Our Story
Lindsay Maines
When my oldest, now 13, was 6, we were having some issues. Some tantrums, some defiance, far beyond what I’d experienced with him in the past. From the age of two on, things were a bit rocky, but I chalked it up to my inexperience as a parent. In retrospect, when things got problematic is when he began eating “table” food- the mac and cheese, fruit gummies, juices, and other things that are so prevalent in an American child’s diet.
One day, things deteriorated to the point where he was screaming and flailing on the ground, and I’d been trying without success for 45 minutes to get him to his room to cool off. I don’t think either one of us could have told you what the original conflict was about. All I knew was that things had spiralled out of control, and I felt like I didn’t know my own child. I also felt, on a very intuitive level, that he was frightened by his own behavior and had little to no control over it.
Once he exhausted himself and flailed to sleep, I carried him upstairs and got on the internet. Because my background is Journalism and my specialty is Health reporting, I had ample resources to dig into. Quickly, the NIH Medline website caught my attention- the only thing I could trace as different to that day was the two red popsicles my son had eaten. After reading many conflicting studies, some claiming that food dyes had no effect on behavior, and some claiming it had a drastic one, I decided to try eliminating it. What could it hurt?
Within two days, I had a different kid. I was stunned by the breadth of things containing Red Dye #40, (twinkies, cereal, some cakes, etc., as well as medicines such as antibiotics and Tylenol, although Tylenol and Motrin now make Dye-free versions.)
Elated, I branched out- what about Yellow Dye? And Blue dye? The results were very interesting. (Note: this is different for every kid, but this is what I observed in mine.)
When he had yellow dye, he was very physically uncoordinated, would spin in circles, and was generally discombobulated. Blue dye, moody, irritable, and weepy. Red dye was the kingpin, which brought out a defiance and anger I never saw in him any other time. Converted, I made it my mission to eliminate those things from both of our diets- and found that it actually made a huge difference in how I felt, as well.
The next culprit was High Fructose Corn Syrup. I bought a pack of “all natural” lemonade, and was excited for my son to have what he called “normal” food. But the tantrums began almost immediately. When I read the label more carefully, I realized that “all natural” encompassed high frunctose corn syrup, and that my son didn’t react well to it. (Nor do I.) When eliminated, the behavior changed, so that went on our “things to avoid” list.
Although I was thankful to find a tool that helped my son, I did mourn some of the food “rites of passage” he would miss. Marshmellows have blue dye, so there went smores and rice krispy treats. Many lollipops, gummies, and candies have artificial colors, so birthday parties became an exercise in “things you cannot have”- and don’t get me started on Halloween and Easter.
Luckily for me, right about this time Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s were gaining in popularity, as well as natural store brands within my local chain groceries. Although I know those foods are not the basis of a helthy diet, I also didn’t want my son to be deprived of “normal” kid food experiences, or to feel so restricted that he rebelled the first chance he got. So my quest to find “all natural junk food” began.
Now, my kids are 13, 5, and 3. I’m so thankful for the way the marketplace has changed in these 7 years, but I also know how overwhelming it is for an individual to begin finding those products that make low-chemical eating easier. That’s what DIY-Food is about, as well as empowering critical thinking and questioning the status quo. Just because the FDA says it’s OK to eat, doesn’t mean we should. And just because the USDA says a food pyramid should look like this, doesn’t mean it’s the Gospel truth for everybody. Observe, record, internalize- what works for YOUR body?
I also blog at www.rockandrollmama.com, and contribute to www.indiebizchicks.com.
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