Feingold Diet Basics

This month, January, I have put all 6 of us on the Feingold Association Diet.  The Feingold Association is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to train and support its members.  It cost $85 to join and get the information.  Yes, this information was priceless to me this month, as I learned so much about food, but I hated having to pay the $85....  Later this week, I will post approved items/foods from the stores I shop at (Kroger, Costco, Trader Jo's, Whole Foods)
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The Feingold Program is a form of elimination diet.  It shows you how to run a short-term test to find out if certain foods and additives are triggering any symptoms.

This is what the diet eliminates:

• Synthetic (artificial) Food Dyes (may be listed as "food coloring", "US Certified Color", "Color Added", or a number- like Yellow No. 5)
• Synthetic (artificial) Flavoring (may be listed as "flavoring", "artificial flavoring", Vanillin)
• Synthetic Sweeteners (such as aspartame-AminoSweet, NutraSweet, Equal, Acesulfame-K, Cyclamates, Saccharin-Sweet N' Low, Sucralose-Splenda)
• Preservatives such at BHA, BHT, and TBHQ
• Aspirin
• Natural Salicylates (many fruits such as apples, oranges, grapes, and some other food)

Once you see good results you can reintroduce the natural salicylates back one at time to test each one for a reaction...Synthetic additives are NOT reintroduced.

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Why did I start the Feingold Diet?  Many reasons. 

•  One being that the more and more I have read about our modern food, the more and more it sickened me.  In an effort to feed the masses and make a profit, companies have become masters at finding ways to make production cheaper, preserve the food longer, and enhance the flavor to our spoiled taste buds.  For a quick look at food you should watch the documentarty called Food Inc. or visit the web-site http://www.takepart.com/foodinc  
• Dr. Feingold workes specifically with ADHD/ADD and Autistic children.  His research linked these harmful synthetic products in modern food to these children.  I am a mom of 4 boys, ages 12, 13, 14, 15.  As a home school mom, I would love to cut down on the list of symptoms Feingold attributes to food additives....
• hyperactivity, 
• impulsive actions, 
• compulsive actions, 
• emotional concerns, 
• short attention span, 
• neuro-muscular involvement, 
• cognitive and perceptual disturbances, 
• sleep disturbances, and 
• physical complaints.  

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So how did my month go?

• It was really hard learning about food additives.  Just when I thought I had a 'pure' product, I learned another name manufacturer's use to disguise synthetic products.  (examples: yeast extract, citric acid, natural flavoring, vanillin ..)  Also, I learned about glycerides, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, azodicarbonamide and GMO.  So many new terms to take in.
• When you join Feingold, you get a lots of materials.  One is a book with all the products that are safe. This book was priceless, as I couldn't tell from the labels alone if a product was "Feingold approved." This stuff is tricky!!  I found most of the types of food we use in our home, and I switched to brands that were free from harmful additives.  Sometimes it makes no sense why one company would add synthetics when another company wouldn't.  But the list gave me the information I needed to navigate the stores.  
• I found an AMAZING app called FOODUCATE.  A "must" for anyone wanting to eat healthier.  It is free too!!!  You can scan barcodes on food or look up an item.  This has helped so much at the grocery store.  Be prepared to be sickened by some of your favorite products though.  
• I was in the kitchen cooking from scratch for hours this month!!  I made all my own breads, snack bars, granola, pizza dough, muffins, etc...  It is so hard to find an approved bread, and I wasn't up for paying $6/loaf for bread my kids wouldn't even like, so I made my own this month (sweetened with honey)  I also made lots of "treats" for the boys like zucchini muffins, pumpkin muffins, peanut butter bars, etc..
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Results?

• I truly believe we are a calmer, happier, more focused family this month!!  
• My boys have stayed healthy through this month where lots of their friends have become sick.
• I have such a sense of accomplishment, knowing that for the last 30 days, my boys have eaten the way God designed food, not the way companies have altered it!!

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So what now? 

Today is January 31st.  31 days of Feingold.  When we started I told my boys we were going this for the month of January (Every January we do some extreme health diet/cleanse...Last year was a month of the Daniel Diet, year before that was The Elimination Diet...)  Tomorrow I will start to let them eat things off the Feingold Diet...but we are going to keep many of the principles in place.  But when they are offered that piece of candy from a friend they will be able to eat it.  And maybe once in awhile they will get fast food again.  

I am very interested to see how their behavior changes in February when we allow them to have some of the synthetics before.  Who knows, maybe we will be back on Feingold 100% soon!!