Our Life is Different Now

The day after I got back from my trip to Kenya, MMI's teacher and I had discussed giving him a higher protein diet during the day. (She has had enough of his shenanigans as well) He had had a better (I say that loosely) day. So day two we tried again. When I went to pick him up, she told me he had an amazing morning, but that after lunch, he was the worse he had been in a LONG time. What did he have for lunch? I always pack a pretty healthy lunch of whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, juice, and some cracker style food. What was wrong with that? WAIT A MINUTE.... he bought lunch. MMI proceeds to tell me the list of things he had for lunch and that he had chased it with a slushy, a cherry one.

His teacher then tells me that one of the other teachers swears that her daughter is allergic to RED 40. So I went home and did some research and googled RED 40 Hyperactivity. Man, I was surprised. This article entitiled, Is the Red 40 Food Dye Additive Having a Negative Impact on Your Child?, is the one that sparked my attention. 

It's MAD MAN I to a T.

The behaviors listed yesterday were not taken from the American Academy of Pediatrics for ADHD, but from a site called Feingold.org. The program is about taking food coloring, flavoring, additives, preservatives and aspartame out of ones diet. There are many of us who are extremely sensitive to these things and the effects can be harmful!

At Southampton University in England, 153 3 year olds and 144 8-9 year olds children were included in the study. Their conclusion?

"Artificial colors or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population."

That did it.

We joined the Program, and received the book called, Why Can't My Child Behave?, plenty of recipes, a two week food plan, a guide to fast food, and a shopping list of foods that have NO artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and NO sodium benzoates. Foods containing salicylates are also asked to be taken out. This is the hardest part of all. Many of the fruits we eat daily are on this list. We can introduce them back one by one in 2-3 more weeks.

So he has been free and clear (and the rest of us are slowly turning over) for three weeks. He has had one bad day at school and one tantrum in THREE WEEKS.

There's more.

He's still nuts. He still runs around the house with his PJ shorts pulled up like a Sumo wrestler screaming, "I'm a Sumo Wrestler!!!" The difference is, when he runs into his little brother, he doesn't go ballistic and blame, well, anybody. Usually this would turn into a head to head match, which would turn into a Category 5 hurricane.

THAT WOULD BE NORMAL.

And I am happy to say there is a new normal. I have slowly converted the entire family over. New snacks, organic meat, and healthier versions of Mac N Cheese, cheese quesadillas, and cookie and cakes. It was extremely tough the first two weeks though. Making two different sets of meals ( I didn't want to throw away meat or pasta that the other members could still eat), telling MMI, "No honey, you can't have this or that...",and the hardest one, keeping sane through it all.

I was really stressed out just thinking about the change. The cost was the biggest one. But my life is less stressful now that MMI is not on the rampage. The first few grocery store trips were insane just trying to find the acceptable brands he can have. We are talking a three hour tour of Whole Foods!

I feel blessed that I am not going through this alone.

My neighbors DIL is taking this journey with me with her five year son. It has been so nice to just have someone to joke with about having to "go to the store once again to buy..." Thank you NM for taking this journey with me!!

It is so amazing to have MMI back. He is present in his pure form. He is smart, funny and truly inspiring. Only 10 days into the program he said to me, "I'm happier because I can do what my brain tells me to do." I was in awe.

The next step for me is forgiving myself.

All the things the two of us have gone through. So much drama and so much anger and resentment on my side. It will take a very long time to erase my voice in my head telling him to, "just stop it, why can't you, just calm down, you can just stop, just control yourself," and the list goes on and on. All the while I was unknowingly pumping him up with the very poison that was causing him to act this way.

I feel lucky that we found this out so early. I am grateful to his teacher Miss V for saving us. I am blessed to have the husband I have to support me through this frustrating time of conversion. But I am so truly thankful to have my son back. He is an amazing and hilarious kid.

I guess I need to change his online name now.

Goodbye, Mad Man I, Hello Funny Man!

Comments

[Jane T.]

Sounds wonderful!! Hope everything keeps going so well. But it does sound like a difficult adjustment for a while. But worth it! Thanks for sharing.

[Jane T.]

Sounds wonderful!! Hope everything keeps going so well. But it does sound like a difficult adjustment for a while. But worth it! Thanks for sharing.

[Andrea]

I have never been so intrigued by information before, you have got me reading up on this like crazy. I forwarded the info to my parents who have been having an uphill battle with my 9 year old brother.

I am happy for your newfound peace and wish you guys well with the new adjustment.

[Hubby]

I just broke down in tears reading the end of this. I LOVE his new name!

[momof5]

Very well done on following that route and not the drugging so often followed by (often forced on) parents.

We followed these diets 20 years ago for my daughter. Furthermore, many nutritionist/chiropractors who practice kineseology can treat these symptoms successfully. One of the difficulties we had was that her neck was out of place, putting pressure on her skull and creating continuous low-level pain.

[ines]

I can't believe you kept me in pins and needles!

I have to tell you that I have been going to a homeopath and taking my kids (for their asthma and other things) for years and the first thing they take you off of is coloring - followed by preservatives and other junk.

We're all better for it - except when you go to that birthday party with the dreaded blue icing that makes the kids poop blue for days.

Good for you!! Good Luck and I am sooo glad you made the discovery.

[Missy Caulk]

So glad you found out you could control this with food, yea it is a hassle to shop for one person and more expensive.

I have changed my whole family to wheat pasta, at first they complained but now it is standard as they are use too it. I just don't buy the white stuff and everyone has adapted. You can not tell the difference in spagetti and it is more satisfying and filling.

[denise]

Hey Rocky:It's been so many years since our HighSchool days!I am so proud of you and for what you are accomplishing to make a difference. You truly are an amazing woman, an inspiration and a blessing! You have a beautiful family and an amazing heart!
D

[Vaness]

I hope this gets national attention. Maybe Jenny McCarthy will lend a hand. She found that by altering her son's diet she was able to minimize his autism. When she reported it to the doctors they told her he must have been misdiagnosed in the first place. Jerks. It makes perfect sens why our body cannot fully process this stuff, we (ancestors) have eaten healthy for a longer time than we have eaten 'unnaturally' so our physical systems are (yet) designed to digest chemical and artificial crap.

[Ivett]

I've truly enjoyed this article. It has valuable information that I can take with me for my own children and students in the classroom. Thanks for sharing your story!

[Laura Monroe]

Rocky~ I have a 5 year old nephew who is very much the way you describe your little one..he is allergic to practically everything..including eggs, and wheat gluten and having any part of these he is the Tasmanian Devil. I don't know if you've done any allergy testing, but it may immediately rule out others as well. Wheat gluten is huge!

All my best,

[Mattesdon]

so glad you found some ways forward. MM1 sounds EXACTLY like my 11 year old nephew. Since DN was tiny he has been a whirlwind. He started nursery and they were like 'whoah!'. They just couldn't cope iwht him. School started talking about ADHD. I didn't believe that as I specialise in adolescent behaviour and the traits weren't the same.

Eventually his mum took him to a dietician who said to cut out a certain naturally occuring chemical. Not sure if it's the same one but it makes apples red and it's used EVERYWHERE. Poor little mite was 4 at the time and his diet was SO affected.

Anyway, a few weeks in and the difference was just amazing. Now he is just your very normal, cocky annoying thinks he knows it all, smart as hell 11 year old!

It was a hard run though, I really felt for his parents.

Interestingly enough, his dad had been exactly the same as a child but things like food intollerences hadn't been invented then!! LOL

[Mia]

Oh my. I will have to read up on this information. My Boy Child has been going through a rough 2 years and we have been to psychologists and OT specialists and pediatric neuropsychologists. He has therapeutic support specialists at preschool with him all day and a BST and the DART team once per week. We won't dare medicate his developing brain. He had blood work done and they said to put him on Zinc, a dyefree multivitamin, omega 3 and a probiotic. He has been doing much better. They tested him for the milk and wheat problems and he has none of that. He's been tested and found to have an 8 year old IQ at age 4. Thanks for sharing your story with us. I'm so happy for you, I so want our lives to not revolve around Boy Child's mood anymore, my poor Diva suffers from it all and from him. Thank you.