Why We Chose the Feingold Diet

Don't these jelly beans look so colorful and tempting? What is it about brightly colored foods that are so appealing to our children? A child will see a box of Fruit Loops and decide it is yummy before they have even tasted it simply because of the "eye appeal". Our eyes love to look upon colorful and beautiful things and God has lovingly created this world for our pleasure. God also created food colorful and interesting and for our enjoyment. Fruit and vegetables provide us with a rainbow of delicious looking colors and shapes. I once heard someone call fruit "God's dessert". Unfortunately, whenever God creates something beautiful and calls it very good, man has to create a substitute that is not so good.

Did you know that the most commonly used food dyes are made from petroleum? (Yes, I said petroleum.) And, no, it is not a different petroleum than what is used for our cars. I wonder, would any of us mothers consider putting a teaspoon of motor oil into our child's breakfast cereal every morning? Probably not. The petroleum in our food dyes can pose several known health risks including hyperactivity in children, cancer and allergic reactions. Michelle from Triplets Plus One = Four Times the Fun has a great article on food dyes, specifically Red 40. Take a minute to read her post Feeding Our Children Petroleum: Food Dye and Hyperactivity.


I recently learned that the British government and European Union have taken measures to end the use of synthetic food dyes throughout Europe. Sadly the United States has not been so quick to take action. This means that the Kellogg's NutriGrain bars sold in Europe are made with natural colorings such as beetroot red, annatto and paprika extract. (no petroleum) While the NutriGrain bars sold here in United States are colored with Red No. 40, Yellow No. 6 and Blue No. 1. (lots of petroleum.) As a mother of a child with ADHD symptoms, this does not make me happy. 


My husband and I  made a connection some time ago between foods with overt dyes (such as M&Ms and Lucky Charms) and our son's behavior. Once we made the connection we limited those foods, only allowing them on "special occasions." We eventually reached a point where we did not allow them period  because the repercussions were just not worth it. It was around this time that we heard of the Feingold Association of United States. The Feingold Association is a "nonprofit organization whose purposes are to support its members in the implementation of the Feingold diet and generate public awareness of the role of food and synthetic additives in behaviour, learning and health problems".  The Feingold diet is based upon the findings of the late Dr. Ben Feingold, a pediatrician and allergist, who in 1965 began observation of the link between certain foods and additives and their effect on some individuals behavior and ability to learn. The Feingold Program is based upon an elimination diet where all synthetic colors and flavors are removed as well as BHA, BHT, TBHQ, synthetic sweeteners and natural salicylates. Our son began the Feingold program in January 2011 and we noticed a significant improvement around 4-5 weeks into the diet. Many children respond much sooner, some as early as 2-3 days into the diet.


If you are a parent of a struggling or difficult child, please take some time to read about the effects of the artificially flavored and colored food your child is consuming. Please visit the Feingold Assocation website and learn more about their program. I suggest you start here. It is a symptom checklist for the behavior, learning and health problems that can be improved with the Feingold program. It has been a tremendous source of hope and encouragement for us. 


If you think your child may benefit from the Feingold program, don't be intimidated! There are so many friendly members willing to offer support and encouragement. I hope you will find this blog a source of information as well.  I will regularly be updating with recipes and tips for making the Feingold program easy for busy moms!

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Who is the difficult child?

First lets look at the definition of the word difficult. It is an adjective meaning: not easily or readily done; requiring much labor; skill or planning to be preformed successfully; hard; a difficult job; hard to understand or solve; hard to deal with or get on with.

The difficult child is one who we must labor over intensely. To teach and train the difficult child is a task not easily or readily done and we must plan diligently for their future success. The difficult child is one who many times is hard to understand and certainly at times hard to deal with.

 The difficult child can come in many different forms and with many different names. ADHD, Hyperactive, Angry, Learning disabled, Sensory Integration Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, to name a few. There is one common thread among these children-they require much labor and their training is not easily done. 

This blog was born out of a desire to encourage and strengthen mothers of difficult children. My heart is for you specifically. I know full well the pain and frustration of raising a difficult child and,  praise God, I also know the joys and blessing! I want you to know that you are not alone. So many women struggle everyday with feelings of defeat, guilt, despair, anger, self-pity and hopelessness. When we allow ourselves to indulge in these deceptive feelings we cannot walk in hope and victory! The truth is that God has plans to give our children a hope and a future. 

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11

These words were spoken by God through his prophet Jeremiah to Israel concerning their time of captivity in Babylonia. What a beautiful promise for us mothers to claim over our children as well. It can be hard in the midst of our day to day battles and frustrations to have faith in the wonderful hope God has given us for our children's future. We need encouragement to stand firm on God's promises and not grow weary while doing good.  

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:8-10

It is my sincerest desire that this blog can become a place where we can encourage one another to not grow weary doing good.  I hope you will consider joining us as we learn together the hope we have for the difficult child.

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Are you encouraged here? I invite you to subscribe to Hope for the Difficult Child and receive our latest posts straight to your inbox.  Connect with us on facebook and receive updates not posted on our blog.