Below you will find the most recent interesting questions concerning the
diet and the effects of food on health, behaviour and learning.
All previous
questions from Food Intolerance Network members that have been
published since September 2002 have been collected into a single 54 page PDF
file (330Kb) so that it is easier to download and search using Control/F or the
PDF search function: http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/information/failsafequestions.pdf.
Some of the information, particularly that about specific foods and what
they contain, may be out of date – always check the Product Updates section on www.fedup.com.au for the latest
information.
If you want a question answered, please email me on suedengate@ozemail.com.au. My mailing
address is
(June 2009)
Q. I read somewhere that McDonalds
Soft serve was okay (if you don't eat the cone). Is this true???
A. When I checked the McDonald's website in May 09 (you
can search Google for <McDonalds ingredients>), the Soft Serve mix
contained water, sugar, non fat milk solids, butterfat, glucose solids, coconut
oil, four vegetable gums and added flavour. According to RPA, coconut oil is
high in both salicylates and amines but as the sixth ingredient this would be
OK occasionally. The flavour is probably vanilla and would be OK if not too
strong. The cone contains artificial colour (110) so is definitely not failsafe
- you can usually ask for icecreams in a paper cup. Thanks to Nicole.
Q. My son adores peanut butter, and
I m having a big struggle to find a substitute for him. I have tried the cashew
paste in your cookbook, but he hates it. I also notice that Freedom Foods soy
butter is no longer available. Yesterday however I came across a product called
Eskals FreeNut Butter. The ingredients are sunflower seed (85% minimum), sugar,
emulsifier (471), salt and antioxidant (306). Is it considered failsafe?
A. Unfortunately, Freenut Butter is NOT failsafe
because sunflower seeds are listed as high in salicylates and amines by RPA.
For children who hate cashew paste, try the option with carob powder added,
it’s much nicer. Thanks to Annette.
Q. My 2 year old daughter is
addicted to salicylates - she loves breaking into the bathroom and sucking on
her minty Wiggles baby paste. Is there a low fluoride plain toothpaste for
kids?
A. Young children shouldn’t swallow
fluoride toothpaste, because too much fluoride can affect the formation of
permanent teeth and possibly other health problems. An advantage of plain
toothpaste – other than lack of salicylates - is that children aren’t tempted
to eat it. Normal toothpastes contains about 1 mg of fluoride per gram of
toothpaste and low fluoride toothpaste contains about half that. I don’t know
of any low fluoride children’s toothpastes that are free of both flavours and
colours but you can use Plain Toothpaste from Oral Hygiene Solutions (http://www.oralhygienesolutions.com/page/plain_toothpaste.html)
or Soul Pattinson pharmacies. The current medical recommendation for children
under six is to use only a pea size amount of low fluoride toothpaste or a
smear of regular fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
Q. Our school has announced they are
installing new carpet in my son’s classroom. Can you put me in touch with some information
about why this is not acceptable for my food and chemically sensitive son?
A. The Carpet Institute of
Q. After attending one of your
seminars about 4 years ago we have managed to change our now 15 year old
daughter’s life by eliminating preservatives, colours and flavours. We are
travelling to the
A. We took our teenagers around the
world, including the
My
recommendation about traveling is to cater for yourself whenever possible. For
flights, take your own food. I always pack lots of sandwiches – e.g.
preservative free cream cheese with finely sliced celery (or cucumber if you
can manage salicylates) travels well. If you happen to find any food in airline
meals or airports that you can eat, regard that as a bonus. In airports, you
can often ask for a milkshake/smoothie with nothing but banana (or real mango)
and milk. Contributions from readers are welcome: email to suedengate@ozemail.com.au.
Q. My 12 yr old son has taken
penicillin for tonsillitis twice in the last two months. Both times I have
noticed my son’s behaviour became much more moody and disobedient. The
medication was LPV capsules. Could there be a problem with the drug itself or
am I looking for an unlisted culprit?
A. I did a Google search in May 09 for
<LPV capsules> and found the CMI (Consumer Medicines Information) leaflet
at http://www.mydr.com.au/medicines/cmis/lpv-capsules.
The "inactive" ingredients are listed at the bottom of the CMI. They
include three artificial colours which are listed by names and Colour Index
(CI) numbers but are also known as colours 110, 127 and 133 – all artificial
colours we recommend to avoid. At that time, the CMI claimed "LPV does not
contain gluten, sucrose, tartrazine or any other azo dyes" but this is
incorrect as sunset yellow (110) is an azo dye. I notified the manufacturer and
they promised to change it. You can see more information and a list of Colour
Index numbers on our Medications
factsheet.
Q. My daughter recently went from
taking 10mg Losec to 20mg (half twice a day). I noticed the colour of the
tablets is quite different. When I contacted the manufacturer they told me that
the darker colour in the 20mg is due to the fact that it has iron oxide red and
iron oxide yellow in it (although they did say there is also a small amount of
iron oxide red in 10mg) do you know anything about these colours and whether
they are OK or should be avoided?
A. Iron oxides (red, yellow and black) are all
variations on natural colour 172. They are considered to be well tolerated by
failsafers and were consumed without problems for years in the RPA-recommended
Macro M vitamin supplements that have since been discontinued.
Q. Could Vegeta stock powder be
causing my son’s bad behaviour? We have it nearly every night.
A. Yes it could. The vegetable flavour
Vegeta gourmet stock powder contains MSG (flavour enhancer 621) which has been
associated with a range of reactions including behaviour. The other Vegeta
flavours (chicken, beef and chicken salt reduced) contain the newer flavour
enhancer disodium inosinate (627) which seems to cause even more problems than
MSG.
Q. Can you tell me if processed
eucheuma seaweed listed as a stabiliser in a homemade icecream mix is failsafe?
A. Processed eucheuma seaweed is
vegetable gum (407a) also known as PNG-carrageenan or semi-refined carrageenan.
Vegetable gums are regarded as failsafe although if eaten in large quantities
or by extra sensitive people they may cause symptoms of IBS such as stomach
discomfort and bloating. The other version of carrageenan (commonly known as
additive 407) is controversial because some studies have suggested it is
carcinogenic. However, others say that only degraded carrageenan (never used in
food) is carcinogenic.
Q. My son has been getting into
serious trouble at school and has been hitting children (he does not have
ADHD). At home, we seem to have a very difficult time with him. Our children
eat at least 3 fruits a day - mainly kiwi, pineapple, mangoes, apples and
tangerines - and these seem to be the worse offenders.
A. Most of the fruits you mention wouldn’t have been
eaten every day by young children 30 years ago. Kiwi fruit, pineapples and
citrus are all rated as very high in natural chemicals called salicylates and
amines that are known to cause behavioural effects and most varieties of apples
are high in salicylates. Blueberries, strawberries, grapes and sultanas are
some other fruits commonly eaten every day by young children that can cause problems.
Some families can see improvements by avoiding additives and possibly reducing
fruit and tomato intake, while others get best results through doing the RPA
elimination diet supervised by a dietitian. This family saw a big improvements
when they cut out additives.
(February
2009)
Q. My dentist wants me to use GC Tooth Mousse - I phoned the
supplier to ask whether there are preservatives or colours and she said it
contains propylene glycol, titanium dioxide and xylitol sugars. I seem to react
to very small amounts of any preservatives, colours or flavours so I believe I
would be in trouble if I used this mousse (it has to be left on every night to
help my gums and teeth). What are your views?
A. The list of ingredients from the supplier didn't seem long enough so I
searched the internet for "GC Tooth Mousse ingredients". According to
the Material Safety Data Sheet the product contains three hydroxybenzoate
preservatives. Also known as parabens or preservatives (214-219), these
preservatives are known to affect people who are sensitive to artificial
colours and salicylates. The European MSDS warns "Do not use this material
on patients with a proven or suspected milk protein allergy and/or with a
sensitivity or allergy to benzoate preservatives". This product is NOT
FAILSAFE.
Feedback: ‘Well I have tried the
"plain" GC Tooth Mousse three times and have reacted each time with
the usual symptoms. It appears to stay in my system for two days. I react with
insomnia, then my body gets "the jumps". I have even gone back to
having the jumps in my legs and arms during the day (two days after using the
tooth mousse)!’ See also next question.
Q. I seem to be reacting to NEO-MERCAZOLE tablets with the
following ingredients: lactose, maize starch, sucrose, magnesium stearate,
talc, microcrystalline cellulose, gum acacia, ferric oxide, propyl
hydroxybenzoate, gelatin. They are coloured pink. The pharmacist at the company
that distributes the neo-mercazole said the colour was ferric oxide (Fe2O3)
also known as Iron (III) oxide, Pigment red 101 or Diiron Trioxide; colour
index (C.I.) 77491. Colour 101 isn't on
the list of nasty additives. Does that mean I can discount colour as a cause of
problems?
A.
Under TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) regulations colours do not have to
be listed on medication labels - due to lack of space - leaving consumers to
rely on dodgy word-of-mouth advice from suppliers or pharmacists. The
pharmacist who advised you was either ignorant or misleading. Pigment red 101
is not the same as Food Colour 101 (riboflavin, a B vitamin). Ferric oxide, the
colour used in your medication, is also called iron oxide or food colour (172).
Iron oxides are available in red (and pink), yellow and black. Although iron is
toxic in large doses, the small amounts of iron oxide used as colours are
considered safe - in the past many failsafers have consumed iron oxide as the
colour in Macro M Vitamins. The additive most likely to cause problems in the
list above is propyl hydroxybenzoate (also known as preservative 216).
Benzoates include preservatives 210-213 especially sodium benzoate (211) in
foods and drinks, and parabens or hydroxybenzoates (216, 218) in drugs. All
benzoates can cause the same adverse effects. See also question above. *** Please report all adverse reactions to additives in
medications in
Q. Are there any failsafe low GI (Glycemic Index) breads?
A.
·
Bakers
Delight Hi-Fibre Lo GI (GI=52, the average GI of bread is 70) is failsafe and
is the lowest GI white bread. The low GI is achieved through the inclusion of
oatbran and inulin. Check other low GI breads for the inclusion of non-failsafe
ingredients such as sesame seeds, calcium propionate (preservative 282 ) or
cultured whey which is a natural form of 282 (see Watch out for Whey on our 282 factsheet). Linseeds have small amounts
of salicylates and amines in them. RPA recommends the use of linseed oil in
small quantities as a supplement, but you would need to test your own tolerance
for linseeds in bread. Also, some people with food intolerance do better with
refined white flour than wholegrain wheat. Bakers Delight white Lo GI may be
best for them.
·
Bakers
Delight Wholemeal Country Grain (GI=53) contains both maize semolina and
linseeds so it is not fully failsafe and you would need to approach it with
caution. Maize semolina is near the cornstarch end of the scale so it may be
worth a try.
·
Country
Life Rye Hi-Soy Bread with Linseed (GI=42) is not completely failsafe as sour
rye dough may be a problem for amine responders, and check your tolerance for
the linseed.
·
Country
Life Performax bread (GI=38) has the lowest GI of any Australian bread,
achieved by a high linola content. Linola is a new form of golden linseed
developed from brown linseeds, unfortunately without the excellent omega ratio
- linola has only about 2% of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, an omega 3 fatty acid,
the good one) but about 72% of linoleic acid LA (omega 6). Performax may be
suitable, we just don’t know - you would have to try it carefully (feedback
welcomed to suedengate@ozemail.com.au).
Q. I was wondering if the Nestle Nesquiks (powder form) are
ok, we have been giving them to our son for a trial but I think I may have
stuffed up. Normally we go bright colour definitely alarm bells and stick to
what we know, but these drinks say ‘no artificial colours or flavours’ so we
gave them a go. On the back it says natural flavours, natural colours
(riboflavin, annatto) where I thought annatto was bad.
Chocolate has: cane sugar, non-alkalised cocoa, emulsifier
(soy lecithin), spice (cinnamon).
Strawberry has: cane sugar, maltodextrin, natural colour
(120), natural flavour.
Banana has: cane sugar, natural flavour, natural colours
(riboflavin, annatto).
What do you think? I would be happier if ingredients came
with a dictionary.
A.
Annatto (160b) is bad. It is the only natural colour that causes as many
problems as artificial colours. So that would account for a reaction to the
banana flavoured product. See annatto
factsheet for more information.
If your son is reacting to
the strawberry or chocolate flavours, then he almost certainly sensitive to
either salicylates (in the cinnamon and the natural strawberry flavour) or
amines (in the cocoa and the natural banana flavour) or both. You can see more
about salicylates and amines in my books or the introduction to food intolerance).
If you’ve read those and are still confused, ask me for the special salicylate
and amine mistake factsheets (suedengate@ozemail.com.au)
Q. My two-year-old daughter is being investigated for autism
and has been started on Incremin cherry iron mixture. Can she continue with
this on the elimination diet?
A.
According to the manufacturers at the time of writing, Incremin cherry iron
mixture contains artificial colour Amaranth (123) as well as two preservatives
Sodium Benzoate (211) and Sorbic Acid (200) so it is definitely NOT suitable
for the elimination diet. See our supplements
factsheet for alternatives.
Q. My asthmatic daughter (asthma normally controlled by
diet) started back at school swimming today and has come home very blue around
her mouth. It looks like someone has punched her in the face and she has two
black eyes. Could this be a chlorine allergy? We have found that she does react
to chlorine but not to this degree. She said that she thought that they had
only put chlorine in the day before or that morning.
A.
Chlorine levels can vary alarmingly and could have been particularly high if
they had just dosed the pool. There are many children in our network who cannot
tolerate chlorinated pools and who react with a variety of symptoms including
asthma, eczema and problems behaviours. Sometimes symptoms can be minimised by
wearing goggles and showering immediately after leaving the pool. Consult your
doctor if worried about asthmatic reactions. See the full text research:
Bernard A and others, Chlorinated pool attendance, atopy, and the risk of
asthma during childhood. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114(10):1567-73. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17035144
Q. Are you aware of any websites/books which would have a
comprehensive list of the amine content in foods?
A.
The best sources are RPA’s Friendly Food and the booklet Salicylates, Amines and
Glutamates from your dietitian or RPA website. Oddly, there is also a useful
website promoting recreational use of the Peruvian drug ayahuasca because the
drug turns users into amine responders by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks
down amines, see http://www.biopark.org/peru/maoi-1.html.
There is some useful stuff on Wikipedia under different types of amines and you
can ask (suedengate@ozemail.com.au)
for our Amine Mistakes factsheet.
Q. Is TVP (textured vegetable protein) failsafe? I have googled it and from the Wikepedia
description it appears to me to be ok.
A.
The latest version of Friendly Food says it is NOT failsafe. I agree that from
the Wikipedia description it sounds OK: made from soy, not to be confused with
HVP (hydrolysed vegetable protein) and has "little flavour of its
own". However, according to the manufacturer’s website (http://www.southnettradeaust.com/pdfs/tvp.pdf)
"taste and colour can be made to order as mince, dice, flake, chunk,
crumble or flour" so obviously the flavours and colours wouldn’t be
failsafe. For example, the ingredient list for simulated bacon flavoured
sprinkles made from TVP is "Textured soy flour, Vegetable oil, Salt,
Flavours, Colour-129 [artificial colour allura red], Whey powder".
(November
2008)
Q. My nearly two-year-old is the
most boisterous boy I have met, and to be honest I am feeling beaten down. I
cannot remember the last time he slept all night. He is a handful from the
moment he wakes up, and that never stops. We don't eat a lot of junk food, but
after looking at your website I am identifying a lot of my family’s behaviour
with intolerances. I feel I need to start cutting out certain things from his
diet but after talking to my doctor I came away deflated. She told me that it
is very rare that people have allergies to salicylates and that it would be an
expensive, long and hard path to go down when it probably wasn't the answer.
*sigh* Instead she recommended some sort of controlled crying.
A. Some doctors may not understand dietary salicylates
because the information is new. The elimination diet is:
- not expensive - one mother
wrote: ‘my shopping bill has gone down by about $100 per week with no junk
or frozen convenience food anymore’
- not long – you only have to try
it for three weeks
- not hard – most mothers say it
is easier than living with a difficult child
- is probably the answer.
Follow up: One week later – after cutting down
on fruit and high salicylate vegetables - this mother wrote to say her son had
slept through the night: ‘could this be a glimmer of hope?’
Q. Does ham sliced off the bone in
the deli still contain nitrites/nitrates like processed sliced ham in the
packets?
A. Yes! For people who don’t react to amines, it is
possible to buy preservative-free ham and bacon from organic suppliers in fine
food shops or health food stores. Read the label and expect it to be more
expensive. See Product Updates on our website, e.g. products from Eumundi
Smokehouse Sydney,
Q I found a vegemite copy spread
with no preservative, no yeast extract but with the main ingredient being
vegetable protein extract. Is this the same as hydrolysed vegetable protein –
to be avoided?
A. Yes. It’s the next step in the confuse-the-consumer
game. Now consumers know to avoid hydrolysed vegetable protein and hydrolysed
plant protein, manufacturers have switched to words such as ‘formulated’
proteins or ‘protein extracts’, ‘yeast extracts’ or even just ‘soy
(flavouring)’. You can expect an ingredient that sounds like a plant, vegetable
or soy protein or flavouring or yeast to contain natural glutamates, especially
when used in a ‘delicious’ sauce or product.
Q. I am pregnant again and was
unable to breast feed last time.
A. Food intolerance can cause a range of breastfeeding
problems. Food intolerant babies will often pull away from the breast and
refuse to feed, see story # 000.
Q. I am intolerant to salicylates,
natural MSG and have restricted all types of colourings, additives, wheat and milk.
With such intolerances, do you think it would be wise to refrain from eating
Japanese food?
A. It depends what you choose. Wasabi sauces and
flavours, e.g. wasabi flavoured peas, generally contain artificial colours 110 and
133. MSG is commonly used in Japanese food for flavour. Soy sauce is high in
natural glutamates even when all natural. Miso soup is high in amines and
natural glutamates. Japanese foods such as soba – traditionally buckwheat
noodles – and tempura batter – traditionally rice flour – now often contain
wheat. Sushi rolls are made with rice vinegar which would contain amines. We
don’t know about Nori seaweed, it may contain natural glutamates and/or other
natural chemicals.
Follow up: The questioner replied: ‘this
confirmed why I was getting headaches every day (MSG). Back to my strict diet!’
Q. Which in your opinion is the best
Australian book covering natural substances and their derivatives and extracts
etc like milk, casein and eggs. I have been shocked at how little help you
receive in
A. For information on a range of food allergens
including milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, etc see the Food Allergen Cards available
from www.allergyfacts.org.au;
also see the comprehensive Allergy Free shopping list (nut, egg, milk) on the
RPA website at http://www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/allergy/resources/allergy/allergenfreeshoppinglist.pdf.
(August
2008)
Q. My son who has just turned 4 has just been diagnosed with
his 54th ear infection. He has had 13 perforated ear drums with bleeding. His
speech is affected and his hearing. He has had two operations: the first for
grommets and the second for grommets and adenoids removed. I'm at the end, I
cry all the time, he cries in pain and keeps us up at night. He is just such a
sad boy. He has these really loud naughty outbursts that take their toll on the
whole family. Please help me.
A.
The answer for this child – as for many others with frequent ear infections –
was dairy foods. The child improved so much on dairy avoidance that the mother
was able to cancel the next grommet operation. After a week-long dairy
challenge the problems recurred. While dairy foods seem to be the main culprits
with frequent ear infections, other common culprits (additives, salicylates,
amines, gluten) can be involved, depending on individual sensitivity.
Q. My husband gets severe eczema from amines. A couple of
months ago he was watching an action movie with Harrison Ford in it. Lots of
fighting, guns etc. He doesn't normally watch these sort of movies. By the end
of the movie his skin had gone red, weepy and very itchy. Within a half hour of
the movie finishing his skin had settled back down. Could an adrenaline rush
cause a reaction?
A.
Yes. Adrenaline is an amine.
Q. We can’t find cauliflower mentioned in your book – it is
failsafe?
A.
Cauliflower originally tested as moderate in salicylates but has been upgraded
and is now listed by RPA in Friendly Food as *very high* in both salicylates
and amines. Fruit and vegetables mentioned in the shopping list and recipes in
my books are low in salicylates and therefore permitted on the strict
elimination diet unless otherwise specified. If moderate, they are listed as
optional -not suitable for the strict diet. If high, they are in the challenge
section. If not mentioned at all they are probably very high in both
salicylates and amines. If you’d like more information about salicylates or
amines, write to suedengate@ozemail.com.au.
Q. Cornflakes are not on the shopping list but I can't see
what is wrong with them. Please explain!
A.
The salicylate content of corn products depends on the variety of corn and the
processing method:
·
corn,
cornflakes and other corn cereals (e.g. Nutrigrain), cornmeal and polenta are
listed as high in salicylates by RPA
·
corn
chips (crisps), tacos and corn oil are listed as moderate
·
highly
refined corn products totally lacking in flavour such as corn cornflour (e.g.
White Wings) and cornstarch are listed as low
·
corn
syrup hasn’t been tested but is probably moderate
·
in
Dr Swain’s salicylate analyses, canned corn was much higher (up to 0.39 - in
the high category) than fresh sweetcorn on the cob (0.13 - in the moderate
category), so fresh homegrown sweetcorn on the cob may be moderate
·
popcorn
has not been tested but I’m guessing it’s high
·
highly
refined maize starch is probably low but maize meal and wholegrain maize would probably
be high.
Q. My son (now 22) ate very limited salicylates for much of
his younger childhood. It made a dramatic difference to his personality and
behaviour. He now wants to eliminate them again to see if it helps him to
focus, become more organised, and gain a bit of self-control to assist him in
his uni studies.
A.
We have heard from many parents that their grown up children – including mine -
have good motivation and do well on the diet at university.
(May
2008)
Q. I regard potatoes more as a starchy carbohydrate than a
vegetable and wonder if my son has too many.
A.
Often called uber tubers, potatoes contain all the vitamins, minerals,
proteins, calories and cellulose necessary for life. A healthy adult can
survive indefinitely on potatoes alone. A potato crop can grow in any climate
and can yield four times the calories of a grain crop. (http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2263286,00.html).
Jamie Oliver lists potatoes as the top crop for home gardeners: 'Everyone
deserves to experience home-grown potatoes - what a pleasure!' To be low in
salicylates, potatoes must be large, old, brown skinned, white fleshed and
thickly peeled. Potatoes that are small, new, red skinned or have coloured
flesh - even cream colour like Kipfler - are higher in salicylates.
Q. I seem to have troubling neurological symptoms due to
Rosemary Extract, commonly used as an antioxidant in almost all vegetable oils.
The amounts are so small as to avoid labelling laws, yet enough to upset a
sensitive soul like myself. Even rabid herbalists concede rosemary can cause
gastric and neural problems in some people. Are you aware of any reports on
reactions to rosemary?
A.
Rosemary extract would be very high in natural food chemicals called
salicylates. These chemicals occur in most plant foods in varying amounts and
can cause the same problems as additives if consumed in large doses or by
sensitive people, see our salicylate
factsheet. Compare the following figures from Swain et al's 1985 paper
'Salicylates in Foods': pears 0.00 (mg per 100 mg); carrot 0.23; strawberries
1.36; sultanas (dried white grapes) 7.80; cinnamon powder 15.20; rosemary
(dried) 68.00.
Q.I have just started my son on the elimination diet, he is
in the 3rd week and we have slowly seen some improvement.
A.
By the end of the 3rd week most people see spectacular improvement if they have
the diet right. Have you read the Checklist of Common
Mistakes on the website? You are welcome to send me a list of everything
your son eats in a typical day so I can look for possible mistakes. I can
usually find about five mistakes - some serious enough to prevent improvement -
in food lists from people who swear they are sticking strictly to the diet.
Q. I am finding it hard to come up with enough variety of
foods for my son as he is very fussy and this seems to limit what sort of foods
he can eat. Do you have any suggestions?
A.
Fussy eaters usually improve when you get the diet right. One mother whose two
young daughters had previously been picky described how they turned into 'clean
plate' eaters after three weeks on the diet. For suggestions regarding a
variety of foods I recommend the Failsafe Cookbook. One mother whose son was
lunch swapping wrote: 'I was able to buy your cookbook, so now he is getting
enough interesting things and variety that he feels he is not missing out!'
Q. Since we started our elimination diet I have been
experiencing a lot of diarrhoea, at one point, every day for a week. I thought
maybe it was a withdrawal reaction, but it has continued. I have stopped my 2
blocks of chocolate a day habit and to get me through I am using xylitol which
the homeopath said was completely safe. Is xylitol not recommended as a sugar substitute?
A.
Xylitol is not safe for some people. It doesn't cause the full range of food
intolerance reactions such as behaviour or headaches, but any of the sugar free
sweeteners ending in '-ol' (e.g. Sorbitol, Mannitol) can cause diarrhea and
irritable bowel symptoms, especially if eaten frequently. See our Sugar Free Sweetener factsheet for
more details.
Q I've noticed that my brand of contraceptive pill has
artifical colouring. I really don't want to be consuming this every single day!
Do you know of any brands of the contraceptive pill that are failsafe or where
I might find out?
A. Contraceptive pills aren't great for women with food intolerance because
female hormones can make symptoms of food intolerance worse, i.e.
premenstrually and when taking oestrogen in medication. For pills without
artificial colour, you can browse through the Consumer Medicine Information
(CMI) sheets for ingredients of oral contraceptives at http://www.mydr.com.au/drugs/mediresults.asp.
(February
2008)
Q. I bought green grapes two weeks straight – they were so
cheap and I haven’t bought them since last year. My son loved them but for
those two weeks he was screaming and hitting me and going crazy until I put it
together - behaviour + grapes. I was
talking to another friend and she said her daughter was reacting the same
way. We took the grapes away and both
the kids calmed down within a couple of days.
There was a warning at the supermarket about sulphur dioxide next to the
price sign on the grapes. Is this a common phenomenon?
A.
Since the ‘salad bar’ asthmatic deaths in the 1970s due to overuse of sulphur
dioxide on lettuce, sulphur dioxide has been banned on fresh fruit and
vegetables except for grapes. These days they use sulphur dioxide generator pads
instead of sprays. However, growers are warned that high temperatures can cause
excessive sulphur dioxide in the grapes. January was the hottest month ever in
Q. Would removing the crusts on bread get rid of the
preservative?
A.
In
Q. Can you tell me is bocconcini cheese failsafe? I assumed
it was since it is a fresh white cheese.
A.
White cheeses such as cottage cheese or ricotta are low in amines and failsafe
as long as they are recently made and preservative-free. Bocconcini are small,
mild, white, young mozzarella cheeses kept moist by storage in natural whey or
brine. Fresh bocconcini are probably failsafe but if kept will develop amines.
Q. We have benefited greatly from failsafe eating. However
we are in a newly renovated house and although my son is on the full
elimination diet, his behaviour which we discovered to be due to food has now
returned to pre-diet due to the effects of paint smells etc. Any suggestions?
A.
The best way to deal with new renovation smells is to ventilate - leave all the
doors and windows wide open as much as possible and run fans. If there are any
smelly removable items such as mattresses or new furniture, you can put them on
a verandah or leave them in the garage to gas off. Some people have dealt with
this problem successfully by getting their kids to sleep in a tent in the back
yard. Or could you stay with someone else for a month or two until the worst of
it is over. Formaldehyde (a common VOC in renovations) is a carcinogen so it's
not something you want to be exposed to anyway.
Q. My son aged 12 months is allergic to soy. Do you know the
number codes for soy derived emulsifiers etc?
A.
From a reader who is sensitive to both soy and legumes: “As well as 322
(lecithin) I also avoid additives 476,471,492 (emulsifiers), vegetable gums
410,412,415,416,461 (not all soy but derivatives of various beans), vegetable
gums & vegetable protein, TVP (textured vegetable protein) and vegetable
starch (even if they do not specifically state soy, I don't take the chance).
Soya beans, soya meal, soy flour (very common in breads and cakes), soya sauce,
miso, tofu and chickpeas. In fact quite a lot of 'health foods' are grossly
unhealthy for me. Packaged health foods nearly always contain a soy additive.”
See more details in story [314] “13 years of intolerance to soy” (April 2004).
Q. It is easier for me to buy goats’ milk than A2 milk. Is
it the same?
A.
Goats milk contains the same A2 beta casein protein as A2 cow’s milk, but it
has a different nutritional profile. Babies who have goat’s milk may need extra
supplements including Vitamin D and Folic Acid. Your dietitian can advise about
this.
(November
2007)
Q. I came across "1422 - thickener" in a packet of
frozen meals. What is this please and is it a no no? We really enjoy your
informative site.
A. Thickeners are only a problem for coeliacs and others who are very sensitive
to gluten. Also called modified starches, thickeners 1400-1450 may contain
trace amounts of gluten if they have been derived from wheat. If gluten is in
the product, it will be listed on the label.
Q. I would like your opinion on whether fresh coriander is
failsafe or not. Also interested in seeing if there is a difference between
fresh coriander and ground seed?
A. Technically, fresh coriander is moderate in salicylates. It contains
0.20 mg per 100 mg (compared to fresh parsley leaves with 0.08 and Red
Delicious apple with 0.19, according to the Swain et al 1985 analyses). An
occasional small amount is probably okay for most salicylate sensitive people,
but I recommend caution if using it in a product you eat every day. It is so
easy for salicylates to build up when you are not looking. Ground coriander
seed was not tested but you would expect it to be much higher in salicylates.
Q. My son’s aggression has been increasing. He has been
eating a lot of the new all natural jelly cups, strawberry flavour
(ingredients: sugar, thickener (401), food acids (355,331), mineral salt (341),
flavour, colour (120).) What do you think, is this jelly failsafe?
A. Those jelly cups are fine for families who are simply going
additive-free but they are not failsafe because of the strawberry flavour which
contains natural chemicals called salicylates. Salicylates can cause the same
problems as additives if consumed in large doses or by sensitive people. Note
that colour (120, cochineal) doesn’t cause behaviour problems but because it is
made from insects it should be used with caution by children with a family
history of food allergy (also not kosher).
Q I feel very
confused about which is the lesser of two evils - the trans fats in butter
(which is listed as 'natural trans fats' - what does that mean???) or the
preservative 202.
A. It is the unnatural trans fats that are the problem. We ourselves eat
pure butter (Mainland Buttersoft from NZ) and totally avoid 202. We also avoid
synthetic trans fats. Nuttelex additive-free dairy-free margarine is low in
trans fats. However, we minimise our intake of saturated fats including butter.
For example, when baking I will often choose to make muffins or a cake recipe
with vegetable oil rather than rather than butter or margarine. For vegetable
oil, we use canola oil. It's a monounsaturate with one of the best omega ratios
despite scientific-seeming internet criticism probably started by an opposing
industry. Olive oil is similar but we can't eat it because of salicylates.
Q. I recently asked our Swedish food safety authorities if
they do tests on additives themselves, or do they rely only on the tests done
by the producers of the additives? They answered that neither they, nor the
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), do any tests at all. The approval of an
additive is based solely on tests performed by the producer of the additive.
Isn´t this a bit like asking Phillip Morris if smoking is safe? – Stefan from
A. It’s even worse than that – before
additives are approved there are no tests at all regarding their effects on
children’s health, behaviour and learning – and there is no monitoring
afterwards. When consumers report adverse effects, they are advised to carry
out their own double blind placebo controlled studies.
Q. I found the
following radio story a bit of a worry: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/20/2095831.htm [A leading CSIRO scientist says there is no
reason to fear that future gene technology will threaten food safety. Deputy
chief of plant industry research, Dr TJ Higgins, says consumers have been using
oil from genetically modified cotton for the past 10 years. Most of the fish
and chips that we eat are cooked in the oil from cotton seed, and there are 33
other foods have been approved for consumption. "So there are already many
products that are in the food chain that we have been consuming safely."]
A. We are worried too. Dr Higgins says
there are strict regulations to protect consumer food safety, but as we have
already seen, regulations about food additives haven't done anything to protect
our children. Here's what you can do. This Saturday, vote for your local Green
candidate and vote Green in the Senate. The Greens have a strong policy about
GM foods, including mandatory full labelling. Of course they won't win, but
every vote sends a message and if there are some Greens in the Senate, there is
a chance of controlling what happens with GM foods.
(August
2007)
Q. I have just read your fact sheet
on 635 (riborash). It seems that any
time we eat a food with this in it (particularly cream of chicken and corn soup
used in risotto), my 16 month old gets severe nappy rash. Could this be a reaction to the
additive?
A. Yes. The rash can appear differently in different people.
One of the original observations of ribo rash was in twin 10-month-old boys who
suffered severe rash in the nappy area and extending down to their feet and on
their faces when at its worst.
Q. I have been using a saline spray
for my son’s seasonal itchy nose with great success. However we have
experienced aggressive episodes since using the product (Narium). I did a double check and found a preservative
Benzalkonium Chloride (BAC) is in the product. Have you had any experience with
this?
A. There have been some reports of nasal burning,
dryness, or irritation due to nasal sprays preserved with BAC. There are also
reports in the medical literature of contact dermatitis due to BAC. We
generally find any additive that can cause the very obvious signs of contact
dermatitis may also be associated with more subtle behavioural symptoms such as
aggression. It is possible to make your own preservative free saline: a
teaspoon of salt in half a litre of water, boiled and cooled. Store in the
fridge and discard after 24 hours.
Q. Why is sulphur dioxide added to
wine?
A. According to Erl Happs, maker of the excellent Happs
range of preservative-free and low preservative wines, sulphur dioxide ‘hardens
the palate’ of a wine, see http://www.happs.com.au/pages/PFQandA.html.
Q. Is there a product like muesli
bars that can be bought directly off the shelf that is homemade without all the
additives?
A. Thanks to Jenny Ravlic from Additive Education (www.additiveeducation.com.au)
for the following answer: We don't suggest any of the standard packets of
muesli bars available in supermarkets because they all have either sulphites,
annatto, flavours and/or nasty antioxidants in the oil. There is a great
product called Naturally Organic Oat Slice (few varieties) made by the All
Natural Bakery. They are sold individually in 100g slices with no artificial
flavours, colours or preservatives - very much like a homemade product. There
is also the Amore Fruity Nut Bars, sold in multi packs. Both of these are
available in Coles, possibly Safeways and IGA. Please note that these
suggestions are additive free but not failsafe (low in salicylates and amines).
(May
2007)
Q. What is the best way to stay with the most current info
on the salicylate content in foods?
A.
See the latest edition of Friendly Food by the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Allergy Clinic, http://www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy/default.htm
Q. My daughter suffers from dizzy spells. Specialist
testing, from MRI scans to epilepsy, has found nothing. I was wondering if
intolerance to certain foods can cause dizziness, I am at my wit’s end as my
daughter cannot even close her eyes sometimes at night because her head starts
to spin.
A. Dizziness and a spinning head (vertigo) can be related to chemicals in
foods and medications. The most likely culprits are: synthetic salicylates in
medications such as aspirin, nurofen and other pain killers or
anti-inflammatory medications, acne cleansers, wart medication, sports
liniments and medicated lotions; artificial colours and preservatives in foods
and medications; natural salicylates in most fruit and some vegetables -
particularly high in tomato sauce, juice, broccoli, grapes and citrus fruits -
(see the Salicylates and Meniere’s factsheets). If avoiding
salicylate-containing medications doesn't help, the best way to find out if
foods are your daughter's problem would be to do a 3 week trial of the RPAH (
Q. I would like to contact Woolworths with an enquiry about
their Home Brand products. Do you have an email address for them?
A. Go to www.woolworths.com.au
and click on Contact Us
Q. Since we are off dairy I thought we would have to do an
amine challenge without chocolate, otherwise how will we know if we are
reacting to amines or the milk solids in the chocolate?
A. You can buy dairy-free chocolate (read labels, e.g. Sweet William www.sweetwilliam.com.au, contains
soy flour and soy lecithin).
Q. Where can I get the dietician’s booklets for information
about challenges?
A. Your dietitian will give you one or you can buy them direct from Royal
Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Clinic: www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy.
Q. My husband and I
are having severe relationship problems, and I'm not sure how much of it might
be due to ODD (oppositional defiance). When he is calm and rational and nothing
immediate is happening, he seems normal, mature, etc. Says all the right
things. But if a situation arises where he is confronted with a problem he
seems to react badly. His behaviour is like that of a child throwing a tantrum.
I am finding it very hard to cope and have noticed this comes in cycles. This
is really difficult for me because it feels like I have 3 children sometimes,
not 2 and honestly, our children behave better than he does, and appropriately
for their ages whereas he doesn't. The symptoms that really stood out when
reading the ODD factsheet were “deliberately annoying other people” (He says he
knows he does this sometimes and to the point where he can't stop himself)
“blames me for mistakes or problems related to him” (He is very good at this,
most of the time I end up wondering what it is that I have done wrong). Living
with him is like walking on eggshells. I don't know what might set him off -
what triggers him one day doesn’t trigger him the next. He keeps putting off
responsibilities and either refuses to do them or puts it off so long that I
end up doing it or he is too tired to do it and leaves it for the next day. If
I remind him or ask him, he often reacts with anger, resentment and refusal.
I'm aware of a few food additives such as tartrazine that trigger aggressive
moods in him but I feel there are other things influencing his behaviour. His
mother told me recently he was a problem child and on drugs for ADHD. Is this
possible - that adults can have ODD too?
A. Yes. The most important behavioural effect of food chemicals is
irritability, which is also the core feature of ODD. There are numerous reports
of ODD-type symptoms improving in the father or mother when the whole family
goes on the diet to support a difficult child.
Q. Recently my husband has awoken with awful headaches after
eating a "Healthy Choice" meal which is supposed to be "good for
you". One was a stuffed shell dinner and another one was a beef stroganoff
meal, which he used to eat without getting a headache. I wonder if they're
currently sneaking in things which produce the same thing in him that MSG does;
i.e., bad headaches?
A.
Since you already know your husband gets headaches from MSG, it is most likely
he is affected by some new flavour enhancers that can enhance the effects of
MSG by up to 15 times. Here in
Q. My daughter who is 3.5 years old suffers from eczema and
around the age of about 10 months she went completely bald from Alopecia Areata
(she lost all hair on her head, eyebrows and eye lashes), but fortunately the
hair started to grow back around 19 or 20 months. However, we are very
disappointed to discover the alopecia appears to be returning as a bald patch
has recently appeared on the top of her head. I am wondering if you are aware
of any food additives which may have triggered this condition?
A.
Alopecia areata (patchy baldness) or totalis (total hair loss) has been
associated with coeliac disease and may respond well to a gluten-free diet, see
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Symptomalopecia.htm.
Coeliac disease is a serious condition, if you suspect you have CD, see more
information at www.coeliac.org.
Q. Is strawberry Nesquik OK for a homemade milkshake on the
elimination diet? The ingredients are:
cane sugar, maltodextrin, natural colour (120), natural flavour.
A.
No. The natural flavour is obviously strawberry. It’s probably in a very
strong, concentrated flavour and would contain at least as many salicylates as
a milkshake made with real strawberries, possibly much more.
Q. Do you know anything about brilliant scarlet 4R CI6255?
It is one of the active ingredients in Polaramine antihistamine tablets. I gave
this to my son (10yrs) tonight under instruction from my pharmacist for
sedative reasons. My son’s reaction to the tablet was very defiant/angry,
definitely did not want to go to sleep etc and we could not reason with him at
all.
A.
That’s another name for artificial colour (124) also known as Ponceau 4R. It is
one of the worst of the artificial colours – known as synthetic coal tar dyes
and azo dyes – that have been associated with irritability, restlessness,
inattention and sleep disturbance in children, and also with asthma and many
other problems such as hives. Children who have a big reaction to an artificial
colour are likely to be sensitive to a range of other additives, and
salicylates as well. If your son has problems enough to need medication, you
might want to try the elimination diet supervised by a dietitian to find out
exactly what affects him. You can request our list of friendly dietitians from confoodnet@ozemail.com.au.
Q. Sago pudding is on your recipe list (and we like eating
it) yet every brand of sago I have seen so far contains 220. Do you know if it
possible to buy sago without it and from where?
A.
Howard tested Lion brand sago from Anchor foods with sulphite test strips. This
brand lists preservative 220 but Howard couldn’t detect any either cold
(uncooked) or when cooked. We also buy Cock brand Tapioca Pearl (really sago)
from
Q. My 5yr-old daughter has been diagnosed with severe food
intolerances and a moderate allergy to soy. I do not have the finances to use a
private dietician. I went to the public hospital yesterday with no positive
outcomes – they can’t offer the service of their dietician as they are
understaffed and are not taking outpatient appointments – and I was told to go
home and try the elimination diet again. This is hard work on your own. I need
some support. – by email
A. I recommended the Failsafe
booklet and our email support groups to
this mother. A week later, she replied “Thank God for the Failsafe booklet. I
am now managing to keep the whole family on the elimination diet due to the
extra recipes”. She had also joined an email support group.
Q. We have dairy and soy issues. Is there a substitute for
yoghurt?
A.
We have been unable to make yoghurt or kefir out of rice milk and have found it
only works with soymilk and cows’ milk, due to the protein content. If you can
tolerate A2 milk you can make your own A2 yoghurt using sheep’s yoghurt as a
starter. If you are asking because you want an alternative to eat, see Narni’s
custard recipe in the new version of the Failsafe Cookbook. If you are asking because of the probiotic
effects, an alternative is the Inner Health Plus dairy-free probiotic capsules
– these are not on the RPAH elimination diet list so you would have to
introduce them as a challenge. Note that there is little scientific evidence
for the effectiveness of probiotic supplements other than Lactobacillus GG;
however, some people say they help and others report no effect.
Q. After eating a lot of dried fruit we noticed our sons’
behaviour worsened as well as asthma.
Are sulphites also likely to cause hyperactivity and/or aggression?
A.
Yes, but they are not the only problem with dried fruit - most dried except
pears contain high levels of natural salicylates and some (e.g. sultanas)
contain very high levels of both salicylates and amines. Although sulphites have been associated with
a range of symptoms including asthma, headaches, irritable bowel and behaviour,
so too have other food chemicals including salicylates and amines. It is worth
suspecting sulphites in dried fruit first for asthma, but everyone is
different, and you might need to consider any or all of these food chemicals.
Q. Is Aussie mite (vegemite alternative) failsafe?
A. Yeast extracts are never OK because they are loaded with natural
glutamates (MSG is a yeast extract) as well as high in salicylates and amines.
Q. Is benzoyl peroxide (for acne) failsafe? My teenage son
seems to have had a reaction to it.
A.
Benzoyl peroxide breaks down into benzoic acid and is excreted as benzoate, so
unfortunately it is not suitable for failsafers. It would be like drinking
products preserved with sodium benzoate (211). (Would the person who sent this
question please write again as I deleted your email by mistake. S)
(January
2007)
Q. Over the last two months I have consumed 4 bottles of a
special juice from the
A.
I agree with your sister. Benzoic acid and other benzoates (310-319) can be
associated with a very wide range of adverse effects. Reactions are related to
dose and delayed, so the effects will be worse when you are consuming a
benzoate-preserved product every day. The effects can build up so slowly you
would not be able to notice the connection between a new food and how it is
affecting you. You could test this for yourself by avoiding your special juice
until your eye symptoms disappear. Then reintroduce the special juice in the
same doses that you have been consuming while keeping a diary of your eye
symptoms. If you want to test the benzoates without the juice - there is always
a possibility that something in the juice itself is affecting you - you could
use Schweppes lemonade in cans (contain preservative 211) not bottles
(preservative free).
Reply (two weeks later): As
you suggested I went off the special juice. It has been 2 weeks now and my eyes
have improved 100%. Who would have thought that something like that could do
this? Thank you for your reply because if it was not for you and my sister I
would probably still be taking it.
Q. I’m confused. On page 16, Friendly Food says shallots are
low in salicylates, but the recipes and shopping list refer to “spring onions
(scallions)”?
A.
These members of the onion family lack a fully-developed bulb and are milder
tasting than other onions. I call them shallots but they have various regional
names (scallions, spring onions, eschallots, green onions). See what to buy on
our DVD, Friendly Food p7 or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scallion
Q. We're on day seven of our elimination diet for my
six-year-old daughter, and every day since we've been on this new diet she's
gotten a little worse - more insolent, less able to keep still than normal,
much MORE day-dreamy and going off on tangent-ish, slightly 'violent' -
absolutely driving me crazy! How long does it take to see positive effects?
A.
These turned out to be withdrawal symptoms, and the answer was, it took 8 days
to see positive effects.
Q. The website is so handy and I refer to it frequently, but
I often get lost looking for a piece of information I know I have read
somewhere. A search tool would be very useful!
A.
You can search our website using google. Search for: fedupwithfoodadditives
<whatever you are looking for>
Q Can you direct me to any research that shows how diet can
affect an adolescent with ADHD & ODD?
A.
Superintendent Peter Bennett from the West Yorkshire police did a diet trial
with 12 chronic juvenile offenders (aged 8-16) who had an average arrest rate
of more than once a month. All improved. Those who remained on the diet did not
re-offend. These were children whose ODD had progressed to Conduct Disorder,
see citation below. You can see this study on our DVD. It is very difficult to
do diet with adolescents unless 1) they themselves want to try it and 2) they
get support from the community (e.g. school etc). The participants in the
Shipley Project had to stay at home in the care of their parents for the first
three weeks of their elimination diet. Further reading: Bennett CPW and others,
The Shipley Project: treating food allergy to prevent criminal behaviour in
community settings, J Nutr Envir Med 1998;8:77-83.
Q. Can the elimination diet help these children: • a four
year old girl who can be quite defiant when asked to do something she does not
want to do, blames others for her behaviour (mainly her six-year-old brother),
is very loud and chatty, and sings all the time when she is not chatting • a three year old boy son is very defiant,
answers back "no", won’t listen to instructions, almost shouts when
he speaks and wakes early (5.30am) in the foulest mood?
A.
The symptoms described generally improve if you can get the diet right.
Q. I have a son in
his thirties who has been on the diet since the age of 6 (salicylates,
preservatives, colours and dyes are the problem, not amines). Unfortunately, he
has recently begun getting quite serious depression and is seeing a
psychiatrist who just keeps prescribing different anti-depressants as none seem
to work. I recently wrote a letter to
the psychiatrist explaining my son’s dietary problems and the symptoms he gets.
The psychiatrist told him that all food intolerance is psychosomatic. You can
imagine how much help that was. Are there any psychiatrists or counsellors who
understand this chemical sensitivity problem? While he does try to stick to his
diet, I do suspect there may be too frequent diversions from it or something is
catching him out he is not aware of. Trying the elimination diet again is
something I think I shall try to persuade him to do.
A.
Symptoms of food intolerance can change throughout the lifespan, and it is not
uncommon to find the foods that caused hyperactivity in childhood can cause
depression in adulthood. There is case history describing a young adult with a
history of childhood ADD whose severe treatment-resistant depression improved
dramatically on a low salicylate elimination diet (Parker G and Watkins T,
Treatment-resistant depression: when antidepressant drug intolerance may
indicate food intolerance, Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 2002). The article concludes
that clinicians should be aware of food intolerance-related depression and that
it may be worsened by psychotropic medication. You can request our list of supportive
health professionals - including some psychologists – from confoodnet@ozemail.com.au. It may
be worth consulting a dietitian, as safe foods for this diet change constantly
and your son could be following an out-of-date diet. To send the article’s
abstract to your son’s psychiatrist, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Select+from+History&db=pubmed&query_key=1
Q. I know it is a mistake to buy anything without checking
the ingredients, but the name on the packet of "Traditional Home Style
Preservative Free" Egg Noodles sort of lulled me into a false sense of
security. These egg noodles contain two artificial colours Sunset Yellow (110)
and the dreaded Tartrazine (102)! ... I wouldn't have even noticed if the water
I cooked them in hadn't turned a sickly yellow colour! The back of the packet
talks about how the family began making traditional noodles back in the
'thirties from a time-honoured family recipe and also says that that the family
has a commitment to quality and hand-made authenticity ... isn’t this a bit
misleading? I intend to email them to register my disappointment.
A.
It is always worth emailing a food company with feedback about their product.
Let us know about their reply and if you need any backup. Or nominate it for
our Nasty Food Awards – send us the packet or a good photo of the packet and
ingredients list.
Q. Because everything on the elimination diet is so 'green'
I decided it would be a great idea to get red cabbage to liven my fried rice up
a bit! ... problem is (being a novice) I had no idea that the red cabbage would
colour the eggs in the fried rice an amazingly rich blue!!! ... lovely but it
didn't look so appetizing! Then the next day I was thinking of using the
cabbage to colour icing for some 'gingerless pigs'. How do I extract the colour
without my icing tasting like cabbage??? ... Also, although I noticed the eggs
went bright blue, water left in the bowl with some leftover cabbage in it went
a kind of a beetroot 'red'... Just curious as to why, how and whether I can
make two different colours out of my cabbage?
A.
Cabbage juice will be different colours depending on whether it is acid or
alkaline - you can make it acid by adding citric acid (red; that will also take
care of the cabbage taste), and alkaline by adding soda bicarb (blue).
Q. I believe my six-year-old son may be affected by food additives
as he is erratic, runs, yells loud and then fights with his two older brothers,
although he can behave when he wants to. After observing my son, our
paediatrician decided that he did not have ADHD nor did the food he eats affect
him, instead he said it was my parenting skills. I do not believe this as I
have two older boys who do not behave badly. The paediatrician refused to write
me a referral letter. I need help.
A. There are a number of ways around this. If you need to prove to the paediatrician
that behaviour management isn’t the answer you could do a parenting course such
as 123 Magic (many community organisations are now offering this) or see the
123 Magic DVD (there’s a link from our website). You would probably find it
very helpful to join one of our email support groups (see EMAIL SUPPORT GROUPS on the website) You could ask your group or local contact if
there is a supportive dietitian who can help you or write to confoodnet@ozemail.com.au for our
list of supportive dietitians. Or you could cut down on problem additives and
foods such as tomato sauce, citrus and broccoli, see the free downloadable
Failsafe Booklet (under FAILSAFE EATING on the
website).
Q. Are there any laxatives that can be used during our
elimination diet?
A.
Your dietitian may recommend one of the following laxatives – though obviously
not the coloured or flavoured options:
• psyllium hulls or husks -
a type of dietary fibre that is used as a bulk forming laxative, the husks
swell when they come in contact with liquids so should be taken with plenty of
liquids - available from your health food store or as plain Metamucil from
pharmacies
• Ispaghula husks act in
the same was as psyllium, available from your pharmacy as Fybogel
• guar gum - a vegetable
gum sold in health food stores as a gluten free baking aid that you can add to
muffins, bread etc, or as Benefibre in pharmacies
• lactulose - a synthetic
sugar available as Actilax from pharmacies
• Epsom salts (magnesium
sulphate - do not confuse safe sulphates with nasty sulphites, only for
occasional use as a laxative). A bath of Epsom salts is sometimes used to calm
autistic children, see www.epsomsaltcouncil.org for health benefits including a
claim to ease migraines. Consult your pharmacist about dosage.
• vanilla parachoc.
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