Well I finally got my book “Why Your Child is Hyperactive” by Dr. Ben Feingold from the library. I am still waiting for “Why Can’t My Child Behave?” which was written by Jane Hershey and is considered an updated (1995 vs 1975) version of the Feingold diet guidelines.
As it turns out, the original “Off the Menu” list was more restrictive than necessary. I’m a fan of this news!
If I were following a salicylate-restricted diet for suspected allergy/asthma exacerbation reasons, the first list would be more appropriate. However, the Feingold diet only requires the elimination of certain salicylate-containing foods based on those which seem to cause the most trouble for those on the program.
The Feingold Association offers a program that provides members with shopping guides. Since companies are allowed to leave certain ingredients off of ingredient labels (an outrage I know!), these guides help people know which types of foods are safe to eat. It costs around $80.00. Since I’m only following the Feingold diet for 1 month, I’m going to hold onto my cash and use my background knowledge to assess safe options.
Here’s my updated “no” foods list:
Off the Menu: (All bold items are those that I currently eat on a regular basis and will be the hardest for me not to eat!)
*Dairy: milk (due to addition of vitamin A palmitate which may be preserved with BHA)
*Grains: cereals fortified with vitamin A palmitate
*Vegetables: cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers
*Fruits: cherries, currants, grapes, nectarines, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, tangerines, apples, plums, raisins, oranges, prunes, all berries
(Kiwis, pineapple, & grapefruit deserve special mention.
*Meat, poultry, eggs & fish: lard (if preserved with BHT)
*Nuts/Seeds: almonds
*Spices & herbs: cloves
*Condiments: apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce
*Food additives/misc: Avoiding specific food additives is at the heart of the Feingold approach, so definitely NO artificial colors or flavors of any kind, such as vanillin, preservatives: BHA, BHT, & TBHQ. “Natural flavors” are not specifically mentioned but since those can be derived from any ungodly chemical, I’m going to assume those are unacceptable.
*Fun Stuff: tea, coffee, apple cider, grape/berry jellies, wintergreen oil, cucumber pickles, aspartame, shortening (if contains BHT), wine & wine vinegar (Blast! A couple of friends gave us a bottle of sparkling wine I was hoping to dip into for Derek’s birthday! Le sigh…I’ll just have to be patient I guess
)
Sources:
Feingold, B. (1975)Why Your Child is Hyperactive. “The KP Diet”. Pgs. 169-181.
Strickland, E. (2009) Eating for Autism. “The Feingold Diet”. Pg. 115.