Beth says
I could have written this. Seriously.
We began the process earlier this sumemr to have my 4 year old son evaluated for ADHD and learning delays. He was just not meeting milestones, and with only a year til kindergarten I was in a bit of a panic. I had already started, on a very small scale, my real food conversion – but decided to step it up, and elminated all dyes and preservatives from Jack’s diet.
In 2 days, he stopped having potty accidents (which were a daily occurance, even at 4 years old) and by a week into it he was sitting quietly and playing with his cars and blocks. Now, about a month in, our biggest challenge is keeping up with his curiosity; no longer being saddled by hyperactive compulsions, he seems to want to feed his mind with the answers to every question you can think of! The kid who I suspected of learning delays is stumping his parents!
Tiffany@ The Coconut Mama says
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing. I will forward this on facebook so others will read.
Thanks!
Cathy Payne says
What a great testimony! I wish I had been aware of these issues when my son (now 31) was smaller. The Feingold information was out there but the medical establishment (that I used to trust) agreed that it was not scientifically based. This kind of anecdotal evidence is so powerful. Your class will help so many young mothers, Kelly!
Durga Fuller says
@Carmen, do you still follow the program as an adult?
@Kelly, there are natural food colorings available online – but I’d try blueberry juice and chlorophyll?
Good luck!
kelly says
I couldn’t agree more! We don’t do artificial colors or flavors. HFCS, Preservatives, etc. What an overhaul that has been! But sooooo worth it. For school I need blue and green food coloring for frosting. I won’t use the artificial stuff but any suggestions on a natural food coloring for blue and green? (It is for a gf cake of the world map that’s why we need the blue and green.) Any suggestions would be great!
Andi says
Hi, Kelly!
When I was preggo, my midwife put me on chlorophyll for energy before the baby was born. It is VERY green. I often joked to my husband that I would put a drop of it in our homemade raw ice cream to make it green like store bought! Worth a try, maybe. I can’t think of anything greener. 🙂
RadiantLux says
This is a very powerful story. Thanks for posting it.
Laurie N says
I absolutely notice a difference in my kids behavior depending on their diet. They stay overnight w/ family who load them up with processed, technicolor foods, and it takes them days to recover when they get home. We need to quit poisoning our kids and then drugging them because they won’t behave.
Cara @ Health Home and Happiness says
Excellent article, thanks for posting this Kelly!
Carmen says
When I was a little 3 year old girl back in the early 80’s, I was my mom’s only child and she had no other children in her life to compare me to. I wouldn’t take naps, instead I would tear apart my entire bedrooms including my crib and dresser contents and I’d be naked by the time my mom got to me to put me down again. I even got into my mom’s purchases and ended up breaking 8 brand new glasses in a little pile and then fell into the pile and cut off my pinky toe (which was salvaged). One day she brought me with her to the optometrist and apparetnly I was bouncing off the walls and getting in to everything in the office. The Doctor caught on to what a handful I was and referred my mom to Dr. Feingold’s book. She adjusted my diet accordingly and it made a world of difference.
Durga Fuller says
The Feingold program has allowed my 9 year old son to remain in a mainstreamed classroom. His Kindergarten teacher told us he wouldn’t make it in 1st grade – he couldn’t sit still for longer than about 10 seconds at a time. Within 5 days of eliminating artificial additives and salicylates he was a different child. The teachers practically accused me of putting him on drugs! LOL.
I’m convinced these kids are the canaries in the coal mine. Everyone should avoid artificial additives – they’re not food. People should eat food.