FAILSAFE #47
Newsletter
of the Food Intolerance Network
January
– March 2006
|
The Food Intolerance Network supports people worldwide using a low-chemical elimination diet free of additives, low in salicylates, amines and flavour enhancers (FAILSAFE) for health, behaviour and learning problems. |
To see this FAILSAFE Newsletter in colour on the web: http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/newsletters/FAILsaf47.htm
The FAILSAFE Newsletter is available free by email. Just send your email
address to failsafe_newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
THIS MONTH
Safety concerns regarding ADHD drugs
School canteens
Safety concerns about benzoate preservatives
How safe is mince?
Artificial colours in children’s foods
Research: Sorbitol
and sugar-free sweeteners
In
brief: Sodium benzoate 210-213, MSG from the archives,
Fluoride, Website address changes
Now
targeting… Benzoates 210-213
Readers' stories: [387]-[409]
Product updates: detailed help and information.
Questions: detailed help and information.
Cooks Corner: Five-minute porridge, Red cabbage, Easter chocolate for failsafers,
Princess bread, Siena Easter Cake, Home-made toothpaste, Halliwell Chicken
Nuggets
Hello
everyone
New concerns about the
safety of ADHD medication have coincided with big changes in school canteens
due to the global obesity epidemic. It was a chance to improve children’s behaviour
as well as overweight, but sadly, a lot more could have been done. Diet is an
effective alternative to medication and could be so much easier for parents if
it was supported by doctors, schools and food manufacturers. The good news is
that so many parents are achieving such wonderful results as you can see in
some of our eye-opening reader stories this issue – particularly the
extraordinary story about depression and self harm. In many cases parents are
achieving success despite the lack of help from people who are paid to care for
our children’s wellbeing. Many thanks to all those who are continuing to lobby
for better food, or simply voting with their dollars and buying additive free
foods.
Happy failsafe eating - Sue Dengate (sdengate@ozemail.com.au)
Safety concerns regarding ADHD drugs
Drugs used to treat ADHD may put children
at risk of sudden death through heart failure or strokes, according to a panel
of advisors to the US Food and Drug Administration. The panel recommended that
commonly used stimulant drugs such as Ritalin and Dexamphetamine should carry
the most serious level of safety warnings. The FDA responded by asking its Drug
Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee to investigate 25 reports of
sudden death among people taking the drugs, 19 of them children, although it
appears the FDA may reject the recommendation. In
School canteens
Schools across
Remember what Jamie Oliver said
about chicken nuggets in Jamie’s School Dinners? Well, here’s what one
failsafer found in her new, ‘healthy’ school canteen - chicken nuggets with the
following ingredients: chicken (51%), flours (wheat, rice, maize), potato
flakes (potato, emulsifier (471)), isolate soy protein, acidity regulator
(330,450), preservative (220), salt, water, acidity regulator (450,500,451),
stabiliser (481,1404,471,412,415), Vegetable oil, gluten, maltodextrin, egg
albumen, dextrose, firming agent (509), cereal starches (tapioca, potato,
wheat), hydrolysed vegetable protein, colour (100, 160c), dehydrated
vegetables, herbs & spices, flavour (wheat, lactose) antioxidant (320)
emulsifier (900). In amongst all those numbers are two particularly nasty
additives and at least three hidden flavour enhancers. See our recipe below for
homemade additive-free real chicken nuggets. And see our new factsheet: a Low Additive School Canteen Menu.
Safety concerns about benzoate preservatives
Even
How safe is mince?
A NSW Food Authority survey in Oct
2004 found a whopping 58% of butchers were illegally using sulphite
preservatives in their mince meat. The authority claims to have reduced this
substantially through frequent monitoring but a failsafer in a regional centre
last week found 400 ppm of sulphites in Woolworths mince. If you are serious
about avoiding sulphites you still need to ask your butcher, or use our
sulphite test strips to test it for yourself.
Artificial colours in children’s foods
In 2002 when the UK Food Commission
found that nearly 40% of children’s foods contained additives, their
nutritionist Annie Seeley commented ‘Now that a link between these colourings
and disruptive behaviour has been proved, we should remove these additives from
children's foods and drinks.' Recently in
|
Research |
Sorbitol and sugar-free
sweeteners
More than
30 per cent of healthy adults in
Diet not working as well as you'd hoped?
One tiny mistake can make a huge difference. For fine-tuning, see the Checklist of common mistakes.
Readers tell us this list is very useful.
|
In brief |
* Sodium
benzoate 210-213: In 1990, FDA testing showed that preservative sodium benzoate (211)
could break down to form a known carcinogen called benzene, in drinks which
also contained ascorbic acid (vitamin C). At the time, food regulators decided
to allow the beverage industry to handle the problem without negative
publicity. As a result, nothing happened, manufacturers now deny knowledge of
the problem, and 1500 new drinks containing this dangerous combination have
been launched in the last four years. –
from The benzene trail by Chris Mercer, FoodProduction.com
* MSG from
the archives: Within 10 minutes of eating a soup, 10 people out of a group of
100 suffered from nervous muscle convulsions, trembling, mouth desiccation and
dilatation of the pupils. The soup was found to contain glutamate as a flavour
enhancer in an unusually high concentration of 31 grams per litre. Rudin O and
others, Glutamic acid group poisoning. So-called Chinese restaurant syndrome.
Beitr Gerichtl Med. 1989;47:69-71.
* Fluoride: Dr. Hardy Limeback is head of the Department of Preventive
Dentistry for the
* Website address changes:
To make it simpler for those among us who can’t spell or type easily, the Food
Intolerance Network can now be accessed at www.fedup.com.au.
The spam website (set up by the food industry in
|
Now targeting… |
This new section
is for the growing number of people who ask “Can I do anything to help?” These
people phone food company hotlines and write letters to politicians and food
companies. Judging by the bread preservative reversal and improvements with
annatto and BHA, this strategy works. We have agreed to team up with Western
Australian-based www.additivealert.com.au
to target a different additive in each newsletter.
Thanks to all who have been targeting BHA 320 in the
last six months by complaining to manufacturers. We can definitely see a
difference when we do our supermarket surveys, and thanks to Vitasoy and
Freedom Foods for responding so well. For the next three months, we are joining
www.AdditiveAlert.com to target Sodium Benzoate
(211), so please phone or email any manufacturers who are using this
additive in a product you would otherwise buy. Failsafers often say it would be
nice to be able to buy Schweppes preservative-free lemonade in cans, so contact
Schweppes 1800 244 054.
|
Readers' stories |
[409] One-liners (March 2006)
I have a son who was full
on and no amount of discipline would work. We have been failsafe for two months
and our lives have changed so much - this is now a happy house.
Within two months of
starting the failsafe diet
My son’s cousin has taken
Ritalin since aged about 10, and sadly now he's 18 and in jail. He also has a
heart problem …
My 5 yo son’s asthma is
triggered by MSG as well as artificial colours, preservatives and
flavours. If he is given a handful of
lollies containing artificial colours he is usually wheezing by bedtime. Every
evening I test his peak flow. When he is
well he consistently presents a reading of 110.
Last week when I knew he had been given some lollies (grrr) I tested his
peak flow only to find it was around 60.
I have a failsafe daughter,
and currently she can only buy one item from the school canteen: plain chips.
I have just started my 22
month old son on a failsafe diet and in 3 days he has transformed and I am
converted!
I recently watched a
pre-diet video of my boys taken 3 years ago and in it my oldest son was covered
in eczema and scratching. Now, he only
gets eczema if he comes into contact with an allergen - eg certain types of
grass - or eats something he shouldn't.
I saw my daughter when she
was 14 months old transformed in a few days of failsafe, gluten and dairy free diet
from so clingy, always crying and screaming - so tense she was felt stiff - to
a smiling happy little girl who played normally.
[407] My children were
on an extremely healthy diet (March 2006)
After failsafeing my children we have seen a great
improvement in their behaviour. My eldest daughter (nearly 5yrs) was diagnosed
with ODD. She is so much happier and easier to live with since being on the
diet. My youngest daughter had dry eczema on her arms that has all but
disappeared. Both of my children were on what would have been considered an
extremely healthy diet (fit for life) with very little junk food and loads of
fruit and vegetables. They have both improved considerably over the four or
five months on the diet. Thanks for the work you have done in making us aware
of what really is in our food. We have tried many things to help our eldest
daughter with little success and were at our wits end. Food has turned out to
be a big key. Now some of the other methods we had previously tried (eg. reward
charts) actually work. If we have a slip on the diet it's like a wall goes up
in her mind and she can't listen anymore.
– Belinda, by email
[399] Reflux
medication causes ADHD symptoms and the Parkinsons shake
When my eldest child Levi started school his reflux
exacerbated, so his Prepulsid prescription medication was reintroduced. A few
days later he was started on Zantac prescription syrup antacid as well as he'd
been complaining of heartburn symptoms. Within 3 days something was going wrong.
His teacher asked me what had happened to him, he was bouncing off the walls
and displaying ADHD symptoms, being loud and disruptive, his coordination
plummeted and he'd lost all sense of balance (which had never been a problem in
the past), he'd fall over for no apparent reason, there were times that he
would behave like he was drunk or high, giggling and slouching, and his eyes
would zip from side to side really quickly (I was told the medical term, I
think it was nystagmus…)
To top it off, my daughter Jessica had started doing the
parkinsons shake (she was still refluxing terribly and was also on both
Prepulsid and Zantac syrup medications). Levi was diagnosed with a
developmental condition called dyspraxia. I knew it wasn't a developmental
problem as he had had great hand eye coordination prior to this happening. All
of that coupled with the ADHD stuff just wasn't right. The paediatrician
ordered several blood tests, a CAT scan and an EEG and everything came back
clear. I remember saying to him at that stage that it had all started when the
syrup antacid was introduced but I couldn't understand why it was still
happening. I of course got a Tsk Tsk for pointing my finger at the medication.
So I battled onwards for a couple of months. I was at my wits end, Levi's
symptoms were getting worse, I resorted to ringing the drug company who
manufactured the antacid and talked to one of the medics who worked in the lab.
She told me that she had heard of this sort of thing happening before and that
it was probably due to the alcohol or the preservatives and flavourings used in
the medicine as they are really concentrated in ALL syrup medications. BINGO. - by Sandra Madden, Heathcote NSW, smadden@iprimus.com.au
(Sandra’s children are all now medication free and their symptoms are
controlled by diet, see the full, epic story on the website).
[406] Eczema from
dustmite allergy (March 2006)
My 5 year old son is on a very restricted diet due to
multiple food allergies and intolerances. Last year he was having eczema attacks
lasting several hours, and hives breaking out without us knowing the reason,
and we were almost too scared to leave the house. He was awake for 2-4 hrs
every night, screaming "please help me, Mummy", and his legs were
sometimes so scabbed up that he could not straighten them enough to walk.
Eventually, we found the problem. We knew he was sensitive to dustmites from an
allergy test by the doctor, but I had "relaxed" a little with the
vigilance I had previously had. And then
I realised that the whole time, he had a big tear in the dustmite cover on his
mattress. I went back to using the dust mite wash from the supermarket, and
washing his sheets 4 times in clear water after that, and hanging them on the
line all day, every 6 wks. And washing
his sheets in hot water every 3 days.
And clearing his bedroom of everything except a bed, and wet-dusting
once a week.
The difference was amazing. The first night, he actually
slept through. And now, a year and a bit
later, his legs, which were just big scabs from bum to ankle, are beautiful
creamy soft smooth skin. And a much
happier boy. The emotional scars are still there, and taking time to heal. We got a book about eczema by a dermatologist
that discusses the emotional toll on the family, and it is so true. We also saw
a dermatologist who gave us some great tips on how to care for my son's skin,
which we still do now. – Melissa, Qld
[388]
Blackouts from aspartame (March 2006)
I
just wanted to tell you about the effects of aspartame on my insulin dependant
father in-law. He has drunk at least a can of diet soft drink every day for the
last 10 yrs since becoming diabetic, thinking he was doing the right thing. But
about 12 months ago he started having regular blackouts every few months or so.
He is 6ft 5in and a very big man so when he falls there is a lot of room for
damage of some description. The last blackout on his veranda whilst sitting on
a chair putting on his boots resulted in a badly dislocated shoulder with
permanent damage. He no longer drinks diet drinks after I researched and found
some absolutely shocking information linking aspartame to blackouts and has not
had a blackout in over 12 months. Aspartame is definitely not recommended for
diabetics and no-one should ingest this poison. The alarming thing is I have
recently found it in salad dressing and things kids would eat. It’s also in
most low fat products. - Simonne, by
email [and see our new Factsheet:
sugarfree sweeteners]
[405] Two years ago, I
refused to give up ‘healthy’ foods (March 2006)
About two years ago, I attended one of your seminars in
Shaun has now been on the elimination diet for a week. On
the first day of the diet, Shaun did a homework sheet for me in 5 minutes that
normally would take him 15 to complete only half with lots of moaning and
groaning. His writing seemed to be better. His teacher has noticed that he has
more self control, and is doing his work. Shaun says he feels happier at
school. Is it possible to see behaviour improve this quickly? I am really
hoping that this will work because our lives have been very stressed. – by email, NZ [this family was already additive-free, which
generally leads to quicker results]
[404] 210: Cough and
asthma from benzoates in cough medication (March 2006)
Since the age of two I have seen a pattern develop in my
daughter Jaslyn whereby she gets a cough every time she gets a cold. If I treat
her with cough medicine the cough persists and becomes chronic, sometimes
lasting weeks and causing great distress. In the worst episode two years ago
she developed a serous asthma type wheeze with obvious distress and difficulty
breathing after drinking soft drink – which she rarely has – and taking cough medicine.
Since them we have discovered that her symptoms and cough
are greatly lessened if we do nothing when she has a cold and let it take its
course. What we have found for the past two winters is that now if she gets a
cold she will get a cough but it will last only for one or two nights if we do
not give her any cough medicine. We have a strong family history of allergies
and asthma and although I was aware of avoiding sulfites and preservatives in
her food I was not aware of the use of benzoates in medicines. I realise now
that the benzoate preservatives in cold medicines exacerbate my daughter’s
symptoms and turn her persistent cough into difficulty in breathing and asthma
like symptoms. – Julie Eady
[390]
Mixed depressive disorder with anxiety and obsessive ruminations including self
harm due to salicylate sensitivity (March 2006)
My 6 ½ year old son, Tim (not his real name) is currently undergoing
investigation of mixed depressive disorder with anxiety and obsessive
ruminations. We have used the failsafe diet in the past with one of our other
children, but had not ever thought of foods being linked to Tim’s mood
problems. When you mention the “gifted and depressed” child in your recent talk
my ears immediately pricked up and took note. Tim has been identified as highly
gifted and everyone has been saying that is the cause of his problems but I
have always felt there was something else underlying that was contributing. We
will be contacting our GP today and hopefully starting the failsafe diet ASAP…
Two months later …
Since starting the elimination diet Tim has not self harmed once! He is
much calmer and has noticed this in himself. He no longer seems to be as
restless and has been falling asleep easily at a reasonable time in the
evenings. We started with the salicylates challenge this week and there seemed
to be no reaction, until day 5/6 when we started to notice his behaviour was
getting worse. We will stop this challenge tonight and wait to try some other
groups. His GP and Clinical Psychologist are both thrilled with the change as
are well!
One week later ….
After I emailed you we finally had the BIG reaction we were looking for.
It happened on Day 7 of the salicylate challenge - we had already stopped the
challenge that morning. Tim went to bed as normal then began to write swear
words all over his bed, his sheets and his body. ("I was angry with you
because I couldn't fall asleep") This is the behaviour and obsessive
ruminations this poor boy was experiencing on a daily basis before the
elimination diet, which we have not seen until this challenge.–
by email.
[387]
HHT (Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia) and a low salicylate diet (March
2006)
Our
family has been largely failsafe for the past couple of years due to our
daughter’s behaviour, but an added side benefit seems to have emerged. My
husband has a rare disorder called Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT)
which causes his capillaries to balloon and bleed easily. His blood count is
always very low and like all HHT sufferers, nosebleeds have always been part of
his life. He has had far fewer nosebleeds since he's avoided salicylates and
that's the only change that he's made. I wonder if it could be that the lack of
salicylates decrease the bleeding? He can't ever take aspirin, so I suppose it
makes sense, but if my suspicions are correct, then other HHT sufferers might
benefit as well. I would think that it's worth investigating and I will
certainly share it with anyone who is interested or concerned. – Chris, NSW(vwilder@optusnet.com.au) [and see our
new Factsheet
HHT and salicylates]
[403] 210: Benzoates
are his worst enemy (March 2006)
My 4.5yr old son has been our biggest challenge. All his
problems are proving to be food related – it’s amazing. His issues are
aggression, ODD, poor impulse control, argumentative, continual congestion and
ear infections (2 lots of grommets), continual rashes, blotches, sore tummies,
burning anus, bloating, bedwetting etc, all of which are being controlled now
by diet. We had been giving him decongestants, antihistamines, nasal sprays and
antibiotics since the day I stopped breastfeeding him at 6 months ... He was a
wild little boy but we've now found out that benzoates are his worst enemy. His
nose his dry now and needs no medication. –
by email, NSW
[402] Changing diet
has done more than giving away the cigarettes for breathing problem (March
2006)
I exchanged a few emails with you early last year in regards
to a breathing problem I've had since my early teens (I'm 41 now) and thanks to
your information on how to watch out for certain foods my life is MUCH
improved. I have been weight training since my late teens and have picked up
quite a bit of knowledge on nutrition along the way but looking deeper into
foods containing preservatives, sulphites etc has opened my eyes to a whole
different side of eating. As an ex-smoker I always put my problem down to that
but limiting my intake of mince meat, prawns, pizza, processed meats etc. to a
very small percentage of my diet has done more for me than giving away the
cigarettes. – Richie, Vic
[401] 635: My two year
hell from 635 (March 2006)
I would
like to share my personal story of hell from eating flavor enhancer 635. I have
been suffering from a maddening itch and rash for over two years now, and I am
quite sure that I would still be suffering from it had I not found your
website. I am a 33-year old American female, and I moved to
[400] Amine-related
migraines since the age of 3 (March 2006)
My 7 year old daughter Caitlin (not her real name) has had
migraines since she was about 3 years old. We had no idea what they were for
several years. She usually gets a fever with her migraines and because of the
fever the doctor would always put it down to a virus, prescribing painkillers.
I would often give her panadol for 4 days straight just to keep the headaches
at bay. She goes limp and listless, her eyes always droop, she lies there and
sleeps for hours until the panadol wears off and then then the pain and fever
return. Most times she will scream and cry, grabbing her forehead and pleading
with me to take the pain away, “Mummmy Mummy my heads hurts, please stop it.”
She has always complained of feeling sick (nausea) when she gets them too, and
‘sore legs’. As well, she has had problems with nasal congestion and had been
using Rhinocourt nasal spray daily. She has always been a nail biter & a
teeth grinder at night.
One year
after she started getting the migraines,we were referred to a pediatrician who
could find no medical reason for them either. He thought it may have been an
attention grabber or perhaps the start of a cold. The migraines continued on
and off with no regular pattern that I could work out, once a week, then maybe
another in 6 weeks times, then 2 months…
Read the rest of this story on the website – by email, NSW
[398] Irritable bowel and weight
problems at age 23
In 1997 at
age 19, I developed an itchy, burning rash under my nose. For the next six years, I went to doctors,
naturopaths, homoeopaths, meditation and relaxation. Nothing worked and no-one
could tell me why it was there and what it was.
In 2001 I gave up smoking and went through a lot in my life while living
overseas and in 6 months went from 55kg to 72 kg. I started getting bowel problems (flatulence,
constipation, cramps and diarrhea) and no matter what I tried I could not lose
the weight …Read the rest of this story
on the website – by email, ACT
[408] Hyperactivity, bad mood swings, violent behaviour
(March 2006)
My 9 year old nephew
'suffered' from super hyperactivity and very bad mood swings for most of his
life which was very stressful for all his 3.5 school years. His violent
behaviour, which only ever occurred at school, included pushing over desks,
tearing up paper, pulling phone connections out of walls, pulling plants out of
the garden and hurting a teacher when being restrained. They would ring his Dad
to come and take him home. He visited many medical specialists, was finally
diagnosed ADHD and prescribed adult doses of drugs with no improvement.
Over the last six months he
has been failsafe while being homeschooled and there was an incredible
difference within two weeks. In four months he covered nearly 12 months school
work and is improving rapidly. He has always been quick to lose his temper at
home with his brother and sister but since he started on the diet we have not
seen him angry. He actually had his head
slammed in a car door recently by his sister's friend. It must have really hurt and his eyes watered
but his response was "It wasn't your fault, Poppy". We were all
amazed. He is now a healthy, happy little boy with a great sense of humour. It
is frustrating to say the least that so much of the trauma this little boy and
his family went through was to do with food additives. by email, Qld
MORE READERS' STORIES on the website [387]-[409]
|
Product updates |
Freedom Foods soy butter: Any stock with a useby
date after March 07 now contains natural Vitamin E instead of BHA(320) as antioxidant in the oil. Thanks to Freedom
Foods for taking us seriously. They are also removing BHA from other products.
Vitasoy rice milk: BHA-free sunflower oil
is being used in the Protein Enriched Ricemilk with a best before date
Failsafe lollies: CORRECTION - Sam Tinsley’s
lollipops, honeycomb, new sherberts and fruit drops are available from www.sweettreats.com.au (not .com as
previously listed).
Sunblock: preservative free
Megan Gale invisible zinc is available from health food stores, David Jones or
by mail order www.adorebeauty.com.au/adorebeauty/viewitem.asp?idproduct=2491
Failsafe sausages: Butcher in
**WARNING** Plain sakata rice crackers are technically failsafe, but many of
the failsafe groups reported that a few sakatas are OK on rare occasions, but
any more and reactions occur, no-one knows why because the ingredients all look
safe.
Meat: note that all meat in
supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths is now cryovacced and you have to ask
your local butcher about fresh meat. The safest meat for amine responders is
often chemical free or organic chickens.
Gelatine: Sulphite-free
substitute for gelatine: agar agar – thanks
to Llewellyn Wall
Milk: Paul’s unhomogenised
organic milk is receiving mixed reports. Remember that the symptoms of food
intolerance can change with age, so if your child has been avoiding cows’ milk
for several years and you trial milk again, the symptoms might come out in a
different way (eg previously eczema, now learning difficulties).
Preservative-free wines, both red and white
available from Happs, www.happs.com.au.
Not suitable for salicylate and amine responders, but excellent if you are
avoiding sulphites.
Shampoos and cleaning: we all use
Household cleaners: for dishwashing
powders, Herbon brand of dishwashing powder (from health food stores) is well
tolerated by some exquisitely sensitive kids and Finish is the next best. Enjo
cleaning products just use the cloth and water - no chemicals whatsoever. http://www.enjo.com.au – thanks to Susie Moen
Organic cotton futons
and mattresses (with absolutely no smell) as well as bedlinen, towels, clothing,
underwear, menstrual pads and others from Blessed Earth Organic Cotton
Essentials who offer a 10% discount for Food Intolerance Network members, ph:
03 9754 4880, www.blessedearth.com.au
Kitchen gadget: cooking of whole food
as quick and easy as possible. It is
state of the art German technology and has to be seen to believed: www.thermomix.com.au -
Maureen Connolly
Potato crisps/chips. UPDATE
Frozen chips Logan Farm Guilt-Free
Fries in crinkle cut and straight versions are failsafe. All McCains frozen potato
products contain unlisted BHA and are not failsafe.
Check out the updates
page on the website for latest information.
Q. I was wondering if the product
from Healtheries Kids Care Rice Wheels are failsafe - in the ingredients list
it includes something stated as Barbecue flavour (natural and nature identical
flavouring substances). I wondered if this was an attempt to hide anything
sinister.
A. As journalist Eric Schlosser says in his book Fast Food Nation,
‘Natural and artificial flavours are now manufactured at the same chemical
plants …calling any of these flavours “natural” requires a flexible attitude’.
The ingredients in added flavours don’t have to be listed because they are
trade secrets. Under the 5% labeling loophole, flavours can contain unlisted
artificial colours and preservatives, so I suppose the word ’natural’ protects
you from those but you can work out what barbecue flavour might contain from a
barbecue sauce recipe: tomato soup, tomato sauce, molasses, vinegar, onion,
seasoned salt, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, orange or lemon zest, paprika,
pepper. So it doesn't matter whether it's natural or artificial - it's NOT
failsafe.
Q. Is there anywhere to get
soft canned pears? Lately they’ve been like rocks.
A. In my experience, it is always worth complaining - politely at first
- about a specific product to the manufacturer, telling them exactly what is
wrong and giving them the product code, useby date etc. I wrote to
Q. Just wondering if you can
tell me what foods are most likely to affect speech especially stuttering?
A. It depends on the child. For some children, the answer can be
avoidance of one or two additives such as nitrates in ham, benzoates in drinks
or the bread preservative. Other children may need to do the full elimination
diet. See our new factsheet on
stuttering and other speech anomalies, including speech delay, loud voice,
vocal tics and silly noises.
Q. I believe that my niece
has mild autism that is food related, I've talked to her parents but as they
say you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
A. The easiest dietary changes you can recommend are to switch to a2
milk (see www.a2australia.com.au);
preservative free bread from Brumbys or Bakers Delight; drink water instead of
juice and cordial; and avoid artificial colours in lollies by switching to
Werthers Originals. Some children improve so much just by doing this that
families are then prepared to try the full diet.
Q. I saw Velcorin listed on a
fruit juice label. Is it a safe additive?
A. Velcorin is a new antimicrobial agent chemically known as Dimethyl
dicarbonate (DMDC). It is used for the cold sterilisation of non-alcoholic
beverages and can reduce the need for nasty preservatives such as sodium
benzoate (211) or sodium metabisulphite (223). Once added to the product,
Velcorin breaks down quickly into small amounts of carbon dioxide and methanol,
which occur naturally in most beverages, including fruit juice. It is too early
for us to be sure, but it seems highly likely that Velcorin will NOT cause
children’s behaviour, learning problems and other symptoms of food intolerance.
(Failsafers will still have to consider natural salicylates and amines in the
juice itself). More information about natural food additives including natural
colours from www.victus.com.au
Q. Are Ingham’s ‘Lite Chicken
Breast Nuggets’ failsafe? Ingredients:
Chicken (Minimum 56%), Flour (Wheat, Maize, Rice), Salt, Water, Wheat Starch,
Whey Protein Concentrate, Thickener (1400), Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Gum (412),
Sugar, Mineral Salts (451), Bakers Yeast, Ground Spice. (97% fat free, no
artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, cost $6.69 for 13 nuggets at
Coles)
A. Although the label says ‘no colours, flavours or preservatives’ there
could be unlisted BHA 320 or TBHQ 319 in the vegetable oil, the ground spices
are a source of salicylates, and as far as we can work out the Bakers Yeast in
a non-bread product is probably there as a natural source of nucleotide flavour
enhancers otherwise known as 635. Not
recommended, see our recipe for homemade nuggets below.
TALKING POINT
Which is more difficult to live with - food allergy or
food intolerance and why? We are particularly interested to hear from mothers
of children with anaphylaxis.
CAN YOU HELP
Failsafe help needed Mornington Pensinsula - Sue
Dengate will be speaking to parents and students of 25
Reporting Drug reactions
The Adverse Events Medications Hotline will cease to
exist from June, due to lack of funding.
You can contact your State MP and request that funding be continued.
After this closure, the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee can be
contacted with reports of reactions.
Although this is technically not their role, they are apparently very
concerned about the situation and will take note of any reports. Phone ADRAC:
1800 044 114. Until June you can phone the Adverse Medications Event hotline
(1300 134 237). Remember they will take reports of behavioural or asthmatic
reactions to colours, preservatives and flavours in antibiotics, painkillers
and cough medicines etc. - thanks to
Kathleen Daalmeyer
Preservative-free bread in
Student for a Diploma in Children’s services in
interested in the effects of foods on children’s behaviour and would like to
interview or survey parents of children on restricted diets, contact Naomi: dldixon@iinet.net.au
RMIT diet study welcomes children aged 5-12 with
behavioural problems in
Getting in touch My eldest son aged 6
has autism. I am trying the failsafe diet with him and appear to be achieving
some success, although slowly. I would like to contact other families who have tried
the diet with autistic children in my area. I live in Yanchep, north of
Support
The
failsafeasthma group is now under way. Since effects of food and the
environment can be different for asthmatics than other failsafers, we strongly
recommend this group for asthmatics.
There have
been concerns expressed about the large numbers in failsafe3 group. We now
recommend failsafebasic for
beginners. It is the smallest of the big general groups, You can join by
sending an email to failsafebasic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
with subscribe in the subject line.
There is a
newly started
Talks
MAY 2006
Leongatha VIC
Brochures
Printable trifold brochures on food intolerance and oppositional defiance are available. We'll post two free that you can copy, or you can buy bulk copies at cost $A0.22 each plus postage. See instructions on the website for accessing pdf versions. Email confoodnet@ozemail.com.au with enquiries. We loved this comment from one satisfied failsafer: "Ah, the answer to my prayers. I had no idea the brochure even existed, but thanks so much for directing me to it. I am not very Internet savvy, however I found it easy enough. Regarding possible opposition to failsafeing within the child care setting ... now all I have to do is hand over a copy of this and let them ask questions! Thanks again. I highly recommend everyone print this out if you don't already have a copy, it sure cuts out the "but WHY can't your kid have (insert food here)?" questions. Great for grandparents too."
|
Cook’s corner |
Oats and rhubarb are the new health foods in
Five-minute porridge
1/2 cup rolled oats
(regular is best but quick cook are also good) per person
1 cup water per person
Place oats in a small
saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil. Stir briefly until mixture
thickens. Serve with light brown sugar and A2 milk; or pear and yoghurt; or
sliced bananas (contain amines, not suitable for your strict elimination diet)
or stewed rhubarb (contain moderate salicylates, not suitable for your strict
elimination diet).
Red cabbage
Red cabbage could cut
Alzehimer’s risk according to researchers from
Easter chocolate for failsafers
When considering Easter for
failsafers, remember that white chocolate is very low in amines and sometimes
amine free compared to milk chocolate, and dark chocolate is highest of all.
Carob Easter eggs are available in many stores but note that soy carob versions
are not suitable for children with extreme dairy allergies due to line
contamination. Children who are salicylate but not sensitive are often affected
by added flavours - or is it colours hidden in the flavours under the 5 per
cent labelling loophole? - in many popular brands of dairy milk chocolate.
Kinnerton special nut free chocolates and Easter eggs seem to be better
tolerated by food intolerant kids - not counting amine responders - and are
widely available is available from supermarkets
see www.kinnerton.com.au. Willow
Confectionery in
Princess bread
For parties, this is an alternative
to fairy bread
2 drops of cochineal
with one cup of sugar in jar with lid, toss until all sugar is coloured, spread
on buttered bread - thanks to Kylie Dallow
This is a low salicylate
version of the traditional schiacciata di pasqua di Siena, a plain yeast cake,
perfect with milk coffee, cocoa or barley coffee. The original also contains
soaked seeds of anise and a little olive oil, and instead of whisky a special
liqueur, rosolio di menta, available from a shop in
500 g flour
200 g sugar
25 g fresh yeast
half cup lukewarm milk
3 eggs
100 g butter or lard
half glass whisky
(alcohol will evaporate during cooking)