Using Diet for Better Behavior in Children

Two and a half years ago, our son Tommy came into our life. He was six months and still recovering from the drugs he was exposed to in the womb. We fostered him for a year, and then he became our forever child through adoption.

Today he is a bright, sweet, tow headed preschooler, and will be three years old in a few days. He is the delight of everyone in our family. But we have had a few bumps in the road along the way.

As Tommy grew older, he recovered from his physical problems, but one thing remained that was very puzzling to me: Tommy had what I can only describe as rages. I am the mother of ten children, and foster mother of more than fifty, and even I had not seen anything like this before. Friends and strangers gave me all kinds of diagnoses: autism, aspergers, rage disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder...It was pretty scary.

I finally took Tommy to our pediatrician. Tommy cooperated beautifully by having one of his melt downs for the doctor - he would not let the doctor touch him. Both of us together could not hold two year old Tommy onto the examining table as he screamed and fought. My doctor acknowledged there was most certainly a problem and suggested I take him to the Child Study Center to be evaluated.

While I was willing to do that, I soon found out it's not an easy place to get an appointment, and when you do, it will be many months away. I didn't want to wait that long to get help for my son, so I began to research Tommy's symptoms on the internet. While I didn't find a "label" to put on him, I was surprised to find that diet seemed to be a big connection to behavior problems.

I was finally directed to the Feingold Program. I read all I could about it, and tried to put the diet into place in Tommy's life first without buying the materials offered. Just from the few things I could find to apply, I began to see a difference, so I finally spent the $85 to have the materials mailed to me. Joining this program gave me access right away to the website, and I was given a two week menu and shopping list to get me started before the materials arrived.

This was a big help, and the results were just short of amazing. Tommy's rages began to diminish. His speech improved, he became more affectionate, and I was able to potty train him in a single day.

I soon received the materials in the mail. There was a book that detailed the program, which included a symptom checklist, the two stages of the program, how to get started, recipes and menu plans and a shopping list.

I also received a food list with name brands, a supplement guide, a fast food guide, and some newsletters.

At first, it was overwhelming. I would go to the grocery store, and my mind would become blank. But after a while, I began to get the hang of it. All food colorings, artificial flavorings, preservatives, and corn syrup were prohibited. My teenage daughter smiled as she watched me take products off the grocery shelf, look at the label, and slowly put them back. I had to learn a whole new way of feeding my family. I had to cook almost everything from scratch. I bought a lot more fruits and vegetables, and we began to have things like fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast every morning. Rather than laboring in the kitchen all the time, we learned to eat more simply. Meals were lighter, but more satisfying.

To my great surprise, my children actually like this diet. The homemade bread I made each morning disappeared almost as soon as it came out of the oven, and they never seemed to tire of it. My daughter began to cook more. Little Tommy would ask at each meal: "This on my diet?"

And as we grew accustomed to eating this way, each member of the family saw a difference in themselves. One child quit wetting the bed at night. An older son, who always carried around a roll of toilet paper because of his stuffy nose, found he didn't need it anymore. In fact, all the stuffy noses in our house cleared up. Headaches disappeared. We all felt better.

And Tommy is a new little boy. He is doing so well on the diet; I don't think we really need the Child Study Center after all. I don't plan on ever stopping his diet. In fact, I am looking forward to learning more.

Whether your child has behavior or learning problems or not, help them be as smart, healthy and happy as they can be by educating yourself on the things you are feeding them. And see if it doesn't improve your own life, as well!

http://www.feingold.org/