FAILSAFE #48
Newsletter
of the Food Intolerance Network
April
– June 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/FAILsaf48.html
The FAILSAFE Newsletter is available free by email. Just send your email
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THIS MONTH
The
Nestle to remove artificial colours from Smarties in the UK
but not Australia
Vets warn of deadly preservatives in pet food
Sugary drinks ban in Victorian schools
School reducing additives
Research: Additives in combination
In brief: Benzene in soft drinks,
Food additives are big business, Soft drinks and obesity, FSANZ Consumer
Liaison Committee
Targeting…Get Smarties
Campaign
Readers' stories: [410] - [419]
Product updates: detailed help and information.
Questions: detailed help and information.
Cooks Corner: Hint: toothpaste , Herbed scrambled eggs, Healthy carrot cake
Hello
everyone
The big news this month is that
giant food corporation Nestle are removing artificial colours from Smarties in
the
Also in this issue, why
veterinarians warn of deadly preservatives in pet food but doctors don’t
protect our children from the same additives. Plus what’s happening in schools,
and reader stories - the tragic account of a nurse who surrendered her son to
the state before realizing his violent attacks were food induced, the bizarre
story of a sulphite-fuelled cross country race where kids were ‘dropping like
flies with asthma attacks’, reader comments on our new DVD, and much more …
Happy failsafe eating - Sue Dengate
The
Last year a small school
in
Nestle to remove artificial colours from Smarties in the UK
but not Australia
Nestle UK is to remove all
artificial colours from their Smarties product amid safety concerns arising
from a recent study at Liverpool University which identified a possible harmful
cocktail effect on the nervous system of artificial colours and other
additives, see below in Research. Two of the colours examined were Brilliant
Blue (133) and Quinoline Yellow (104). Like many other artificial colours,
these are made from coal tar.
The colours being dropped from the
Smarties range include Brilliant Blue and Quinoline Yellow as well as Sunset
Yellow (110), Ponceau (124) and Carmoisine (122). As well as behavioural
concerns about Brilliant Blue, it is listed as a cancer risk by the US Environment
Protection Agency.
The move by Nestle is part of a
major shift by the entire industry. The Co-op and Iceland Supermarket chains
and Marks & Spencer have already removed artificial colours and additives
from own-label products. Last year Birdseye frozen foods giant in the
Nestle
Vets warn of deadly preservatives in pet food
The Australian Veterinary
Association (AVA) has issued a warning that dogs and cats can suffer thiamine
deficiency leading to a confused or disoriented state and even death if they
are fed exclusively with pet mince or pet meat that is high in sulphites
preservatives. Since these preservatives are not always listed in pet food, the
vets recommend that pet meat should be purchased from a butcher because
sulphites are not permitted in human mince. While this is true, butchers often
add sulphites illegally, sulphites are permitted in sausages, and very young
children can eat extremely high doses of sulphites through other foods such as
dried fruit. So are our children at risk of thiamine deficiency - known to
cause irritability and coordination problems - from sulphites? We think they
could be…READ MORE
Sugary drinks ban in Victorian schools
As part of the new anti-obesity
measures, high-sugar soft drinks are to be phased out of canteens and vending
machines in all Victorian government schools by the end of 2006. Low sugar
alternatives such as Coke Zero and Pepsi Max will remain available.
The announcement came after a
government commissioned survey found that nearly 80 per cent of teenagers drank
high sugar drinks at alarming levels, with nearly 10 per cent drinking more
than one litre a day. These findings followed research at Boston Children’s
Hospital which found that teenagers who drank one can of soft drink per day
were likely to be up to 6 kilograms heavier after a year than those who drank
unsweetened drinks (see In Brief).
Australian Medical Association
president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal said although the ban was welcome, low-calorie
soft drinks were not the answer. "We think that water has to be the go,
because at the end of the day all the other fizzy drinks have problems
associated with them,” he said. Dr Haikerwal said he would be seeking an urgent
meeting with federal Health Minister Tony Abbott, who recently refused to
support the restriction of junk food advertising to children, saying that ‘the
only people who are responsible for what goes into kids’ mouths are the
parents’.
Ref: State bans sugary drinks from school canteens, Natasha Robinson,
School reducing additives
Our Cleverest Idea award goes to a
primary school we visited during our recent Mornington Peninsula tour, when Sue
spoke to over 2000 primary/early high school students from over 25 schools, and
over 750 parents. At this school, as part of a Litter Reduction Program,
rubbish bins have been removed from the playground, and small waste paper
baskets are stationed at the door of each classroom. Students are not permitted
to take food with wrappers into the playground, so it is easier for them to
carry a sandwich or an apple than the contents of a packet of chips – since the
measures were adopted there is no more litter, staff have seen a drastic
reduction in the amount of processed food consumed by students and we thought
the behaviour by the kids at this school was noticeably better than most.
Water within reach: encouraging
sipper bottles of water on desks is the easiest way of discouraging sugary,
additive-laden soft drinks and schools usually notice an improvement in
behaviour when they implement this.
|
Research |
Additives in combination
It is usual to test food additives
singly rather than in combination, yet additives are rarely consumed in
isolation. This study examined the neurotoxic effects of four common food
additives (artificial colours Quinoline Yellow 104, Brilliant Blue 133, flavour
enhancer 621 MSG, and Aspartame artificial sweetener 951) in combinations of
two. In laboratory tests on mouse nerve cells, combinations of the additives
were found to have a much more potent effect than each additive on its own,
suggesting that additives may interact to interfere with the development of the
nervous system. This is the study that is making the food industry take
concerns about the safety of artificial colours - and their effects on
children’s behaviour and learning ability - seriously. Lau K, McLean WG, Williams DP, Howard CV, Synergistic interactions
between commonly used food additives in a developmental neurotoxicity
test, Toxicol Sci. 2006;90(1):178-87.
Epub 2005 Dec 13. Abstract available at www.pubmed.com.
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 |
* Benzene in soft drinks –benzene, a known cancer-causing
agent, has been found in soft drinks all over the world, formed probably by the
reaction of the preservative sodium benzoate (210-213) with added or natural
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, 300-303). Overseas, many lawsuits have been launched
in the past three months and product recalls ordered. The FSANZ website
currently seeks to reassure consumers, claiming that “benzene levels found
overseas are well below the WHO limits for benzene in drinking water.” This is
not correct. The WHO limit on benzene in drinking water is 10 ug/l or 10 ppb.
The Australian limit for drinking water is 1 ppb. The levels of benzene found
overseas in soft drinks have been 25-50 ppb (
* Food
additives are big business, with global sales estimated in the region of $US 22 billion a year.
Sales are estimated to rise by 2-3 per cent per annum taking the market to over
$US 25 billion by 2010. Statistics from Leatherhead Food International
advertising a talk by the secretary of the Food Additives and Ingredients
Association.
* Soft
drinks and obesity: a
team at Boston Children’s Hospital delivered non-caloric soft drinks to the
homes of about 50 teenagers for 25 weeks while allowing another group to
continue with sugar sweetened soft drinks. They concluded that a single 330 ml
can a day of sweetened drinks could lead teens to put on 1 lb (a bit less than
half a kg) every three or four weeks. Ebbeling
CB and others, Effects of decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on
body weight in adolescents: a randomized, controlled pilot study, Pediatrics.
2006;117(3):673-80.
* FSANZ
Consumer Liaison Committee: the Network had hoped that FSANZ’s long-awaited Consumer Liaison
Committee would provide an essential channel for dialogue given that other
avenues had proved fruitless. However FSANZ have decided to exclude from
membership the one body and largest organisation by far directly focussed on
the safety of food additives for consumers, with over 3500 members. If you’re
unhappy about that, tell them: graham.peachey@foodstandards.gov.au
|
Now targetting… We team up with Western Australian-based www.additivealert.com.au to target a different additive in each newsletter. |
Get
Smarties Campaign - Nestle
By email: www.nestle.com.au
click on Contact Us
By phone 1800 025 361
By mail: Consumer Services Department, GPO Box 4320,
Sydney NSW 2001
|
Readers' stories |
[419] One-liners (May 2006)
Antioxidant 320 [BHA in
oils, margarines and most commercial products containing oils] gives me a
terribly flushed red face as well as extreme fatigue and irritability - by email.
Your DVD is great, it
convinced my husband that doing the diet properly is the only way to go …
before that he thought we could do just bits of it – by email.
After reading your book I
realize that salicylates might be the reason my teenage daughter has had
terrible bowel problems for the last few years because she had bad eczema as a
kid, got a mighty dose of tinea when she overdosed on grapes last year, and our
diet for the past few years has been VERY high in all the very high salicylate
foods such as dried fruit (in muesli), dates, tomatoes, eggplant, rocket,
onions, almonds, avocados, grapes and broccoli - by email.
About five years ago when I
was working as a childrens' worker in Victoria I contacted you - by phone in
those days - on quite a few occasions prior to and while I was working with
young children with behavioural problems. In every case the "Fed Up"
regime worked and I was convinced of its success, since then I have recommended
to lots of parents that they look very seriously at this program for their
child – by email
We have our son on a lot of
the readers’ recipes and have noticed a huge improvement in his demeanor – by email.
I love your jam packed
website and count myself exceptionally lucky that I stumbled upon it
accidentally the other day - I am so impressed with how everything is so well
researched and is truly scientific - by
email.
The boys were watching some
of the DVD with me, with Ashley singing my food’s on the telly, my food’s on
the telly, it’s the best in the world, the best in the world when you were
showing the failsafe foods. It’s fantastic, you should be very proud. Well done
to you and everyone else involved. –
Jenny, Melbourne VIC.
I'll be lending my DVD to
lots of people, so I think its a great way of spreading information! – Susie,
I have just watched the new
DVD and I have to say - it was a tremendous job that was well done. The personal
comments from parents who have been there are worth listening to. The DVD has
enormous integrity as it involves both scientific research and experience.
Sue's explanations are very clear and straight to the heart of the matter. I
just loved her "nasty food" scenes. This DVD is well worth going to
all schools - Cheryl, teacher
The benefits we have
derived from your hard work are worth far more than the cost of a video!!!! – Mother,
[418] My son is a state ward (May 2006)
My son 14 is a state ward
and has been for 18 months. His behaviour at home was violent, aggressive and
surly to such an extent that my safety was threatened. He had damaged property,
harmed pets, broken my bones ... He was 12 when he went into care and this
behaviour had gone on since the age of 7. He tried to kill himself a number of
times, initially playing chicken with cars, starving himself, much self harm
behaviour and nearly succeeded last year when he cut an artery in his leg.
I tried to get help for
years only to be told that I was a bad mother. I was accused of abusing my son
so many times it wasn't funny, even dragged before courts for it. They didn't
get it. I was the one with the bruises and broken bones not the kid. He was never diagnosed with any disorder. All
behaviour was put down to an incident when he was 6 and a teen tried to molest
him. I had seen him lose touch with reality and even respond to voices - at 8
years old. School suspensions started in grade 2. His school had a sign that
other children would file out of the classroom on a pre-determined signal ... I
could go on and on.
He became a state ward
after a particularly bad incident where I ended up with concussion but to get
him off me I had to bite him ... therefore proving what a violent mother I am…READ MORE.
[417] Colour 102 tartrazine and anaphylactic shock (May
2006)
My wife is acutely allergic
to the orange colour tartrazine (102). The first incident was with
"fresh" orange juice. There were no labelling requirements at this
time, and the orange juice itself was thought to be the cause.
The second incident was
when she was prescribed antihistamines, coloured orange, for a bout of hay
fever. She went into anaphylactic shock. Later the doctors at the hospital
remarked how interesting it was that the tablet that was keeping her alive was
also trying to kill her. It was at this point that 102 was identified as the
culprit.
Since then we have
attempted to avoid 102 whenever possible but we have been caught several times
by undisclosed use of the product. We find local food providers are generally
co-operative when they understand the consequences. However, corporations do
not care …recently I noted that
As I understand it the
pharmaceutical companies are not required to label their products …a recipe for
disaster. We have to open the coloured capsules so that the foul tasting
contents can be taken with water -
reader, Qld
[416] Eczema is so much better (May 2006)
My eldest son suffers
terribly from eczema and while we have dabbled in diets in the past they were
too difficult and the people who gave them to us seemed to be peddling their
own vitamins and supplements! My son’s allergist recently suggested a diet
along with the RPA and your books. Boy oh boy even after three days we could
see the difference. He has now been on
the diet for four weeks and as his eczema is so much better as well as his
general skin condition. – reader, NSW
[415] The only good thing to come out of this … we are now
absolutely convinced it’s his diet (May 2006)
Since we are going on the
diet next week, we let our son have some things that we haven't allowed for a
long time including bacon, tomatoes, ham and a doughnut. This morning I had a
raging child, who was refusing to go into his classroom and throwing punches at
me. Since we have cut a lot of nasties out of his diet he has not been violent
at all until this morning! The only good
thing to come of this is now we are absolutely convinced it's his diet that's
causing the grief. – reader, NT
[414] Gastroscopy results and the failsafe approach (May
2006)
Some years ago now, I
remember reading a message from a
failsafer who’d had a gastroscopy before he went failsafe, which showed
scarring and evidence of reflux, and he was put on strong antacids and told he
might eventually need an operation (presumably to repair the gastric
sphincter).
Exactly the same happened
to me. I get the neurological symptoms (depression, paranoia, neurosis, ADD,
and visual discomfort dyslexia - which improves but hasn't been resolved), but
I also had years of gastric symptoms and had had two gastroscopies before I
discovered failsafe eating. The first one showed no ulcer but that the lining
was inflamed. After the second I had exactly the same diagnosis as in the story
above. I remember the gastroenterologist telling me that although the symptoms
weren't typical, the problem was definitely reflux, and suggesting the
operation.
After I had been on the
diet for some years, I had another gastroscopy to investigate the possibility
of coeliac sprue. This wasn't found (thank heavens) but it did demonstrate that
the scarring and inflammation that had previously been there was now gone. The
diet had resolved about 10 years of painful gastric symptoms for me.
I'm just wondering whether
there might be other adults or children who have had the same experience. As
people are so keen on physical evidence, maybe someone could pool the results
and put out a paper? - reader, NSW
We would love to hear from any others with similar stories: please
write to confoodnet@ozemail.com.au
[413] Relentless dry cough - I was unaware of the
food-asthma connection (May 2006)
Ever since my son - now aged
10 - was a baby he would get a persistent dry cough that would continue
relentlessly throughout the day and all through the night of only the winter
months every year - at least 6 months every year without fail. The doctors
would all say that they couldn't hear wheezing, so stopped short of diagnosing
asthma no matter how sick he was. Finally a new local doctor a few years ago
suggested asthma and asked me to try a blue puffer with ventolin. It fixed him
immediately after 5 months of relentless coughing! He is an extremely active,
sporty child, who plays and trains hard every season, but never got the asthma
in the summer months.
Ventolin continued to
control it, although he was worse after soccer training and games - in recent
years accompanied by acute chest pains during games - and often had to come
off. Last year, he participated in a school cross country held in May and got
into the next level (extremely hilly) in June. After the race he could not stop
coughing, had difficulty breathing and was very ill, missing school for some
time after, which was when we started to make the exercise connection. We then
started to observe and realised the trigger was exercise. Once winter was over
he was well again, right up until March this year.
The beginning of March
coincided with my reading your books - for other problems, I had forgotten
about the asthma as it was controlled with ventolin and seasonal - and the
gradual reduction in non failsafe foods in our house in the lead up to going
failsafe. During this time he participated in the soccer training and school
cross country practices and came first twice - no coughing, no problems. About
90 per cent failsafe, he went to a two day school camp this year – we don’t
know what he ate. The next day (Saturday) at soccer he had severe chest pains
throughout the game…READ MORE - reader, NSW
[412] Chocolate paranoia (May 2006)
Before going on the diet, I
used to get panic attacks at night, where I would be absolutely convinced that
there was a gunman just outside my window. When I finally did go on the diet,
it was for the sake of my children, not myself, so I thought it was okay at week
three to eat an enormous amount of chocolate - I believe it was one Hershey
bar, and a massive Cadbury dairy milk block. The next day, I was so paranoid
that I convinced myself that my husband was having an affair, and went to the
extent of driving to his work to watch him through the window, then following
him home on his bike. When he arrived home, I dashed outside and hid in the
darkened garden, crying. After about four hours the paranoia episode just
finished like that, and I had to explain myself to a perplexed husband - reader, NSW
[411] Within two weeks of altering his diet he has become
happy and affectionate (May 2006)
Thanks so much! I'm buying
DVDs for all my family members because Sue's book "Fed Up" has turned
my family completely around. We have in the past month made every effort to
remove additives and preservatives from our diet and the results have been
astounding. My 13 year old son has been angry and depressed for most of his
life, to the point that we have had him at a psychologist but within two weeks
of altering his diet he has become happy and affectionate, constantly telling
me he loves me and that he no longer has a foggy head! We are yet to do the
elimination diet (I'm waiting for my husband to finish the book) but have
already noted that salicylates do seem to be a problem for some of us. The
difference has been so enormous that at least three of my friends have gone out
and bought Fed Up having seen our improvements. I think I have also
singlehandedly cut the sales of Tim Tams in our area quite dramatically since
we found out via Sue that the beautiful chocolate colour is not from chocolate!
In addition, I've noticed a couple of unexpected benefits: firstly, our taste
buds seem to have improved (for example, I have never been able to stomach the
richness of lamb before but suddenly can) and secondly, by going back to basics
with the cooking we seem to be developing a much closer bond as a family... I'm
not sure I can explain it, but it's something to do with putting love and care
into everything we cook. A sort of return to old values, I suppose. – reader, Sydney.
[410] Thank you so much for giving us our darling little man
to us (May 2006)
I was lucky enough to come
and see you talk recently. Our son is nearly 8 years old and I reckon for 7 of
those years he has been very hard to handle, episodes involving throwing things
at me, chasing me, yelling, getting so upset he would go blue and lose his
breath. We have taken him off a lot of foods you recommend not to give your
children, and his behaviour improved, episodes consisted of whingeing or crying
for 10 minutes instead of hours. Since seeing your talk, we have cut out a lot
more foods, and I have stopped using my beloved Red Door perfume, within a week
we have seen an amazingly different child, he now sits with us, not
hyperactive, yes mum, no mum. I said to my husband I am overwhelmed as for the
past 7 years I have known a naughtier child. We both want to thank you so much
for giving us our darling little man to us. We have the opportunity to give him
a better way of feeling and acting, it is all to you, although I miss my
perfume, I have now given it to my mum and my husband and I are enjoying some
special days with our child. We now only feed him fresh foods - no processed
foods, home made cooking for school lunches. Thank you so very much - parent,
MORE READERS' STORIES on the website
|
Product updates |
Rice Bran Oil has been traditionally
used in Asian countries such as
COMMENT ADDED June 2006: “I have tried the Rice
Bran Oil by Alpha and I thought it was Ok at first. I had been using it for about two weeks when
I noticed that my two kids and myself were unusually more irritable and angry -
it was at my husband's suggestion (not fully failsafe but very supportive) that
it might be the Rice Bran Oil causing this.
He knew we all reacted badly to a switch over to Baker's Delight Wholemeal
Bread (instead of White) and said that the "Bran" might be causing
the same reaction. At his darling
suggestion I stopped using the Rice Bran Oil and within a couple of days we
were right as rain again.” Anyone else out there who it intolerant to brans and
wholemeal products use extreme caution.
SO GOOD Soymilk no longer
so good? So
Good regular soymilk in the new packaging with ‘fresh new taste’ now contains
added ‘natural flavour’. No adverse reactions have been reported but since
natural flavour - even vanilla - can be a problem for failsafers depending on
the dose, anyone who drinks a lot of So Good will need to approach this new
product cautiously. When choosing a new brand of soymilk, consider both
ingredients and nutrients. As well as added flavours, soymilks can contain
other non-failsafe ingredients including raw sugar and unlisted antioxidants
(319 or 320) in the vegetable oil. Cows’ milk contains more important nutrients
(calcium, vitamins) than soymilk so fortified soymilk is a better substitute.
Pure Harvest Organic Soymilk is free of nasty additives and enriched
(ingredients: water, organic whole soya beans, rice syrup, organic sunflower
oil, mineral salts (calcium carbonate, ferrous sulphate) and salt). Australia’s
Own malt free Natural Soymilk (organic whole soy bean milk, water, sunflower
oil, sea salt, sodium bicarbonate) is OK for people who are gluten free and the sunflower oil is free of
unlisted antioxidants but it has no added calcium etc.. Look for organic
soymilks in supermarkets where the long-life milk is kept, or in the health
foods or organic foods sections. Note that linseed oil previously used in the
fresh So Good soymilk product has been removed.
COMMENT ADDED June 2006: We have now received a
report of adverse effects from a failsafer who wrote 'I was able to isolate my
reaction to this product as I still had some of the earlier formulation and
when I used that the symptoms eased or disappeared'.
Nestle Baking Cocoa has no added flavours,
for people who don’t react to amines. The only ingredient listed is cocoa - thanks to Diana M
The Pascalls vanilla white
marshmallows package change has been accompanied by a recipe change. Cornflour
has been dropped and invert syrup has been added, and the ‘flavours’ have
changed to ‘flavour’ – still a trade secret. These sweets should be eaten in
limited quantities because of the flavour. Are the big ones worse than the
small ones? Some people think so – but it could be because reactions are
related to the size of the dose - thanks
to Kathleen D.
***WARNING**** avoid IGA
homebrand canola oil which contains nasty antioxidants 319 and 320.
Furniture free of nasty
chemicals
from raw recycled blackwood framing and organic cotton upholstery will be
available in some month’s time at Organic Cotton Essentials, for people with
chemical sensitivities, ph 03 9754 4880 www.blessedearth.com.au. They have a
current range of organic cotton bedding. They offer a 10% discount if you
mention the Food Intolerance Network!
Eggs are only as good as
what is fed to the chickens that produce them.
Omega three eggs come from chickens fed large quantities of linseed oil,
and some failsafers are affected.
Yoplait Petit Miam simply vanilla yoghurt
(ingredients: milk, cream, milk solids nonfat, sugar, vegetable gum (pectin
locust bean), natural flavour, milk, mineral complex, citric food acid, live
yoghurt cultures, rennet, vitamin D) is OK if you can manage dairy products. Salicylate
responders need to limit vanilla intake, so avoid it if the diet isn’t working,
see Checklist of Common Mistakes - thanks
to Julie M.
Check out the updates page on the website for
latest information.
|
Your questions: |
Q. I am wondering if you can
tell me what food groups aggravate arthritis as my father is suffering from arthritis
in his feet. He has already noticed that when he eats tomatoes and also dark
chocolate, his feet are a lot worse for the next few days.
A.
Salicylates, amines, additives, dairy and wheat – any or all can affect arthritics.
Suspect salicylates first. Tomatoes contain both salicylates and amines,
chocolate contains only amines, so it could be both affecting him or only
amines – also in cheese, wine, tinned or frozen fish, broccoli, tomatoes,
bananas, mushrooms and many others.
Q. I have read your books,
which have been terrific! I have applied your facts to my own children and I am
forever getting credit for their good behaviour, many thanks to you!! I was
wondering if you have yet got a DVD out.
I know a lot of friends that would take the time to watch a DVD rather
than sit and read a book!
A.
Thanks for asking - yes we have, it was released on
Q. I was also wondering if
you are going to do a talk in Ballina or Lismore soon?
A.
No, after Grafton and Coffs Harbour I won't be doing any more talks until next
year - I have to stop talking and start writing to get my books back on the
shelves. But you can buy the DVD through the website, it is better than the
talks in my opinion.
Q. Since we have been buying
bread without preservative 282, we have seen a huge difference in our 6 year
old son (we have also been avoiding other preservatives). However, up until now, we have only bought
Brumby's. Two weeks ago, I noticed that Wonder White was now free of
preservatives. Two weeks on and two weeks of absolutely nightmarish behaviour
has forced me to change back to Brumbys. Our son has not had Wonder White for
three days now, and everything has really calmed down again. What are your
thoughts? Other than this bread, there
has been no other change to his diet that I believe could explain this. When we
switched to preservative free bread last year, within a week my son's behaviour
had changed so much we were astounded. The last two weeks felt like we were
back where we started - but it took that
long to realise what it was! ...
A.
Most supermarket breads that advertise “free of artificial preservatives” use
vinegar as a preservative instead. Many children whose behaviour is affected by
additives are also affected by natural food chemicals called salicylates and amines,
and vinegar contains high amounts of these, so you are better off sticking to
Brumbys or Bakers Delight breads, or looking for breads with no preservatives,
vinegar, antioxidant 320 or whey powder (that’s another source of problems in
bread). You would probably find your son would improve even more on a trial of
the low chemical elimination diet (free of additives, low in salicylates,
amines and flavour enhancers).
Q. I’m trying to track the
cause of a persistent skin rash in my 2 year old son. Are Brumbys’ sausage
rolls OK?
A.
No! We recommend ONLY the plain breads and the white iced finger buns at
Brumbys – nothing else. Beware: the plain white iced cup cakes that look
failsafe are preservative free, but contain sunset yellow (110) artificial
colour. And the sausage rolls are a disaster area. In North Queensland, sausage
rolls sold in Brumbys contain 8 nasty additives: artificial colours 102 and
124, annatto colour160b, potassium sorbate 202, sodium metabisulphite 223,
synthetic antioxidant BHT 321, flavour enhancers 621 and 631. For skin rashes I
would suspect 631 first (a nucleotide flavour enhancer, see Ribo Rash
factsheet), but any of these could cause a skin rash – or behaviour problems,
or asthma.
Q. When my son was getting
ready to go failsafe, he ate sausages one time and hot chips another and
reacted to both hours later with exercise induced asthma. Do these foods have
an additive in common?
A.
Sausages and hot chips are classic sources of sulphite preservatives (220-228),
the additive most likely to be associated with asthma. See Papazian article
below for an FDA article about sulphites in French fries, describing a quick,
obvious reaction. It is less well understood that sulphites can cause irritated
airways with no obvious symptoms until combined with exposure to an
environmental trigger such as exercise – and it can happen hours or even days
later. Further reading: Sulfites: Safe for Most, Dangerous for Some by Ruth
Papazian (do a google search for free full text), and see the full story in
Reader Stories. The child in the question went on to win his school cross
country race while failsafe with ‘no asthmatic reactions at all afterwards or
during, whilst plenty of kids were, in his words, "dropping like flies
with asthma attacks all around him" - some quite seriously so! Of course,
as usual, the school had a sausage sizzle going all that day to raise money -
bizarre isn't it?’
Q. Is there any research on
nitrates entering the food chain through water? I have noticed in intensive
farming areas of northern France that they no longer drink the local water
because one will become violently ill after three days. This is due to the high
nitrate input when producing maize in the area. I have also noticed in the same
area that the incidence of teenage problems from suicide to poor exam results
to excessive drink and drug problems are a major puzzle for the adults. This is
an area where they do not agree with fizzy drinks or sweets and bake their own
bread.
A.
Contamination of ground water by nitrates from agricultural fertilizers is a
common, well documented and increasing problem. Nitrates are transformed into
nitrites in the GI tract and can be fatal to infants when the water is used to
make up baby formulas. There are also concerns about cancer risks but there has
been very little research concerning other health risks and none regarding
behavioural effects on children. Yet another reason to drink filtered or
bottled water. Further reading: Kumar S
and others, Need for revision of nitrates standards for drinking water: a case
study of Rajasthan. Indian J Environ Health. 2002;44(2):168-72; Kozliuk AS and
others, Immunologic status of children living in a region with an increased
level of nitrates in the drinking water, Gig Sanit.1989 ;(3):19-22. Abstracts
available at www.pubmed.com
Talking point - which is more difficult to live with - food allergy
or food intolerance?
In the last newsletter, we asked readers which is
more difficult to live with - food allergy or food intolerance and why,
especially for children with anaphylaxis. I have been very surprised by the
responses – it seems that food allergy is worst in very young children but as
the children grow older, food intolerance is worse, see typical responses for
younger and older children below.
‘I am the mother of three young boys, and two of
them have anaphylaxis to dairy, egg and peanuts. When one of my boys has a life
threatening reaction it is certainly frightening for us all, however I would
not say it is difficult to live with. Food intolerance is definitely harder to
live with, mainly because it is not as accepted in many people's eyes. For
example they know my boys are allergic to dairy and accept this as a no go
area, but see nothing wrong with giving them a packet of flavoured chips.
Flavoured chips and biscuits keep my oldest son up scratching all night and my
other son usually has an asthma attack within 12 hours.’…thanks to Leigh B, Qld
Failsafe Shopping tours in
These tours are $15 per person for a group tour or
$40 for a one-on-one tour. Tours run for approximately 1½ hours. Jenny’s report
for May 19th : ‘We took 14 people through Frankston and Mornington Coles
supermarkets today - they were thrilled - 11 doing full failsafe/elimination
diet, three just avoiding additives and highest salicylates, amines and
glutamates. One was a nutritionist.’ Contact Jenny on 03 9544 2804 or Kathleen
on 03 9762 8105.
Healthy School Canteen Expo in
The Kids Health Alliance is running a Healthy School
Canteen Expo on
Can you help?
‘My 12 year old wants to join the Army Cadets but I
am worried what he will be able to take out on camp as they tend to eat a lot
of canned food as well as dehydrated foods due to lack of eskies and cooling
facilities. I don't want him to miss out so can you suggest any solutions.”–
send suggestions care of confoodnet@ozemail.com.au
Support
There are now 70 support contacts
in 47 locations in
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.
Talks
MAY 2006
Grafton NSW Thursday
25 May
Narranga (
Sue will
not be giving any more talks in 2006.
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 |
Hint: toothpaste - if Soul Pattinson’s plain toothpaste isn’t available,
you can use a wet toothbrush dipped in salt instead – it works better than it
sounds.
Herbed scrambled eggs Eggs are a
perfect package of vitamins, and the quickest meal ever.
3 eggs
knob of pure butter or
Nuttelex
splash of milk (or
organic cream for special occasions)
salt to taste
fresh chives, chopped
2 slices sandwich or cob
loaf bread, toasted
Beat eggs with milk and
add salt. Gently melt the butter in a pan and stir in the eggs, stirring
constantly until the eggs are nearly set, sprinkle chives. To serve, spoon the
scrambled eggs onto toast. Serves 1-2.
Healthy carrot cake Everyone loves
this cake. It’s not suitable for the strict elimination diet but can easily fit
into an allowance of moderate salicylates, with only quarter cup of carrots per
serve. The gluten free option works well.
1 cup sunflower or rice bran oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups of plain flour
(for gluten free use Freedom Foods plain gf flour or similar)
1 tsp baking powder (for
gluten free, use Wards)
3 cups of grated carrots
1 cup of crushed raw
cashews (optional)
icing sugar (for gluten
free, use pure icing sugar)
Pre-heat oven to 170
degrees. Grease cake tin with failsafe butter or Nuttelex. Pour oil into mixing
bowl and beat for 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and beat. Add eggs to mixture
one at a time whilst beating - mixture should be quite light and fluffy. Stir
in sifted dry indredients then carrots and nuts and pour into prepared cake
tin. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool in tin.Top with
(pure icing sugar ) icing with citric acid added for lemon taste. Serves 12. - thanks to Sam Tinsley
See more recipes in the Failsafe Booklet under the Recipes
button.
The FAILSAFE Newsletter: You
can have this Newsletter emailed to you for free about every three months, and
also see it in colour with graphics on www.fedup.com.au
Subscribe: failsafe_newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Frontpage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/failsafe_newsletter
© Sue Dengate (text)