Page 63 - Summer 2017 Journal

mix with the dyes to the ones without them. They were able to find most of the foods they needed in their local supermarket and it usually involved a simple change in brands. These small steps generally brought about big improvements in their child, and for the first time it became clear that food really matters!
Happily, most of the children on the diet show clear—sometimes dramatic—improve- ments quickly. It’s not unusual for a child to re- spond in a matter of days. This gives the family a terrific motivation to pay close attention to what they are eating. Many go from drive-through dinners to home-cooked food, and they soon see that it isn’t just the child who was being harmed by petroleum-based additives. Any time there is a sensitive child, we know that at least one parent shares many of the symptoms. It is also typical that siblings show positive changes on the program, even if parents previously thought they “didn’t have any problems.”
Some families start with the Feingold “baby steps” and move on to progressively healthier food, eventually becoming Weston A. Price Foundation members.
Once the child calms down and the family becomes comfortable with the new way of eat- ing, they are ready for the next step.
The key to improving our food supply is numbers. Back in the 1970s the typical “health food store” was small, dark and smelled of carob. Most shoppers never ventured in. But the huge success of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s is due to their ability to provide better versions of the foods people enjoy eating. We were doing this in our kitchens long before John Mackey opened his first Whole Foods Market in 1980.
Finally, enough people are now ditching the junk so that—for the first time ever—the Food Giants are being hurt where it counts (in dollars).
The Feingold Association has always focused on teaching people about dyes, not because they are the only harmful additive, or even the worst. But the thought of eating a petro-chemical that offers no benefit to the consumer, and lots of danger, is a compelling reason to take a closer look at what is going into one’s shopping cart. Even if a parent does nothing more than ditch the synthetic dyes, they will automatically get rid of a host of toxic chemicals that usually accompany the dyes.
When a child’s behavior improves dramatically, it can have a big impact on everyone who knew him “before.”
HEALTHY SKEPTICISM
Another benefit from this quick course in food additives is that it
creates a healthy skepticism. Feingold members begin to question au- thorities—their doctor, the Food and Drug Administration, their child’s school, among others. Tony the Tiger and Ronald McDonald don’t look so cute anymore. It becomes clear that the drug companies aren’t re- ally concerned about keeping us healthy. Vaccines might not be safe or necessary. Our government agencies aren’t always working in our best interests.
The newly-informed family is much more open to understanding why GMOs are a problem, why butter is better than spreads, why factory- farmed meat is a bad idea and why it’s worth it to pay more for organic milk—or even seek out real milk. They are ready to appreciate Dr. Price’s ideas and understand the fine work of the Weston A. Price organization.
Jane Hersey is the national director of the Feingold Association of the United States (feingold.org) and the author of Why Can’t My Child Behave? She became active in the parent support group after she saw that her husband’s migraine headaches and daughter’s “ADHD” were being triggered by food additives.
A former teacher and Head Start consultant, she has testified before the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Congress about diet and behavior. She lectures at educational institu- tions, hospitals, medical groups, universities and schools.
THE FEINGOLD DIET
The Feingold Program is a form of elimination diet, a test to determine if certain foods/food additives are triggering a variety of symptoms. The main focus is on eliminating synthetic dyes, artificial flavors, three preservatives and synthetic sweeteners. Most of these are petrochemicals and are both toxic and unnecessary. At the beginning of the program a group of foods, primarily common fruits, are removed and can later be reintroduced and tested one at a time. Since these foods contain a chemical that is similar to aspirin, they can be problematic for some people even though they are healthy for most.
Dr. Feingold, who was chief of allergy at the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco, found that the above additives and foods can affect people in many ways, depending upon their individual sensitivities. Any system of the body can be impacted, which is why they can trigger so many different symptoms involving learning, behavior and health.
Although the Feingold Diet was designed to help individuals track down offending foods and chemicals, it is also a simple baby-step into healthier eating. The Feingold Association researches brand name foods and provides lists of thousands of acceptable products.
SUMMER 2017
Wise Traditions 63