Pure Facts No

Pure Facts

November / December 2019



Vol. 43, N0. 10

Family Holidays

It's that time of year again when food and family all come together.

I t's also the $me when you face the issues of wan$ng your children to be at their best while also wan$ng to keep the peace and avoid issues over food choices. But that's when the two worlds are likely to collide. Whether it's Thanksgiving dinner or just a play date, you might feel pressured to avoid a conflict with your friend, neighbor or a cri$cal rela$ve. But this approach usually backfires. When you give in and let him have "just a li/le bit" of Grandma's red velvet cake, and he ends up going bonkers, nobody wins...especially you!

We want our kids to be strong, to say "no" to harmful things (of all types -- not just food additives), so we have to set the example for our children.

If your son eats the wrong food and acts out, it's just another example to the cri$cal rela$ves that this whole diet thing is just an excuse for bad behavior. But if you s$ck to your guns, say "no" to harmful addi$ves, and your child is the calmest one in the room, it's possible that they might make the connec$on. So how can you deal with all this, while s$ll keeping the peace? Feingold parents have come up with various strategies that can help keep the peace while keeping your kids at their best.

Holiday Candy Bags are Coming! For details see page 8 of this newsle/er.

First, be sure your child really understands the diet and why you make the food choices you do.

Most parents have done a good job of teaching their children about this, so while we generally don't think of a youngster as an expert, that's what your child actually is. Even three? and four? year-olds have shown that they understand. So, let your child be the one who explains his diet to other adults. (We have been told of children as young as three telling adults that they don't eat "ficials," their word for ar$ficial food addi$ves.)

When the informa$on comes from a child, adults won't see it as a parent making excuses for poor behavior, and it's likely to make a genuine impression on them.

Con nued

If you stick to your guns, and say "no" to harmful additives, and your child is the calmest one in the room, it's possible that the family members might make the connection.

Did you see the item in the October newsle/er about

the boy who told his friend why he was not going to

go trick or trea$ng? And a@er hearing about food

dyes, his friend decided he didn't want to eat them

either!

If you will be bringing some of the food for the holiday

celebra$on, you only need to have a few of your child's

favorite things. Just because there's a lot of food

doesn't mean your family members need to eat all the

op$ons.

One clever mom told her children that they would know which foods are hers because she used a particular color of serving dishes. That way she was sure there wouldn't be any mix-ups.

The Feingold Association provides many resources that are designed to help you gain the understanding and cooperation of friends, relatives and professionals. Check out our website .

"Dear Grandma & Grandpa" le/er 2 Pure Facts / November / December 2019

Read Part One online

I am kicking myself! I feel so terrible.

This week, my mom was in town, and we had to go to my sister's house around lunchtime. I ordered pizza with no salicylates for my son, and everything was fine.

On the second day, my son had a friend with him, and once again, we ended up at my sister's house for lunch. I knew I should have brought acceptable foods, but in our rush, I didn't get the chance to do it. My sister has a copy of the Feingold Foodlist, but despite that, she had no approved foods in her house! So, I ordered pizza again.

My big mistake!

I knew my son's friend would eat only pepperoni pizza, so I ordered it and let my son eat some.

The next day, my son cried about everything. I had to ask him five $mes to get dressed and remind him to eat his dinner.

He kept coming to me all day and telling me, "Mom, I just feel way too sad." I finally confessed to him about the pepperoni and told him that he was reac$ng to it.

He said that if he had known it was a food that could make him feel bad, he wouldn't have eaten it. He also said he wouldn't have minded watching all the other kids eat theirs. He said he is never again going to eat pepperoni for the rest of his life because it makes him WAY TOO SAD." I feel so terrible! If I had just talked to him, he wouldn't be feeling this bad. It's almost like he's depressed and it is likely to last un$l tomorrow a@ernoon.

Pepperoni does not need to have harmful additives. There are delicious natural versions.

I fell into the trap of worrying about depriving my son. I know he loves pepperoni, and he has asked for it a few $mes since we started the diet. I didn't want him to feel bad seeing his friend eat something he wanted. I didn't tell him he probably wouldn't be able to tolerate it because I knew we would eventually be tes$ng for it, and I didn't want to skew his percep$on of it.

? Your child is your top priority, not the opinions of other adults.

? A social gathering is not a good place to test out new foods/addi$ves.

? Discuss this with your child in advance; let him decide how to handle it.

? Let your son tell others about his diet; he will be more convincing than you!

Adults overestimate the importance of food; for most kids, it's about having fun with friends.

It's so frustra$ng; my kids don't see my mom very much, and I feel like I need to bend over backwards when she is here. I am done with that! I need to be a be/er advocate for my kids because this is not worth it. My son is really good about people around him ea$ng foods he used to love and not feeling bad. He has never even contemplated chea$ng or ea$ng something not approved in the 5 months we have been on the diet. I really need to let go of some issues. This was my problem, not his, and he is suffering because of it.

Pure Facts / November / December 2019 3

Dyes in the News

In September, scientists gathered in Sacramento, California, to review the potential harm

that food dyes pose, especially for children. And in the September 24 issue, Forbes

Magazine included a feature article on the risks posed by these additives and how this is

being addressed by the California symposium.

The Forbes ar$cle pointed out many of the issues surrounding the use of synthe$c dyes. Here are some of them.

Behavior and Learning

"Research has also associated food dyes with problems in children including allergies, hyperac$vity, learning impairment, irritability and

Research conducted by the University of North Carolina and Center for Science in the Public Interest analyzed over 800 food products that are designed for children and found that more than 43% of them contained synthe$c dyes. What's more, nearly all of the candies and so-called "fruit" snacks contained them.

In their 2010 report $tled "Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks," CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) described animal studies that show the dyes are linked to malignant tumors.

One parent wrote to CSPI that her child "becomes very disoriented, confused and frustrated after consuming foods with artificial food coloring. He is unable to focus and prone to extremely angry outbursts resulting in a complete loss of control -- violently striking out and screaming uncontrollably. He has been diagnosed with ADHD; however, all of his symptoms are almost non-existent when he does not consume dyes."

aggressiveness. An American study published in Science found that when children who scored high on a scale measuring hyperac$vity consumed a food-dye blend, they performed worse on tests that measured their ability to recall images than when they drank a placebo.

"A 2007 Bri$sh study found that children who consumed a mixture of common synthe$c dyes displayed hyperac$ve behavior within an hour of consump$on. (These children had not been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.) The results, published in The Lancet, prompted Britain's Food

In their report, CSPI notes, "numerous studies have found that mixtures of dyes cause hyperac$vity and other behavioral impairments in children."

Standards Agency to encourage manufacturers to find alterna$ves to food dyes."

Milton Stokes, M.P.H., R.D.

Note: European versions of M&Ms, Ski(les, and Starburst Chews use

Bruce Y. Lee, author of the Forbes ar$cle concludes:

natural dyes.

"Moreover, food dyes have no nutri$onal value. They are just for appearance in our appearance-obsessed society. Why, then, roll the `dye' and take on unknown risk for something that doesn't make your or your kids' lives any be/er? That could be like drinking some unknown chemicals just so that your toilet plunger can look prePer. Dyes may help food items get more a/en$on, but these dyes themselves should be gePng more a/en$on. Much more research is needed.

People should ask the ques$on: `Why are ar$ficial colors in so much of our food supply'?"

4 Pure Facts / November / December 2019

Special gifts for the special people on your list

Looking for some practical, welcomed gifts for those hard-to-shop-for folks? Take a look at these options.

Foaming Soap Dispenser

Your gi@ will provide wonderful foamy soap, but with none of the dyes and perfumes found in most brands. NutriBio$c's Coconut Oil Soap is so much be/er for your hands and body than other soaps or sani$zers. You need only a small amount of the soap and lots of water to make it work. The Coconut Oil Soap can be found online and dispensers are available at many stores that sell home goods, including Walmart.

But there's a catch! Don't be fooled (like I was) and buy a lo$on dispenser. They just squirt the contents out and don't provide any foam. Check out the spout; if it has a flat opening, as in the picture on the le@, it should dispense the soap mixture as foam. But if it has a round opening, as on the right, you'll just get a squirt and no bubbles!

Bath Powder

When consumers learned that Johnson & Johnson talcum powder contained cancer-causing asbestos, and that the company hid this informa$on, it spoiled a lot of bath rou$nes. But here's something be/er, and with NO asbestos!

Combine equal amounts of baking soda and cornstarch in a large bowl and use a wire whisk to blend them. You can buy a decora$ve bowl (no need for a cover) and a luxurious large puff or an old fashioned powder puff.

Available online from Bonny Bubbles

In addition to avoiding arsenic, you won't have to deal with any (petroleumbased) perfumes

Pure Facts / November / December 2019 5

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