Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.
The title of this article is actually the title of a book written by Jane Hersey. Twenty years ago, she had a ‘problem kid’. A book written by Dr Benjamin Feingold changed the eating pattern of this problem kid completely and also changed his life.
Dr Feingold discovered that our behaviours and emotions are closely related to the food we eat. This not only affects children, but also adults’ performance in schools, at work places and homes. Grateful parents who have benefited from Feingold diet, formed a Feingold Society to provide solutions and assistance for parents with ‘problem kids’. The point that they strongly advocate is the elimination of artificial colours, preservatives, artificial flavours, aspirin, fruits and vegetables which are high in salicylates from our diet.
A pediatrician shared a real-life example in the foreword of Dr Feingold’s book. Twelve years ago, a mother brought an adorable girl with blonde hair and blue eyes to see him. The little girl behaved as if she had been possessed by some evil spirits. She screamed continuously and seemed very fearful. Her mother broke down and said her daughter would behave like that at any time and at any place. She was completely helpless. After examining the girl, the pediatrician suspected that her behaviour might be linked to her diet. He recommended that the mother and the girl sought advice from Feingold Society. 6 weeks later, the mother and girl came to see the pediatrician and kissed him to show their gratitude. The pediatrician was then fully convinced about the diet-behaviour connection. Within the next 10 or more years, he witnessed many examples of behaviour disorders being corrected by changing the eating patterns.
Some examples of behaviour disorders that can be greatly improved by changing the eating patterns are:
1.Impatient
Low frustration tolerance
Demands immediate attention
Irritability
Frequent crying
Destructive behaviours: throws, breaks things
2.Short attention span
Distraction
Failure to complete projects
Inability to listen to whole story
Inability to follow directions
3.Poor sleeping habits
Resistance to going to bed
Difficulty falling asleep
Restless / erratic sleep
Frequent nightmares, bad dreams
4.Marked hyperactivity
Constant motion
Running instead of walking
Inability to sit still when having meals
Inappropriate wiggling of legs/hands
5.Impulsive and aggressive actions
Playing pranks in school and at home
Unresponsiveness to discipline
Little or no recognition of danger to self
Repeating actions impulsively
Unkindness to pets
Fighting with other children, abusive behaviour
Poor self-control
6.Compulsive actions
Unpredictable behaviour
Inappropriate noises
Excessive talking
Loud talking
Interrupts often
Biting nails and scratching skin
Chewing on clothing and other objects
Overreaction to touch, pain, sound, light
7.Common problems
Headache
Stomachache
Ear infection
Bedwetting
Daytime wetting
Rashes
8.Muscle nerves disorder
Dyslexia / reading problems
Speech difficulties / delays
Difficulties with playground activities, sports
Eye muscle disorder
Tics (unusual or uncontrollable movements)
Accident-prone
Clumsiness
Poor coordination of eyes and hands
Difficulties drawing, writing
Dr Feingold proposed that although a person could be allergic to certain things, the things stated below are most closely related to learning disabilities and behaviour disorders:
Artificial colours (all artificial colours used in food)
Artificial flavours (including artificial vanilla essence)
BHA, BHT and TBHQ, these 3 types of preservatives
Aspirin and food containing salicylates
Food high in salicylates are: Almonds, coffee, green peppers, cucumbers, plums / dried plums, grapes / raisins, oranges, all berries, peaches, all tea, cherries, tangerines, tomatoes, nectarines and cloves.
Feingold diet comprises of a two-stage plan. During the first stage (about 2 to 3 weeks), avoid eating any of the food mentioned above. For children who are not on medication, their conditions will improve within a few days. As for those on medication, it will take more than a week. During the second stage, you can slowly reintroduce fruits and vegetables high in salicylates to the child’s diet. Observe how the child reacts to the new adjustment. If the problems resurface, it shows that you should avoid giving the child this type of food for the time being. Food is not the only factor that affects our behaviour, synthetic chemicals found in school and family environments will also affect sensitive children and adults negatively. Hence, it is better to wait till school holidays to repaint the school, change the carpet, use cleaning agents or use asphalt to mend the roof.
In 1993, some US scientists did a research on the connection between food and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). 78 children with ages ranging from 3 to 12 years old underwent strict dietary control programme for 3 to 4 weeks. Among them, 59 children’s behaviour had improved significantly, 17 children’s behaviour had improved and behaviour of 2 children had deteriorated. In America, the usage of artificial colours is very much higher than other countries, hence the number of hyperactive and ADD children is 10 times the number found in Britain and France. Japan does not have this problem, however for Asian countries in which eating patterns have been westernized, such problem is on the rise.
‘Prevention is better than cure’, it is always better to take precautions. For more information, you may contact Feingold Society at:
Address: P.O. Box 6550, Alexandria, VA22306
Telephone (U.S.): 1-800-321-3287
If you would like to order the book ‘Why Can’t My Child Behave?’, please contact Pear Tree Press at: P.O. Box 30146 Alexandria, VA22310. Retail price of the book is US$22 (in US) and US$27 (inclusive of postage fee) for overseas purchase.
Extracted from Lapis Lazuli Light Magazine 1997 Apr Issue
Translated by Lapis Lazuli Light Singapore