Doggie Fruit Loops

Alyssa does pet sitting and we always notice when the doggies are fed "doggie fruit loops". My hubby coined the phrase when he opened a particular bag of puppy food from one of those neurotic dogs who had accidents all over the house.

This is a far call from a scientific study but when we have dogs with uncolored dog food we seem to not have the same aggression or potty problems as dogs with obviously colored food. The best food that we've found to not contain any color, flavoring, or obvious preservatives is Kirkland brand from costco. It also doesn't list animal biproducts. We've never had a neurotic dog or an accident dog who was fed Kirkland.

So, if you're going crazy over your dog, just try a little experiment. Let me know what you find.

The Bento Box song

This is just a cute song from Biggie at Lunch in a Box. We love to bento our lunches and her site has had many feingold safe foods for us to glean from. I love to learn foreign languages in song.

An article in Oprah's magazine

http://www.oprah.com/printarticlefull/omagazine/200911-omag-food-technology

Thanks Markey for the link to this article in Oprah's magazine.

And, some links for the chocolate letters

http://candy.about.com/od/chocolate/r/choc_plastic.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_4610284_alternative-using-icing-using-chocolate.html

aha...and here are some fun links. Of course, use approved chocolate chips listing no vanillan and PLEASE do not add coloring.

Cake decorating, what a great idea

This idea comes from Gina...
What a great idea! She pipes melted chocolate onto a silpat sheet in the form of letters, lets them cool, then stands them up on the cake. How cute!
I want a picture from someone who tries this. My son's birthday was just yesterday and I would have loved to do it. We just did a 9 out of chocolate chips and used colorful candles. Watch out for the candle drips though.

Please vote for me

Please vote for me and ask your friends to as well. By voting, you are getting the word out about the dangers of petroleum in our food. The more votes, the more people will see this blog. Come on friends, you can do it! Please pass the link on to anyone interested!

Question-air freshener-remember the word allergy

Here is a reader question...

How are you able to deal with air fresheners and smells at school? We think our son reacts to those things and only put together the connection after a full semester of daily air freshener and decreasing self-control and behavior last spring.

This year, we're trying to be pro-active, but I just don't know how to deal with the smells. Is it a simple, "My son is allergic to air fresheners." Or do you go into a long explanation about why.

Thanks!
Sara

Dear Sara,
I use the word "allergy" a lot! It is not to be deceptive at all. It's just that people don't usually understand the word sensitivity. A sensitivity usually implies that the kids is sensitive and the parents are loony. People understand the word allergy to mean that he can not have it-which is the truth. In Andrew's case it is easier because he also has asthmatic reactions with fragrances. There is a physical symptom that people can see.
Normally I would just say plain and simply, My son can not be in a room with air freshener or any artificial fragrance including perfumes or candles. Then if you need to elaborate later you may. If the teacher is not complying, ask for a 504 plan. As I understand it, most schools would love to accommodate you if possible before needing to get a 504 because 504s means more paperwork for them but no extra funding. Ask them if they will be able to accommodate your needs or if you will need a 504 in order to make it happen.
We still have smells, other people's hand sanitizer (my kids bring their own) is probably the biggest smell left. Mrs. B is great to prop open the door as much as possible though so it's not as bad as it was. The clorox while wiping down the lunch tables, but they try to leave a bit early so they don't have an empty table next to them. The math teacher hasn't taken out her candle yet and I think she melts it when he's not there because there's still a smell in the room. It's just been for the last few weeks and coincidentally Andrew has been leaving the room halfway during math to use the restroom and he told me that his tummy hurts in math. He loves math and does very well so I can believe him on that one. I'm thinking it's the smell. I have had to run to the restroom many times while on the detergent aisle at the store. I wonder if anyone else gets the queezies when near chemicals.
Now you could say that right? If you continue to use air fresheners around my son he'll poop on your floor. Ha ha ha.

The Medicated Child

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/view/

This is an online video called The Medicated Child. I watched it and found it very interesting.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/

Here is the homepage and the text related to the video.

In The Medicated Child, FRONTLINE producer Marcela Gaviria confronts psychiatrists, researchers and government regulators about the risks, benefits and many questions surrounding prescription drugs for troubled children. The biggest current controversy surrounds the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Formerly called manic depression, bipolar disorder was long believed to exist only in adults. But in the mid-1990s, bipolar in children began to be diagnosed at much higher rates, sometimes in kids as young as 4 years old. "The rates of bipolar diagnoses in children have increased markedly in many communities over the last five to seven years," says Dr. Steven Hyman, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health. "I think the real question is, are those diagnoses right? And in truth, I don't think we yet know the answer."

Like many of the 1 million children now diagnosed with bipolar, 5-year-old Jacob Solomon was initially believed to suffer from an attention deficit disorder. His parents reluctantly started him on Ritalin, but over the next five years, Jacob would be put on one drug after another. "It all started to feel out of control," Jacob's father, Ron, told FRONTLINE. "Nobody ever said we can work with this through therapy and things like that. Everywhere we looked it was, 'Take meds, take meds, take meds.'"

Over the years, Jacob's multiple medications have helped improve his mood, but they've also left him with a severe tic in his neck which doctors are having trouble fully explaining. "We're dealing with developing minds and brains, and medications have a whole different impact in the young developing child than they do in an adult," says Dr. Marianne Wamboldt, the chief of psychiatry at Denver Children's Hospital. "We don't understand that impact very well. That's where we're still in the Dark Ages."

DJ Koontz was diagnosed with bipolar at 4 years old, after his temper tantrums became more frequent and explosive. He was recently prescribed powerful antipsychotic drugs. "It is a little worrisome to me because he is so young," says DJ's mother, Christine. "If he didn't take it, though, I don't know if we could function as a family. It's almost a do-or-die situation over here." DJ's medicines seem to be helping him in the short run, but the longer-term outlook is still uncertain. "What's not really clear is whether many of the kids who are called bipolar have anything that's related to this very well-studied disorder in adults," says Dr. Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health. "It's not clear that people with that adult illness started with what we're now calling bipolar in children. Nor is it clear that the kids who have this disorder are going to grow up to have what we used to call manic-depressive illness in adulthood."

While some urge caution when it comes to bipolar in children, FRONTLINE talks with others who argue that we should intervene with drug treatments at even younger ages for children genetically predisposed to the disorder. "The theory is that if you get in early, before the first full mood episode, then perhaps we can delay the onset to full mania," says Dr. Kiki Chang of Stanford University. "And if that's the case, perhaps finding the right medication early on can protect a brain so that these children never do progress to full bipolar disorder."

I feel kind of bad...

I was just looking over my blog and realizing that I'm out of recipes...LOL. I tell ya, we cook easy and cheap. There are only so many recipes I can post that are always acceptable. Please send me your always acceptable recipes and I'll post them ok? If I can get my camera working again I'll start a lunch log. I think their favorite lunch so far is chicken soup. We pack it up in a thermos so it's still warm. Adam said it feels like home. We also bought some gummy vitamins and rather than giving them in the morning, they are packed in a tiny container for lunch. They love that treat.
Thanks all, I promise I'm not getting too lazy, just a little out of ideas. Send em in!

Good report

Hi everyone,
We've been soooooooo busy with school and I haven't updated this forever. I'm happy to report that we solved the chemical problems at school in general. We had a few smelly candle incidents, lysol, etc. but I think everyone now knows that we're the wackos who can't have that near them. In general the kids are doing well there. It's a very different time in their lives. We've discovered that making sure Andrew wears his glasses makes a huge difference.
He did have to deal with bullies on the playground which was no fun but I found the biggest one and told him off. ;.)
I actually talked with a mom who's kid had the same bully.

radio broadcast online

http://www.divshare.com/download/8959463-be7

The natural health report

* The Annual Halloween Sugarfest is Here - But It's Not Just the Sugar
* Artificial Colors and Additives Can Bring on Symptoms of ADD/ADHD
* Surviving the Holidays by Making Better Food Choices with the Feingold Diet

with special guest speaker Jane Hersey!

Candy Time!

Ahhh, the time for all people to stuff their faces with sugar is once more upon us. Here are a few links to help you out...

http://www.squirrels-nest.com

http://www.yummyearth.com/

yummy earth on amazon

Time article

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1659835,00.html

Here's an interesting item in Time/CNN

Parents who suspect that artificial ingredients in food are affecting their children's behavior can now point to some cold, hard proof. A carefully designed study released Thursday in The Lancet, a leading British medical journal, shows that a variety of common food dyes and the preservative sodium benzoate — an ingredient in many soft drinks, fruit juices, salad dressings and other foods — causes some children to become more hyperactive and distractible than usual.

"In terms of a question that's been raging for years, it's the best study to date — an extremely good study," says Dr. Philip Shaw, a research psychiatrist in the Child Psychiatry branch of the National Institute of Mental Health.

The study prompted Britain's Food Standards Agency to issue an immediate advisory to parents to limit their children's intake of additives if they notice an effect on behavior. In the U.S., there's been no such official response, but doctors say it makes sense for parents to be on the alert.

Meanwhile, the food industry is awaiting further research. "We take our responsibility to consumers seriously and will study the research finding in great detail," says Cathy Cook, spokesperson for the International Association of Color Manufacturers.

The research, led by Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at England's University of Southampton, involved about 300 children in two age groups: 3-year-olds and 8- and 9-year-olds. Over three one-week periods, the children were randomly assigned to consume one of three fruit drinks daily: one contained the amount of dye and sodium benzoate typically found in a British child's diet, a second drink had a lower concentration of the additives, and a third was additive-free. All the children spent a week drinking each of the three mixtures, which looked and tasted alike. During each weeklong period, teachers and parents, who did not know which drink the kids were getting, used a variety of standardized behavior-evaluation tools — some observational and one computer-based — to size up such qualities as restlessness, lack of concentration, fidgeting, and talking or interrupting too much.

Stevenson found that children in both age groups were significantly more hyperactive when drinking the stuff containing additives. Three-year-olds had a bigger response than the older kids to the lower dose of additives — roughly the same amount of food coloring as in two 2-oz. bags of candy. And, there were big individual differences in sensitivity. While the effects were not nearly so great as to cause full-blown ADHD, Stevenson nonetheless warns that "these adverse effects could affect the child's ability to benefit from the experience of school."

He notes that a separate pilot study found that kids can become more hyperactive within one hour of consuming food additives.

The Lancet study is the first to nail down a link between artificial ingredients and hyperactivity, though the connection has long been suspected and was the basis for the Feingold Diet, which eliminates all artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives and was popularized in the 1970s as a treatment for ADHD. Though such a diet alone is not a proven treatment for ADHD, some clinicians routinely advise parents of kids with ADHD to stick with a more natural diet." I'm not maniacal about it, but I tell parents that your kid will do better if they are on a diet that is free of additives and junk food," says psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, author a several books on ADHD. "I urge them to eat whole foods; they'll be healthier anyway."

Now that a link has been found, researchers will be looking to confirm the British study and build upon it. "My guess is that if we do similarly systematic work with other additives, we'd learn they, too, have implications for behavior," says Dr. James Perrin, professor of pediatrics at Harvard. "My friends who study the food industry say we have about 70,000 new products a year, so children are facing tremendous numbers of new opportunities for things that may not be good for them." The study, he says, is one more reason to cheer the movement toward organic and natural foods.

Candy Shop

It's nearing that first real candy vacation of the season so I thought I'd post this...
http://www.naturalcandystore.com
Hopefully you can get some ideas. Note the right hand side, there are FG 1 and FG 2 catagories.

Kraft is messing with the U.S.

> Get harmful chemicals out of mac & cheese-- Kraft did it in Europe, now
> they should do it in the U.S.
>
> Send a letter to Kraft asking them to update U.S. ingredients!
>

>
> Did you know that Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is formulated differently for
> countries in Europe than for the U.S.?1 I didn't either until I read The
> Unhealthy Truth, a book about the toxicity of America's food supply.
>
> The fact is, that in 2008, Kraft removed artificial colorings, like yellow
> #5, and chemical sweeteners, like aspartame, from the products that they
> distribute in Europe, Australia, and other developed countries due to
> consumer concern over scientific studies that link these synthetic
> ingredients to hyperactivity and asthma in children. But, they haven't done
> the same thing here in the U.S.!2 Our voices are needed to make that change
> here too.
> We'd love to have you join us in writing to the Kraft CEO, Irene Rosenfeld,
> a mother of two herself, requesting that Kraft remove these same ingredients
> from their products here in the U.S.
> http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=272
> 97
> > vCCIJQl/dQITlq5vG>
> Kraft took these chemicals and additives out of their European products. If
> we want Kraft to do this for us in the U.S., then Kraft needs to hear from
> us!
>
> Join us in sending Kraft CEO, Irene Rosenfeld, a letter asking that Kraft
> value the health of our children as highly as they value the children in
> other countries. And please then share this email with friends and family so
> that they too can send a letter.
>
> The vast majority of American homes have Kraft products.3 Together, we can
> affect change and have these ingredients removed from the products that
> Kraft distributes here in the U.S.
>
> Here's that link again to sign on to the letter in case you need it:
> http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=272

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew

I had this sent to me today, right at the right time. Andrew and Adam just started school and Andrew is reacting like I haven't seen for 4 years. He loves the school though and I hope that it will work to keep him in for the year.

I cried when I read this article because there are so many things that Ellen has identified that are absolutely Andrew. People don't understand him and his sensory issues because he is a smart kid, very talented with music and words, he's a dictionary, he's supposed to be "smart", therefore people expect his behavior to be more teachable and they view him as belligerent when he shows inappropriate social behavior.

Andrew has been having facial tics and hand problems every second or two for two days. We started school three days ago. So far we've found the following problems...

General new school chaos.
Flourescent lights.
Green/Blue soap in the bathrooms that I didn't know about till today.
Fragrance on other people's clothes and hair.
And, water fountains when his water bottle with RO water ran out.

Anyway, on with the article. I think I'll read it again and get some good crying time in.

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew

By Ellen Notbohm

(© 2005, 2008)

Some days it seems the only predictable thing about it is the unpredictability. The only consistent attribute -- the inconsistency. There is little argument on any level but that autism is baffling, even to those who spend their lives around it. The child who lives with autism may look "normal" but his behavior can be perplexing and downright difficult.

Autism was once thought an "incurable" disorder, but that notion is crumbling in the face knowledge and understanding that is increasing even as you read this. Every day, individuals with autism are showing us that they can overcome, compensate for and otherwise manage many of autism's most challenging characteristics. Equipping those around our children with simple understanding of autism's most basic elements has a tremendous impact on their ability to journey towards productive, independent adulthood.

Autism is an extremely complex disorder but for purposes of this one article, we can distill its myriad characteristics into four fundamental areas: sensory processing challenges, speech/language delays and impairments, the elusive social interaction skills and whole child/self-esteem issues. And though these four elements may be common to many children, keep front-of-mind the fact that autism is a spectrum disorder: no two (or ten or twenty) children with autism will be completely alike. Every child will be at a different point on the spectrum. And, just as importantly – every parent, teacher and caregiver will be at a different point on the spectrum. Child or adult, each will have a unique set of needs.

Here are ten things every child with autism wishes you knew:

1. I am first and foremost a child. I have autism. I am not primarily "autistic." My autism is only one aspect of my total character. It does not define me as a person. Are you a person with thoughts, feelings and many talents, or are you just fat (overweight), myopic (wear glasses) or klutzy (uncoordinated, not good at sports)? Those may be things that I see first when I meet you, but they are not necessarily what you are all about.

As an adult, you have some control over how you define yourself. If you want to single out a single characteristic, you can make that known. As a child, I am still unfolding. Neither you nor I yet know what I may be capable of. Defining me by one characteristic runs the danger of setting up an expectation that may be too low. And if I get a sense that you don't think I "can do it," my natural response will be: Why try?

2. My sensory perceptions are disordered. Sensory integration may be the most difficult aspect of autism to understand, but it is arguably the most critical. It his means that the ordinary sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of everyday that you may not even notice can be downright painful for me. The very environment in which I have to live often seems hostile. I may appear withdrawn or belligerent to you but I am really just trying to defend myself. Here is why a "simple" trip to the grocery store may be hell for me:

My hearing may be hyper-acute. Dozens of people are talking at once. The loudspeaker booms today's special. Musak whines from the sound system. Cash registers beep and cough, a coffee grinder is chugging. The meat cutter screeches, babies wail, carts creak, the fluorescent lighting hums. My brain can't filter all the input and I'm in overload!

My sense of smell may be highly sensitive. The fish at the meat counter isn't quite fresh, the guy standing next to us hasn't showered today, the deli is handing out sausage samples, the baby in line ahead of us has a poopy diaper, they're mopping up pickles on aisle 3 with ammonia….I can't sort it all out. I am dangerously nauseated.

Because I am visually oriented (see more on this below), this may be my first sense to become overstimulated. The fluorescent light is not only too bright, it buzzes and hums. The room seems to pulsate and it hurts my eyes. The pulsating light bounces off everything and distorts what I am seeing -- the space seems to be constantly changing. There's glare from windows, too many items for me to be able to focus (I may compensate with "tunnel vision"), moving fans on the ceiling, so many bodies in constant motion. All this affects my vestibular and proprioceptive senses, and now I can't even tell where my body is in space.

3. Please remember to distinguish between won't (I choose not to) and can't (I am not able to). Receptive and expressive language and vocabulary can be major challenges for me. It isn't that I don't listen to instructions. It's that I can't understand you. When you call to me from across the room, this is what I hear: "*&^%$#@, Billy. #$%…" Instead, come speak directly to me in plain words: "Please put your book in your desk, Billy. It's time to go to lunch." This tells me what you want me to do and what is going to happen next. Now it is much easier for me to comply.

4. I am a concrete thinker. This means I interpret language very literally. It's very confusing for me when you say, "Hold your horses, cowboy!" when what you really mean is "Please stop running." Don't tell me something is a "piece of cake" when there is no dessert in sight and what you really mean is "this will be easy for you to do." When you say "Jamie really burned up the track," I see a kid playing with matches. Please just tell me "Jamie ran very fast."

Idioms, puns, nuances, double entendres, inference, metaphors, allusions and sarcasm are lost on me.

5. Please be patient with my limited vocabulary. It's hard for me to tell you what I need when I don't know the words to describe my feelings. I may be hungry, frustrated, frightened or confused but right now those words are beyond my ability to express. Be alert for body language, withdrawal, agitation or other signs that something is wrong.

Or, there's a flip side to this: I may sound like a "little professor" or movie star, rattling off words or whole scripts well beyond my developmental age. These are messages I have memorized from the world around me to compensate for my language deficits because I know I am expected to respond when spoken to. They may come from books, TV, the speech of other people. It is called "echolalia." I don't necessarily understand the context or the terminology I'm using. I just know that it gets me off the hook for coming up with a reply.

6. Because language is so difficult for me, I am very visually oriented. Please show me how to do something rather than just telling me. And please be prepared to show me many times. Lots of consistent repetition helps me learn.

A visual schedule is extremely helpful as I move through my day. Like your PDA or day-timer, it relieves me of the stress of having to remember what comes next, makes for smooth transition between activities, helps me manage my time and meet your expectations.

I won't lose the need for a visual schedule as I get older, but my "level of representation" may change. Before I can read, I need a visual schedule with photographs or simple drawings. As I get older, a combination of words and pictures may work, and later still, just words.

7. Please focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can't do. Like any other human, I can't learn in an environment where I'm constantly made to feel that I'm not good enough and that I need "fixing." Trying anything new when I am almost sure to be met with criticism, however "constructive," becomes something to be avoided. Look for my strengths and you will find them. There is more than one "right" way to do most things.

8. Please help me with social interactions. It may look like I don't want to play with the other kids on the playground, but sometimes it's just that I simply do not know how to start a conversation or enter a play situation. If you can encourage other children to invite me to join them at kickball or shooting baskets, it may be that I'm delighted to be included.

I do best in structured play activities that have a clear beginning and end. I don't know how to "read" facial expressions, body language or the emotions of others, so I appreciate ongoing coaching in proper social responses. For example, if I laugh when Emily falls off the slide, it's not that I think it's funny. It's that I don't know the proper response. Teach me to say "Are you OK?"

9. Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns. Meltdowns, blow-ups, tantrums or whatever you want to call them are even more horrid for me than they are for you. They occur because one or more of my senses has gone into overload. If you can figure out why my meltdowns occur, they can be prevented. Keep a log noting times, settings, people, activities. A pattern may emerge.

Try to remember that all behavior is a form of communication. It tells you, when my words cannot, how I perceive something that is happening in my environment.

Parents, keep in mind as well: persistent behavior may have an underlying medical cause. Food allergies and sensitivities, sleep disorders and gastrointestinal problems can all have profound effects on behavior.

10. Love me unconditionally. Banish thoughts like, "If he would just……" and "Why can't she….." You did not fulfill every last expectation your parents had for you and you wouldn't like being constantly reminded of it. I did not choose to have autism. But remember that it is happening to me, not you. Without your support, my chances of successful, self-reliant adulthood are slim. With your support and guidance, the possibilities are broader than you might think. I promise you – I am worth it.

And finally, three words: Patience. Patience. Patience. Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me. It may be true that I'm not good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed that I don't lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates or pass judgment on other people? Also true that I probably won't be the next Michael Jordan. But with my attention to fine detail and capacity for extraordinary focus, I might be the next Einstein. Or Mozart. Or Van Gogh.

They may have had autism too.

The answer to Alzheimer's, the enigma of extraterrestrial life -- what future achievements from today's children with autism, children like me, lie ahead?

All that I might become won't happen without you as my foundation. Be my advocate, be my friend, and we'll see just how far I can go.

Three-time ForeWord Book of the Year finalist Ellen Notbohm is author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew and three other award-winning books on autism. She is a columnist for Autism Asperger's Digest and Children's Voice and a contributor to numerous publications and websites around the world. For reprint permission, book excerpts or to explore Ellen's work, please visit www.ellennotbohm.com .

Breakfast Tacos

Breakfast Tacos, not as gross as they sound! This was a total fluke that turned out yummy. We had a crazy day, no silverware was washed, needed to use up a lot of eggs, just made apricot jam, and had leftover cream cheese in the fridge.

make pancakes as normal but with about 6 extra eggs and somewhat thin batter so they're nice and spongy. You don't want them as thin as crepes but not a thick pancake.

Cook as normal and then spread half with cream cheese, jam, fruit, or whatever else you want. Eat it like a taco.

I'd bet this would taste good with some bacon and cheese too.

These were nice and portable and didn't use as much sugar as normal either since it was eaten in hand and taco style.

Don't fall for Satan's twix?

Alyssa got this little note at church. I laughed so hard. I thought there was something fishy about twix but I didn't know that he made them!

Blue dye a drug?

Reprinted from FAUS

BLUE #1: THE NEW MIRACLE DRUG
=============================
Reported by CNN July 28, 2009

The same blue food dye found in M&Ms and Gatorade could be used to reduce damage caused by spinal injuries, offering a better chance of recovery, according to new research.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that when they injected Blue #1 (also called Brilliant Blue G or BBG) into rats suffering spinal cord injuries, the rats were able to walk again.

The only side effect was that they temporarily turned blue.

See the entire article (and picture of the blue mouse) at http://www.feingold.org/DOCS/blue-dye-for-spinal-injury.pdf

How can this work?

A chemical called ATP is both an energy source and a neurotransmitter, depending on its location. It creates energy in every cell for normal activity, and the FDA has known for some time that Blue #1 is toxic to the mitochondria which are like tiny factories inside each cell where the ATP is made. This causes a problem for people using a feeding tube. Until recently, hospitals added Blue #1 to the food used in such tubes, but some of the patients died and their colon was found to be bright blue. See http://www.feingold.org/DOCS/blue-fda.pdf and http://www.feingold.org/DOCS/bluecolon.pdf

However, in the case of a spinal injury, ATP is released from the injured cells, binds to a molecule called P2X7, and kills off healthy cells in the spinal cord, thus making the initial injury far worse.

If only there were a way to prevent the ATP from attaching to P2X7, or a way to deactivate the P2X7, ATP could not kill the spinal cord nerves. Luckily, Blue #1 was already known to be able to stop the function of P2X7. While this is not good for you or me, of course, it was perfect for a rat with an injured spinal cord. When injected with the blue dye immediately after their injury, the rats recovered and could walk again (with a limp). Those rats not injected with the dye never recovered.

This is big news in the medical field, since there is very little that doctors can now do for spinal cord injury. The first clinical trials will soon begin.

Forty years ago, Dr. Feingold warned that food dyes were similar to drugs and should be tested in the same way drugs are tested. Now, finally, one of them has been shown to be such a powerful drug that it can bring about the recovery of a damaged spinal cord. Might we hope that at least this dye will find its way out of our food and onto the prescription pad?

Peanut butter and jelly sushi rolls

http://www.parents.com/recipes/nutrition/kids/smart-snacks/?page=3

Cute, cute, cute! I would really use sushi rice for this and not white bread but hey, use approved bread or tortillas for the same effect.

Peanut butter, strawberry slices, and banana or something to that effect would be great as a sushi roll.

Or, peanut butter, thinly sliced celery and raisins for bumps on a log.

mmmmmmmmm, gonna try em out tomorrow.

hot pockets

Meatball surprise rolls

I couldn't think of a better name to call these. We used frozen meatballs and frozen bread dough but you can use your own if you do not have the FG list. I just plopped a meatball in the dough and added a strip of white cheese on top, closed it up into a little ball, and baked for 20 minutes. They looked like rolls when they came out of the oven but they had a yummy surprise inside.

The Vanishing Male

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/docplayer2.html?maven_playerId=docportal&maven_referralParentPlaylistId=cf83fa80f00598d771432975e34aa7abc42ace1c&maven_referralPlaylistId=f21067aaabfdece3076458e7e035e69febe7cfe7&maven_referralObject=4505047

Okonomiyaki

http://theoriginalmybentodiet.blogspot.com/2009/06/okonomiyaki-bento-recipe-what-i-like.html

mmm, this looks yummy!

yay

This is my first time writing in on the FG message board, and I'm wanting to share a success story in hopes of encouraging others! My family of three joined the program in March in support of my sister's family and also to see if it would make a difference for my husband (32) and daughter (2 1/2)...both seemed like they might be chemically sensitive after researching through the FG website and taking the survey.
With our daughter we noticed immediate changes just after a few days on program. Her "edgey-ness" subsided, her reactions both high and low weren't as extreme, she was getting along with other kids, was less demanding and in general a much happier little girl and continues to be! She is still 2, so an occasional tantrum and defiance exists, but it just feels like she's lingered into the average range behavior wise instead of an extremely demanding FULL TIME and a HALF 2 year old! YIPPEE!
As for my husband, changes were also immediate...but not in a positive way. His anger/temper got worse, his reactions more extreme, his outbursts/cursing more intense (especially with road rage), his energy and patience was lacking and in general he seemed angry at the world. Often things I've noticed in him before, but at an even more extreme level.
Through my sister's encouragement on the program....and reading posts and information about detox....we stuck it out for over EIGHT WEEKS before witnessing what I can only attribute to a MIRACLE! In the blink of an eye, my husband turned a HUGE corner. He is laughing, singing, telling funny jokes, playing ponies with our daughter, working on PROJECT after PROJECT around our house and in the yard (a rarity before FG!), and even often asking what he can do to help me! He has even stated "I feel like myself again!" And as for me, it feels like I have a partner in life now that includes give and take instead always feeling like the giver! It is so much easier to give when there is balance and I am SOOO thankful! I kept thinking...this is too good to be true....it's going to end...this can't be real...this can't last. But, I can honestly tell you that the past 4 weeks have been the best it's ever been in our nine years of marriage....and it's only going to get better from here!!! THANK YOU FEINGOLD PROGRAM and volunteers....you've saved my family! :)