The Feingold Solution: Assessing the Role of Diet in Children's Behavior

by Jane Hersey
Issue 118: May/June, 2003

When a child behaves badly, most people believe the parents are doing something wrong. But even if you "do everything right," it doesn't always work.

"We never thought it would be like this," recalls Terri. "Michael came into the world unhindered by pain killers, bursting with a healthy vitality, and immediately took to breastfeeding. Everything was fine until the pediatrician gave him baby vitamins loaded with synthetic additives. "His sunny disposition began to disintegrate rapidly as crying, irritability, and sleeping problems became the norm. Subsequent checkups failed to identify any physical problems. Perhaps it was just colic . . . all day, every day? I finally began to suspect the vitamins and stopped giving them to him. I thought he was simply allergic to them.

"All went well until Michael left the breast and joined the formula generation at about six months. He spent a good deal of the day crying for no apparent reason, had difficulty sleeping, refused to nap, and couldn't seem to relax or cuddle when being held.

"Since Michael was our first child, we had no other frame of reference; we assumed his Jekyll-Hyde behavior was just a new stage in his progression toward toddlerhood. Unfortunately, by the time he was 14 months old, Mr. Hyde had pretty well taken over, and the nice side of his personality rarely surfaced. We kept telling ourselves and each other that Michael was just hitting the 'terrible twos' a little early. By the time he reached three, Michael's destructive behavior continued, and he spoke only a few rudimentary words.

"Throughout this period the pediatrician assured me that he was 'just all boy.' It was only after I joined a mother's day out program that I began to realize there really might be something wrong with Michael. During this period I spent a good deal of time locked in the bathroom, crying, and when I wasn't there I was reading every book on child behavior I could find. Michael, of course, spent this time on the other side of the door howling like a banshee."

It turned out that Michael was a normal child who was simply reacting to some of the many synthetic additives used in foods, beverages, vitamins, toothpastes, and medicines - especially those designed for children. Once Terri learned which brand-name foods to use and which to avoid, she saw dramatic changes.

"Within four days after the new regimen was fully operational, I was rewarded with a radical change in Michael's disposition and behavior. Mr. Hyde gave way to a delightful, funny, and thoroughly lovable child. "Michael's verbal skills grew at a remarkable rate. Within six months he went from barely understandable, single-syllable words to discussions that included phrases such as 'Mommy, that isn't appropriate.' "

Often, there are several children in a family who do well and one child whose behavior doesn't make sense.Just because you've raised one or more perfectly contented, well-behaved children, don't think you're likely to escape being blamed for the problems your next child is experiencing. "By the time she was five," writes another mom, "Carolyn had been asked to leave several daycare centers. Despite the fact that my older daughter is a 'model' child, I felt Carolyn's behavior problems were all my fault. There were times when I would lock myself in my bedroom so I wouldn't risk hurting her. Even my training as an educator, with a minor in learning disabilities, didn't help me deal with her problems or with my own distress.

"The pediatrician and psychiatrist wanted to put her on Ritalin, but I couldn't agree to that. I was on tranquilizers, but nothing was strong enough to blunt the sadness of seeing my little girl in such turmoil. She used to roll and roll on the floor in an effort to get rid of some of the frantic energy going through her little body. She was certain that God 'hated' her because he would not let her 'mind.'

"Last year, Carolyn and I went to school together. My job was to try and restrain my daughter while the classroom teacher taught the other children. After six months, she was asked to leave and try again next year."

Once Carolyn's mother had removed from her daughter's diet the chemicals that were triggering her symptoms, she wrote, "These days I work 50 hours a week at my job while Carolyn receives rewards from school every week for good behavior."