FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
The main feature of oppositional defiance is
irritability
oppositional defiance generally
develops between the ages of 1-3 years
the
childs behaviour depends on interaction - when life is good the child is good
but the child can overreact when asked to do something he or she doesn't like
children
with oppositional defiance like to say 'no'
children
with oppositional defiance display a pattern of negative, hostile and defiant
behaviour lasting at least six months and including at least four of the
features listed below
Symptoms of oppositional defiance
losing
temper
arguing
with adults
refusing
adult requests or defying rules
deliberately
annoying other people
blaming
others for own mistakes
touchy or
easily annoyed
angry and
resentful
Oppositional defiance can exist with or without ADHD
oppositional defiance runs in families
your
child doesnt have to be diagnosed with ODD to have features of oppositional
defiance that will respond to diet
adults
can be oppositionally defiant too
The bad news
Medications
for ADHD can make these children worse because they are better able to focus on
being defiant.
Behaviour management is hard to do and doesnt always
work
avoid confrontations
avoid arguments
avoid smacking
never back these children into a corner
offer options
be calm and positive
If
untreated, oppositional defiance may progress to Conduct Disorder which
includes lawbreaking.
The good news
Oppositional
defiance can be well controlled by changing what the child or adult eats. You
can see this with your own eyes in the dramatic video of the Shipley Project in
which eight extremely oppositional chronic juvenile offenders literally change
under our eyes as they follow an elimination diet for three weeks.
Most parents have never noticed an effect of food
A few
children go ballistic soon after eating food colours but for most families, the
effects of food chemicals creep up, unnoticed. What most people see is this:
* food
chemicals can build up gradually, resulting in good days and bad days with no
obvious cause
When a
child eats fast food or spaghetti, he or she might be irritable or have a bad
day at school the next day or the day after.
Not
everyone reacts to the same food chemicals.
Some
natural "healthy" foods can be a problem.
Some
families are more sensitive than others.
Some other effects of food chemicals
* eczema *
migraines * tinnitus * irritable bowel * bedwetting * sneaky poos * difficulty
falling asleep * restless legs * asthma * arthritis * impairment of memory or
concentration * anxiety * depression * panic attacks * unexplained tiredness
These symptoms
may appear in other members of the family.
These are common problem-causing foods
additives
in soft drinks, cordials, lollies,
flavoured snacks, chips and biscuits, takeaways, icecreams and
"healthy" foods like bread (preservative 282), yoghurt (colour 160b)
or sausages (preservative 223).
natural
chemicals in some fruits, juice, dried fruit and vegetables, especially
tomatoes, oranges, sultanas, grapes and broccoli.
Food
chemicals can pass through breastmilk and affect babies.
Where do I start?
Some
families see an improvement just by cutting down on the worst foods:
switch to
preservative-free bread
avoid
artificial colours in products such as drinks, lollies and icypoles
water is
the best drink kids drink water better if given their own water bottle
avoid
citrus and tomatoes
If thats
not enough, you can do an elimination-and-challenge diet supervised by a
dietitian to find out which food chemicals cause problems. Ask for our list of
failsafe-friendly dietitians.
When symptoms
are severe, dairy foods and wheat or gluten may have to be avoided as well as
additives and natural chemicals called salicylates and amines.
What can we eat?
The plain,
natural, unprocessed foods that children ate 40 years ago were low in
additives. Contrary to public opinion,
white sugar does not affect children's behaviour.
Some
additive-free alternatives:
eg.
Brumby's bread, pure (not softened) butter or Nuttelex margarine, Arnott's
Saltine biscuits, Glengarry shortbreads, traditional rolled oats or Rice
Bubbles, Kettle plain chips, failsafe sausages, Peters original vanilla
icecream, Pascall's white marshmallows, Darryl Lea butterscotch, home-made
magic cordial: dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup warm water and add ½-1 tsp citric
acid. Dilute to taste.
Additives to avoid
The
following additives may cause problems.
Some people may also need to avoid natural food chemicals called
salicylates, amines and natural MSG.
COLOURS
102, 104,
107, 110, 122-129, 133, 142, 151, 155
160b
annatto natural colour (160a betacarotene is safe)
PRESERVATIVES
200-203
Sorbates in processed fruit, veges, cordial, wine
210-213
Benzoates in soft drinks, cordials, juice drinks
220-228
Sulphites in many foods including cordial, dried fruit, sausages, hot chips,
wine, these additives are associated with asthma
249-252
Nitrates, nitrites in processed meats like ham, devon, salami
280-283
Propionates in bread, crumpets, hamburger buns, also in fruit juice and cheese.
Whey powder in bread is a natural form of these preservatives.
310-312
Antioxidants in vegetable oils, chips, fried food,
319-321
soymilk, biscuits, not always listed. 300-309 are safe
FLAVOUR
ENHANCERS
620-635
Glutamates in tasty foods. (HVP is natural MSG, 621 is MSG, 635 can cause
rashes)
ADDED
FLAVOURS in many
foods and children's medicinal syrups
For more information
Fed Up
with ADHD, Fed Up and The Failsafe Cookbook by Sue Dengate, available in
bookstores and libraries
The
Simplified Elimination Diet booklets from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy
Clinic, available from dietitians and the RPAH website: www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy
Friendly
Food by Anne Swain and others, available in bookstores and the RPAH website: www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy
The Food
Intolerance Network: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
References
Clarke,
L and others (1996) 'The dietary management of food allergy and food
intolerance in children and adults'. Australian Journal of Nutrition and
Dietetics (53:3),89-94.
Bennett
and others, (1998) 'The Shipley Project: treating food allergy to prevent
criminal behaviour in community settings', Journal of Nutritional and
Environmental Medicine, 8, 77-83.
Jacobson
FJ and Schardt D, 1999, Diet, ADHD and behaviour: a quarter-century review.
Centre for Science in the Public Interest,
Rowe,
K.S. and Rowe K.L. (1994) 'Synthetic food colouring and behaviour: a dose
response effect in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated-measures
study'. Journal of Pediatrics (125),691-8.
www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
The information given is not intended as
medical advice. Always consult with your doctor for underlying illness. Before
beginning dietary investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food
intolerance. You can find a supportive dietitian through the Dietitians
Association of
© Sue Dengate update December 2004
