STORIES & OPINIONS 8
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
[599] Anita’s
speech: a 10-year-old tells her school about food intolerance
(November 2007) WINNER OF
THE COURAGE AWARD
Near the end of 2006 I was getting sick and
tired of all the kids at my old school ripping me off and teasing me for being
on a ‘diet’. In October I had a school project to do, something that we were
passionate about. I asked my teacher if I could talk about the diet. So I spoke
in front of 380 children, parents and teachers at
Parents, Teachers and Classmates,
In June 2005 mum put myself and my brother on a
diet as I was very hated and always getting into trouble and even being called
‘Hekyl and Jekyll’ by our school counsellor. No matter how hard I tried, I
could not seem to behave better.
At first we hated the ‘diet’ because we couldn't
have our ‘normal’ food and we did not like being teased some of the kids at our
school, some of you did not invite us to birthday parties because of the diet.
We soon realised how much better we felt and how much better we were behaving,
the food wasn't that bad, it was really good and good for us, so we both
decided that when people ripped us off we would say ‘We are not on a diet, but
an ‘Adventure’, we are not made to do it, we choose to because it will make us healthier’.
So everyone in our family and friends call it our Adventure, not a diet.
On the adventure we have found that I react to
Amines as well as the artificial stuff and especially 160b, and my brother
reacts to Sulphites and the artificial stuff as well. Mum also found that I get
very sick when I eat stuff with 160b which is
advertised as natural, which I guess it is but they do not tell you it can make
you extremely sick. When I eat these types of foods, I get very irritable,
cranky, aggressive, violent, black bags under my eyes and sometimes would bang
my head against things to try and make the pain go away. I do not mean to do
this but I cannot stop myself from doing it.
I have not had and neither has my brother any
problems since June. It feels so much better to able to control myself and not
get into trouble. I know that some people especially teachers I have already
upset, and sadly I know no matter how hard I try or how good I get, you will
not change your thoughts about me, so I have decided with my mum, dad and
brother to move to the new school that is being built, just around the corner
from our house to start a new ‘Adventure’ and hopefully will make new friends
and people will accept me for who I am.
We cannot believe that the big companies are
watching out for us, because they aren't, if they were, they would not be
putting all of this stuff in our food when it makes us sick. They are more
interested in getting money, which is wrong. Once you start looking at what is in
our foods, it will make you sick to think that is what we are putting into our
bodies.
Just by cutting out the additives, preservatives
and natural things like 160b, you will see how much better you will feel, not
just for us kids, but the adults as well. Our Adventure really has made a huge
difference. Give it a try, it is a lot of work to make sure
you don't eat the bad things, but if you have the support of your family
and friends, it makes a great difference.... My brother and I are very lucky,
we have mum, dad, grandma, grand-dad and our church all supporting us. Church,
Before & After school care phone mum when they are having ‘party’ days and
mum makes something that we can enjoy.
Parents, all you are pretty much doing is going
back to basic eating like my parents and grandparents used to do not that long
ago. We are all tired, but mum & dad both work full time and can manage to
do this for us - to make us healthier. The more people that
do this then the quicker the big companies will click and realise we won't be
buying their unhealthy food.
Thank you for listening. I hope it makes a
difference.
[598]
Australian of the year nomination (November 2007)
I am an ordinary person in the community who happens
to believe the work you are doing is fantastic. I have therefore nominated you
for Australian of the Year. I hope you don’t mind. I included the following in
the nomination:
‘I have been a follower of Sue Dengate's books/website
regarding the effects of food additives on the health and behaviour of people,
particularly on children.
‘I recently viewed a story on Sue educating six-year
olds in schools to eliminate harmful food additives. The children were
intelligently choosing appropriate foods from the supermarket and school
tuckshop. Grades went up, detentions were almost eliminated. Children were
happy and well behaved.
‘Apart from the obvious benefits to the health of the
children, and making life easier for parents and teachers, this has many
long-term benefits. There will be little need to target obesity, as the foods
that contain harmful additives are mostly the same foods that cause obesity.
Health problems in children and later into adulthood will be greatly
reduced. This would do more to reduce
the load on the hospital system than any federal or state government could ever
do.
‘Our kids are our future. I cannot think of a greater contribution to
our society than educating children to be intelligent about the food they eat,
and to be aware of the consequences and results of their choices. Please refer
to following website for further information:
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/‘. - Helen, by email
[597] One liners (November 2007)
We were
pressured to put our child on medication at the age of five, and it had a
negative effect on him. We then began to rethink our options and decided to go
totally failsafe, within days we had what could be considered a normal child
(from talking point)
Thank you
for writing your fantastic recipe book. We have been using it for a while and
have recently gotten "Friendly Foods" as well and as good as it is
for a lot of stuff, I'm SO grateful for the simple, family friendly recipes in
your book. – by email
I was happy
to see our school tuckshops changing their menu but disappointed they only
looked at fat content and not additives. Our tuckshop sells an icy drink which
is loaded with preservatives and artificial colours. No wonder there are so
many children going to the Behaviour Support Room. – by
email, Qld
We have
just spent 3 weeks on the elimination diet.
We are amazed at the positive change in all of us, (a hyperactive,
asthmatic, eczema-stricken three year old boy; a 40 year old dad who has
suffered from chronic asthma all his life; and a 34 year old mum who thought
she felt pretty healthy ... until the last three weeks, where I have felt
better than ever) - Julie
I am 32 and
have been feeling ill for a while. Without realising it I had been filling
myself with additives in soft drinks and packet snacks. Now after two weeks
additive free I am feeling great, lots of energy, no muscle aches, no
headaches! – by email
Through the
elimination diet I have learned I am sensitive to salicylates, amines (very)
and milk. I never expected milk. When I dropped mil, my nose opened up. When I
challenged it, my nose got stopped up again. – by
email,
I recently
went to eat some store bought Coleslaw from the supermarket and had a look at
the ingredients: colours 102, 110 and preservatives 211, 202, boy was I
shocked! I want people to realise how
easy it can be to read the back of a packet. Taking the no additive challenge
does not cost a cent more, if anything it is cheaper in your weekly shopping. -
Angie
We have
been trying our best to avoid all the nasties on your list and our son has
finally begun to say words sometimes linking 3 or 4 together (he is 3 and a
half!) and he is an angel to live with - I never thought he would talk, so it
is a true miracle and we are sticking to our new diet! – by
email, ACT
We saw the
school program on Today Tonight and my eight-year-old son looked at me every
time one of his symptoms (asthma, bed wetting, sneaky poos, cradle cap,
irritability, poor concentration) was listed. I thought I was a pretty healthy
provider of food as I do a lot of home cooking but it is scary to see what is
in some of your everyday foods. – by email, SA
[596] From ‘severe inattentive ADD’ to ‘normal’ due to diet
(November 2007)
In 2006 my quiet 7 year old daughter was diagnosed
by her paediatrician as having severe inattentive ADD. He offered Ritalin to
help the symptoms. I was not comfortable giving her this as a first step
because in the 2 weeks since our last appointment I had read 10 books and
scanned the net. A common theme kept coming up. If your child has an intolerance to a food group there is a likelihood of more
than one intolerance which can lead to behavioural issues. I felt I had to
investigate this before trying medication because we already knew she had a dairy
intolerance as a baby.
I chose to follow the Fed Up elimination diet by
Sue Dengate. Following are the results
when food groups or additives were re introduced.
|
Challenge |
Response |
|
Colours |
anger followed by tears, inattention, lack of concentration,
memory loss, head banging and rocking |
|
MSG/635/Glutamates |
nausea and stomach cramps |
|
Benzoates |
aggression |
|
Antioxidants - 310-312, 319-320 |
nightmares and trouble going to sleep and
staying asleep |
|
Propionates 282 |
bedwetting and daytime bladder control issues |
|
Dairy |
nausea, stomach cramping, diarrhea,
inattention, fatigue |
|
Soy |
stomach aches |
It has been 14 months since adapting to my
daughter’s dietary needs. She has been reassessed for ADD with a normal out
come. Her school work has progressed. She is able to concentrate. She can tie
her shoes, hold a knife and fork, remember her phone number, ride a bike, and
skip a rope. She is able to follow multiple directions and hold attention to
the task at hand. She has friends. We have also discovered she is a budding
artist.
Through dietary changes we helped many of our
daughter’s physical and behavioral issues including fatigue, tearfulness,
emotional outbursts, inattention, lack of short term memory, lack of
application at school, bedwetting, vaginal irritation, rash, insatiable
appetite, imbalance and clumsiness (she could not ride a bike, skip, hop),
nausea and stomach cramps.
My daughter did not need medication. She has
food intolerances. As grandma said ‘Whatever you are doing keep doing it. She
is a different child’ - Trudi, NSW
[595]
Filling our house with laughter (November 2007)
My husband and I watched a news program on the
children at
Our 6-year-old has been a very emotional child.
Always close to tears, unable to put into words what is making him frustrated,
angry, and teary. Now he is talking about how he feels and reasoning with other
children rather than coming to me crying. They are both filling our house with
laughter once again.
We bought your failsafe book and the difference
in our boys is amazing, to the point of other people are commenting. Thank you
for simplifying all the numbers and facts and giving us back our two beautiful
boys who for a long while had been lost.
My husband and I now sit on the couch and listen
to the sounds of two boys playing well together and enjoying each others
company, no more fighting to the death near enough. - by
email from WA
[594]
Amazing changes in difficult two-year-old (November
2007)
I was recently on a forum, having a whinge about
my 2.5 year old son, and how terribly difficult he is. I was asking advice on
ADD and ADHD. A lady on the forum offered to lend me your books ‘Fed up’ ‘Fed
up with ADHD’ and the cookbook. I took her up on this offer so as not to appear
rude, but have to admit to thinking ‘It's not going to help me’. I started
reading ‘Fed up with ADHD’ first. Well, you could have substituted your
daughter's name for my son, your name for mine and so on. I nearly cried.
After that, I was determined to start Failsafe.
It was pretty daunting, and I have made many mistakes. I have been doing it for
about 3 - 4 weeks now. I still haven't gotten it right, but even so the
difference is amazing. My defiant son is starting to listen and follow
instructions! I was able to take him grocery shopping and he walked next to me
putting items in the trolley. He never screamed, ran off, threw a tanty or pulled anything off the shelves! This has never
happened before!
My husband gave him vegemite on toast yesterday
(I was outside feeding the >animals) and within 3 hours he was right off.
Last night he woke frequently, screaming and running through the house. He was
up super early and has been non-compliant and very annoying all day. He used to
eat vegemite daily!
I wanted to thank you for your books and for
sharing your story. I'm so glad that I gave it a go. It has made such a
difference to our lives in such a short time.
[593]
Additive-free improvements in Generalised Anxiety Disorder with panic attacks
(November 2007)
My daughter who is 16 has Generalised Anxiety
Disorder, with panic attacks. So I have tried to keep her on a mostly additive
free diet. It has been a bit tricky, but so long as I have something ready for
her after school, she doesn't care what she eats. I haven't tried to restrict
her when she's out with friends, but she takes her lunch to school and only
eats the bad stuff probably on the weekend. After getting serious about cutting
out additives I suddenly noticed one night that our house had become a lot
calmer. I guess it wasn't overnight (didn't really expect it to be) but I all
of a sudden realised that things were travelling very smoothly. So I definitely
believe that cutting out additives have made a big difference to her whole
personality, and produced a calmer household all round. [Update one month
later, this family is now reducing salicylates]. – be email
[592]
Grandparents notice temperament change after 28 years of marriage
(November 2007)
My husband and I are doing the diet to support
our grandsons. As a spin off, my headaches which I blamed on shift work and
lack of sleep have disappeared except two times when we didn't have the boys
and ate Chinese or Thai, both times I woke through the night with a raging
headache. My husband who has been short tempered
through our 28 years of marriage, has had a change in temperament/ behaviour,
for the better. - by
email, NSW
[591] Help
from compounding pharmacists (November 2007)
Additive-free
antibiotics from compounding pharmacist : Our 3 month old
breastfed baby has to take oral antibiotics so I explained to our local
pharmacist that I wanted no added colours, preservatives or flavours. He had no
idea what was in antibiotics other than the active ingredient, conceded that I
knew more about it than he did, and gave me a contact for a compounding
pharmacist. They made me up a liquid that is just the antibiotic suspended in
water, with nothing else added and made it concentrated so that I could give
her less at one time. It tastes bitter but she takes it squirted into her mouth
with a syringe with no problems. – by email
Additive-free
supplements from compounding pharmacist : When my son needed an
iron supplement with Vitamin C, I spoke to our compounding chemist - a very
useful person, I think everyone with dietary issues should have one! He went
through everything and came up with three alternatives - two were the
supplements listed on your web site, the third was to put his skills to work
and make up a special mixture in the necessary dose for my child. I think I
need to get a tattoo on my eyelids that says ‘if child
requires medicine - speak to Compounding Chemist’. [Search the Yellow Pages
online under Compounding, there are 66 Australia-wide]. – by
email
[590] 635:
Possible Ribo Rash in a 74-year-old (November
2007)
Three months ago, my father aged 74 who has
never reacted to anything - plant, animal or food - had a major reaction of a
welt like rash on the trunk especially in the groin area and under arms. It was
enough to go to the doctor who simply dismissed this as hives and prescribed
steroid tables with no real explanation of what had happened. His wife thought
there must be a connection as it was half an hour after eating a packet pizza
containing 635 that they hadn't eaten before. A similar incident then happened
about a week later, after eating [a ‘healthy’ prepared frozen dinner also
containing 635] for the first time. Now they avoid such packaged food and he
has not experienced it since, although he has often eaten in restaurants with
no ill effects. – by email from NSW
[589] 635:
Possible Ribo Rash in a 19-year-old (November
2007)
I came across your fantastic website in my
search to find out what was causing my 19 year old son’s hives and angioedema.
As a baby he was intolerant of formula and soy, and had an anaphylactic
reaction to penicillin. He is now 19, and has been very healthy up until a
couple of months ago. He awoke one morning and his upper lip was quite swollen,
he had no other symptoms, it was quite bizarre and the swelling lasted for 24
hours. One week later the same thing but this time it was his bottom lip. Being
a typical young man he didn't see the need to go to the doctor. Then three
weeks ago he awoke one morning covered in a rash and very angry looking weals
all over his body, swollen eyes, lip, ear and even his arm. He went to the
doctor who said it was an allergic reaction to soap, deodorant or washing
powder etc. It took nearly 10 days for his body to return to normal. He has
since had another 3 attacks, the swelling hasn't been
quite as bad, but still present. I did not believe that the doctor had any idea
and I was sure it was something that he was eating. So I started keeping a food
diary and we had managed to narrow the offenders down to four things. Then I
found your factsheet on ribo rash, which I am positive
is what he has. I have always tried to feed the kids a balanced diet, meat,
chicken, fish, fresh fruit and vegies, junk food is a
rare treat. I was absolutely astounded when I went to my cupboard and started
checking labels. One that really caught my eye, that I had assumed was a fairly
healthy choice of snack was seaweed rice crackers, yes there it is clearly on
the list of ingredients, 631 and 627. Then on the front I looked at the packet
again, ahhh, seaweed FLAVOUR!! Maybe you could put this on your nasty foods
page. – by email
[588] 635:
Long distance hiker and ribo rash (November 2007)
Previously from story [569]: I'm sure that my
symptoms intensified as we have been planning to do some long walks and were
trying out pre-packaged and dehydrated foods (all containing 635). Ironically I
was going to go on a course of prednisone to dampen it all down so that I could
walk, while I would've been eating the very thing that is causing the problem.
Update: I did the Jatbula Trail
(six day hike in the NT) last month and ate well without taking any
commercially prepared dehydrated foods. Since avoiding flavour enhancer 635 my
condition has improved 99%. I still occasionally get small outbreaks of itchy
welts. I haven't needed to take any Claratyne or use topical hydrocortisone
cream as these mild outbreaks generally settle overnight. It hasn't been too
difficult to avoid, mainly changing types of crackers and avoiding precooked
chickens, sausages, frozen lasagnas and pies. The kids are onto checking out
all the labels now too and we have stopped nearly all precooked sauces and
anything that has an oversupply of numbers on the ingredients list even if it
doesn't have 635. I am extremely happy as it is no longer a daily problem and
the solution has been very easy. Eat mainly homecooked whole foods and cut out
the processed products! – by email, NT
[587] 635:
Ribo Rash from 30-year-old traditional recipe using a packet soup base
(November 2007)
I would like to add my objection with regard to
the recently approved flavour enhancer 635. In August of 2006 I developed a
rash over various areas of my body. Scratching resulted in raised welts, little
sleep and caused quite a disruption to my life at work and home.
My local GP referred me to a dermatologist at a
hospital in
All of the above has cost me not only money, but
has taken an emotional toll through tiredness and the feeling of, 'Will this
ever stop?'
I stumbled across your reports of 635 earlier this
year, but as I was at the stage of trialing a gluten free diet, didn't follow
up. Then a few weeks back I made chop suey and pumpkin soup using my
traditional 30-year-old recipe. I ate the chop suey for tea and the soup for
lunch the next day. The itch had started to calm down over the few weeks
preceding, but after the lot above, I itched for a good four days. Guess what?
Flavour Enhancer 635 is in the packets of Chicken Noodle Soup (which I have
been using for 33 years in my chop suey and other recipes), and the dry stock
powder also has 635.
Trial and error has shown me in a really rotten
way, that anything I use with 635 gives me the itch, the rash and the ‘what is
going on’ feeling. I have now also reacted to [dry stock powder containing
Hydrolysed vegetable protein (Maize Derived) and yeast extract] as well as
[flavoured rice crackers with Vegetable protein extract (Soy Derived) and yeast
extract]. I am starting to think that 635 has
triggered off a yeast sensitivity. - by email
[Vegetable Protein extract, yeast extract and Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein are
a way of adding MSG to foods without saying so. It is common for people who
have suffered from long term Ribo rash to become more sensitive to other
sources of MSG, and sometimes to other foods as well - S].
[586] 631:
Racing heart beat after flavour enhancer 631 (November
2007)
My 37-year-old husband recently had suffered
from racing heart beat twice in two weeks. When I was checking out your website
for stuff to do with our daughter I happened to find the info on heart
palpitations etc and straight away remembered seeing empty [yellow extruded
flavoured snack with flavour enhancer 631] packets in his workbag! The racing
heart beats came in bursts of maybe 5 to 10 seconds, 2-3 times an hour, a few hours after eating 631. It even happened when sitting
down under no exertion. An ECG ten years ago showed his heart was fine. Since
seeing your information, my husband hasn't had any more of those snacks or
heart irregularities. – by email, Qld
[585] 102:
Lifethreatening asthma from artificial colour 102 (tartrazine, yellow #5)
(November 2007)
My son was a premie with a family history of
asthma and as a little one had wheezing episodes throughout his life. We were very experienced with asthma attacks
and had all the medicines and equipment at home. My son had always eaten
natural, homecooked foods as we just tend to not be junk food people. Just
before Christmas when he was 19 months old I had commercially prepared eggnog
in the house and gave him a tiny glass as a treat. Within 15 minutes he went
into the most severe asthma attack we had ever seen. We gave him his medication
and used his nebulizer, but he was not coming around. He had had a number of asthma attacks and
this was nothing like it.
Our pediatrician had us rush him to the
hospital. He was given immediate care - very unusual in US hospitals. The
doctors didn't really know what to do. They gave us megadoses of all his
medicines, put him on pure oxygen, put IV's in him but he didn't come around.
They called Children's Hospital who sent down a team of 4. Our pediarician
stayed with us for hours and his daughter was due in at the airport, so we knew
it was serious. The doctors from Childrens ended up using Atrovent, a medicine
at that time used only for adults. Our hospital didn't even know to use it on
children. Ryan came around but it was very dicey.
After Ryan got out of the hospital I looked up
asthma and found a British book that mentioned major chemical triggers for
asthma including tartrazine a yellow food dye. So I had an idea that it might
have been the cause. I then met with a specialist who felt that I was probably
right, but there was no test because it was not a true allergy, but that I
should avoid it because the next time we may not be so lucky. He said that
often it is subsequent exposures that are more serious. Ryan did bite an
[584]
160b: ‘Croup cough’ from annatto (see also Annatto factsheet)
(November 2007)
My four-year-old son has peanut, egg and dairy
allergies and is anaphylactic so as you can imagine I spend hours reading labels.
We have been buying So-Good products for about two years and generally he is
fine. Recently he has been having the creamy vanilla for dessert and having
what I thought was a croup cough. I soon realised the nights he didn't have it
there was no "croup cough". After several calls to Sanitarium and
speaking with the dietician, I have worked out that it must be the annatto
E160b causing a reaction. – by email
[583]
160b: Head banging and annatto (see also Annatto factsheet)
(November 2007)
Just thought I would let you know, after your
recent talk in Maitland I went back to work and told a friend about annatto
160b as her two-year-old daughter had been splitting her head open head
banging. My friend has kept her daughter off the annatto for a week now and her
daughter has stopped head banging. She still gets in the position when she is
throwing a tantrum but doesn't bang her head. Amazing! This is only additive
she has removed! – by email, NSW
[582]
‘Sensitive ears’ in an 18-month-old (November
2007)
My maternal health nurse suggested that I
contact you about my 18-month-old son’s sensitive ears. They were tested when
he was young and were fine. He has started speaking a few words and seems to comprehend
things you ask him to do, but when he is around noise he cries his eyes out and
needs to be taken away, simple things like singing happy birthday in a group, a
group clapping, and sporting venues will bring it on. He also puts his fingers
in his ears and blocks them every now and again as if they are annoying him. He
eats a lot of organic veg and fruit. [two months later
…] I bought your cookbook and started cutting down on tomatoes, dried fruits
and fresh fruit, and I have noticed a huge change. We even took him to the
soccer in
[581] Three responses
on behavioural effects of Down Syndrome (September 2007)
"A great
improvement in my son who has Down Syndrome"
Your books are fantastic and I have noticed a great
improvement in my son who has Down Syndrome and was
recently diagnosed with ADD. Apparently Ritalin was our next step! This
information should be given to all Maternal Health Centres and it would save
families a lot of unnecessary arguing and disharmony! - by
email
Diet,
sneaky poos and Down Syndrome
I have been reading your website for over a year now, after
stumbling across the information on sneaky poos.
About 2 years ago our son who is now 11 and has Down Syndrome, began soiling his pants on a daily basis, rarely
at school but often up to six times in the evening. I stumbled across some
information about Failsafe on a parenting website and when scanning through the
fact sheets, found the information on "sneaky poos" It described our
situation perfectly. So after reading lots and lots of information on the Fed
Up site, we, or should I say "I", along with one extremely sceptical
husband, set about reducing salicylates in my son's diet to see if it made any
difference. His diet was basically a salicylate feast - spaghetti bolognaise
probably 4 -5 times a week, laden with hidden vegetables (mostly zucchini) and
followed by a bowl of either grapes, strawberries or cherry tomatoes (that was
lunch), peanut butter on toast for breakfast, dinners included tacos, lasagne
with hidden high salicylate vegetables, various stir frys with worcestershire,
soy, tomato, oyster sauce etc. He was also hugely into fruit salad. As I'm sure
you've heard over and over, I thought we were providing him with a really healthy
diet and couldn't understand why he would be unwell all the time.
Anyway we took the plunge, and within maybe three days the
soiling had ceased and there were no more stomach aches. I was pleased with the
results, however my husband still believed it was
another of my harebrained ideas until I tested the salicylates about a month
later with a huge fruit salad. My son scoffed a bowl after dinner and another
for breakfast the following day. And by lunch time the next day we were back to
square one. From that day on my husband has been as vigilant as I am. I must
admit, I missed all the summer fruits last season, but only having one pair of
undies in the wash each day is worth it.
After going low salicylate and cutting out other nasties, we
also noticed a definite behavioural improvement in our son. One thing in
particular was his change in motivation, especially getting ready for school.
Before the diet, I had a daily struggle with him to get dressed, as if he had
the choice, he would stay home every day. After getting strict with his food,
he started to just take his clothes from me and say "thanks mum" and
next thing he would be dressed.
On the strict diet, he seems to be so much more agreeable
and able to be redirected or reasoned with. He used to lose his temper
regularly especially with our older son. Now, instead of losing his temper, he
will asking calmly for help - like to find a DVD or figure out which remote he
needed to change channels. His school teachers have commented on how well he
concentrates this year, they were unaware that we had made any changes to his
diet. The teachers have also commented that he no longer acts the fool to gain
attention, and is much happier to sit and do school work, and be like everyone
else.
I have also discovered that he is intolerant of MSG. He used
to be addicted to corn chips, we cut those out early
on in our failsafe journey. When he later ate other flavoured chips I noticed
every time he had them he would cough continually for several minutes. At first
I thought he was choking on the chips, as he sometimes has trouble swallowing
but then it clicked - it was basically MSG causing an asthma attack.
The low salicylate diet has been a life saver for us with
our son. I am a huge fan of failsafe!!! - by email
“Low salicylate diet
for DS”
I have a friend who is into failsafe also,
she has a 2-year-old with Down Syndrome on a low salicylate diet. Behaviour can
be a definite challenge when it comes to DS and I'm sure most families never
suspect food intolerance as a contributing factor. - by
email
[580] Tics disappeared on day 10 (September 2007)
Our son was diagnosed with
Tourette's at the age of six. He had substantial tics, but no behavioural
problems. I decided to apply the complete elimination diet (not an easy
process.) By day 7, I was quite despondent with no obvious improvements and
then miraculously, by day 10, his tics had disappeared. He had been
experiencing severe eye, mouth and head jerking tics for over 2 years. I
haven't yet narrowed the tics to any specific reaction. Thanks for your amazing
website - it definitely saved our boy from a very troubling syndrome. - by email
[579] 319,320: Tic disorder related to antioxidants 319-320
(TBHQ and BHA) (September 2007)
My three boys have been
avoiding a number of additives for many years now because of obvious affects on
their behaviour and health. Last year my oldest son (then 8 years old) was
diagnosed with Chronic Tic Disorder (one step before Tourettes Syndrome) – he
could not sit still, having tics in his face, neck, shoulders and arms. After a
period of time, I realised that this behaviour coincided with an increase in
eating hot chips. I stopped my son eating hot chips and THE TICS WENT AWAY. I
have since tried him on hot chips and the same thing happens. The culprit
ingredient/s here is the synthetic antioxidant 320 (and/or 319) that appears in
most chips and oil used for deep frying, however manufacturers of frozen chips,
and other products such as packet chips/crisps and dry biscuits do not need to
list the additive on the label if the oil is less than 5% of the product. NOT
GOOD ENOUGH! How can I help my son be “tic free” if we don’t know when these
nasty additives are in certain foods? - by email,
[578] Tics related to salicylates in summer fruits
(September 2007)
My son very suddenly
developed mild facial (rapid blinking eye and lip biting) and vocal tics
(sounds like a quiet grunt or throat clearing sound) at a time when I think his
hyper/silly behaviour and other food intolerance symptoms escalated, probably
in response to his increased consumption of summer fruits, salads and juices.
Other symptoms included: loud voice, bed wetting, sinusitis, teeth
grinding. All of his favourite foods
were high in salicylates: strawberries, apricots, rockmelon, tomato, cucumber,
capsicum, broccoli, vegemite, spag bol, apple juice etc. His diet contained few foods with colourings,
flavourings and preservatives as I've always tried to encourage
"healthy" foods which he has been very willing to eat.
We noticed some improvement
(in behaviour, bed wetting, teeth grinding but not tics) over a week just by
changing fruits to pears and bananas, stopping vegemite and tomatoes and
switching to low sal veges and Bakers Delight bread. We visited a dietitian and Joe (not his real
name) started on the elimination diet. He had a very obvious reaction to sals -
hyper like I've never seen him within about 4 hours of starting the
challenge. I wouldn't have believed it
but my parents witnessed the reaction too!
When they visited, he was his usual self, undertaking some quiet
activities requiring concentration (jigsaw puzzles, colouring etc), chatting
and on his (usual) best behaviour.
Within about an hour and half of their arrival he changed into this wild,
racing, hyper thing heart racing, unable to stand still, almost a
"mad" look in his eyes, silly silly silly etc...the
worst of it finished within about two hours and he basically collapsed
exhausted and couldn't even stay up to wait for dinner guests that he had been
looking forward to seeing. Very strange
but so similar to the stories I've read on your web site.
We didn't manage any other
challenges before Christmas - felt it too unfair to restrict his diet so
severely during the holidays, although I did continue to restrict sals and he
doesn't eat many processed, flavoured or coloured foods anyway. We continued along on this basis, watching
his sals intake over a day and over a week, and the tic went completely. His
behaviour was much more predictable and stable and very much like the boy I know. He is still bed wetting although I am
convinced it is worse when he has had sals (e.g. salad) in his dinner and this
seems to be improving, particularly since we have been focussing consistently
on his sals intake. Teeth grinding and sinusitis very improved. So I am
absolutely committed to continuing our new approach to Joe's diet as we really
have seen some big improvements. - by emails over a
period of 3 months
[577] Motor tics related to amines (chocolate) and additives
(lollies) (September 2007)
We have been following the
diet for several years and we have seen the positive effects a failsafe diet
has on our hyperactive 6 year old daughter. She does have trouble with
expressive language and has been having therapy for a year. If she eats something eg a chocolate or
lollies for several days, she starts to stutter really badly and she also makes
"jerking" movements with her body. - by
email
[576] Vocal tics related to non-failsafe 'treats' (September
2007)
My husband said he was
supportive of our boys' [RPAH elimination] diet though I suspected secretly
skeptical. Last weekend he indulged the boys in various 'treats' including
non-failsafe lemonades, popcorn, etc. This morning I had the first meltdown in
a couple of months from our son who has Asperger's. He was back to headbanging,
crying, not wanting to eat, refusing to go to school, hand flapping, vocal
tics, etc. It was full on. I talked to him about it (after he'd had a calcium
tablet and calmed a little) and he said he would give up all those foods he
loves if it meant he was able to be calm again. - by
email,
[575] Vocal tics, word and phrase repetition due to
salicylates and additives (September 2007)
When Chris was born he was
a big, boofy boy. For the first six month of his life he was a placid, calm,
happy child. At six months, he changed to being very, very active, fidgety and
demanding. Looking back at that time, three things changed – he started long
daycare, solids and formula. I also remember very clearly that his face changed
as big dark circles and creases formed under his eyes. He was labelled
‘naughty, disruptive, hyperactive and violent’ by daycare when he was only 10
months old. He was walking at that stage and continued to escape from the
childproof room, or to snatch toys from non-mobile babies.
Since that time he has been
variously diagnosed by health professionals as having Tourette’s
Syndrome, the hyperactive type of ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder
and others. Whatever the term, the symptoms are the same, including
unmanageable behaviour, poor impulse control, loud voice, vocal tics, word and
phrase repetition and lack of empathy.
Coupled with the behaviour
has also been a range of other medical problems including croup, asthma,
headaches and stomach aches, unexplained temperatures and eczema. Chris also
suffers from glue ear and for the last four years has had grommets inserted
every winter to enable him to hear clearly. (As I know now, these are all
indicative of food intolerance.)
Last year I took Chris to a
paediatrician, looking for a solution to his constant illness rather than his
behaviour. The doctor took one look at him – he was making duck noises and
running in circles around the waiting room – and diagnosed food intolerances.
We went home with a complex
list of foods to avoid. Although his health improved, his behaviour seemed to
become worse, as it always has in summer. Just before Christmas, I found the
I switched the family to
the RPAH elimination diet during the holidays. Gradually, as we removed foods
from the diet and found acceptable replacements, Chris’ behaviour improved.
Living with him became easier, there were less sibling fights, and when he did
misbehave it was easy to use normal parenting techniques to modify behaviour –
something that had never worked before.
By the end of the summer
holidays, I finally had a calm, reasonable, sensitive child, who was able to
play at other children’s places without causing mayhem, would look at people
when talking, and would allow other people to talk without interrupting.
Amazingly, Chris was keen to stick to the diet, having realised how good he
felt.
First day back at school
and I had lots of positive comments about how calm or grown-up Christopher
seemed. A good start to the year. However, as I write
this, I am back to having a child who runs around making chicken noises, uses a
loud voice, is prone to crying and is violent and aggressive. What happened? He
got to school and started to cheat. He ate chocolate cake, m&m’s, muesli bars and lollies. For him, even the smallest
amount results in a reaction. It is like being on a trip – he can’t control his
behaviour, and trying to discipline him has no effect.
So what do I need, or more
importantly, what does Chris need? He needs the support of the school community
to assist him to stay on his diet – he needs recognition for the fact that he
does suffer from food intolerances – he desperately wants to feel in control of
his life, and he likes feeling calm and relaxed, so please, please, please
don’t feed my child, or encourage him to cheat. - by
email,
[574] One-liners (August 2007)
I love your books and I love this diet, I have a
completely different daughter.
My husband and I heard you talk when you came to
Albury/Wodonga. Thank you, you have changed our lives! We have cut out all
colours, preservatives and additives from their diet and it's like having
different (normal) children.
We have just been lucky enough to go to
I love the failsafe cookbook! - it
has made cooking so much easier for me and the whole family enjoys what I am
cooking.
Thank you for all the work you have done and continue
to do, I teach in one of the largest primary schools in the state and over time
I really hope that I can get the school to undertake some of your methods.
I enjoyed your seminar at Frankston in April - I could
have stayed there all night listening to you.
My autistic son has gone without Gatorade, PowerAde
and coloured drinks for just three days, and already his behaviour is improving
- such a small thing to do for such a great result.
For the last two months I’ve had no additives, no kiwi
fruit, no oranges, no strawberries, no tomatoes, no
juice and have had 7 weeks without a mouth ulcer. Usually I only go about 2
weeks pain free before the skin on the roof of my mouth peels, the tip of my
tongue becomes extremely sore together with a badly infected ulcer anywhere in
the mouth.
My daughter was a very sick and unhappy child five
years ago and after visiting RPA, eliminating and using your cookbook like a
bible we have a happy and well child (she cannot tolerate preservatives and is
extremely salicylate sensitive). I must admit five years ago when we started
all of this if anybody had ever said that strawberries, broccoli and bottled
tomato sauce could send my three children into crazed animals I would have not
believed them. Bring on the pears!
My grandchildren's asthma is now much better. I
managed to convince one of my daughters of the connection between the 'healthy'
apricot bars she was feeding him and her son's attacks (despite a very dubious
husband and other grandma!) and my granddaughter's behaviour and asthma has
improved after removal from her diet of the highly coloured treats which she was
so fond.
I have had my daughter on an elimination diet for 12
months now - the behavioural changes were literally overnight once I found your
website. I want the DVD for her school because they still serve trash in the
tuckshop and the teachers don't believe me when I say they wouldn't have
anywhere near the problems they are having if they looked at what the kids were
eating!- Sheryle by email.
We have just spent 3 weeks on the elimination diet,
using " Fed Up with ADHD" and the
"Failsafe Cookbook". We are
amazed at the positive change in all of us, (a hyperactive, asthmatic,
eczema-stricken three- year-old boy; a 40 year old dad who has suffered from
chronic asthma all his life; and a 34-year-old mum who thought she felt pretty
healthy...until the last three weeks, where I have felt better than ever -
Julie, email.
[573] His asthma
disappeared (August 2007)
We put my 6-year-old grandson on the failsafe diet for
ADHD and his 4-year-old brother (who has had 2 serious hospital admissions for
asthma) has seen his asthma disappear!! Another off spin from the diet my
headaches which I blamed on shift work and lack of sleep have disappeared
except two times when we didn't have the boys and bought Chinese and went out
for Thai both times I woke through the night with a raging headache. And my husband who
has been short tempered through our 28 years of marriage, has had a change in
temperament/ behaviour, for the better. - Kathy by email.
[572] The Great Philly Incident (August 2007)
Over the course of a couple of weeks in September
2006, our daughter became progressively more lethargic, withdrawn and
emotionally fragile (cried easily for no particular reason). She was getting upset
quickly in a teary way and blowing things out of proportion. After the holidays
her teacher commented she thought it was unusual for Lucy to be so lethargic,
quiet, teary, keeping to herself and not playing, not interacting. As an example, the teacher had asked all the
kids to pack away the books. Normally Lucy would do this fairly promptly but
she just sat there mesmerised in her own little world and didn't appear to hear
the teacher. The teacher came over to her after all the other kids had left the
area of the classroom and said gently to her ‘Lucy it's time to pack away now
please.’ Lucy just dissolved into tears and it took a while for her to regain
composure. The teacher said it was very out of the ordinary for Lucy who was
usually full of energy, vibrant, bubbly, friendly and always very, very happy.
That night, after ruling out illness, and with much
careful consideration and dissection of her diet and environment, I discovered
from Sue's website that Kraft had introduced preservatives (sorbic acid, 200)
in the tubs of Philadelphia Cream Cheese tubs. Lucy eats this on a daily basis
on her sandwiches and sometimes as a dip as she had done for years. I rang
Kraft and they informed me that they had only just started putting this
ingredient in a couple of months earlier. After checking old containers I
figured that she had consumed at least two tubs. The change in her demeanour
had been gradual but still clearly noticeable by us as well as her teachers as
this was not the Lucy we knew. Once we switched to the preservative free Philly
blocks, she became ‘better’ within a few days and had returned to her usual
energetic, happy, amenable self within a week. I now check labels every time,
even if it is something I have bought many times before.
[571] Why
asthmatics need to know about salicylates: An interview with Matt’s mother
(August 2007)
How long have you been failsafe?
My 8 year old son Matt is a severe asthmatic who has
been on the diet for almost a year. We
of course have our good days and bad days in making him stick to it, but
regardless of that he has done so well and has not had to go to hospital since
he has been on the diet, and for a child who has been hospitalized multiple
times every year since he was 6 months old this is quite an achievement.
What made you decide to try diet?
I love my children and as a mother I could not continue
to blindly pump drugs into Matt every morning, night and during the day, it
made me feel sick and I couldn't see that it was actually making an awful lot
of difference to his asthma, in fact it seemed to be getting worse. Just before
we started the elimination diet Ventolin seemed to have no effect on Matt at
all, only prednisolone seemed to alleviate an attack, which as you can imagine
frightened the hell out of me. The doctors all said the same things, either
give it to him or he could die.
How quickly did the diet kick in?
Amazingly, within a few days. We could
not believe how quickly. I remember Matt had been 'trying' to play basketball,
we would give him two puffs of ventolin before the game as the doctor had
instructed and then the poor thing would try in vain to run up and down the
court, but he really didn't want to play and used to ask to be 'subbed' off.The
first week of the diet he had a game on the Thursday, so rather than pre-puff,
I asked if he needed a puff - he said no - and went out on the court.I sat
there nervously with his puffer in my hand at the ready, and off he went -
running up and down the court, he was only subbed off when the coach did the
normal process of taking equal turns between the players. He came off at the
end with a bright red face, sweaty head and a big smile - and a noticeably
absent wheeze. I could not believe it - that was when I knew this was going to
work.
Which food chemicals affect Matt's asthma (e.g.
sulphites, salicylates, benzoates, colours?)
Artificial red colours seem to have the most dramatic
effect. Salicylates definitely, although salicylates by themselves e.g. apples,
tend to creep up on him, taking a few days and even then the reaction seems
milder than artificial colours. Sulphites definitely.
Amines do not seem to present the same level of problem, but I am extremely
cautious with them also.
Have you done challenges or did you work it out from
mistakes?
I am very loathe to do
challenges, we tend to learn from his or my mistakes. The results are so
obvious, usually that night he and I are up all night with his terrible croupy
cough, he becomes unreasonable, eczema flairs up, his feet crack and
bleed.There is no mistaking it when it happens, and I can't bring myself to
deliberately create the situation.The only real trial I have done is with fruit
because it is what he misses the most, golden delicious apples for three days,
third day severe asthma attack, cracked feet - lasted 3 days.Bananas no apparent problem.Half a mango - within hours
agitated, croupy cough leading to an attack that night, but gone within a
couple of days.
What happens when he breaks his diet?
It depends on what he eats. Sometimes it kind of
creeps up on me that he seems to be a bit wheezy, but nothing dramatic happens,
which concerns me because I think maybe the 'build up factor' is occurring, so
I put him back on the elimination diet and start again (we are doing this at
the moment, because I have found out that he has been 'sharing' lunch at school
and also put in a tuck order without me knowing!) I have reviewed his lunch box
and was able to buy your cookbook, so now he is getting enough interesting
things and variety so he feels that he is not missing out!
Sometimes it is so painfully obvious that he has eaten
something, he just comes home and starts coughing. This happened before
Christmas with those rotten candy canes that all the kids give at school -
Christmas is a nightmare for me and Matt, he has to say no to things he loves
and I have to be the 'lolly detective' to make sure he survives! He came home
one day from school and was clearly having an attack, in addition to all of the
horrible behavioural issues that accompany such food, I just said point blank -
what on earth have you had at school? - and of course
it had been a candy cane. School presents the biggest challenge on this diet.
What kinds of foods is he most likely to eat when he
breaks his diet?
It depends, lollies, chocolates - things he sees all
of the other kids having that he can't. When he did his 'secret' tuck order it
was a ham and cheese sandwich and a strawberry milk.
Funnily enough most people would think this was quite a 'healthy' lunch!! That
night it meant a serious asthma attack for him, and all types of horrible
behavior!
Has he been able to reduce medication?
He hasn’t needed steroids since he started the diet 12
months ago and over summer he went for three months without any Ventolin. He
really only has it now if he is having an attack usually because we have made a
mistake or he has had something at school that he shouldn't have. After the ham sandwich and strawberry milk
incident he had one dose of two puffs per night for a week, prior to that it
had probably been about two months since he had a puff.
How about exercise?
Matt is very active, he plays basketball and football
and swims four nights a week in a squad team.
Has Matt's doctor been supportive of diet?
No, I gave up
discussing much of anything with the gp/specialist some time ago.Their answer has
always been puff at all costs, nothing else will work, his
asthma is totally unrelated to diet.
Do you have an asthma plan drawn up with your doctor
for Matt?
We do have for school, but it is pretty standard stuff
and says he should be puffed twice before any physical activity. He no longer
needs and because of his age now the school more or less leave it up to him
unless there was an emergency.
Do you measure peak flow readings? if
so, do you have any examples of what
certain foods do to Matt' readings?
No, we have never measured peak flow - the doctor has
never suggested it.
Did you join the failsafeasthma group and if so has it
been helpful?
I just joined - so will let you know.
Did you see a dietitian about the diet?
I met with the dietician you recommended - she was
fantastic, gave me some really good tips and excellent guidance. Other than a couple of lunch box
modifications she thought we were very much on the right track.
Any other comments?
I would love to see an action group in schools -
school lunch is the hardest part of this diet. I would love to be able to refer
the school to some committee etc that are educating the educators.
Also, I need to mention something else in relation to
Matt's school work. Mid last year Matt's teacher told us that she thought he
would have to repeat the year, due to his inability to focus and complete work,
also his reading and writing were below standard for his age. She couldn't
understand what the problem was, as he is obviously an intelligent boy, however nothing she did was working. We started the
diet in the school holidays a few weeks later. We had a parent teacher
interview at the end of the following term.The teacher told us that she
couldn't believe the difference in Matt, and wanted to know what we had done as
the change was quite profound. He was now able to focus and when he couldn't he
actually removed himself and asked her if he could go to a quiet place to
concentrate!! His reading, writing, completion of tasks, virtually everything
had improved out of sight. So much so that she said there was absolutely no
need to hold him back a year.
I can tell if Matt or I have made a mistake - as much
by his behaviour as his coughing.
Once again THANK YOU so much for continuing this
wonderful work - it has changed our lives.
[570] PDD-NOS
and failsafe (August 2007)
Our daughter Beth is five and a half. At four she was
diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, a bit
of a mouthful but it sounds like Asperger's shadowing. She is not ASD but has a
lot of symptoms in common: developmental delay in speech, fine motor and gross
motor, attention deficit, poor eye contact, argumentative, very poor social
skills, being in her own world.
… THEN we went failsafe and what a blessing it has been!!!! … Ten days after starting failsafe, Beth suddenly began running around with all the other