Feingold and TF

[rodsmommy]

I was wondering if anyone eats a combination of TF with Feingold or the gluten/casein diet. I am just reading "Nourishing Traditions" and am looking into Feingold for our two boys. Our sons were adopted as toddlers and have a variety of diagnosises like ADHD, ODD, attachment disorder and so on.....I am wondering how much allergies and additives may play into their behaviors. I know that in their foster homes they ate very cheap, processed food and until recently they ate mostly vegetarian with me. Now I am worried about all the soy they have eaten and the processing that goes into veggie burgers and so forth. Has anyone seen TF or feingold have a positive affect on their child's hyperactivity or negative behaviors?

[tanyalynn]

There are lots of us gfcf here, I got a lot of ideas and just a general feel of support here when it was new and it felt overwhelming. Everybody seems to have different reasons, ours weren't hyperactivity/behavior type ones, so I can't help with that. Others probably can, if not here then over in the Allergies sub-forum under Health & Healing.

And welcome.

[Ruthla]

Yes, Feingold has made a HUGE difference in DD2's behavior and ADD symptoms (although we never pursued a formal diagnosis.)

Pretty much anything that's TF will be Feingold Stage 2, as traditionally, people didn't use the additives that the Feingold program avoids. Feingold goes further than just diet though- it also includes personal care and household products. People can react by dyes in soap touching their hands or breathing in synthetic fragrances from cleaning products.

Feingold, in "Stage 1", also removes foods that contain salicylates, a naturally occurring chemical. Many people are sensitive to this chemical and have bad reactions to certain whole foods such as apples and grapes. I didn't find that my daughter had much effect from salicylates, so we don't avoid them and I no longer remember the list of foods that contain them. But she does have strong, obvious reactions to artificial colors, and to a lesser extent artificial flavors.

Welcome to MDC!

[rodsmommy]

Thanks for the welcome and for the help I am getting my feingold kit in the mail soon, and I am reading "Why Can't My Child Behave" by Jane Hershey which does talk about chemicals and fragrences that can also trigger behavior. I can't wait to get started!