Got Petroleum...in your food?

5 things to never feed your kids

2012-01-28T10:43:00.001-08:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld/5-things-never-to-feed-yo_b_1229682.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009#s644610&title=Anything_With_Extremely
I admit that we'll splurge on some of these so I can't personally say never but, I do agree that they are terrible food and it's always nice to hear others in agreement.

Look me in the eye

2012-01-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

http://jerobison.blogspot.com
I know I have a lot of readers who have family with autism/aspergers. I just had to share this blog. It's by one of my very favorite authors who changed my life with my family. :) If you have people with autism in your life please read "Look me in the eye".

Merry Christmas from Ana

2011-12-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

This is the picture that's in the little contest. Ana took it when I left the camera on the piano after an exchange student party. I found it when I uploaded pictures to my computer and had a nice laugh. hahaha.
The exchange students made some super yummy foods and most of them were very natural. We've gotten into some great foreign cooking and I'm going to be updating my blog with some of their fun recipes. We'll also have a South Korean exchange student here in a few weeks, maybe she'll help me learn some of the delicious foods.

Thanks so much guys! Ana's picture won the contest and she got a whole box of "Liken the Scriptures" DVDs for Christmas! YAY!

Ana's cute self portrait and a contest

2011-12-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

https://apps.facebook.com/easypromos/voteme/20827/614258098

Hello dear readers. Ana's cute self portrait (snuck by her and found as I was loading pictures onto my computer) is in a contest to win a DVD set that she loves. Please vote for her picture! This link should take you directly to her picture so you just need to click "vote". Thanks so much! Danika

Artificial coloring in olive oil?

2011-12-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/12/143154180/losing-virginity-olive-oils-scandalous-industry?sc=fb&cc=fp
Ahhh, the joys of labeling laws.

"Extra-virgin olive oil is a ubiquitous ingredient in Italian recipes, religious rituals and beauty products. But many of the bottles labeled "extra-virgin olive oil" on supermarket shelves have been adulterated and shouldn't be classified as extra-virgin, says New Yorker contributor Tom Mueller.

Mueller's new book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, chronicles how resellers have added lower-priced, lower-grade oils and artificial coloring to extra-virgin olive oil, before passing the new adulterated substance along the supply chain. (One olive oil producer told Mueller that 50 percent of the olive oil sold in the United States is, in some ways, adulterated.)

The term "extra-virgin olive oil" means the olive oil has been made from crushed olives and is not refined in any way by chemical solvents or high heat.

"The legal definition simply says it has to pass certain chemical tests, and in a sensory way it has to taste and smell vaguely of fresh olives, because it's a fruit, and have no faults," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "But many of the extra-virgin olive oils on our shelves today in America don't clear [the legal definition]."

My mom ate all my halloween candy

2011-11-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

This was too funny, especially the ending boys. My kids commented that the logical kids at the end said they only ate two pieces of candy. :)

Vote today! Ban on flavored milk

2011-05-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15702833
Please vote today! This is a one day poll from KSL, our local news station. Vote yes for no offering flavored milk at school!

US vs UK Kraft Mac and Cheese

2011-05-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

read the full article here.

U.S. Version of Kraft Mac & Cheese:
Enriched Macaroni Product (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron], Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Cheese Sauce Mix (Whey, Modified Food Starch, Whey Protein Concentrate, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Contains Less Than 2% of Parmesan Cheese [Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Dried Buttermilk, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Blue Cheese [Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes], Sodium Phosphate, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Cream, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Enzymes, Yellow 5, Yellow 6).

U.K. Version of Kraft Mac & Cheese:
Macaroni (Durum Wheat Semolina), Cheese (10%), Whey Powder (from milk), Lactose, Salt, Emulsifying Salts (E339, E341), Colours (Paprika Extract, Beta-Carotene)

Kelly the Kitchen Kop

2011-04-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/got-petroleum.html

Cool! Thanks for blogging about us Kelly.

Carly's voice

2011-04-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

http://carlysvoice.com/
Wow! This was such a great surprise this morning. I loved hearing Carly speak as a teenager without oral verbal ability but plenty to say.

Wow, New York Times too!

2011-03-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/health/policy/30fda.html

msnbc review on the FDA trial of food dyes

2011-03-29T19:44:00.001-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Washington Post

2011-03-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

I got this in my email today and don't have a link. Please post a comment if you have one. :.)

The rainbow of food dyes in our grocery aisles has a dark side
By David W. Schab and Michael F. Jacobson, Friday, March 25, 8:51 PM

Today’s supermarket is a fun house of hues. Its aisles feature a kaleidoscope of processed foods perfectly engineered to appeal to the part of your brain that says “yum”: Technicolor Starburst candy. Polychromatic Froot Loops. A rainbow of flavored juices.

Those hyper-saturated colors have come to seem normal, even natural, like the come-ons of tropical fruits. But they are increasingly produced through the magic of artificial food dyes, applied not just to candies and snack foods but to such seemingly all-natural products as pickles, salad dressing and some oranges.

Artificial dyes aren’t just making your Yoplait Light Red Raspberry yogurt blush and your Kraft Macaroni and Cheese glow in the dark. They are causing behavioral problems and disrupting children’s attention, according to a growing number of scientific studies. On Wednesday, following the lead of European regulators, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will begin a review of research on the behavioral effects of artificial dyes. In a significant turn from the agency’s previous denials that dyes have any influence on children’s behavior, an FDA staff report released last week concluded that synthetic food colorings do affect some children.

The agency should take action. Allowing the use of artificial dyes violates the FDA’s mandate to protect consumers from unsafe products. It also runs afoul of the agency’s mandate to crack down on food that has been made “to appear better or of greater value than it is.”

Concern about food dye is long-standing. In the 1800s, American food manufacturers began doctoring their wares with toxic pigments made from lead and copper. In the second half of that century, a revolution in organic chemistry brought artificial dyes made from coal tar — a relative advance over lead.

At the turn of the 20th century, margarine producers were making the most of the technology: They added new yellow dyes to their colorless product to better compete with butter. But the dairy industry lobbied for bans and taxes on colored margarine, and state legislatures and Congress obliged. Consumers who wanted their margarine yellow could open a separate packet of dye and mix it in themselves.

In 1906, Congress took up the question of whether artificial dyes were bad for consumers, with the first of several major acts. The most recent and stringent of them, passed in 1960, banned color additives that caused cancer in humans or animals. But the fate of one such additive, Red 3, illustrates how even strong legislation can be thwarted. Lab rats that were fed large amounts of the dye developed thyroid cancer, so in 1984 the acting FDA commissioner recommended banning it. However, fruit-cocktail producers, who relied on the dye to brighten maraschino cherries, pleaded with the Department of Agriculture to block the move. As a result, the FDA banned Red 3 only in cosmetics and topical drugs.

In the early 1990s, FDA and Canadian scientists found that Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, the three most widely used dyes, were contaminated with likely human carcinogens. And while many foods, such as M&M’s and Kellogg’s Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts, include as many as five different dyes, even today the carcinogenic potential of such combinations has not been tested.

Despite those concerns, parents continued to serve up meals and stuff their children’s lunchboxes with more and more processed foods colored with dyes, stoking a five-fold increase in the per-capita production of food dyes over the past 50 years.

Over the same period, psychiatrists and teachers were seeing more attention and behavioral problems, while allergists were raising concerns about Yellow 5. Physician Benjamin Feingold’s 1975 book, “Why Your Child Is Hyperactive,” along with the additive-free diet it promoted, spawned numerous studies on the effect of additives on attention-deficit disorders.

In 2004, one of us co-authored an analysis of the best studies of food dyes’ effects on behavior. That analysis found striking evidence that hyperactive children who consumed dyes became significantly more hyperactive than children who got a placebo.

At the same time, the British government funded two studies, each involving almost 300 children. Their results were even more startling: Artificial food dyes (in combination with a common preservative) could make even children with no known behavioral problems hyperactive and inattentive.

Health officials in the United Kingdom urged manufacturers to stop using the six dyes — including Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 — involved in those studies. Next, the European Parliament required that foods containing those chemicals bear a label warning that the dyes “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” That is seen by some as the death knell for artificial dyes throughout Europe.

Beyond the behavioral problems and cancer risks, the greatest hazard that dyes pose for children may also be the most obvious: They draw kids away from nutritious foods and toward brightly colored processed products that are high in calories but low in nutrients, such as fruit-flavored drinks and snack foods. Those types of foods are a major force in America’s obesity epidemic, which, according to the Society of Actuaries, costs the nation $270 billion a year.

Artificial colorings are explicitly meant to manipulate consumers’ perceptions. Manufacturers tout research showing that redness enhances the impression of sweetness, and that in tests with beverages and sherbets, the color of the product did more to influence consumers’ perception of the flavor than the flavor itself. One dye marketer states that its colorings offer “a limitless palette, unmatched technology and the emotional connection between people and color.”

A world without harmful dyes does not mean a future of blandly beige snacks. A range of vivid natural colorings, made largely from plant extracts, is already in use in Europe and to a lesser extent in the United States. In Britain, for example, McDonald’s Strawberry Sundaes are made without artificial coloring; here, Red 40 adds to the strawberry color. Both the British and American formulations of Nutri-Grain Strawberry cereal bars contain strawberries, but in Britain plant-based colorings add extra color, while in the United States Red 40 does the job.

Fortunately, some U.S. companies are switching to colorings found in nature. The bountiful shelves of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are devoid of dyes, Necco has dropped artificial dyes from its iconic wafers, and Starbucks has banned dyes from its baked goods and drinks. Most companies will resist, because artificial dyes are brighter, cheaper and more stable than natural colorings. It’s also a nuisance for them to reformulate their dyed products — and the government has given them no incentive to change.

Today, Britons enjoy all the colorful foods they have come to expect without many of the health risks they learned to avoid. Here, we get the same foods — but until the FDA bans synthetic dyes, we get them with a side order of dangerous and unnecessary chemicals.

aspand@cspinet.org

David W. Schab is a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. Michael F. Jacobson is the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

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Our new project, foreign exchange!

2011-03-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm going to post this link in hopes that some of my amazing readers will be able to volunteer to host a foreign exchange student. I am matching students with hosts right now in Utah but I will get you in touch with anyone in another state who will help you find the right student for your family. The students will get here in August. Please help support my other blog by subscribing or sharing links on facebook or with your friends!

http://theworldinourhome.blogspot.com/

While it's not a recipe site, I do post super yummy international recipes there that can easily be made to Feingold standards. Today...spatzel! The easiest pasta you'll ever make.

loved this, where are the blueberries?

2011-03-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

new research confirms adhd caused by food

2011-03-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.foodrenegade.com/new-research-confirms-adhd-caused-by-food/

I wonder if the study was just about food or about "food" as in chemicals in food.

SCREAMS recommends a diet free of additives

2011-01-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

http://come-over.to/FAS/brochures/SCREAMSbroch.pdf

My 3 year old's therapist gave me a handout today. I was happy to see that it mentioned how much an additive free diet can help. This particular handout is for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome but I see so many similarities between FAS and Autism. I appreciate any FAS literature for Ana, then I use it to apply to Andrew also.

Cost of healthy foods

2011-01-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=what_20_will_buy_at_the_drivethru_and_at_the_supermarket

This was an awesome article about the cost of eating healthy foods. I loved it. I did notice a few comments about the unrealistic prices of their healthy foods so I have to say that I love living in Utah. I was thinking their healthy food prices were way too high and they could go lower. :.) We have great prices on produce at places like Winco or Reams.

yellow icing or frosting

2011-01-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

I just found this in an old depression ad

Yellow Icing for Jack o’Lantern Smiles:
1 egg yolk 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp melted butter 1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange rind

Break up egg yolk with fork. Add sugar alternately with the butter and orange juice. Add the orange rind.

I'd only do this if you have farm fresh eggs that you can trust and orange rind that you are sure hasn't been sprayed. Looks fun!

Winter soup

2011-01-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

MMMMMMMMm here's a new recipe, I know they come few and far between now that my staples had all been posted. I had a few veggies that I needed to use quickly so I decided to cook them all together in the pressure cooker.

1/4 of a banana squash
2 sweet potatoes
4 russet potatoes
1/2 onion
few cloves garlic
2 cups water
all in the pressure cooker, or however you do it

When they were soft I just put them all in the vitamix in 2 batches plus enough water to get it to the right consistency.

Served with salt and pepper and 1 tsp of pie type spices mixed in, then on top went homemade croutons, craisins, and slivered almonds. So super good and everyone loved it. Andrew even drank some in a cup (thinned down and extra fixins went on the side)

Difficult Children Nutrition Cure!

2011-01-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

This was a great article from a great woman. Note my comment at the end, out of all of our foster children we saw dramatic improvements in all when following a natural diet. I didn't elaborate much on this blog about it because we're supposed to keep the fostering to a minimum on our blogs.
http://www.teachingselfgovernment.com/difficult-children-nutrition-cure-646

I was like you once

2011-01-04T11:52:00.001-08:00

I WAS LIKE YOU.......ONCE
if you see me
at the supermarket,
and my child is
screaming,
rolling on the floor
with anger seeping from his pores.
please don't blame me,
I was like you once,

If you are in a restuarant
and my child
throws food and it
hits you in the face,
please, don't be angry,
I can't handle any more rage.

If you see my child
climbing over
a very tall fence
with nothing on
except his hat.
Please don't call the police,
I only looked away for a minute.

If you see me
crying, as you
pull up next to me
at a stop light.
at a busy intersection.
Honk and smile, I need a friend.

If you see me,
running down the street
with curlers in my hair
chasing a small child
who runs so fast, I can't catch him
Help me chase him down.

If my child grabs
your child, or pushes him
or bites or
kicks him, or
says words that make your hair curl.
Please forgive him, and me too.

If you happen to
see us, walking
in your neighbourhood,
or in the malls,
or at the park
Please don't turn away,
I was like you once.

copyright 1999
Sally Meyer

It's official

2011-01-02T07:45:00.001-08:00

I just realized that I never blogged about our official diagnosis. We've "known" for years but there were so many things that convinced me otherwise and we just didn't really want to hear it. My little guy (10 now) had his full battery of private testing last month and got a diagnosis of Autism-Asbergers, and Anxiety disorder. I hear that's about the age a lot of high functioning kids are diagnosed because the world starts to become more abstract and while others are growing up emotionally, these kids aren't. We've been going through a mourning of sorts because the words are hard to hear. That's why I didn't put this on the blog for a while. But, if the purpose is to help others who have the same issues, it should be made known. Who knows what great people will find help through natural foods when googling asbergers-diet or asbergers-food. As I've said many times before, it doesn't take everything away and it's not going to "cure" everyone with autism but it does make a dramatic difference in the level of symptoms. I know that a lot of people talk about gluten free/casein free but so many try that diet while still including petroleum. PLEASE try both together first! I have heard of so many failures to improve with only gluten/casein free but I rarely hear of a failure to improve with petroleum free (when actually following Feingold).
Thanks to everyone for your support and I'd love any comments or suggestions. I've written so much about our life that the blog has been super slow and I just post articles here and there. Love you all, Danika

An article from the Chicago Tribune

2011-01-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-food-dyes-20110101,0,1972784.story?page=1

Birthday party! Cowboy up!

2010-11-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome natural Feingold birthday party today! We had a cowboy theme and these were the cute cupcakes I made. Chocolate on Chocolate with Newman O's crushed up for the dirt. The little horses were at the party store. We served hot chocolate with the cupcakes. It was such a great day to do the party, 55 degrees which was warmer than normal. The kids rode the horses in the back pasture, practiced roping, and built a tipi. Then we had the food, and watched our friend perform in a little rodeo. All in all it was a great day!

candy experiments

2010-10-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.candyexperiments.com

I've only had time to look at a few of these but they sure seem like fun. At least it's a good way to use up some Halloween candy.

Doctors want FDA regulation of "food" coloring

2010-10-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/forget-sugar-doctor-screams-for-fda-regulation-of-food-coloring/

More on neurotoxic scents

2010-09-21T07:38:00.001-07:00

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/neurotoxins_and_adhd_connecting_the_dots/

What's that smell?

2010-09-01T21:11:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking of chemical smells a lot this school year. We switched schools and are now going to a charter school for the arts. Apparently artsy people also love artsy smells...a palate for the nose. The entrance and many of the classrooms are very heavily scented. Andrew and Adam's main teachers have thankfully not used chemical fragrances inside the classroom but they do switch classrooms for different activities in which I notice strong smells.
I visited a class for science and thought I was fine. After about 5 minutes I started having an asthma attack and coughing. I left quickly and turned around to glance at my spot and found that I was sitting next to an automatic spray glade plug in. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Those little things are sneaky if you get there when they haven't gone off for a while. Fragrances are bad enough but aerosol fragrances just about kill me. I left and nursed my asthma and headache.
On a side note, since I had my gal bladder out my stomach has not hurt with fragrances at all. Remember when we joked last year about the poor kids pooping on the floor if they smelled a candle? I have no idea what connection the gal bladder would have to the fragrances but it will definitely be researched. It took about 5 times of coming in contact with an aerosol, having asthma, and realizing no diarrhea effect followed to figure out that I'm fine now. hmmmmmmmmmm
Poor Alyssa has headaches and tummy aches all day, gets really tired also. She's too embarrassed to ask 6 whole teachers to do without their smellies. I guess in 9th grade you actually have to care what people think. I have to admit that I'm nervous too. I know that it affects many more people than my family but it's still embarrassing to be the weird one. It's funny how people know that cigarette smoke is bad for you but since we don't see yummy smelling chemical droplets of petroleum floating in the air it seems very harmless.

Whole milk is no longer always acceptable :.(

2010-09-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

"Until now, any brand of plain whole milk was acceptable, as you wrote. However, the Feingold Association has recently been receiving reports of reactions to milk from people who previously tolerated it. We can no longer consider "any whole milk" acceptable and are researching milks one brand at a time, according to an alert we sent out August 25, 2010. A reader wanting to use the Feingold Program to treat any sort of symptoms really needs to become a member and get the Foodlist and other materials."

This was a comment from Sheila and I'm reposting it as a blog post to make sure readers see it. I'll also be changing the always acceptable list. It's always sad when something as used as whole milk is no longer always acceptable. We buy our milk raw and unadulterated from a local dairy. I would suggest calling around to your local dairies or finding their numbers to read the codes at your local store if you need something acceptable.

And, as I've said several times, please consider joining the Feingold association. I feel like I know what I'm doing but when I stray from the list, I see infractions. I'll be a lifetime member. At less than $7 per month for the whole family, a food guide, fast food guide, and suppliment guide, monthly newsletters with updates on foods and current issues, and a very active chat room, I feel like it's a very good choice for most families.

New websites for lunches

2010-08-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.freshforkids.com.au/lunch_box/lunch_box.html
http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/

Someone just mentioned that in Australia it's against the law to send unhealthy lunches to school. I don't know the truth of that or who defines what "healthy" is but nevertheless, I really liked these websites. Toward the end of the Fresh for Kids website there are 3 booklets to download that have a lot of great ideas and pictures.

Packing School Lunches

2010-08-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

I just responded on a list and decided I'd throw this on here also.

One of the biggest things we've figured out is that equipment really helps. As
long as we have a thermos or an insulating lunchbox we can pack just about
anything, hot or cold. It took a while to get it down to what we really liked
and learning how to keep the foods hot or cold.
My favorite equipment is a short stainless thermos (was $29.00 clearance $8.00,
bought 5, check NOW at Shopko or other stores for back to school clearance). If
we pair the hot thermos food with normal temp foods in an insulating lunchbox it
stays perfectly hot till lunchtime. If it's more of a casserole type food that
can taste ok just warm I like my lock n lock glass containers in an insulating
box.
If we have a cold drink or salad at the same time, I send it in a different
container than the lunchbox with the hot stuff or I just send it with other cool
things.
We've found that a hot thermos of soup along with a cool smoothie and jello
don't mix well in the lunchbox.

Some other favorites that make it easy...

Make lots of sandwiches (minus lettuce and veggies) and freeze them. They'll
thaw for lunch. If you do tuna or other soggy fillings butter the bread first.
I actually LOVE soggy bread when stuff like that thaws.
Make super healthy muffins loaded with flax, oatmeal, whole grains, veggies,
etc. Freeze a couple in a baggie and pop these in instead of a sandwich. I'll
make a quadruple batch at a time.
Hummus freezes well if your kids will eat it with a bread, chips, or veggies
Use the bento box idea and put dinner leftovers in the freezer to space out in
boxes later or just pack it into the lunchbox and stick it in the fridge.
Learn what dinner tastes good cold later if you don't want to heat...spaghetti
and rice taste great with a bit of dressing or sauce on top to refresh it.
Salad with dressing on the side. Any dessert. Even ice cream in a thermos can
work if they're ok with a milkshake by lunch.

Ban on flavored milks in DC schools!

2010-06-29T10:34:00.001-07:00

YAY! One baby step ahead! Let's hope other schools follow.

"By Ed Bruske
aka The Slow Cook

Jeffrey Mills, director of food services for D.C. Public Schools, told parents at H.D. Cooke Elementary school yesterday that the city's schools beginning in the fall would no longer serve flavored milk or sugary cereals.

Mills made the remarks at a meeting to discuss staffing changes in the H.D. Cook cafeteria and further details could not be obtained. A PTA officer at the meeting said Mills told the parents that other positive changes in cafeteria menus would be made by the time school resumes in August.

Chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milk, as well as sugary cereals such as Apple Jacks, Raisin Bran and chocolate-flavored Little Bite Mini-Wheats, have been standard fare for breakfast in D.C. schools. Flavored milks contain nearly as much sugar as Classic Coke or Mountain Dew, and when served alongside sugary cereals and breakfast treats such as Pop-Tarts. Giant Goldfish Grahams and orange juice, consitute meals containing 60 grams of sugar before classes even begin. That's the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of sugar, more than a quarter cup.

Some experts argue that the empty calories from sugar cause behavorial problems in school and prime children for health problems ranging from tooth decay to obesity and early onset of diabetes. Flavored milks also cause a drain on school food budgets because they are more expensive than plain milk. But the dairy industry has fought hard to keep flavored milk in school, fearing that children would drink less milk if it did not contain the added sugar.

Many D.C. students drink flavored milk at least twice a day in school, both at breakfast and at lunch, even though other sugary beverages such as sodas, sport drinks and teas have been banned from schools since 2006.

Low-fat milk typically contains 12 grams of naturally occurring sugar as lactose in an 8-ounce service. The chocolate-flavored milk in D.C. schools, from Cloverland Dairy, lists 24 grams of sugar, the added sugar coming from high-fructose corn syrup. Strawberry-flavored milk from Cloverland Dairy contains 28 grams of sugar, or seven teaspoons.

Apple Jacks cereal lists 9 grams of sugar in a 1-ounce serving, or a bit more than two teaspoons, compared to just 1 gram of sugar in a similar serving of regular Cheerios. Cereals with higher sugar content, served aggressively by the D.C. Public Schools' hired food service contractor, Chartwells, are seen as a vehicle for imprinting on vulnerable children the popular kids' brands of corporate food companies such as Kellogg's, which pays hefty rebates to have its products promoted in schools.

The move to reduce sugar in D.C. school food would be significant, since neither U.S. Department of Agriculture standards nor the District's recently adopted "Healthy Schools" act regulate the amount of sugar in school meals. It would bring the District in line with other progressive jurisdicitions that have eliminated flavored milk as a health measure. Typically, milk sales drop after flavored milk is removed, but eventually rebound once students get used to the idea of drinking plain milk.

Mills, who previously worked developing restuarant concepts in New York City, took the DCPS food services job six months ago after the positioin had gone unfilled for a year. He has promised to act aggressively to improve D.C. school food quality. We will certainly report further details as they become available."

school tacos

2010-06-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

I was just looking through our local district's ingredients...here's a sample

Totally Taco
MaxSnax-ConAgra
Nutrient Facts
Serving Size: 1 taco (4.09oz, 3 triangles)
Amount per serving
Calories 250
Total fat 9g
Saturated fat 2.5g
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg
Sodium 630mg
Total Carbohydrate 28g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Protein 15g
Vitamin A 2%
Vitamin C 0%
Iron 15%
Calcium 20%
Ingredients:
Crust: (enriched wheat flour [bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], water, soy flour, dextrose, baking powder [sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum sulfate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate], soybean oil, salt, wheat gluten, calcium propionate, dough conditioners [wheat flour, salt, soy oil, l-cysteine, ascorbic acid, fungal enzyme]). Sauce: (water, enchilada/taco sauce seasoning mix [tomato powder, modified food starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, maltodextrin, salt, chili powder, sodium diacetate, spices, onion, garlic, silicon dioxide, paprika, xanthan gum, disodium inosinate and spice extractives], modified food starch). Beef pizza topping: (hamburger [ground beef {not more than 30% fat}, salt, spice, hydrolyzed corn protein, natural grill flavor {maltodextrin, flavor (from corn oil), modified food starch, corn syrup solids}, flavorings], water, textured vegetable protein [soy protein concentrate, caramel color]). Shredded mozzarella cheese: (pasteurized part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt,
enzymes). Shredded cheddar flavored mozzarella cheese substitute: (water, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil with citric acid, casein, milk protein concentrate, modified food starch, contains 2% or less of the following: sodium aluminum phosphate, salt, cheese blend [cheddar, blue, and semisoft cheese
{pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes}, water, whey, salt, citric acid], lactic acid, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, romano cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], mozzarella cheese type flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], provolone cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate, sodium glutaminate, salt, cheese flavor {maltodextrin, acacia gum, 1,2-propylene glycol, trisodium diphosphate, sodium polyphosphate}], nutrient blend [magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin and vitamin b-12], paprika annatto blend [natural extractives of annatto seeds and paprika with soybean oil, mono-, di-, and triglycerides, other flavors, tocopherol, and potassium hydroxide], vitamin a palmitate). Shredded mozzarella cheese substitute: (water, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil with citric acid, casein, milk protein concentrate, modified food starch, contains 2% or less of the following: sodium aluminum phosphate, salt, lactic acid, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, romano cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], mozzarella cheese type flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate], provolone cheese flavor [cheese {milk, culture, rennet, salt}, milk solids, disodium phosphate, sodium glutaminate, salt, cheese flavor {maltodextrin, acacia gum, 1,2-propylene glycol, trisodium diphosphate, sodium polyphosphate}], nutrient blend [magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin and vitamin b-12], vitamin a palmitate). Releasing agent: (water, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60 and soy lecithin, acetic acid, citric acid, potassium sorbate, propyl gallate, sodium benzoate and polydimethylsiloxane). Cellulose gum. Contains: wheat, milk, and soy.

do not color on your face with markers unless you want to react AND look like a hobo

2010-05-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

This is a long one...let me start at the beginning, which is a very good place to start.

Adam is playing Jefferson Davis, president of the South in the Civil War, in a wax museum at school. What a fun idea right? He got his costume together complete with top hat, white shirt, and vest and he memorized his lines.

The next night, Ana whacked him HARD with a recorder (the kind you play, people call it a flute sometimes) and gave him a big old black eye. So, he already looked funny but I figured that he'd be fine cause he had his costume. If I needed to, I could put a bit of mineral makeup around it.

Well, the next day I picked him up after dress rehearsal and noticed that I'd picked up a hobo instead. His top had had been crunched, his pants were dirty because the goats jumped up on him that morning while he was feeding them their bottles, and the clincher...he had DRAWN a beard on his face with black markers.

When I asked my brother (who works at the school) if he'd seen Adam he mentioned that he had and was wondering which character he played. I said, "I know, he looks like a hobo." My brother's response..."You mean he's not supposed to be a hobo?"
I told him that he was the president of the South...

pause for hysterical laughter on both ends of the line

Yeah, after quizzing Adam I found that the kids asked their teacher if they could draw beards and he said ok, as long as it will come off. Now, what 11 year old boy is going to have any idea if the marker is going to come off of his face?

pause for more laughter

so, he scrubbed and scrubbed and even used a magic eraser on his face. Now we're down to a crunched hat, a black eye, and a 5 o'clock shadow of black marker. Yeah, he's gonna be playing a hobo today.

ok...more laughter.

Bugs in our food too?

2010-05-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

This article made me laugh. I've known about carmine and where it came from for a while now but I've chosen to somewhat ignore it. I'm just happy to not have the red #40 in my food. But, the laugh factor came when reading the cost of carmine vs. chemical dye and thinking, can't we just have non-dyed food? Would it really be that awful? Would kids NOT eat a strawberry granola bar because it wasn't red enough? Would they not eat a gogurt that was pale pink from strawberries instead of bright red from petroleum or bugs? I do know that certain colors are more appetizing and I've been known many times to throw in a handful of blueberries in a green smoothie to make it purple but, that's my point. Unless your food is green from supplements, why bother painting it different colors?

http://www.usnews.com/money/business-economy/articles/2008/07/11/will-bug-based-food-coloring-catch-on.html

Would you rather eat something made from petroleum or bugs? It's not a dare but the crux of a change in the food industry. Pressure on companies to abandon artificial dyes is expected to result in increased use of natural food colors—the most popular of which is cochineal, a dye made from insects that are ground up and added to foods to make them rosier.
Click here to find out more!

The British government has recommended that food manufacturers stop using additives like Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5 (commonly called "nasties" in the U.K.) by the start of 2009. Some American activists, citing studies linking eight artificial dyes to hyperactivity in children, want the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take a similar stance.

A move away from artificial food coloring would spur demand for a red dye made from the cochineal beetle. Cochineal, often known as carmine, has already made its way into hundreds of U.S. products, including yogurt, waffles, and lipstick.

Demand in Peru alone for the cochineal dye has doubled in the past six years, from 1,000 tons of dry cochineal in 2002 to 2,000 tons now, according to the Cochineal Working Group, a network of farmers and researchers. The dye is made by scraping female bugs and their eggs off cactus leaves and grinding them into a powder. The main producers are in Peru, Chile, and the Canary Islands.

"Production could be more if necessary," says Liberato Portillo, coordinator of the Cochineal Working Group, a section of the International Technical Cooperation Network on Cactus, which provides information and research on cacti. As demand has increased, Ethiopia and China have started cultivating the insects as well, Portillo says.

Making carmine the main source for natural orange, red, and blue tints might be easier said than done, says Al Baroudi, president of Food Safety Institute International, a consulting group based in Henderson, Nev. "People who are farming it now don't have a remote idea of what the demand will be" if large international manufacturers start placing huge orders for the dye to keep their foods' vibrant colors—and their customers.

Baroudi says the price of carmine would no doubt go up with demand. The cost of carmine is generally about four times that of coal- and petroleum-based synthetic dyes—between $50 and $80 per kilogram for carmine, compared with $10 to $20 for synthetics. Jeff Greaves, president of Food Ingredient Solutions in Teterboro, N.J., says that with carmine, "you typically have to spend 10 to 20 times as much to get the same color intensity" as you would using artificial colors.

Although the FDA has rebuffed calls for it to ban artificial colorings, experts expect many food companies to shift on their own to satisfy international markets. Global Industry Analysts reported in late 2007 that "outbreaks of food scares and heightened awareness of the health benefits of organically produced ingredients are thought to be behind the dramatic turn from unhealthy ingredients."

Greaves says that "there is definitely a trend towards natural color.... Carmine sales are up 20 percent this year already." Greaves's company processes and distributes both artificial and natural food colors for sale in North America and Europe. It is one of the world's biggest carmine suppliers, selling about 75 tons of the dye per year.

"There's still a cultural 'icky' thing about carmine," Greaves says. But drastic market change is not unprecedented. In the mid-1970s, "Red [Dye] No. 2 got removed overnight, and what replaced it was carmine," he adds. Use of Red No. 40 also increased after the FDA banned Red No. 2.

Companies will "work real hard to formulate new colors for export," says John Rushing, an expert on food science and business who teaches at North Carolina State University. Red cabbage is another source for a natural dye, but it's much more expensive than carmine, Rushing says.

Cochineal is not without controversy, and not just because making food coloring from insects may be unappetizing. For one thing, cochineal is an allergen. "Allergies to carmine are less common than to artificial food coloring, but they can be severe," says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington health advocacy group that supports a ban on artificial food dyes. "If carmine is used, it should absolutely be indicated on the food label as a potential allergen."

Carmine is also an animal-based dye, which doesn't sit well with vegans and vegetarians. Erik Marcus of Vegan.com says foods with carmine "are always nonvegan."

There is already a small effort to avoid carmine. When Nestlé, the Swiss food manufacturing giant, switched its Smarties candies from artificial reds to carmine in 2004, it was blasted by vegetarian groups for the insect content. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lists candies with no carmine (or other animal-based substances) on its website, and a few cosmetics companies tout themselves as "carmine free."

DVDs of our play available now

2010-05-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

DVDs of our play, The Shaken Experience, are available to order for $10 each. Free shipping in the U.S.

Send a paypal payment to feingoldfund@gmail.com
Please include your name and shipping address
Filmed and edited by Matt Black of http://www.blackravenproductions.biz

The kids of NSSA had so much fun writing and performing "The Shaken Experience". For those of you who have not seen it, it's a compilation of Romeo and Juliet-Western Style, Macbeth-silent movie, Hamlet School Musical, and Pyramus and Thisbee, all performed by a cast of 8 who have "no clue what they're doing". It was hilarious! We'd be so happy if you would order a DVD to watch or share.

Thanks, Danika

Five safe ingredients

2010-05-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2940146/five_safe_ingredients_for_foodsensitive.html?cat=25

This is an article about five safe ingredients that one mom keeps around for safe treats.

easy lunch boxes-product

2010-05-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/

hmmm, I might give these a go.

cute lunch, risotto cakes and meatballs

2010-05-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

http://lunchinabox.net/2010/03/24/leftover-remake-risotto-cake-recipe/
This one looked particularly yummy and easy to make Feingold safe.

Super Sloppies!

2010-04-29T17:47:00.001-07:00

Today's lunch was a huge success so I'd love to share it. If you're vegetarian, leave out the meat. If you're gluten free, use GF rolls or bread

saute 1/2 an onion with a bit of butter till soft and yummy smelling (can skip the saute if you're in a hurry)

in a food processor add the onion, 3 carrots, 3 sticks of celery, and any other veggies you need to use up. Pulse till it's finely chopped. Add 1 can of drained black beans and barely pulse to start to break them up.

In the same pan as the onions, begin to brown 1 lb of ground beef (check your labels for color or solution)

When it's almost done, add the veggies and stir. While this is cooking, add a can of tomatoes or 1/2 cup catsup or whatever sloppy joe type base you want. Add spices like onion powder, garlic, parsley. Taste, then add salt to taste. We used about 1 tsp of salt. Add a bit of water if you need it.

Serve in the middle of approved rolls or on top of rice.

This was a huge hit even for my super sensory one who detects the faintest bits of onions or tomatoes. The texture that he expected from the ground beef really hid anything else that was in there.

We served our Super Sloppies in a roll with fluffy stuff (whipped cream, cottage cheese, homemade yogurt, fruit)

ooohhh a fun blog

2010-04-29T17:44:00.001-07:00

http://www.goop.com/newsletter/81/en/

http://www.goop.com

ooh what a fun new site! I found this off of the Jamie Oliver facebook page. I can't guarantee that all of the recipes are Feingold safe but I see a good bunch that could be made with always acceptable ingredients or with ingredients from the list.

I'm off to read!

Dandelion fritters...weeding AND food

2010-04-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

This morning I weeded my lawn, and then I made lunch.

Dandelion fritters are one of our favorite springtime treats. Just send the kids out to a natural lawn (you don't want to gather from one sprayed with fertilizer or pesticides) and let them fill up a bucketful of dandelion blossoms.

Just pick off the thin stem, it doesn't taste good, dip in corndog batter or your favorite fritter batter, and fry. We usually just sprinkle them with salt and eat. Sometimes we chop a few of the dandelion greens and mix it with the batter along with some savory herbs. Or, for a truly yummy treat, roll them in powdered sugar after frying. YUMMY!

Our very favorite batter is the corn dog batter that I have listed here.

They're very thin so you don't need much oil when they're frying. They tend to flip themselves over on their own too if the batter is light enough so it's easy.

Get the hang of the dandelion twist to make sure your batter is all over the blossom.

mmmmmmmmm

Here's a video of a different way to do them. I love the thick batter on mine but someone might like this.

cute blog and a giveaway

2010-04-18T15:17:00.001-07:00

http://www.progressivepioneer.com

ooh, this blog looks cute! As much as I hate to share this cute giveaway, I have to do it. Someone will be happy.

http://www.progressivepioneer.com/progressive-pioneer/2010/04/earth-day-giveaway-kids-konserve

Just a slide show of our RV vacation

2010-04-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

This was our awesome vacation. We bought a little and older bumper pull RV trailer and it was a GREAT investment for our little Feingold family. We only ate out once, when we tried rattlesnake, and the rest of the time we had the ability to pull over anywhere we wanted and make food in our little kitchen. LOVED IT!

Somehow it's too large for the column so if you want to see the whole movie just click on it and it should enlarge the show.

Organic? GMO? What is my fruit?

2010-03-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

From Liv..."Learned something facinating yesterday in my organic gardening lecture. On the sticker that comes on fruits and veggies has a number that specifies what kind of fruit or veggie they are. Organics start with a 9 and followed by 4 other numbers, like this 9-XXXX. And Genetically Modified fruits and veggies start with an 8 followed by 4 numbers, like this 8-XXXX."

Thanks so much Liv. I found out this info years ago but forgot the exact numbers and have been searching for it for years. I'm so glad that you sent this out.

http://www.plucodes.com/docs/IFPS-plu_codes_users_guide.pdf

Hot Beef Sundaes

2010-03-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/unusual-state-fair-food?GT1=47001
"Touted as comfort food at its finest, the hot beef sundae is a generous helping of buttery mashed potatoes surrounded by slow-roasted roast beef and gravy, sprinkled with Cheddar cheese, and garnished with a cherry tomato. It may look like a sundae, but this baby is all Sunday dinner."
How's this for cute? Visit the link for the details and remember to use Feingold safe ingredients.

Easy piping gel for cakes

2010-03-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Piping gel for cakes

1 cup colorful juice or water with natural coloring
1/2 cup sugar (can omit if juice is sweet enough or if using juice concentrate)
1/4 cup corn starch

Mix all ingredients while cold.
Bring to a boil stirring constantly.
Boil for about two minutes.
Let cool, then fill your icing bag and pipe on your letters.

Natural Peeps-you got em!

2010-03-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

http://momskitchendesk.blogspot.com/2010/03/natural-easter-peeps.html

These are so cute. There's just something about peeps that are amazingly fun. Marshmallows are super easy, and I never thought of just dipping them in sugar. mmmmmmm

Cake Decorating

2010-03-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

What a great idea...

I take approved hard candies and suckers, and chop them in my little food processor to make sprinkles. They work great for cakes and cookies. I use the red and green ones at Christmas and the other colors throughout the year :o)
Jennifer
www.oneverybusymomma.blogspot.com

Jamie Oliver School Lunch Program

2010-03-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.hulu.com/watch/136381/jamie-olivers-food-revolution-episode-101

A request from Alyssa (my daughter)

2010-03-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

I hope this is ok to put on here. This is from my daughter who did the original science project. As you all know, blogs take many hours to create and keep up. I haven't wanted to sell things here in order to keep it completely impartial and so we don't have ads all over the blog. If anyone feels that they can support Alyssa in her study of dance I would surely appreciate it and would consider it support for the blog. Thanks so much! Danika

Silhouette Ballroom Studios DANCE-A-THON

As a member of a Silhouette Ballroom Studios, I am trying to earn money to put towards my technique classes and dance camps.

I have made a goal to dance for __240__ minutes without stopping.

Will you help me achieve my goal by pledging 5 cents or more for each minute I dance, or considering a one time donation? Please contact me or send a one time donation through https://www.paypal.com/ to feingoldfund@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

updated to show 2 donations
Thanks to:
Patti Taylor (Nana)
Anne Bright and family(aunt)http://www.annebright.com/ in memory of Becky Fife who loved ballroom dancing. A picture follows

Another science experiment, Taylor's Fuzzy Brained Mice

2010-03-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.feingold.org/PF/taylorsmice.html
Here's another science experiment for those interested. I've posted it here before but thought it needed a refresher.

Got Petroleum...On your fruit? ewwww

2010-03-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Long story short...
I made an awesome mounds like candy the other day (an invention) and thought that I'd look it up to see a "real" recipe. Well, I found one but it included paraffin.

HUH? I thought that paraffin was a petroleum product for candles and such, not for food. But, upon further research found that it is approved for food and is commonly used in chocolate and as a coating on apples and other fruits and veggies. (Good reason to stick with the food list for chocolate)

I guess when I hear "food grade wax" I think of beeswax. But no, paraffin is considered food grade.

So, random theory based on Danika's wandering thoughts...could this be a reason why so many kids react to apples?

If anyone has info on how to tell if an apple is waxed, oiled, or natural, or any other info related to this, please send it in. In the meantime we'll keep buying our fruit from Azure Standard or wait till our trees come on.

Here's a little Wiki for your reading enjoyment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraffin

Mexican cole slaw

2010-03-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

MMM, made an invention today and I had to share since most of my standbys are already on here.
I started with a basic fresh salsa of diced tomatoes, diced onions, chopped radishes (weird but my friend puts them in and they're wonderful), crushed fresh garlic, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, and salt.

Then, I saw the cabbage head sitting on the counter, ready for tomorrow's dinner, and I wondered.

The cabbage was sliced thinly like I would for cole slaw, added 1/2 cup of mayo, splash of whole, raw milk, and a sprinkle of salt, and dumped a cup of fresh salsa into it.

It was good that night but when I got it out for lunch today it was awesome. The flavors blended together so well and the cabbage had softened a little with the salt and lime juice. YUM!

Alyssa's science experiment

2010-03-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Alyssa had to do a science experiment and of course, she wanted to do something with Feingold.

The pictures stopped at day 10 but I'll let you know that after this point all of the chemical plants stopped growing. The control is still going strong and is about 8 inches tall with an amazing root system. The kids wanted to see how long they could keep this experiment up but my card reader died so I can't post pictures. I think that the root system is especially interesting. The colored roots wouldn't even hold together as we took them out of their containers. The pictures are harder to see than in reality but the strands of wheat grass were also so tiny with the chemical plants. Thin and spindly.
This was all achieved with 2 oz of water, only 10 drops of food coloring and one packet of aspartame (Equal). The water was reverse osmosis in case the chemicals in tap would have affected the experiment also.
The seeds were hard red wheat that were soaked in the chemical water for 4 hours before planted in regular soil.
The question for this experiment was, "Do petroleum products hurt living things?" and the answer was most definitely, "yes".

Epsom Salts

2010-02-28T08:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.feingold.org/DOCS/EpsomSalts.pdf

I found this article interesting. My daughter has been taking magnesium sulfate orally for acne and it has had amazing results. I understood that it helped with liver detoxification. This explains a little about why it helped and why it's a possibility of helping with food reactions also.

Reader Questions, dairy and how long does a reaction last

2010-02-27T06:14:00.000-08:00

"We are trying to go petroleum free. For now we have discovered all the kids are lactose intolerant. And that red dye SERIOUSLY affects my daughters behaviours. Her Grandma snuck her some candy that had that darn red dye. That was yesterday at lunch. Today she is still very agitated and aggresive and keeps having what we call "freak outs." Could a chemical or dye still be causing a problem after that long or could it be something else? Thank you for your help."

Oh yes, dear reader, a reaction can easily last for 3 days or longer. This is especially true when you're talking about red dye or other colors. And, when you add the lactose intolerance or other intestinal issues you compound the reaction times. If the intestines are working slowly they aren't removing the problem (dye) effectively.

As for the lactose intolerance, have you tried raw milk yet? My kids and are are terribly lactose intolerant but we can drink raw milk just fine. We do much better on raw milk than any milk substitute. To find a store in your area look here http://www.realmilk.com/

"my mind is going crazy"

2010-02-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

My heartstrings were just tugged and I have to write this post. I have a feed logger and can see what people search for before they get to my site. I saw that someone 4 days ago searched for this, "children says mind is going crazy, uncoordinated, severe mood changes, 5 yr. old".

It really hit me because that was one of our deciding factors to try petroleum free eating. I remember it so well. Andrew said that to me. He said it a few times. "Mom, if just feels like my mind is going crazy and I just can't stop." That was a scary statement. But you know, now that I've been petroleum free, when I sneak, that's exactly how I feel. Especially with red. I feel like my mind just won't settle down, it runs and runs and won't quit, I am fearful and angry with colors, I want to lay on my couch and read and when someone comes near I want to yell. Then, I go to bed and have restless leg syndrome and panic attacks and can't get to sleep for hours.

I want to cry when I read that a 5 year old feels the same way because I know that most of the world doesn't understand and they keep pumping the chemicals in. After all, the FDA does say it's safe...right?

menu #5

2010-02-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

Well, the last post seemed to work out well with adding as I went. So, here's menu #5...

Sunday

B-Pancakes and a pink smoothie for Valentine's Day

L-sandwiches with the very last of the roast (Just a note here, the roast was $1.99/lb and has provided us with many meals and sandwiches. Rather than balking at the $3.50 for 6 oz price of natural lunchmeats we feast on roast beef or real chicken sandwiches)

D-new batch of crock pot chicken and rice in the rice cooker, green salad, raw whipped cream fluff (probably craisin and pecan with real almond flavoring)

Monday

B-oatmeal packets

L-chicken salad sandwiches with leftover chicken

D-pizza, homemade

Tuesday

B-approved cereal, raw milk, banana

L-peanut butter sandwiches

D-spaghetti with natural sausage, salad

Wednesday-

B-pancakes

L-homemade lunchables, cheese, crackers, lunchmeat

D-leftovers

Thursday

B-omlettes

L-chicken sandwiches with leftover chicken

D-burritos

Friday

B-homemade doughnuts, maple bars, and raw milk

L-pasta and leftover chicken with broccoli and alfredo sauce, in thermoses

D-peanut butter sandwiches, apple slices, homemade cookies

Saturday

Brunch-waffles, fruit syrup, whipped cream, oj, bacon

D-hamburgers, salad, ice cream

menu #4

2010-02-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

If there is no recipe please assume it's Feingold approved and on the current list. Make sure to be familiar with the always approved items.

Monday:
B-whole grain cereal and raw milk, peach smoothie with fresh/frozen peaches, raw milk, raw honey, spirulina, golden flax, ice

L-rhodes rolls with farmer cheese, homemade Lara bars, water with root beer flavored stevia drops, peaches

D-whole wheat bagels with sliced roma tomatoes and whole milk mozzarella (walmart brand in the square, not the rectangle), salt, pepper, and garlic, toasted for 5 minutes under the broiler and a big salad with mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes, and one package of McDonalds newman's own ceasar dressing. They'll sell extra dressing packets for a quarter so we save them. One package is all we need for a whole family salad. Sparkling apple cider.

Tuesday

B-approved cereal, raw whole milk, banana

L-last night before bed I started brown rice, millet, and golden flax with braggs aminos in my timed rice cooker to be completed at 7am. Then, in my crockpot went a package of chicken thighs (tyson all natural for .49/lb), a cup of water, and an herbal seasoning with some salt. In the morning I layered the rice, chicken, and strong broth that it made into our short, stainless thermoses for the kids. I left mine, Russ's, and Ana's in the rice cooker and crock pot so we could eat it hot too. In addition we had a salad and water. The kids also got an approved sucker, and a tiny container with gummy vitamins and pumpkin seeds.
The importance of clean water is huge if your kids are away from home. Our water here has flouride besides the normal chlorine. We've noticed if they drink more than a sip from a fountain we see behavior issues. We use reversed osmosis here in general.

D-Bajio kids meals (bean and cheese burritos with green salad and sprite), FYI this is not FG approved...we just normally find it ok and it's been a hectic day.

Wednesday-
B-premade oatmeal packets (the kids chose tropical with dried fruit and coconut

L-whole wheat bagels with cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and mandarin oranges, flavored stevia water

D-crock pot potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beef roast (some for tonight, some for a later lunch), fluffy salad with whipped real cream, cottage cheese, mandarin oranges, and a bit of pineapple juice concentrate
Note: usually when we have meat meals we go sparingly on the meat, lots of veggies, and save the meat and broth to use later.

Thursday
B-omlettes and herbal tea

L-rolls with peanut butter and honey, an orange or a banana, water, nuts and craisins

D-leftover roast, rice noodles, broccoli, combined and simmered in a sauce made from braggs, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and corn starch for a beef and broccoli like dinner

Friday

B-purple smoothie (fruit like dark berries makes spinach or kale smoothies purple)

L-leftover roast and baked potatoes

Saturday

B-yogurt and cereal

L-roast beef sandwiches (using leftover roast), fruit

D-chicken and vegetable won tons (using leftover chicken, in the food processor with veggies)

Christmas cookies

2009-12-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

Click on the pictures to make them larger.
mmm, we made Christmas cookies today and I had to share the decorations. I was happy with white icing but the kids really wanted some color so we were inventive. They put green spirulina powder in some and made some light green, then they took acceptable fruit gel bars, cut them up, and used them for more decoration. We also had some acceptable chocolate chips. Powdered sugar "snow" topped it all off. Interesting to say the least, LOL.
A sugar cookie tip to share with you all, whip up the fat, sugar, and eggs a TON till they look like frosting, then add the rest of the ingredients and just stir enough to incorporate. chill that for at least an hour before rolling. They turn out so good. Same with the frosting, beat the heck out of it.

pumpkin pie candy-so easy! let the kids play with it

2009-12-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but I'm having problems with these pictures today. One is the dough straight from the mixer, one is the dough after it was kneaded, which made the texture much better, and one is a few finished pieces.

I just had an extra sweet potato and I didn't want to feed it to the chickens so I invented something instead...YAY a new recipe! This was so fun and the kids are playing with it right now. It feels like a playdoh and tastes so yummy.

1 sweet potato
powdered sugar
pie spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, etc.

stuff to roll it in, optional, chopped nuts, coconut, cinnamon sugar

in a food processor or just smoosh it up if you don't have one,
mash up the sweet potato (cooked well in the jacket tastes best, it naturally carmalizes) then add powdered sugar slowly until you have a very stiff dough. Add spices to taste.

For my size of sweet potato (med) I used about 2 lbs of powdered sugar and about 2 tsp of a pumpkin pie spice mix that I made before.

I used the food processor until it began to get a little too stiff, then I moved it to the mixer with the dough hook. The kids took it from there. They're making balls to roll in chopped pecans, coconut, and cinnamon sugar. These are very rich but I'm going to have a hard time not eating them all.

Heather's meals

2009-12-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

Some recipes from my friend, Heather...as always, remember to use approved oil or sub butter or coconut oil instead. For gluten free, sub tinkyada noodles and gf flour

Okay here are a few to start with:

To make the following recipes, you will need to know how to make a roux (Most of you probably know how to do this, but I understand these recipes might go into a cookbook for young women, so I'm including the instructions). It's easy - melt one stick (1/2 C) butter in a pot over medium-high heat (I use the 7 on my elecrtic stove). Once it's melted, whisk in 1/2 C white flour and let it bubble for a minute or so. This is your roux. If you want to double these recipes, you should also double your roux - it's always equal amounts butter and flour.

"White Soup"
(Chowder base)

roux
about 8 cups of milk

Once your roux has bubbled for a minute or so, keep the stove on medium-high heat and add about 1/2 the milk. Whisk it in and then stir just every now and then until it starts to bubble. The soup needs to bubble a little, but not boil, in order to thicken. Stir it all the way down to the bottom so it doesn't burn or stick to the bottom. When you notice it start to thicken you can add the rest of the milk - keep it bubbling and keep stirring.

With this chowder base you can make all kinds of different chowders. Cook your other ingredients in a seperate pan and add them to the chowder base when it's ready. These recipes are the way I make them, and you can add or subtract anything you want.

Basic Potato Chowder:

4-5 potatoes, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg bacon, chopped small (use approved or omit)
1 can corn
seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, celery salt, garlic, etc)

Cook the bacon first - then you can either drain the grease or cook the other ingredients in it. Add the potatoes, celery, onions and seasonings and cook until the veggies are done. Add the corn, then add the whole thing to your chowder base. Let it all simmer together for at least 10 minutes.

For Clam Chowder, add 2 cans of clams. I like to use the juice as well, but you run the risk of getting sand in your chowder :) If you don't like that idea you can dump the juice and rinse the clams first. You might also add some spinach to the recipe.

For Chicken Chowder, add 2 cans of chicken, or cook and chop at least 2 chicken breasts.

For Hamburger Chowder, use at least 1/2 lb of ground beef and don't use the celery or celery salt. Flavoring the meat with Worchestershire sauce and seasoning salt while it's cooking is very tasty. I like peas or spinach in this chowder, in addition to the corn. Corn is a chowder classic.

And since I think it's a crime to eat chowder without corn bread, here is an excellent Western corn bread recipe (as opposed to a traditional Southern corn bread "cake" that is made with bacon fat and sometimes fried on the stove top):

Homesteader Cornbread

1 1/2 C cornmeal
2 1/2 C milk
2 C white flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 C white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth. Pout the batter into a greased 9 X 13 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

The next recipe also uses the roux, and comes with a story :)

This is called "Wild Horses" in my husband's family (and now ours), but it's really just biscuits and gravy. They call it "Wild Horses" because whenever the kids would come into the kitchen while my mother-in-law was cooking and say, "what are you doing?" she would give some ridiculous answer, like "wrestling greased pigs" or "rising wild horses." In the case of this recipe, the name "Wild Horses" just stuck :)

No, they don't have any recipes called "Greased Pigs" ;)

"Wild Horses"

roux
about 4 cups milk
seasonings to taste

Make it the same way you make the chowder base, but you want it much thicker so you don't use as much milk. Cook your other ingredients in a seperate pan and add to your "gravy" when it's ready.

Some of our favorite "Wild Horses":

scrambled eggs and sausage
tuna and peas
hamburger and corn

Once your gravy is ready and full of yummy things, you break up biscuits in your bowl and pour the Wild Horses on top. It's very hardy and warm and filling.

As an added bonus (lol) here is my favorite drop biscuit recipe:

4 C white flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C oil
2 C milk

Preheat oven to 450. Combine dry ingredients, then stir in oil and milk just until it's all moistened. Use a spoon to drop the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 until the biscuits are golden brown around the edges - about 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 32 biscuits, depending on size.

Leftover biscuits can be used for dessert, warmed up in a bowl in the microwave with butter and honey, syrup, jam or brown sugar and maybe some fruit on top. MMMMmmmmm.....

I'll post more recipes later - I just got a houseful of visitors :)

- Heather McKay

a success story from Christina

2009-12-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

This is a great success story from Christina on the yahoo Feingold group.

My son is in 1st grade (barely 6 and the youngest in his class). He testes above
grade level in all subjects and reads as well as his 8 year old sister.

However, we had him tested at the teachers request for autism and they
officially placed him on the autism spectrum. He has a slightly modified
schedule where he gets to leave class for 30 min. and take his work to a smaller
classroom to work on it without the classroom distractions. He also has
permission to do his work laying on the carpet when he needs to.

He has been a very extreme child. He gets upset easily and cries easily about
the smallest things. He is socially immature and groups have a tendency to
completely overwhelm him. He has always loved trains and when we filled in the
aspergers questionaire I was convinced Aspergers was our diagnosis. We also have
tourettes on my side of my family (my father and brother) and have seen the
beginning of what we believe to be TS.

Back on 2 months....we started him with chelation the middle of October. Within
2 weeks, we had eye contact (where previously we had had NONE ever...), he was
calmer, able to read for content, left his trains behind and joined friends and
his sister in almost any game. He started falling asleep quickly instead of
kicking the wall for an hour each night to calm himself down. We rarely have any
temper tantrums, although he is still easily upset, he now calms down quickly.

We started soccer this year and the first couple of games resulted in him
melting down in only a few minutes and sitting out the rest of the game. You
could sometime hear him screaming 2 fields away. It was the end of soccer
season, and we had a 2 week break due to rain, and on his tenth game (the last
one of the season) it was a NEW kid. We had started "watching" artificial colors
and flavors at this point but had not started Feingold at that time. He ran when
he needed to, walked and waited for the ball to come toward him. Previously he
had never been able to slow down and would exhaust himself within 5 min chasing
the ball...and then meltdown. He played 2 quarters with NO time outs or
complaints. When it was his turn to sit out, he said "Oh man, I want to help my
team!" and then did the 4th quarter perfectly. He stopped midplay to ask a
little boy if he was okay when he fell. Usually he would leap over the hurt
child, or be oblivious to them, or worse step on them. We had never seen empathy
on the field and had only noticed some recently at home. Needless to say we were
totally amazed. The assistant coach's wife and several team moms came over after
the game and said that if they hadn't seen it themselves, they wouldn't have
believed it. They wanted to know what in the world we had done differently. I
told them about chelation and removing the artificial junk from his diet.

We went for another IEP meeting at the school last week, and although there have
been many many improvements he is still somewhat overwhelmed in group situations
school. He has difficulty sitting in his chair for more than a few min. at a
time, and interacts with most of the kids in an immature way. He is frequently
LOUD and blurts out answers instead of raising his hand. He is clumsy and most
things he picks up he drops. His handwriting is the poorest in his class. Large
motor skills he's great. He learned to ride a bike with no training wheels at 4
and is really good at soccer (now:), but small motor skills are severely
lacking. He has also suffered from eczema on his legs and arms, since he was a
baby.

He has come soooo far, but we still have more to do. I bought a copy of "Why
can't my child behave" and was furious by the end of it. I believe now that the
FDA is not on our side, but is in allegience with the food and chemical
companies! We started Feingold officially last month with Stage II...but I
wasn't seeing as much difference as I would like so 3 days ago we backed up to
Stage One. Basically we took out his grapes, raisins, apples etc. The last two
days have been intermittently HARD. He has alternated between the sweet little
boy we have come to know and being very grumpy and defiant. I am thinking that
maybe this is a salicylate withdrawal period.

I am not much of a cook but have been making most everything for him by scratch.
Luckily, he is not a picky eater and except for missing his grapes and chili, he
is doing fine. I am hoping that on this site there is a recipe list for kid safe
recipes. Changing brands has been pretty easy but we have easily spent upwards
of 500.00 switching out our foods to FG safe brands. I went a little fanatical
and just this week started eliminating detergents and toothpaste etc. I even
bought a natural bristle toothbrush!

I looked back at the Aspergers booklet I filled in, and where I checked him off
as being "highly probable Aspergers", his answers now qualify him as "not
likely". I really can't say that any of his behaviors at this point are autistic
at all. His counselor called me last week and asked what was different. He was
demonstrating eye contact and empathy and appropriate responses to most every
social scenario she tested him on. The beginning of the year he tested "little
to no eye contact" and last week he tested "normal eye contact".

I attribute his success so far to REMOVING the toxic heavy metals from his
system as well as removing all the Artificial colors, flavors and preservatives
from his diet. I expect to see more changes as we continue with Stage I. I am
looking forward to the day when they ask to remove the label of "autism" from
his classification at school.

great news about the candles

2009-11-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I didn't share the great news. We talked with the director about the candles that all the TAs seemed to love and he spoke with them that day. The candles are now all officially gone. YAY! He said that since it wouldn't hurt anyone or cost anything to get rid of them but it would help several people, of course he would accommodate us.

funky lunch

2009-11-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

http://www.funkylunch.com/gallery.htm

How cute are these?

Doggie Fruit Loops

2009-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T18:53:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-11-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-30T07:27:00.001-07:00

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.

2009-08-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

> 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

2009-08-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-17T22:24:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-08-09T12:51:00.002-07:00

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?

2009-08-07T20:45:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-14T18:23:00.001-07:00

Meatball surprise rolls

2009-06-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-11T22:18:00.003-07:00

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

Okonomiyaki

2009-06-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

mmm, this looks yummy!

yay

2009-06-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

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! :)

Message from a Mom

2009-05-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Feingold,

I would just like to thank everyone who has helped put this program together. This diet has changed our lives forever.

My oldest daughter was born with a great personality and strong will. She was also born with many allergies. When she was about 4 months old she had her first ear infection, was given Tylenol and antibiotic. She then continued to have ear infections every month until she was 6 years old. We always treated her with Tylenol or Motrin and what ever the new antibiotic was prescribed. She also vomited 2 or 3 times a day.

She was seen by specialist after specialist who gave out new medication. or testing. Always the same response by the doctors "We don't see anything wrong." Meanwhile, she would throw temper tantrums 3 or 4 times a day sometimes for an hour. She would bite herself, scratch, throw items, cry till she vomited and her eyes would glow with anger. We always chalked it up to the terrible two's, horrible three's, strong willed child, maybe she was over tired, spoiled, etc., etc., etc.

When she was about 4 years old we were referred to a eating and behavior specialist. She was suppose to help her become more aware of how much she was eating and when she was full. Also, to help us to set up behavior charts. She then continued to treat us as though we were crazy and nothing was really wrong with our daughter. She didn't seem to believe that we were all being tortured by something. I knew that something was very wrong with her but couldn't help her.

We then broke down and took her to a child psychologist and psychiatrist. They put her on anti-psychotic and adhd medication. We we devastated for a long time. We had moved and found new doctors who confirmed the same diagnosis of bi-polar, adhd, OCD, and odd. The medications were not helping, the charts did not entirely work, and we were being advised to try a third medication. She still was throwing tantrums, nightmares, clothing issues, chewing issues, defiance, throwing up, and ear infections.

We were lost, frustrated and not willing to continue down this same road any longer. We had heard of the Feingold diet years before from a friend and honestly thought that she was crazy. How in the world could food make you sick? Well, I called that friend and we went through the process of the Feingold Diet.

We were absolutely overwhelmed at the thought of trying this. I didn't hardly bake or make anything from scratch! I finally received our packet and claimed the confidence I needed to succeed. We were dedicated to making the diet work and ended up doing it for a full eight weeks before we added any thing in.

The results were shocking! Our daughter was normal! After being on the diet for about 4 weeks we removed the anti-psychotic and two weeks later we removed the adhd medication. She was medication free and symptom free. No more fits, screaming, crying, obsession, nightmares or vomiting!!!! The doctors were absolutely dumbfounded. We had shown them a way to cure not just treat out daughter.

The main culprit causing all of our grief was red dye. Any time she had red dye she would have symptoms for two days. Red dye is in so many things! We gave it in all medications, popsicles, fruit snacks, candy and Kool-Aid. Our daughter is now 11 and lives a great normal healthy life. We tell anyone who listen our story and about how the Feingold Diet changed our lives! Thank you again for all that you do.

The Future of Food

2009-05-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Supersize Me!

2009-05-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is a movie that talks about fast food and the dangers therein. The main character eats a fast food diet for 30 days and has some very interesting results.

A warning to those who have sensitive ears and eyes...towards the beginning at the doctor's office the main character gets a physical and I saw more than I should have.
There is also some swearing here and there. I personally wouldn't have my kids watch this or if I did, I would know where to fast forward.

Feingold in the news

2009-05-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.kmtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=10317904

Weeping Water, NE--A study published in the British Journal, The Lancet, has a lot people questioning whether artificial food coloring, so prevalent in foods now, is causing ADHD.

According to the study, there was a marked increase in hyperactivity for kids tested in the three year old age group and the 8-9 age group.

The research findings were so convincing the British government asked food manufacturers to stop using six different artificial food colors. Just three months ago, Maryland legislators debated whether to ban food coloring from public schools and to force labels on products containing these artificial additives.

None of this is news to the Keckler family. Two years ago, when a teacher suggested their now 10-year old daughter, Sydney, had ADHD, they didn't want to medicate her. Instead, they researched and eventually adopted the Feingold Diet, a program that removes food colorings like Red 40, Yellow 5 as well as other artificial additives.

Mom, Tiffani, says within days there was a noticeable difference. "It was amazing, it really was." She says even Sydney's gymnastics coach remarked on the change after a week.

Today, Sydney is still active and energetic, but she can also sit still and focus. Tiffani says she's not sure if food coloring can solve every child's hyperactivity, "I don't know that it's all of the solution, but it's a huge part of it."

Doctors aren't so sure. Psychiatrist Joan Daughton says the one study is well-done but it is only one and there needs to be more research.

"Is this some kind of allergic reaction going on; is this some kind of pharmalogic effect from the additives and that kind of thing? That answer, we don't have that."

Daughton says it is perfectly fine for parents to try to make some dietary changes; she just cautions that it be done in conjunction with professional treatment and input. Even if there is a link, she says it probably only affects a small number.

"It doesn't seem to be a wide-spread treatment that's going to be effective for most kids," Daughton adds.

The Food and Drug Administration contends food colorings are safe and are tested frequently. In its literature, however, the government agency acknowledges there may be some kids who suffer adverse reactions to food dyes.

How to eliminate these additives from a diet can be a daunting task. The colorings are used to make food more appealing and appetizing and are found in everything from candy to ice cream to frozen waffles to cereal and popular kids snacks.

Tiffani says there are plenty of foods that are all natural, it just requires switching brands and reading labels. But she admits when she started, it was a time-consuming task.

Still in the two years, she says her family has benefitted from making the changes with better sleep, less allergy congestion and feeling healthier.

Reported by Carol Wang, cwang@action3news.com

Porcupines

2009-05-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've posted this one yet, it's getting harder to post recipes because I have most of my old standbys on here already.

These are really called Porcupine balls but well, I just don't love the name so we call them porcupines.

In a bowl mix...

hamburger-about a lb.
about 2 cups cooked brown or white rice
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste, you can salt them after cooking if they need more

optional:
onions
veggies
fg safe bread crumbs or gluten free breadcrumbs
extra seasoning like garlic or other plain spices

mix it all in, add more rice if you want less meat. The eggs hold it all together fairly well. Form into balls or patties. Cook it all in a med. skillet till it's not pink in the middle anymore.

We like to serve these with a huge serving of cooked carrots on the side. Don't know why, we just do.
You can dip them in fg safe ketchup or bbq sauce if you want.

Popped Milo

2009-05-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

http://everythingfreeeating.blogspot.com/2007/07/dog-days-of-summer.html

WOW! It worked! I tried to pop sorghum after watching a Bizarre Foods episode, then searching for a recipe. I looked for sorghum for months and then while re-loading on my goat feed I noticed the price board said sorghum/milo. 50 lbs were only $9 so I thought I'd try it. If it didn't work I could always feed it to the chickens right?
Well, I put it in my popper and it was great. I found that I had to empty my popper of burned kernels in between batches but other than that it was just the same as popping corn. And, the chickens get the burned ones so there's no waste.
A suggestion, turn on your popper first, get it heated a bit, then add the kernels. It was sweet and we didn't even need butter. And tiny so the baby won't choke on it. And, no icky kernels to break your teeth!
My popped sorghum averaged about 2/3rds of the kernels. The rest will go to the chickens. I heard that if you put it in a container with a little water and let it absorb that it will pop a lot better. I'll let you know in a week when I try it.
I'm sure that sorghum that's packaged for popping would have a much better ratio but I couldn't find it anywhere so I'm making due.
Also, with my air popper I could only put in 1/2 cup at a time. More than that had a lot more burnt kernels. I didn't have the problem of it flying all over the place like some other people have had if they don't put in enough.
See the above link for more tips.

EDITED: I just read that the unpopped kernels at the bottom taste somewhat like corn nuts so I tried them...they're actually good and my kids are downing them now. So sorry chickens, no treats today.

Silent Killer in your Kitchen Cabinets?

2009-04-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/MSG-Is-This-Silent-Killer-Lurking-in-Your-Kitchen-Cabinets.aspx
This is beyond the scope of Feingold however, I think that it's an important fact. We do eat hidden MSG occasionally when we know it's there because it doesn't affect behavior in my kids. However, this article just reiterated the importance of eating real food.
Our taste buds are so used to that lovely MSG "flavor" that makes all food taste so good to our brain that we just don't appreciate good homemade cream of mushroom soup. Chicken broth tastes just plain blah. We need to retrain our brains to love whole foods; the kinds of foods that our Father in Heaven made for us to tend as stewards over this earth.
I encourage you all to start a garden, be it one pot or an acre, indoor or outdoor, and taste some real food this year. If you don't have any space, here's a great website for you. http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ find 2 square feet and some concrete, grass, or dirt, and you're set!

My article is in a GREAT magazine

2009-04-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

www.HarvestSource.com

Hey all, I'm so proud to announce that my article has been published in a great magazine. Usually healthy magazines seem to be FULL of advertising and fake-o articles from people just trying to sell junk. I can't tell you how much I loved the premier issue of Harvest Source whole foods journal. Real articles, real people, and good all around healthy ideas.

It's normally $5.95 but if you go to the website you can subscribe for a whole year for free...and no junk of putting in your credit card number and charging you later to keep going. It's really free. I checked with them personally and they do not sell your email address either.

Happy reading and I hope you'll read my article on page 23 and 24.
Also, if you like inexpensive and healthy foods and suppliments check out the back page ad. For the first 49 NEW customers who place a $325 order Azure Standard is giving away $300 gas certificates. I wish I was a new customer. We order from Azure every month and buy almost exclusively from them.