STORIES & OPINIONS 6
Readers are invited to
contribute to this section. Please send your stories and opinions to suedengate@ozemail.com.au. State
whether you would like your name or email address used, or to remain anonymous.
Some names have been changed to protect privacy. My mailing address is PO Box
718 WOOLGOOLGA NSW 2456
[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 (muesli), dates, tomatoes, eggplant, rocket, onions,
almonds, avocados, grapes, 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,
[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.
[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
[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
[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
[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
[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
Everyone told me it was stress, but I knew that it wasn’t. I have read
other people’s stories on your site, and I am so envious of people who figured
out what it was right away from one chicken or dried soup. But for me, I had no
idea that a food additive was causing my misery. I am a vegetarian and eat
pretty healthy. From what I can gather, I got this ‘ribo rash’ from our Friday
night pizzas in Sydney, as well as the occasional Dorito and sakata cracker. I
also have eaten the veggie burger from Hungry Jacks occasionally, and I think
all of these things combined with the physical stress of the cycling cause me
to have the initial outbreak of ribo rash. The problem for me though was that I
could not see any pattern in what was causing it. Although deep down I really
felt like it was something I was ingesting. For a while, I actually started to
think that I was allergic to the water in
This rash made me completely weak and debilitated, to the point where I
turned down job offers and could barely even function. For a while I really did
think I was going to die. My relationship suffered so much too because I felt
so physically unattractive, and to be honest even during sex all I could think
about was the rash or the itch or both. Looking back, I don’t know how I made
it through. I decided to leave
When I came back to
I went to more doctors. I was tested for everything, including
Eventually I decided to adopt a gluten-free, wheat-free diet in a
desperate attempt to stop the rash and I took a job at one of the island
resorts on the
[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. It varied
greatly.
Two years later … the migraines became more frequent and she started
throwing up with them. She would go to sleep with a migraine and wake at
We have been eating failsafe since about March this year and have never
looked back. On day 2 of the amine challenge, Caitlin got a migraine, droopy
eyes, became listless, and a fever. School rang and asked me to collect her
again. She stayed unwell for several days with the headache.
During the challenge, she also got a blocked nose, sore tummy, sore nose,
nightmares and was badly constipated. Since the end of the amine challenge (3
months ago) we haven’t had one migraine!
No more snotty nose or blocked nose, nasal sprays, nightmares, sore
tummies,nail biting, teeth grinding, or sore legs - her nails are growing for
the 1st time in her life. So, no more amines for Caitlin! – by email, NSW
[399] Reflux medication
causes ADHD symptoms and the Parkinsons shake (March 2006)
Having four children who have all been milk and soy intolerant from
birth, intolerant to artificial additives and sensitive to levels of
salicylates and amines I've seen possibly every symptom food intolerance can
produce raise its ugly head at some time or another. Unfortunately due to
either being uneducated or narrow-minded, many mainstream medical practitioners
including specialists just wouldn't go the food intolerance path so it took me
several years to really get to the bottom of what was happening with my
children.
The first symptoms that we came up against were reflux, eczema and a lot
of skin rashes. My third child, Jessica, was extremely miserable and seemed to
be in a lot of pain. She'd started refluxing from one week and was started on
prescription medications. Luckily the paediatrician was able to identify a rash
around her bottom as being associated with lactose intolerance so we went the
road of trying various formulas until we got to nutramigen which settled her
demeanour but did nothing to alleviate the reflux side of things, so we had
unwittingly started down the right path. She also had a constant post nasal
drip from very early on so we were shovelling her full of various antihistamine
type medicines trying to alleviate that and she had eczema. My fourth child Zac
knew that breast milk just wasn't for him so at two weeks he decided to starve
himself in preference, refusing the breast. He also was covered in eczema and
had silent reflux. Luckily for him he was put straight on to neocate, for
during the couple of years leading up to his birth, our family paediatrician
who by this point had all four of my children in his care had seen the flurry
of symptoms food intolerance can produce.
As my eldest child Levi was still on syrup medication for reflux until
just before he started school, his paediatrician felt it would be a good idea
to see how he went, off medication. I was able to get him through with the
occasional dose of over the counter antacid for a couple of months until he
started school when his reflux exacerbated, so the prescription medication was
reintroduced. I took him for his paediatric review a few days later and was
told to start him on a 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. I rang his paediatrician
and told her that I was taking him off the prescription antacid and told her
what was happening. But things were going down hill fast, his ADHD symptoms
were becoming worse, his coordination had 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, Jessica, had started doing the parkinsons shake (she was
still refluxing terribly and was also on both Zantac and Prepulsid syrup
medications). Levi's teacher asked me to have him assessed by an Occupational
Therapist who diagnosed him as having dyspraxia, a developmental condition that
makes them have to have constant repetition as they have to relearn everything
over and over because they can't retain it. I knew that it wasn't a
developmental problem as he had always been in advance of his age appropriate
milestones and I'd spent lots of time with him, he could climb trees, jump,
skip, ride a bike without training wheels from 3 years old, and had great hand
eye coordination prior to this happening. All of that coupled with the ADHD
stuff just wasn't right. So I made an appointment for the paediatrician (his
regular paediatrician wasn't available so I asked for the one that was now
looking after my other 2 children). He was dumbfounded. He'd remembered seeing
Levi from time to time when I'd had to go for appointments with the others and
he didn't have a clue what was going on. So he ordered several blood tests, a
CAT scan and an EEG. 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, racking my brain, I rang the reflux support group and the lady I talked
to said that her son who was on these medications was also ADHD. 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. Now I was facing a dilemma. How could I treat my children’s
reflux without the medications, I could see what it was doing to my kids - all
3 were on the same medications. I found a naturopath who made a tonic catering
for my children’s reflux symptoms. In a matter of weeks I was able to control
the older 2 with the herbal treatment alone. Within 7 weeks Levi's ADHD had
settled down, his balance and coordination had returned and when we saw the
neurologist at this point he agreed that Levi's problems were due to the
preservatives and flavourings in the medications and felt that he was a normal
5 year old. Funnily enough Jessica was cured of the parkinsons shake and Levi
stopped falling over.
I at that stage really started to read labels. With careful monitoring I
was able to avoid foods that contained artificial colourings, flavourings and
preservatives so the kids reflux and behaviour was settling down. At this time
you could buy rice milk and oat milk as an alternative to cow’s milk and soy so
the reflux for the 3 older ones was controlled purely by diet alone. I was able
to see symptoms occurring when they'd eat a particular food or have a drink of
juice. Jess was still in a flurry with the post nasal drip which would cause a
persistent cough where she could barely catch a breath in between. At our next
appointment with the paediatrician (I now had only Jess and Zac going), I told
him about what foods would cause what symptom and he suggested going into the
RPA clinic. So off we trotted, it was a big day that day, we found out Levi was
anaphylaxis to peanut (I'd known he was mildly allergic and avoided it
entirely) and I was educated about salicylates and amines. We did the
elimination diet and with the reintroduction of certain foods it caused chaos.
We lived a couple of years of pretty bland, I've found that they certainly
improve with age, but I still have to be pretty strict with what Jess and Zac
eat.
When Zac was two he was taken off
the neocate. Our paediatrician suggested a follow on formula that was cow’s
milk based but the protein was broken down into small chains. Within days the
poor child was on the tantrum rollercoaster, throwing tantrums which generally
lasted around half an hour at a time, where he'd hurt himself, belt into
things, bash anyone who was around, and he'd have 6 to 8 of these a day. I was
genuinely concerned that he was going to hurt himself or someone else. I rang
the paediatrician (by now I was well and truly on a first name basis) and told
him that I wasn't giving him any more formula and that he'd have to get by on
rice milk. Now you can get calcium
enriched and vitamin enriched rice milk so that's somewhere else to go if you
need to.
I've also seen dairy cause speech
problems (this happened to Zac when he was on the follow on formula), tantrums,
dyslexia (they can't get their tongue around words, mirror write letters and
misspell words), very pale skin complexion, behavioural problems, ADHD
symptoms, along with the gutty symptoms, reflux, eczema, and postnasal drip and
that's just in my children. I understand that dairy and wheat are now being
looked at as being causes for mild autism.
If you're at your wits end, if
your child displays any of these symptoms or has a learning difficulty
especially if there's something happening with each of your kids, even if their
symptoms are different, food intolerance is worth looking into. It runs in
families. Dietary modification may be the answer you’re looking for. My
children are now medication free. If your GP doesn't want to go there, find a
doctor that will. You need to be strong and assertive because you're going to
encounter a lot of doctors and specialists who think it's all a crock, but you
have to ask yourself why are there so many kids with ADHD, behavioural
problems, learning difficulties .... unfortunately a lot of the food you buy
from the supermarket has artificial additives, for the sals and amine
intolerant remember that a lot of the fruits and veg that years ago were
seasonal are now available all year round not to mention what they do to them
to ripen them and keep them fresh, and for the dairy intolerant look to your
genes for the answers, there are several races that are known can't tolerate
dairy. It may just change your life. - Sandra Madden, Heathcote NSW smadden@iprimus.com.au
(Sandra now coaches children with dyslexia and learning difficulties and is
happy to hear from others, please put food intolerance in the subject line)
[398] Irritable bowel and
weight problems at age 23 (March 2006)
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 diarrhoea) and no matter what I tried I
could not lose the weight.
By the end of 2003 I had moved back to
I am now only just on the other side of finishing the diet and am trying
to come to terms with what I can and cannot eat. I have been trying no added
preservative wine, which is a lot better, but I still sometimes have a bit of a
reaction. I am very sad about Amines, I love chocolate and I can't eat much at
all, same with cheese. I just know that it is not worth having sulphites
because the reaction is too bad. My family have now begun to take out additives
in their diets too after hearing from me just how bad they are. It gets
confusing talking about natural food chemicals and chemicals to other people,
but eventually they understand. – by
email
[397] Stuttering related to
preservatives and salicylates (March 2006)
My 9 year old son started stuttering
when he was around 4 years old. He seemed to be sensitive to preservatives
especially 211 and I have steered clear of this preservative, but a few weeks
ago his stuttering came back in full force, around the same time I had apple
juice in the house. He is a big juice addict, and thinking back, has always had
juice, either straight or diluted. I have always watched out for the
preservatives in juice, and bread, but I now think he is intolerant to
salicylates as well. I have changed all of his foods to failsafe foods, and his
speech is now good. He has calmed down a bit as well.
[396]
Nitrates (249-252) used in preserved meats such as ham, bacon and hotdogs
affect stuttering (March 2006)
Our two and a half year old son had difficulty with stuttering for a few
months. After my sister-in-law, a nurse,
told us about the potential dangers of nitrates for children, especially
contributions to developmental delays, we removed all nitrates from our son's
diet and within about a week the stuttering was gone. Yesterday, our son went
on an outing to the zoo with my mother. Strangely, his stuttering returned
full-force today. I called my mother to ask what he had ingested for lunch and
dinner yesterday. The glaring answer: a
HOTDOG.
[395]
Mashed potato challenge and stutter (March 2006)
Sulphites (220-228) are used in a wide range of foods including dried
fruit, fruit drinks, sausages (not in meat in the
[394]
Benzoates in medication and stutter (March 2006)
My daughter is allergic to mosquitoes and while we were doing the
elimination diet she was badly bitten. Our doctor recommended daily double
doses of claratyne liquid. On the second day my daughter started to talk
incessantly and stutter a little (this had previously been a problem months
ago). Then on day 3 at daycare she became drunkish, socially withdrawn and
stopped talking (selective mutism, although not gone, had improved on
failsafe). The staff at daycare had been amazed to say the least about her
improvement on the diet, so this was obvious. When my husband came home, he
picked up the bottle of antihistamine and read the label, to my dismay it
contained sodium benzoate! Well, that went in the bin, we got claratyne
tablets, she had a half, and the next day at daycare she was back to normal.
[393]
All of the common suspects affect stutter (March 2006)
My son becomes hyper and stutters as a result of reactions to
salicylates, amines, wheat, dairy, preservatives, colours and flavours. His
older sister also stutters when reacting but she is more tolerant of foods and
other reactions are milder.
[392]
Stuttering and behaviour are different reactions to the same foods (March 2006)
My 7 year old son has been failsafe for a couple of years now with great
results. My 5 year old daughter has
quite a bad stutter and it has just dawned on me that diet may make it worse. I
have often noticed that her speech is worse when my son’s behaviour is at its worst.
Her speech therapist pointed out that it may be due to diet and that his
hyperactivity is the symptom but her symptom is stuttering. Given that they both generally eat the same
thing this makes sense. I tend to be
more lax with her diet though.
[391]
282: Speech delay due to the bread preservative (calcium propionate 282) (March
2006)
My son had been assessed by a speech therapist at the preschool. She
diagnosed, as best she could - we couldn't really keep Jack in the room much
less anything like on-task - a severe expressive language delay and a moderate
receptive language delay. Six weeks, later when off wheat products, he was reassessed
by the same speech pathologist, using the part of the test that Jack had not
done due to being non-cooperative. This time he seemed to have no significant
receptive language delay and was only mildly delayed in his expressive
language. She said she had never seen a child change so dramatically within
such a short period of time. … It took this family another year to discover
that their child’s problem was not the wheat in bread, but the preservative
calcium propionate.
[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.
[389]
Aspartame made me very sick (March 2006)
I have been unwell for a few years with many mysterious and varied
complaints. I experienced a bout of Optic Neuritis in March 2004. I was
hospitalised with a possible MS diagnosis. It's a long story but I was
researching a link between my maladies and a toxin as a possible cause of my
health complaints when I came across aspartame and its numerous effects on
health. My problems I believe can be related to the vast quantities of Diet
Coke I was drinking, 1.25 litres every second day and I was addicted to this
stuff. Diet coke was my preferred drink. I also had lots of sugarfree chewing
gum, pocket breath strips, diet foods etc. Coke and Wrigley say its safe
because FSANZ say it is. I deleted aspartame from my diet in Sept 2004 and my
symptoms have gone or abated at the least. I was put on a nasty anti-depressant
as well back in March so life was a struggle. I have avoided all aspartame
since Sept 2004 and got off the anti-depressant in Nov 2004 and am slowly
feeling like my old self. I know aspartame did terrible things to me and I hope
I have not suffered permanent damage. I fear for our kids. - Andrea, by email
[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]
[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]
[386]
Effects of ‘sugar-free” polyols (January 2006)
A few months ago I started chewing sugar free chewing gum several times a
day and since then, my stomach has been almost continuously bloated. On
occasions the amount of gas in my stomach is so extreme that I have to force
myself to burp to relieve the pressure in my stomach - Male, 30s,
I was suffering with a sort of what I thought was "gastritis",
causing extreme obnoxious embarrassing gas and bloating, and after an hour or
two, constant gas every 10 minutes for hours and hours .... it was so bad I
wanted to run away from myself, I know that’s funny but it was quite
disgusting, the doctors told me I had a spastic colon but I noticed the
"health" food candy bars I thought were healthy had sorbitol and my
stomach feels perfect since I've been reading the labels and staying away from
the sorbitol - female, 30s, USA, sorbitol, daily
I ate 5 caramels that I thought were safe because they were free of
artificial colours and other additives. A few hours later I had excruciating
stomach pains and sudden diarrhea – female, 40s,
[385]
160b: “anaphylactic reaction” to annatto (January 2006)
I am a 30 year old Nurse living in the
[384]
160b: “rage and headbanging” from annatto (January 2006)
My daughter has been exhibiting rage and headbanging that has has
progressed over the last 9 months with many other symptoms . After I dsicovered
your website I eliminated annatto a week ago and the headbanging diminished but
has not disappeared. Annatto was in her vitamins and granola bars that she
consumed daily. It was also in many other items that she consumed such as ice
cream, Doritos, salad dressing. I am now
eliminating all additives you recommend to avoid. -
[383]
160b: “banging his head against a brick wall” (January 2006)
My son used to bang his head when he was little. He's 12 now and we are
doing the diet for his behaviour. After the annatto challenge he started
banging his head against a brick wall for about half an hour. When he stopped
he told us that he had a headache so bad that banging his head seemed to be the
only way to make it feel better. -
[382]
635: Irritable bowel symptoms (December 2005)
A few weeks ago I started having a Continental Low Carb instant soup
every day. I knew the 635 was in there, but thought I didn't react to it. BIG
mistake. No doubt you're expecting a description of the rash and swelling. Yes,
I did get those, but not until week 2.
In week 1 my stomach progressively got sicker and sicker. By the end of
the week I could only lie on the lounge and visit the loo. The doctor diagnosed
mild food poisoning that turned into a very nasty stomach bug. Antibiotics and no food for three days
cleared the bug. So what did I do? I had a miso soup from a local Japanese
restaurant. A few hours later my stomach started going odd again and I began to
itch. By that night the typical 635 rash and unbearable itch had set in. For
some bizarre reason I didn't think of 635 with the miso. The next day I had one
of those damn instant soups again and of course the same thing happened but
worse.
Needless to say I have ditched the soup and banned 635. My son is
actually quite pleased because one of the things that make him itch makes Mummy
itch, so he feels a little less alone about it. The itch and rash have gone,
but my lips are still very dry and cracked. But I have LEARNT MY LESSON! –
Megan NSW.
[381]
One liners (November 2005)
A big thank you for your recent informative and inspiring seminar, I
bought your book ‘Fed Up with Asthma’ that night and have not been able to put
it down - Qld
My son was a chronic biter and after seeing several shows on TV about the
additive 282 I took him off that bread and he stopped biting. - by email
My little girl child is diagnosed with autism and in the last two weeks
I've eliminated all of these numbers from her diet and she's already looking
healthier. - WA
I am continuing to stick to low sals vegies and I think it has made a big
difference for my son's sneaky poos, his stools are now firm and well formed
and he has been going to the toilet everyday (finally!) - failsafer, Vic
Almost all the bread over here has 282 in it. They call it calcium
propionate and everyone thinks it's calcium. Trickers!!! - failsafer,
Thanks for talking to my 8 yo daughter when she came to your presentation
here last year. She still remembers being a ‘Star’ for a day and it helps with
her acceptance of what we ask of her with diet. - failsafer, Vic
I got your book ‘fed up’ a few years ago and since then I have tried the
diet off and on but never with much success due to a lack of commitment on my
part. My sister had real success with her daughter on the diet. Having recently
reevaluated how my children react to food chemicals, I am intending to do the
diet again. - by email
When I read your book ‘Fed Up’ I wished that I had read it when my
children were younger. I spent thousands of dollars and hours at doctors. In
the end I worked everything out for myself and some doctors admitted that I
knew more than they did (and some doctors did not admit they were wrong). - Qld
Some days my 16 month old daughter was very hyperactive, followed by a
horrendous temper. Your books have saved me - she has been on the elimination
diet for 3 weeks now, and I have fallen in love with her all over again, she’s
the angel I always knew I had. - by email
[380]
635: Lasted two weeks and was agony (November 2005)
Recently I suffered an extremely itchy rash that kept me up at night and
became very inflamed and sore from scratching. I consulted the doctor and all
he could tell me was that it was a rash, and it could be a virus. That was all
he could tell me. That and he asked if I'd ever had chicken pox ... this rash
was nothing like a chicken pox rash. The rash itself lasted two weeks and was
agony, to say the least. I still bear marks on my arms from scratching. I went
through the usual what did you eat routine and nothing out of the ordinary -
although I did have Hungry Jack’s in the 30 hour time frame.
(Later) As I tend to avoid most overprocessed foods, I can honestly say
that my rash after 3 weeks is much better. The rash I developed was small,
intensely itchy bumps over my stomach and back, and my arms. These bumps were
constantly itchy, antihistamines helped but did not alleviate much. I couldn't
sleep and felt irritable although that
had a lot to do with no sleep. However I still have some marks on my arms where
I scratched too hard - reader by email.
[379] Behaviour
due to hairspray, airfreshener (November 2005)
I stopped wearing hairspray about 6 months ago when we went totally
failsafe and saw great results with our children's behaviour. Two weeks ago I
was going out without the kids, so after putting them to bed I sprayed on some
Sunsilk hairspray and liked the way it looked. So the next day I did it again
and within a couple of hours my 3 year old son's behaviour changed. He was
overactive, very fidgety, hitting and kicking, and headbutted his sister hard
enough to give her a blood nose. As time went on he was crying a lot with loud
silly behaviour and wanting demands met immediately. That night he could not
get to sleep. I wore the hairspray for three days not putting two and two
together then we realized it must be the hairspray as their diet is so failsafe
it couldn't be the food he was eating. I stopped wearing hairspray and his
behaviour returned to normal. I have also noticed that when I visit my mum who
uses airfreshener - lots of air
freshener - my son's behaviour deteriorates after a few hours. - Vic
[378] Mr
Revolting due to dairy (November 2005)
Thanks for your Fed Up book which was recommended by the allergy clinic -
we have been searching for years and getting nowhere but now it seems we have
found a large part of the answer to our 6 year old son's behaviour problems. We
are still working through the challenges, but to our surprise, the first
challenge we did (dairy) was a definite FAIL! We almost didn't even eliminate
dairy, because I was sure that was not a problem for him, however I decided to
err on the side of caution and I'm glad I did! He became progressively
grumpier, looked pale, seemed tired and complained of tummy aches. After a
couple of months of beautiful behaviour and no tantrums, we were back to ‘Mr
Revolting’. We are now dairy free again, and it has taken about 10 days for him
to get back to normal. - NSW
[377] I
thought we were low salicylate (breastfed baby) (November 2005)
I cried when I read the stories on breastfeeding babies because that's
our world since my son was born 16 months ago - screaming and arching his back
until sore big farts release all day and night. I thought we were low
salicylate (citrus, broccoli, tomato...) but it turns out it's all the things
we were eating - grapes, watermelon, spinach - a difference is already obvious
since cutting out high salicylates. -
[376]
One liners (July 2005)
Your work has changed my son’s life – I know you probably hear it from
everyone, but please keep doing what you're doing, it's such important work,
and the fruits of your labor are starting to pay off!
I saw you on A Current Affair last week and started my son on failsafe
foods on Monday -the transformation is amazing - he is so calm!
Going to the supermarket feels good - 'no, nothing in this aisle'... and
saving at the checkout - you didn't mention that the failsafe diet was also
cheap! I think it is the simplicity that I like most, everything used to be
over the top and out of control.
I was searching the internet for bad behaviour when your report came up
and every single symptom you listed described my daughter - I immediately cut
282 out of her diet and the difference in her was almost instant - I am sure
that if I hadn't come across this, the doctors would have labelled her ADHD and
I would be none the wiser.
My son’s eczema started when we introduced solids – having started
reading your book I can see all kinds of foods he currently eats which may be
causing a reaction so we’re about to try the elimination diet.
After seven weeks on the failsafe diet, we are much improved - I feel
great, my 7 year old no longer wets the bed or has accidents, my 9 year old is
no longer depressed and I can actually read his hand writing!!!
My son is the original sticky-pooh boy since introduction of solids and I
have never understood why until now so thank you.
I have taken my son to psychologists, school counsellors, child nurse,
hearing and ENT specialists, optometrists, etc, been through the ‘why is our
son the naughtiest and roughest in school?’, ‘why is our son so defiant and
angry?’ then I saw A Current Affair and followed the link to your site - bought
the book the next day, read it, totally gobsmacked that there was a name for my
son's behaviour, glad it wasn't ADD, and now am compiling my shopping list to
try and start a new eating habit for him. Maybe I won't have to sell him after
all!
We have been on the failsafe diet for nearly three and have had excellent
results for the whole family - I have had no pre-menstrual migraines, my 18
month old’s eczema all but disappeared and my three year old's behaviour has
changed dramatically.
[375]
Sick and tired of asthma (July 2005)
I purchased your book earlier this year as I was well and truly sick of
asthma and many other health problems like chronic sinus and hayfever, period
problems, varied stomach problems and lethargy. I found out that I am
intolerant to gluten, salicylates, amines, preservatives and some other
additives. I want to thank you so much for your book - it has changed my life.
I am not fully better but I can now breathe and have so much energy, no stomach
troubles, minimal hayfever and I haven't been sick since I started the diet. I
just wish doctors would tell their patients about trying different diets to
help asthma - I could have done with knowing years ago! - Rosemaree Skelton.
[374] A
word from Jack (July 2005)
My 8 yr old son Jack, who is the failsafer in our house, watched you on a
Current Affair on Monday night
He said, “Is that the lady whose food I eat? The one that wrote the
book?"
I told him yes, that's her, why?
He answered, “I’d like to met her!'
"Why?" I asked.
"To thank her for helping me".
It bought a tear to my eye. I said I'd let you know. It's great to know
that the hard work, consistency and the occasional battles have been won and he
now acknowledges the change himself. So thank you Sue from Jack and the rest of
the family.
[373] No
significant asthma in 10 months (July 2005)
I bought a copy of "Fed Up With Asthma" about 10 months ago.
Since then I have been avoiding the food additives highlighted on your card and
have had no significant asthma.
You argument seems to fit in perfectly with my history. I grew up in
England and developed mild asthma as an adult. This was generally triggered by
cats, house dust or overexertion. I moved to New Zealand, where my asthma got
much worse. My doctor told me that this was due to the cold, damp Wellington
climate.
I moved to Belgium in 2000. Despite living in a colder and damper climate
I had no asthma in Belgium. During this time I drank very little wine,
preferring the traditional local beers. I also consumed far fewer food
additives just by being there. For example bread lasts less than a day as the
bakers are fiercely traditional in their methods. The same is true of most
other food providers.
On returning to New Zealand in 2004, the asthma started to return. This
was despite living in sunny Nelson. I knew that it must have been caused by
something regional. Your book helped me to identify the problem as bad food
additives.
This afternoon I was shocked to hear an expert on asthma and allergies on
Radio New Zealand re-iterating the old message about kids not eating enough
dirt. I must have eaten loads as a kid. When I called in he insisted that there
was no link to food additives, except perhaps sulphite in wine as a trigger.
There is obviously still some way to go. Please keep up the good work! - by email from NZ
[372]
Fifteen minutes later the paed prescribes Ritalin – I was furious (July 2005)
My seven year old so has been having behaviour problems since he started
school. Earlier this year a child
psychologist assessed him with a very high performance IQ but a much lower
verbal IQ, so obviously there are learning difficulties although because of his
high IQ these have not become apparent yet although there are some signs such
as very poor spelling yet an excellent reader.
After some very long and exasperating conversations with the teacher and
principal, I took Josh and his reports off to his paediatrician for help. The
report explained that Josh doesn’t have ADHD but does display ADHD behaviour.
Fifteen minutes later the paed prescribes Ritalin, a six week trial each school
day, then see how we go! I am absolutely, to the core, dead set against this
medication. In my heart of hearts I couldn’t give it to him. I was furious with
the paed and decided to see our GP for further choices.
Next day, I spent one hour in the room with GP. I explained my feelings
toward medication for what I truly believe is unnecessary for him and asked
about diet. Same answer: six weeks Ritalin then take it from there.
Well, the day before this I came across your book Fed Up with ADHD at our
local Big W. At the time I thought "interesting" but let’s see what
the doctors say. Well, needless to say that evening after two doctors, and two
"not happy with that” solutions, I called my husband and asked him to pick
it up on the way home and read it in three days. But first thing next day
skipped to the diet section and immediately introduced our family to failsafe
foods.
We have been all five on the diet for the last twelve days and all five
of us are seeing/feeling results. Some I didn’t even realise how bad they were
pre failsafe. But -Joshua’s behaviour has improved so much! He is more
compliant at school. He is getting his school work done with far less
opposition. The changes in him are definitely due to the diet. The general
disposition of everyone in the house is much calmer. It is actually OK for all
of us to go out in public and not be constantly at the boys to calm down,
behave, and stop fighting. I discovered that Josh can actually sit at the table
and eat dinner like the rest of the human race, not with head, feet, knees
anything but his bottom, on the chair. I have to agree with one case in
"Fed Up" that I am spending an awful lot of time in the kitchen, but
the kids are really adapting well to the food even the nightly meal. They are
eating stuff they wouldn’t have touched before, even thought they were on very
healthy limited processed foods. I just wanted to tell you that your books have
been a light at the end of a very long windy tunnel and that your thoughts in
the book give us hope that our square peg may not have to be shoved in the
round hole after all. Thanks you again so much. - by email
[371] A
reaction to instant noodles as seen by a psychologist (July 2005)
I am a psychologist working with families who require help with their
children’s behaviour. I have done a number of home visits with a particular
family where the mother is honestly as close to the "perfect parent"
as you will ever get. There is nothing I can offer her as a psych in terms of
behaviour management, as she is doing everything exactly as I'd recommend. The
child I am seeing is four and has Asperger's. His sister, who mum thinks is
harder to cope with because she is more unpredictable, is 7ish and has ODD
behaviours but not all the time - the kind of kid who goes from angel to
nightmare "for no apparent reason". I recently did a home visit and I
have never seen anything like it. The girl was sitting there with me chatting
away happily, fantastic manners, considerate, playing with her younger brother
which such patience etc. Mum fed her homebrand two minute noodles with chicken
seasoning ... I kid you not, within 15 minutes, this little angel turned into a
whining, defiant, out of it kid who was climbing on furniture, pushing and
hitting her brother, screaming in frustration at absolutely nothing and
demanding more noodles. She traced some
numbers and mum was taken back by her carelessness and messy job, which she
said occurs periodically. It was quite astounding, and I wish I had been able
to get that on camera! - by email.
[370]
Asthma and benzoates in medication (July 2005)
After hearing about sodium benzoate in asthma medication at your
presentation recently I was a bit shocked, and sure enough it was there in my
son’s medication - standard Ventolin Sugar Free Oral Liquid used for under
fives. I talked to my GP about my son’s asthma and that the preservative that
can cause asthma was in the medication and he was extremely shocked.
My son had suddenly developed asthma when he was two months old, just
after his first immunisation shot - although at that age they don't call it
asthma. When the asthma finally went away we got the second shot. After that he
frequently stopped breathing and was on so much medication we took turns at
sitting up with him through the night. Finally we decided that the medication
wasn't working constantly enough and took him off it without telling the doctor
– and our son slowly got better. He would still have small attacks on occasions
so after my husband read your book he decided we should try diet. We noticed
there was a difference when we found some sultanas that didn't contain
sulphites.
We were doing great and had almost six months free of any medication then
last week our son developed an ear infection and was put on Amoxil antibiotics
and Panadol for pain, both containing sodium benzoate. Within three days he had
an asthma episode. After much enquiry I have found that sodium benzoate is in
almost every single baby medication including pain medication (often along with
artificial colours and flavours. Our pharmacist said that the small amount of
sodium benzoate couldn't possibly create a reaction like asthma, it's unheard
of, and as sodium benzoate is so effective as a preservative it is the most
commonly used preservative in medication today and likely to be in the future. God help us!! – mother from Qld. [See the article Asthma worsened by benzoate
contained in some antiasthmatic drugs, by Balatsinou L and others, Int J
Immunopathol Pharmacol, 2004 ;17(2):225-6: "Drug and food additives are
known to induce pseudo-allergic reactions such as urticaria, eczema, asthma and
rhinitis. These reactions are often under-diagnosed, above all in allergic
patients treated with additive containing drugs. On the contrary, attention to
the additives present in some drug formulations and foods may often permit more
correct diagnosis."]
[369]
You didn’t mention the failsafe diet was also cheap (July 2005)
I feel very comfortable with this diet and am not craving anything. Not
even chocolate! I emptied the pantry and fridge of everything that wasn't
failsafe and gave it all away. (it was heaps). I cook our biscuits and cakes
and meals, of course, and it just feels right. Going to the supermarket feels
good - 'no, nothing in this isle'....... 'no, nothing in this isle'...... and saving at the checkout! You didn't
mention that the failsafe diet was also cheap! I 'd call it the poor mans
diet. I think it is the simplicity that
I like most, it's as if everything was just over the top and out of control.
Food adverts on the TV make me really cranky now, it is similar to being a
reformed smoker, I am now a reformed eater. I am not as conflicted as I was before
regarding my son 'missing out’. It really is a lifestyle change and I think
I've been wanting that for some years but just didn't have the will power to go
'healthy'. (Actually 'healthy' always made me sick). I have been saying to my
partner for five years, if I could find a diet that was healthy and agreed with
me, I would stick to it for life - I think I've found it!
[368]
One liners (March 2005)
My husband
has severe and crippling arthritis - the failsafe diet has given him relief and
mobility. – by email, NZ
For nearly two years
I was being pushed to medicate my child, then I went to a dietitian and got
the elimination diet and we found the answer - by email
Regarding flavour enhancer 635, I have had three
reactions to this substance, it is in Lays Flamin’ Hot Chips and Flamin’ Hot
Munchies, it caused me within minutes to break out in a rash on my face, neck,
and anywhere else I had touched on my body. It went away the next day but
really scared me this time. – by email
It'll be
nice to talk to someone who doesn't think I am being a rigid wowser bent on
making my children’s life difficult! – by email, about meeting another
failsafer
We could
not believe the change in my 11 year old son’s mood as a result of the diet –
he was suffering from frequent feelings of depression, accompanied by episodes
of weeping and rage at the same time and an anti-depressant was a disaster.
After six months, depression is a thing of the past. – by email
My dad sent me Fed
up with ADHD from Australia and I have read it again and again. With the exception
of the sleeping difficulties it was like reading a biography of my 8 year old
son – by email,
Until I read your excellent book Fed Up with Asthma I
had no idea food additives could trigger asthma, even as a sufferer all my
life. The guidance of my invaluable local GP and your exceptional book have
helped me to bring my asthma under control. – by email
When we went to see a paediatrician 18 months ago she
wanted to give us two types of drugs for both kids. If she had mentioned diet I
wouldn't have been calling you people with such desperation now. – by email
On two occasions I have been admitted to hospital with
breathlessness and suspected symptoms of heart attack - on both occasions,
after extensive tests, no abnormalities were found. I was quite surprised to read in your book
the instance of the doctor who had a similar experience. – failsafer, by
email
My 7 year old has gotten two merit awards in two weeks
and I have nothing but praise about her from her teachers. She has been
following the diet since December and although she still needs the Ritalin I
find she is much better than last year. - email
I have
osteo-arthritis which is much less painful if I adhere to the diet – if I
inadvertently eat something that upsets me, I become overwhelmingly weary, my
arthritis flares up and I can get bloating and irritable bowel symptoms. l
often say in jest, " I cheat! I pay!" – by email
I have had
unexplained nausea for years now, foggy brain so bad that I would forget what I
was saying, and felt really tired all the time, sometimes needing two sleeps a
day. After one month on the diet all this has gone, I expected it to improve on
the diet but never thought it would stop completely. – by email
Thanks to
your work and for your ongoing support, life at our house has improved
enormously. – by email
As for convincing my family that diet is important, we
would show them the eczema the day it looked the worst, and they would be
convinced! – by email,
My cousin is 4 weeks into the failsafe
diet and is reporting great effects for herself and two daughters (one with
ASD) – by email.
My husband said that your book has helped us more than
any doctor ever has. – by email
[367]
Sneaking food at school (March 2005)
I scheduled a meeting with my kids last night and we
made up a temptations bag and a truth bag with non food goodies inside e.g. 1/2
hour extra bed time, 1/2 hour extra computer time, game of bowling. They all
responded very well and the confessions came out, they were similar to what I
thought. Just before bed I reaffirmed how proud of my son I was for his honesty
and he got a massive case of the guilts and fessed up to lots more sneaks,
redskin, food on excursion from other kids such as salad wrap, black jelly
beans, chocolates etc. He said all the kids love my FS muffins and were happy
to swap. – by email
[366] “My babies woke up 8 times
every night” (March 2005)
A friend
gave me your book "Fed up" to read and I simply can't believe the
difference it has made to our lives. I have four children. Three of them
have been terrible sleepers right from birth. I have spent a week at Tresillian
house with my 3rd child, where he was handed back to me at the end of the week
unchanged. My babies all woke up on average 8 times every night and I have been
so sleep deprived over the past 8 years that I became postnatal. I have a
Degree in Early Childhood and have worked as a Director in a Pre-School for
many years, and thought that I could control their behaviour by employing
techniques acquired through professional training. It was frustrating to find
that I couldn't cope. My first child was such a shock! I simply couldn't leave
the house with him.
This book
came in time for my 4th and final child. My daughter fell into the same
terrible broken night sleep pattern as the others. After struggling for 8
months, she did start to settle down, waking perhaps once a night. This
was great until I started her, at age 10 months, on bread. She immediately
returned to night waking - for no apparent reason - and also had a clear runny
nose. I found that the bread she was having had 282 in it. SO we stopped
feeding it to her. Within a couple of nights she again settled down to a
peaceful nights' sleep! AND her nose cleared up! I can't believe that it could
have been that simple!
My question
to you regards my children when they were babies, constantly struggling to
sleep - could this additive (calcium propionate, 282) have been passed on
to the baby through my breastmilk, causing a similar reaction???
[365] 635:
Swollen, blistered and bleeding lips from ribonucleotides (635) (March 2005)
The symptom first appeared when I had taken my eight
year old son to KFC. There was chicken salt on the chips. 48 hours later, he had woken with extremely
swollen lips, they had peeled, split and were bleeding. He had obviously been
bleeding in his sleep as well. I freaked
at the thought of what could have happened that night.
After the process of "what did we have in the
past couple of day”, I narrowed it down to the chicken salt. I warned my
family, close friends and even my neighbours of what I believed to be an
allergic reaction and purchased the Food Additives booklet from a health food
store.
I came across this problem again with Kraft BBQ
shapes, we used to eat these all time as a snack instead of lollies etc. I don't know whether or not they have changed
their contents but we now can't eat them. His reaction time was again 48 hours.
However, the next time it happened, his reaction time
had reduced to 1 - 2 hours. He was at a
neighbour’s son's birthday party, and I warned the mother of my son’s possible
allergic reaction. The party lasted for
roughly 2 hours. When my son came home, I could see his lips growing as he
walked towards me. They were blistering on the inside and bleeding. I
immediately asked the mother what she had at the party and found that the
cheese sticks she had given them had 635 in it. I immediately gave him some
Polaramine Syrup and his Seretide Puffer and drove him straight to the doctors,
amazingly the polaramine had seemed to somewhat control the reaction.
The doctor could see his reaction. His fingers also
started to pimple and blister. It was then that I was given a referral to a
paediatrician. The doctor was also concerned that my son might be suffering
from Stevens Johnson Syndrome
By this time my head is spinning. I believe that I
could lose my son at the drop of a hat due to the powers that be allowing these
chemicals into our foods. – by email
[364] Uncontrollable rages – 9 year old
would constantly try to hurt himself
(March 2005)
My 9 year old son
started on the failsafe diet 3 months ago and his is teacher this year said it is
like having a totally different child in the class. Before the diet it was
impossible to live peacefully. He would have uncontrollable tantrums that would
last hours where he would scream, cry, kick, headbang etc and we didn't know
what would set him off. When he was going through these rages he would
constantly try to hurt himself and kept screaming at me that he was no good, he
was a bad boy and I'd be better off with another little boy - it broke my heart
every time it happened. I think the longest both of us went without any sleep
because of a 'rage' was three days.
The crunch came when
he went off at school after lunch one day and it took me hours to calm him down
and then time to pacify the school. We were both at our wits end. When I
decided that we needed to go failsafe I totally cleaned out my pantry and
freezer of everything that wasn't 'safe' and went shopping. My son has adapted
really well to the new foods and never complains about it. Because I had no
angry foods in the house neither of us looked for them and my son was content
to eat what was available. He now sticks strictly to the diet and will not eat
anything unless he reads the label first and if he doesn't understand the label
he says no because mum hasn't said he could have it and he doesn't know if it's
'safe'.
I am so proud of him
today. From a child who was on the verge of being expelled from Year 3 to a
happy one in just over 3 months is amazing. It is a joy to get him from school
each day as he always comes out skipping/running and grinning like a busted
watermelon - no more tears. He has told me more than once he is feeling better
now he is not so angry all the time. We are one very grateful household. –
by email
[363] Vulnerable new mothers (March 2005)
Before the diet, my son presented with headaches, itchy skin (in elbows, on legs, usually scratching until it bleeds), black circles under his eyes, "jumpy" behaviour, irritability, day and night pants wetting, pains in the tummy and awful loose bowel motions, blocked ears and sleep apnoea as well as incessant snorting and inability to breathe at night. As a baby he had eczema, colic, could not sleep and fussed with breast milk from 4 months ... somebody needs to support vulnerable new mothers to help their fussy kids, not make it worse by shoving disguised dairy foods (or whatever the particular issue is) down their throats, and then advise the mother to let them scream it out because they obviously have us fooled with sleeping and behaviour problems! – by email
[362]
Generally unwell throughout life (March 2005)
I am a retired RN and I have three daughters and three
young granddaughters. Throughout my life I have visited many doctors
complaining of bowel problems, nausea, vomiting and feeling generally unwell,
only to be told on frequent occasions and after many investigations, that it
was all in my head. As a child I can recall frequently feeling very unwell and
being diagnosed as having had "bilious attacks', however I can now
attribute the cause of these episodes to an intolerance to natural food
chemicals.
Because I enjoy cooking I often browse through recipe
books in the shops and this is how, some years ago, I came across a copy of
'Friendly Food'. After browsing through it I realised that this book described
symptoms which sounded very like mine. Maybe it wasn't in my head after all! I
requested a referral from my GP to RPAH Allergy Clinic and after undertaking
the elimination diet, my dietician at
the clinic concluded that I was very sensitive to salicylates and I also had
some milder reactions to quite a few other substances but not amines.
It is now quite a few years since I was diagnosed and I
am delighted that there is now a website and also your great Failsafe Cookbook
for guidance. The oldest of my granddaughters has recently been
"tamed" from oppositional defiance disorder by using the Failsafe
Diet. She is now quite a different child, no longer having restless legs,
eczema, or being uncontrollable or defiant. Although she is only five years old
she is quite happy to comply with the failsafe food because she now feels so
much better. My three daughters all recognise that they do have problems with
some foods so it appears that I have unfortunately handed down the problem to
both generations.
I am now without too many problems although trying to
modify my diet when I attended Weight Watchers was a bit of challenge. However,
I did eventually manage to lose 10kg. When travelling to UK and the States I
have always come home feeling very much the worse for wear due to food
intolerances so I am delighted to see that there are now failsafe contacts
overseas should I venture forth again one day. Getting people to understand
food intolerances is always a problem and I am now quite used to being asked to
say exactly what food items I am allergic to and then I try, often without
success, to explain the difference between food intolerances and allergy. I am
sure that your glossy brochures will be very useful for this. - Jane Hoad, NSW
[361] Asthma and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin
Deficiency (March 2005)
I got
asthma for the first time four years ago. At that time, I didn't know what
was happening and it took me about two hours to breathe properly again. After my
second asthma attack I went to the doctor and my peakflow reading was only 160
- anything under 200, you should be in hospital. I spent about $3000
trying to find out was wrong. I went to ear, nose and throat specialists,
respiratory specialists etc. Finally I got the diagnosis of asthma,
chronic allergic rhinosinusitis and I found out later by a blood test that
I had alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD) – a genetic enzyme deficiency
that can cause lung disease.
I have your
books Fed Up, Fed Up with Asthma and the Failsafe Cookbook - all
brilliant!!!! And I I have not been sick
since I started the elimination diet. The only doctors’ visits I have
needed have been to get approval to reduce the medication. When I first
developed asthma, I was put on a preventer which I took 4 times a day. Later
they put me on a stronger preventer (Symbicort 200/6 turbohaler). After the
diet, when I cut down my preventer medication to half (2 puffs a day) my
peakflow readings never went below 400. When I had a peakflow reading of
500, I decided to reduce it again with the approval of my doctor. I felt
so good the next day I decided not to take the preventer medication at night, I
now only take the 1 puff of preventer in the morning.
Through the
diet, I have found that I react to all the food you say sensitive people
might react to: MSG, nitrates, salicylates, amines, colours, preservatives and
dairy foods, although MSG is the worst. I do gluten free, egg free baking
because I found out my 5 year old is dairy/gluten intolerant and my 6 year
old reacts to eggs - they are affected by everything else like me and my 7 year
old is also affected by antioxidants. I am also intolerant to chemicals
and had very bad side effects from the contraceptive pill.
I hope that
other people will achieve the results I have as it has made a huge change in my
life, and as a bonus, I have lost 15 kg! – Tracy Grove, NZ
[360] 282: Biting related to bread
preservative (March 2005)
My 14 month old daughter is a wonderful and very
loving little girl who NEVER bites. However, recently she bit me twice for no
reason and I realised that each time it was after I bought a different brand of
bread with 282 in it, so I waited a while and then gave it to her again - and
sure enough, she bit me again! – reader, NSW
[359]
Meggan’s story: eczema related to sulphites (March 2005)
I put my nearly two year old
daughter on the failsafe diet about 18 months ago for her severe eczema. Since her
symptoms were so bad we went gluten free as well but she actually got worse. It
wasn’t until she improved on the wheat challenge that I realized the sulphites
in the gluten free flours had been affecting her. She still didn’t come
completely right and eventually we realized she was affected by sulphites in
our bore water (we live on a farm). Then about three weeks ago I gave her a
Pascall's white marshmallow and after a two hour sleep she woke with a very
itchy rash covering a large part of her body. I believe it was caused by the
sulphites in the gelatine in that one marshmallow. Since then we have stopped
her sago and soy icecream (due to the sulphites in sago and gelatine) and I
believe she is now completely sulphite free. Her skin is now perfect. – reader,
Qld
[358] 'Worst Christmas Day’ letter
(December 2004)
'I read as much
as I could on the internet site and ordered your books after a very very BAD
Christmas Day with my son Nathan (not his real name). Although we really
don't eat that much junk, I was surprised at the number of bad additives in
ordinary food. In particular, Christmas goodies are laden with additives!'
As well as
additives, Christmas treats of dried fruit and seasonal summer fruits are high
in natural food chemicals called salicylates, likely to be a big problem for
oppositional kids. I asked Nathan's mother for more details. Luckily, there's a
happy ending. Here's her fascinating story:
'On
Christmas morning, Nathan (12) was in already in a bad mood. The day before, he
had pigged out on grapes and plums - but I didn't really think at that time
that that could have been the issue - I mean they were healthy!!! We also had
Grandma staying with us, and I think she probably spoiled them a little during
her stay with lollies and soft drinks.
On
Christmas Day, we were at the other grandparents' place and Nathan's behaviour
was getting worse. He was eating the normal Christmas food - chips (BBQ and
Sour Cream and Chives), mixed lollies, but particularly red and green M&Ms,
rumballs with lots of raisins and dried fruit, plum pudding, custard
(artificial colours 110 & 102), sausages, and drinking cans of soft drink
one after the other.
Nathan was
egging the other boys on to create havoc. After a couple of time outs things
seemed to be OK.We were ignoring the bad and hoping that he would come to his
senses and enjoy the day.When he sat next to me to look at some old photos, I
suggested to him that he needed to apologise (BAD MISTAKE!!). He didn't think
he had to and threw a temper tantrum and a chair to the ground. Poppy decided
that enough was enough and proceeded to smack him (BIGGER MISTAKE!!).Needless
to say the smacking did nothing but fire poor Nathan up and he decided to run
away.
The last
time he ran away, it took me nearly 3 hours to find him and he had travelled
nearly 15kms. This time luckily it didn't take that long. We had a cool down
time together and I managed to get him back to Grandma's in a quiet, subdued
mood.
It was
Christmas Eve that I ordered your books, after crying out of frustration and
despair. They arrived in the new year, and after reading the books, I think
that there were two things that triggered it off - one was the pigging out on
that fruit and the other was all that junk food.
We didn't
go the whole hog with elimination diet - at this stage - but what we have done
is followed the 'additives to avoid' card and also limited the types of fruit,
sticking mainly with red delicious apples, pears and Cavendish bananas. For the
last four weeks of the school holidays, all 4 of our boys (and us) enjoyed a
peaceful school holidays. They still argue like boys do, but are not spiteful
or aggressive - they're more likely to settle it peacefully.
So now I
make bikkies, sausage rolls (which all the boys and hubby love) and I even make
my own cordial. Generally if they have something with additives we can see the
difference the next day ... Nathan develops a 'hard done by' attitude, and
starts yelling at his brothers. He was probably the worst of the four boys, but
all had their bad days.
Best of all
is that Nathan is smiling more now - he used to be such a misery guts. We've
also switched to A2 milk as both the boys had to have soy formula milk when
they were little. I noticed the difference in one of the others when we didn't
bother to get it one week - he was cranky and irritable. As well, their asthma
seems to have disappeared.
I am now
convinced of the diet. Even hubby who was initially sceptical but supportive -
he knew that something needed to be done - is convinced, and happy to eat his
'bad' food away from home.' - by email
[357]
282: A typical email about the effects of 282 (December 2004)
I have
taken my 3yo son off all commercial bread products (it's become quite a crusade
for me!) with marvelous results. He was going to be assessed for autistic
disorders in a few weeks, but since taking him off 282 he has changed (he talks
now! and his behaviour is so much better) and I know that his paediatrician
will be amazed at his progress. At 18 months my son was only just babbling, and
was considered to have the language skills of a 9 month old. After 6 months of
speech therapy he was starting to mimic animal noises with prompting. By 27
months he had he had just two words - mummy and no. At 30 months I took him off
commercial bread and at 34 months, he just started talking one day. At 36
months (last week) he now has the normal vocabulary of a 3 - 3.5 year old, and
the understanding of language of a 4 year old. He is still having problems with
actual speech, he only uses 2 word phrases most of the time and stutters
occasionally, but the change in him in 4 months was amazing. He also has less
tantrums, sleeps better and is generally easier to get along with. - by
email
[356]
One-liners (Nov 2004)
- When I was little I was told to take antihistamines every day for
the rest of my life for a persistent itchy throat, but after months of
failsafe I have finally worked out that even minute amounts of salicylates
are the problem. - WA
- The possibility of missing out on the wonderful information I
receive through your newsletter is just unthinkable - it has saved my life
... not just my sanity! – by email
- Logan Farm Guilt Free (oven)
Fries are such a great item ... my take-away ... LOL - Vic
- I have just read your book
"Fed Up" after it was recommended by my son's childcare teacher
- I was in tears after reading the first page of your first chapter, as it
was like looking in to a mirror.- SA
- The closest restaurant to our
hotel in LA was a Denny’s, but we had to stop eating there when I
developed a rash all over my body half an hour after our meal – and they
actually provide children with artificial colour sachets to change the
colour of their lemonade … WHAT THE ??? - Failsafer visiting the
- Discovering the failsafe diet
has changed our lives: we have read Fed Up and the Failsafe Cookbook,
most, if not all, of the newsletters, and we are on the Failsafe USA list
and Failsafe 3 - we have had our mistakes and struggles, but we have had
so much success with our very difficult 4 year old son that we continually
strive to get it right. -
- Thank you for coming to our
town and pointing us in the right direction - we now have a dairy-free
happy child who has not seen a doctor in about month except the
paediatrician - it was the best he had ever seen her, even her speech has
improved. – NSW
- First let me tell you how
impressed and grateful I am: I work with children with autism, ADD and
learning difficulties and the best way to tell people about the effects of
what their children eat is to lend them one of your books. – WA
- We're on day 2 of the elimination diet today, and all is going well
- your Failsafe Cookbook is fantastic with bits of info all through which
seem to answer questions as they come into your mind. – NZ
- Our son is such a fussy eater
that we didn’t give him enough salicylates during the salicylate challenge
– we concluded he could tolerate moderate to high salicylates and it has
taken us months to recognise that he is noticeably better on low
salicylates - Vic
- My dreadful rash has almost cleared up as long as I avoid ‘the 600
numbers’
- Our yellow colouring (102) challenge was like going back to the
dark ages – my daughter was moody, angry, cried for nothing eg. being told
to move, stop screaming etc, she was aggressive, confrontational,
"raaahed" at me and her sister, spat and threw things at us, cut
off her 2 year old sister’s hair and woke next morning still in a bad
mood. - WA
- My 18 month old son is generally a quiet little guy, until the last
two afternoons when I gave him chicken in a biscuit – both days his
behaviour changed after about half an hour, he was running around the
house yelling loudly, his breathing was very intense and he was a totally
different child - I am amazed that it is legal to use additives that can
do this to children.- by email
- We gave our 5 year old failsafe daughter a mandarin as a treat –
there were no behavioural changes, but the next day she was unable do read
properly and all her numbers were written back to front – it really makes
you appreciate what some of these kids go through on a daily basis. -
NSW
- Our three and a half year old son is a lovely child with a few
difficulties when on failsafe food but before diet, he had enough symptoms
to class him as autistic: little or no eye contact, spent hours alone
fixated with various objects ie string, sand, wouldn't accept hugs or show
affection, constant tantrums, his development regressed a lot from about
18 months or 2 years with regard to loss of speech, and for quite a while
he said only one word repetitively, as well as severe reflux, diarrhoea,
eczema and sleep disturbance. - Qld
- I didn't even think that my son's behaviour and symptoms could be
caused by food. Now I've been eliminating, I can see why. Most of his
reactions (eg to colours) are delayed by at least a day, if not two.-
by email.
- I have often thought that my children’s academic success
- Our Beagle dog’s seizures are related to ribonucleotides (flavour
enhancer 635). – SA
- My four year old autistic son’s pain threshold seems to have
decreased on the diet – he used to be barely aware of pain if he injured
himself, but now responds as any "normal" child would. - NSW
- I just wish I had done this YEARS ago! It is a delight to see my
two kids cooperating and playing nicely with each other as long as they
are eating properly! – by email
[355]
282: Six slices of bread a day (Nov 2004)
I removed the bread
preservative 282 from my 7 year old son's diet after coming across your website
and recognising many of the behavioural problems we were experiencing with him.
He was extremely defiant, flatly refusing to do the simplest thing asked of him
- homework was torture for all involved. He was loud, argumentative, talked
non-stop, very anxious, had frequent bad dreams and was prone to angry
outbursts. Much of this we had grown to live with since he was identified as a
preschooler as being highly gifted but I was increasingly concerned about our
family dynamics as we spent most of our time yelling at him and wondering how
much longer we could survive, and how he was going to cope as he grew older -
and therefore stronger and possibly dangerously violent.
He has always loved bread
and, being a vegetarian, eats a lot of it, averaging six slices a day. The
difference once we started making our own bread was astounding. He immediately became
so much calmer and quieter that my husband asked if he was still in the house
while he was getting ready for school in the mornings. He became much less
defiant and argumentative, was able to stay still while I put his school tie
on, much more polite and affectionate.
It was a lovely change to
have him come home from school and give me a spontaneous hug, which is a very
rare event as he is so sensitive to touch. He also seems to be able to think
more clearly. I removed 282 a few days before the end of term 3 so was able to
monitor changes over the holidays, which were the most pleasant we've ever had.
In the first week of the new term he came home with a merit award for “staying
cool, calm and collected" when faced with a situation which usually would
have had him in tears. That same week he gained a further stamp towards a
different award, and the following week another one for his homework!
As a visual-spatial learner
with a central auditory processing disorder and an IQ in the top 2% he was
probably always going to have trouble fitting into a mainstream school, however
the difference the removal of 282 has made is so marked we are all going to
attempt the failsafe diet.- reader, NSW
[354]
Argument from 160b and a history of headbanging (Nov 2004)
After only one week (and this
was my getting ready to start the diet week) I noticed a definite calmness
about my 7 year old son. Then he finished off some icecream and within an hour
we had a horrible argument which was like his behaviour from the previous week.
I sat and cried this morning as I read the failsafers’ stories and the annatto
160b factsheet on the website. My son used to head bang since about 2 years of
age – and we still have dents in the walls! I have tried for 5/6 years to track
his' diet reactions but they had no rhyme or reason. I just had a psychopath in
training. I had always cooked and used behaviour management but there are
always those telling stares from other parents and friends - I wasn't tough
enough, he was out of control, obviously a single mother working full time
produces this "type' of child etc. I didn’t make the food intolerance
connection until I read your book. - reader, NSW
[353]
Sensitivity to perfumes, jasmine and basmati rice (Nov 2004)
Have just discovered your
website and it's a great relief to find out that I am not the only adult in the
world to have sensitivities (specifically fumes and especially perfumes -
solved by getting off buses, changing carriages or seats in trains, changing
seats in cinemas and theatres; food additives – and the ubiquitous jasmine and
basmati rice - solved by avoiding all Thai/Indian and some other Asian eateries
and even some coffee shops and restaurants.) It's been too long a time whereby
non-sufferers usually laugh at my "discomfort" and disbelieve:
"you're making it up - it's your imagination!" Thank you. - by
email
[352]
‘So much calmer’ (Nov 2004)
First of all let me tell you
how wonderful it was to find your website and help our 4 1/2 year old son (and
the rest of us) lead a much more ‘normal’ life. He's had horrible symptoms of
terrible mood swings, off and on stuttering, biting, spitting, banging his head
against the wall, excessive bedwetting, an extremely loud voice that he
couldn't control, big ‘saucer’ eyes with clenched teeth while running at me to
kick and bite me, would go into hysterics when I would ask him to do the
simplest of tasks such as dressing himself, pulling his hair hard enough to
yank it out of head (and his 14 month old sister's), screaming every name at me
he knew, running behind me from across the room gaining momentum to head butt
me as hard as he could in the back and spine and as we give him a much needed
nap during the day he can't fall asleep until 11:00 pm or midnight!
I’ve ordered your book but
until it arrives I've been making some really wonderful meals and snacks for my
son just from the info on your website… Since introducing the new diet, he's
been basically a new, happier little boy and the mood around the house is SO
MUCH CALMER. -
[351]
‘I cried the whole way through’ (Nov 2004)
I’d like to thank you for sharing
your life and family with the rest of us. I sat and read the book Fed Up with
ADHD from beginning to end and cried the whole way through it. All I kept
thinking was that this was a book about my child (although I didn't have the
baby or sleeping problems) and how I was feeling. It was a relief to know that
it's all normal - for ADHD sufferers. Thanks to you, I can finally feel free. -
SA
[350] Hearing loss and tinnitus from
salicylates (Nov 2004)
I've known for 30 years that I am
salicylate sensitive since suffering temporary hearing loss - and the top of my
head felt numb - after taking one regular full day’s dosage of aspirin (8
tablets in 24 hours) prescribed by my doctor. My symptoms cleared up in several
days after I stopped the aspirin. But it is only recently that I put two and
two together and got four - food salicylates may have played a big role in my
steady hearing loss and increasing tinnitus over the years. I discovered this when I started taking noni
this year and my hearing loss accelerated, I got terrible tinnitus, and my head
felt "funny". Then I
discovered noni may be high in salicylates. - by email
[349]
Sneaky poos (Nov 2004)
Last night I was
"surfing the web" looking for information on sneaky poos (my 6 year
old daughter has had a lifetime of tummy upsets, with sneaky poos being just
one symptom). I typed in sneaky poos
into the search engine and found some pages. As I opened up a few pages, I
found they were all about our family, from the behaviour problems my 7 year old
son has, to the physical problems the rest of us have ... and there was another
common link with the pages ... they were ALL
from your website!! I spent the
next few hours reading reading reading! I know it will be difficult to change our way
of eating so drastically, but you have convinced me it's worth a shot. - Tas
[348]
Hated every day of kindy (Nov 2004)
My son Luke went to kindy for
five terms and hated every day. He escaped quite a few times by jumping the
gates and fences. He wouldn't interact with other children, had a small attention
span and if his teachers said day he would say night. His kindy teachers asked
me to have him assessed so that they could get to have someone to work with him
one. I went along to a paediatrician but I didn't really get a lot of help.
Luke acted like a quiet little angel, so the paediatrician probably thought I
was just some over-reacting mother. My own doctor had said there was no need to
feed Luke bad foods to show the paediatrician what he becomes like or how bad
his skin gets (he has chronic eczema) as the paediatrician would believe me,
but I didn't feel that at all.
Luke has just started at
school this term. A friend gave me your book and it has been a godsend, my
husband said that your book has helped us more than any doctor ever has.
Thankyou so very much for being there for all us lost and desperate parents. -
SA
[347]
Beyond gluten free/casein free (Nov 2004)
My entire family previously
responded well to the Gluten Free/Casein Free diet for about 3 weeks, and then
began to backslide. I was *so* frustrated until I read about amines and
salicylates. Of course, when we went GF/CF we loaded up on fruit, and all the
other "bad foods"! No wonder it seemed to have failed. – reader,
[346]
Nearly failsafe in Norway (Nov 2004)
I grew up on nearly
"failsafe" food in Norway 20 years ago: homemade bread, oat porridge
with sugar, dinner with potatoes every day, meat and fish and a few vegetables.
We ate just half or one piece of fruit every day because fruit was very
expensive then, and we only drank fruit juice or fizzy drinks for Christmas or
birthdays. When I was around 10 years old and got my own pocket money I started
buying sweets with my friends and often felt sad and depressed. My Mum told us
all about how bad junk was, so I stopped eating sweets and felt much better,
and have never touched junk foods again. – reader,
[345]
Additives affect dogs too (Nov 2004)
On a recent veterinary
talkback radio program, a caller had tried all kinds of prescribed medication
for her dog’s constantly itchy skin. When it didn't help she changed vets. The
new vet suggested avoiding foods with preservatives and colouring and to add
fish to the diet. Within a month the condition had improved and the dog had
also lost three kilograms - it was a breed that is prone to put on weight. - Tom Olthoff,