Question about food sensitivities that cause behavioral problems

[Just Kate]

I have noticed parents talking about their kids' food sensitivities that cause behavior issues. Can anyone with knowledge here help me to understand? What type of behavior issues? What type of food sensitivities? And how in the world did you connect the two???

 

Thanks!

[Denisemomof4]

My friend's ds's son's ears would turn BEET red if he had red or yellow food coloring, and he would get very,very hyper.

[Denisemomof4]

I also know some kids get aggressive behaviors from certain foods.

[LibraryLover]

We don't have food 'sensitivities'. No allergies etc. However, I have a couple who cannot handle carbs alone. I noticed when they were little that their blood sugar would spike, and they would get horribly crabby if they decided toast was breakfast. I found that a couple of scrambled eggs, sprinkled with some cheese at times, made a huge difference in their stamina and behavior.

 

They understand that now, but when they were little, I always made sure to give them some good fats (eggs, avocado, nut butter, cheese etc) before-- or along with-- carbs. One of mine still says things like, "I need an egg, then I can think."

 

If they started a day with Van's waffles (or toast), fi, it would be all over by 9 am. If they started the day with a thick grilled cheese sandwich , or an omlette, or my own pancakes (eggs, milk or full fat yogurt, berries) sizzled in real butter, all was right with their world.

 

Those kid are much older now, and know they can't have toast for breakfast and think they won't crash fast. Hardboiled eggs, cheese chunks, full fat yogurt, quacamole on a fried egg etc, for busy people on the go, can save the whole morning.

 

I also think nut butters and fruit, an avocado with blue corn chips, or cheese on crackers--- at about 3:30 also makes a world of difference in how the late afternoon goes. Hungry children, or children with blood sugar issues, are very, very, very, very crabby; hear nothing, and cannot be reasoned with.

Edited August 12, 2012 by LibraryLover

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

One of mine has temperament issues from red and yellow dyes and caramel coloring (which, despite its name, is not natural). When she was eating red and/or caramel coloring regularly, she was constantly in a bad mood, angry, defiant, snappy, etc. If you tried to thwart her behavior in any way, even a mild one, she would cry and scream and storm to her room. She bit and pinched and occasionally hit—mostly her poor sister :( Thank goodness she finally grew out of those habits.

 

If she has any yellow dye in her system? Watch out for the fireworks. Just last week, we ate out at a cheap buffet where we think she had some fried foods with yellow in them. She spent hours the next morning arguing with her father and screaming and guttural-moaning in her room in rage because he told her she couldn't get a clean plate for a piece of pumpkin bread--that she had to use her original breakfast plate.

 

Needless to say, we try to avoid colors as much as humanly possible!

 

Oh, and ETA that I connected the two because of a post I read here about the FDA looking into red 40 for causing ADHD-like symptoms. At that point, I was literally looking for recommendations to take this child in for evaluations. I was losing hope that she would ever live a normal life because she was so full of anger ALL. THE. TIME. She was losing hope too, and was starting to see herself in a bad light. She would cry to me that she didn't know what was wrong with her :crying: We eat a fairly natural diet generally, but I did allow what I thought of as treats—trail mix with M&Ms, a huge Costco-sized box of "natural" fruit snacks, etc. On top of that, caramel coloring is in lots of things that are even labeled "all natural" (like the "natural" barbecue sauce I recently bought at Costco :glare:). When I read the post about the FDA and red 40, we'd just come through a very bad week with her, and I thought back across what she'd eaten, and I realized she'd had food coloring nearly every day that week in some form or another—even in liquid children's fever reducer!

 

That's when I realized that red was a problem. I pinpointed yellow after a huge public tantrum, and I pinpointed caramel coloring after I'd eliminated all other colors from her diet for weeks, then happened to start buying a different kind of bread and suddenly saw all her low-level behavior issues return.

 

If you think something your child is eating might be causing issues, start keeping a food diary and a diary of reactions. For my DD, the reactions are often delayed—I might not see anything show up until the next day. And if you have a nibbler, like I do (or a junk-food-oriented Grandma, like I do!), you often don't register all the little things they're consuming.

Edited August 12, 2012 by Sweet Morning Air

[Mandamom]

I first heard about food dyes causing behavior problems before my oldest daughter (now 12) was born from an online friend.

 

 

So, when my daughter was between 1-2 years old I started to think we were dealing with food dye issue. She has always been strong-willed and prone to tantrums but at times these tantrums were worse than the usual ones. My husband brought home a dye filled pizza from crayola that confirmed the correlation. I will never forget that day :tongue_smilie:

 

She still reacts to a lot of dye very poorly and my ds6 doesn't react well either -- ending in tantrums that he can't pull himself out of. My dd10 doesn't seem to have any problems with dye -- although she reacts with stomach upsets to too much gluten.

[Parrothead]

Dh has sensitivities to food additives. His foods must be 99.9% whole foods or it can get ugly. He also can have absolutely no artificial sweeteners. If he does he exhibits symptoms of ADD and extreme anger. He also gets unreasonable.

 

The only way to avoid these issues is to not ingest the additives which cause the unwanted behaviors. We must be diligent with reading labels. The last episode a few weeks ago came because the company that made his coffee creamer changed the recipe to include artificial sweetener. He'd been using the same stuff for months then all of a sudden... Wham! Mr. Unreasonably Angry was back.

 

For many people the most common culprits are:

Food dyes, most especially Red 40

Artificial sweeteners

Sugar

HFCS

MSG

 

The behaviors often manifest as:

Anger

Unreasonableness

ADD/ADHD-like behaviors

Depression

 

Often times people will have physical symptoms such as the cold or sinus symptoms that never go away. Or pain in joints such as fibromyalgia (sorry i don't know how to spell it.) or arthritis. Food additives can also trigger auto-immune issues.

[Soror]

For ds gluten is the trigger (although we took out dyes/preservatives, etc he has those occasionally now and they aren't a trigger for him). Anyway, he is just completely unreasonable, defiant, hyper etc. Gluten and dairy are big triggers for behavior issues and corn syrup (in any form) causes issue for some people as well.

[kokotg]

My kids do a lot better off gluten. We did a gluten free trial mostly because my husband has psoriasis and my youngest has severe environmental allergies....and I've read that anytime you have autoimmune issues going gluten free is worth a try. No one's perfect off of gluten--my oldest and youngest, in particular, are still....intense children, but it does kind of take the edge off their worst behavioral traits. My oldest still gets negative and angry a lot, but he's able to get it under control and go cool off a lot easier than he used to. He gets angry, but we don't see the absolute rage we used to see. My middle DS seems to have better focus now. And, while he was generally my even tempered one before, he did occasionally have crazy, all out screaming tantrums that have pretty much disappeared now.

 

I wish the changes were more dramatic, and now our family was completely perfect in every way :D, but they're dramatic enough that we haven't gone back to gluten.

[kokotg]

For ds gluten is the trigger (although we took out dyes/preservatives, etc he has those occasionally now and they aren't a trigger for him). Anyway, he is just completely unreasonable, defiant, hyper etc.

 

:iagree:

 

Sometimes I think I'm crazy and it's all in my head, but I see people describe improvement in the exact same kinds of behaviors over and over again. When my oldest does eat gluten, we usually get a few hours to a day grace period, then a day or two of extreme anger with nasty outbursts and then, on the tale end, weird manic, hyper behavior. Like I said, it'd be nice if it was easier to see the difference because he was a complete angel off of gluten, but I'll take what I can get!

[Pamela H in Texas]

I think most people put it together either by enough opportunities of correlation (you don't eat X often, but each time, kid does Y) or by elimination (get rid of X and see if Y goes away; you may reintroduce X to see if Y comes back, oftentimes seeing symptoms you didn't notice originally).

 

Doris Rapp has a book, Is This Your Child, you might consider reading.

 

I, however, did not know about the red ear thing! My son has had, many many times, very red hot ears and we couldn't figure out what it was from. I actually thought that it was probably autoimmune as that is one possible situation, but he doesn't have any other signs of autoimmune despite his mother having more than one autoimmune issue. A weird first symptom. BUt maybe it is a food allergy instead.

 

Anyway, I wish I had known about gluten issues sooner. My daughter has been gluten free for a couple years now and it has allowed her to be mostly pain free (and when there is pain, it can be traced to an iffy food). Wish I had known when she was 3 and rolling on the floor crying in pain!

 

IT was probably from a message board that I got the idea to get rid of milk. My son was a bit more than challenging as a young child (though in spurts that were weird). Taking him off milk made a huge difference. I wish I would have figured out what the other issue was as it seemed that there were months each even year he'd struggle mightily. There had to be SOMETHING different. Who cycles like THAT?

Edited August 12, 2012 by 2J5M9K

[Shelsi]

My dd has celiacs so when she eats gluten she gets sick immediately and then feels terrible for 1-2 weeks which in turn causes behavior issues. Dh has celiacs as well and before it was diagnosed he had depression and very OCD-like behaviors. Once he went GF all those cleared up in just a few months.

 

Food dyes also tend to make my kids emotional and not do very well with school. Ds would sit and cry at the drop of a hat regarding so much of his school-work. He would get frustrated super easy and get very defiant.

 

The food dyes I figured out by accident. We eat almost all whole foods and I make just about everything from scratch. The only thing we had was that I would let the kids eat junk cereal for breakfast. I decided to stop it and start making a good breakfast for everyone and within days I realized the kids were so much better behaved!

 

Then we ran out of stuff and I let ds have some of his junky cereal again and boom, he was crying and being emotional again! And it's definitely not the sugar in the cereal - I have a major sweet tooth and I bake a ton. We always have cookies, cake, etc in the house and they eat that stuff without incident.

[Just Kate]

OP here...first, thank you for your responses.

 

Ds has always been an intense child. He gets upset easily (and by upset I mean very loud), he whines a lot these days, and when asked to stop doing something, he usually just keeps on and on and on...(you get the picture). BUT he can also be extremely well behaved. For instance, the other day he went to a water park with a summer play group and the leader of his little group told me that he was the best behaved kid there!

 

My concern is really that sometimes he just can't seem to STOP! I almost feel like he tries, but he just can't. When he was younger, I thought it seemed more normal, but now that he is 8.5, I feel like this should be improving.

 

Oh, and I am amazed at what I am reading about the red ears. There have been many times when I have noticed ds with bright red, hot ears!!! I used to think it meant he was getting sick (but it didn't) and then I thought it was from running around too much (not so). I am really quite intrigued by this.

 

One other thing...ds is a very picky eater. While I have always had fleeting thoughts that food issues may be a problem for him, I think I have ignored those thoughts for fear of having to limit his already limited diet.

 

Any suggestions for me? How would I even know where to begin here? Any good websites/ books? Is it worth talking to our pediatrician (I'm thinking "no" based on his personality, but just curious)?

 

Thanks!

[Parrothead]

Try an elimination diet.

 

Whatever natural whole foods he will eat, have him eat just those. Nothing to drink but water. Do that for a week. Then slowly add in one new food a every few days or once a week. When you find a trigger food you'll know it.

[Mrs Mungo]

We don't have food 'sensitivities'. No allergies etc. However, I have a couple who cannot handle carbs alone. I noticed when they were little that their blood sugar would spike, and they would get horribly crabby if they decided toast was breakfast. I found that a couple of scrambled eggs, sprinkled with some cheese at times, made a huge difference in their stamina and behavior.

 

They understand that now, but when they were little, I always made sure to give them some good fats (eggs, avocado, nut butter, cheese etc) before-- or along with-- carbs. One of mine still says things like, "I need an egg, then I can think."

 

If they started a day with Van's waffles (or toast), fi, it would be all over by 9 am. If they started the day with a thick grilled cheese sandwich , or an omlette, or my own pancakes (eggs, milk or full fat yogurt, berries) sizzled in real butter, all was right with their world.

 

Those kid are much older now, and know they can't have toast for breakfast and think they won't crash fast. Hardboiled eggs, cheese chunks, full fat yogurt, quacamole on a fried egg etc, for busy people on the go, can save the whole morning.

 

I also think nut butters and fruit, an avocado with blue corn chips, or cheese on crackers--- at about 3:30 also makes a world of difference in how the late afternoon goes. Hungry children, or children with blood sugar issues, are very, very, very, very crabby; hear nothing, and cannot be reasoned with.

 

This is how my kids are too, especially middle dd.

[Alenee]

 

Any suggestions for me? How would I even know where to begin here? Any good websites/ books? Is it worth talking to our pediatrician (I'm thinking "no" based on his personality, but just curious)?

 

Thanks!

 

So as not overwhelm you, I'd eliminate one food at a time, rather than everything out-then add back in. It can be exhausting. Start by going through your cabinets and reading labels, looking specifically for red and yellow dyes, as well as caramel color. Just cut those things out for a few weeks and see what happens. You will be surprised to find them in foods you otherwise would've thought dye-free. :glare:

 

We found out dd had issues with it when she was in OT for SPD. Taking dyes out of her diet was on a list of suggestions given to us by the therapist. We noticed a difference right away but still tested it a few weeks later. It took dd several weeks to clear it from her system. Now at 10yo, she's very diligent to pass on dye-filled food and drinks; she knows how badly it makes her feel.

[dbmamaz]

I had heard of food dye issues but didnt believe it - but started really wondering with my third, because he was so difficult . . often screaming and . . i mean, at 3, sometimes I had to sit on him, pinning him down with legs and hands, because he wouldnt stop hitting his brother and when I pulled him off his brother, he started biting me. but we didnt really see a clear connection, we just wondered.

 

then one day around v-day, i wen to pick him up at preschool and noticed everyone's face was pink-tinged. the teacher told me he had hit a girl on the face, and she was surprised because he hadnt done that before. I asked if it was before or after the pink food - she said it was right after snack.

 

I still wasnt sure, and later that week i bought a bright red, heart-shaped bagel, and my son ate half of it. He literally spent the rest of the day screaming . . happy, sad, whatever, screamed all day. the next day he had bright red diarrhea.

 

that was hard to ignore . . . so then we had to quit goldfish and fruit rollups and fruit snacks and OMG the grocery store tantrums were so mortifying!

 

eventually we also realized gluten and dairy (which i had quit that year) were problems. The boys and I have been strictly gluten/dairy free for over 3 years (well, the teen gets dairy occasionally, he only reacts mildly emotionally to it)

[*lifeoftheparty*]

If you research the food dyes thing, you'll find articles about how the top 10 most prevalent food dyes are actually banned in Europe, and a few other places I think, because studies have shown that food dyes affect childrens brains and behavior.

 

I was skeptical, but it made/makes a HUGE difference is DS8; HUGE.

 

He drinks a LOT of milk and I'm worried that I might have to take him off to get him that last bit of the way, since he struggles with following directions and listening, and still can show some ADHD symptoms.... it's just nowhere NEAR as bad as when he has food dyes.

[LibraryLover]

I know for us, behavior wasn't related to food dyes or what not, because I never bought anything like that. I am more lax now, but when they were little, it was fruit, real cheese, avocado, sweet potato (these two are especially jam-packed with nutrients) brown or basmati rice, vegetables, olive oil, real butter, lots of homemade burritos, fish, chicken (when we stopped being vegetarians), Brown Cow yogurt (which used to have a lot less sugar!), they didn't eat fast food etc.

 

If you already have a pretty clean diet, I would start by eliminating wheat, and getting more concentrated protein into him. Some kids can't have milk, but they can have cheese. Some kids can have egg yolks but not egg white etc.

 

When mine were younger, and going to a party or to a holiday gathering where there would be candy canes, cake etc., I made sure to give them a hunk of protein before we left. They didn't arrive starving, and the protein helped keep the sugar from messing with their blood streams as much

 

Earlier this afternoon, my youngest was slamming around the house all cranky and crabby and thinking the world was a terrible place. I asked when she had last eaten. She said, "I had a peanut butter sandwich about 10 minutes ago." I told her, "Good, in a few minutes you will feel much better." She snorted. But yep, a few minutes later she said pleasantly, 'I am going to wash all of my tights and leotards to get ready for the week, and then tidy my dresser."

 

I'm telling you, protein here is magic.

 

Not all behaviors are related to food allergies. Some kids need more protein, more running around etc. Some kids are juts not 'sitters', especially little boys. And some...well, they are just more sensitive and 'prickly', and it has nothing to do with food. (That would be me, and one of my sons. ;))

 

Sometimes what they crave most can be a sign of an allergy. What does he most like to eat? Maybe we can help you tweak it.

Edited August 12, 2012 by LibraryLover

[SKL]

My dd reacts to sugar - big up, followed by a lot of foolishness and sometimes a "crash." I usually give it to her shortly before bed, because it doesn't seem to have the same effect at bedtime.

 

She may be reacting to other stuff, but I haven't made the connections yet.

 

Hey, I just realized something. I always noticed that when my kid has her favorite drink (mango milkshake), she gets all drunk and happy, but usually doesn't move on into "bad behavior" territory. Now after reading more about protein, I wonder if that's because it's a milkshake, as opposed to just sugar. Hmm - a point to ponder.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I discovered food dye made a difference in DD's behavior just by eliminating and seeing what happened. She's a very spirited child. When she has dye, that high energy level and the "more" comes out in all the negative ways.

Edited August 12, 2012 by CPSTAnne

[TranquilMind]

My friend's ds's son's ears would turn BEET red if he had red or yellow food coloring, and he would get very,very hyper.

 

Daughter gets very hyper too.

[Susan in TN]

My friend's son would start turning in wild circles when he had apple juice. My middle daughter completely lost the ability to focus her eyes one morning when she'd had fruit loops for breakfast. It was terrifying. I first learned a lot from the Feingold association about 12 years ago - they focus on petroleum-based things like preservatives, dyes, and flavorings.

[Mommyof4ks]

Food dyes make my middle ds angry, and milk makes him spacey. He can handle some milk, but even a small amount of dye sets him off. Even dh notices, and he thought I was nuts when I first brought it up lol.

[dbmamaz]

btw, some kids, once you get the offending food out of their diet, they are more flexible about trying other foods. Not my youngest, but oh well.

[Just Kate]

Sometimes what they crave most can be a sign of an allergy. What does he most like to eat? Maybe we can help you tweak it.

 

 

I'm almost embarrassed to list out what he eats, but as I said earlier, he is PICKY!!! In my defense, he used to be one of those kids who ate so healthy - I even had people comment to me about it. The one day - BAM - he stopped eating so many foods (probably around 4 years old or so). Very strange...

 

Here goes:

• PB&J Sandwiches - peanut butter is Skippy Natural (has sugar) and jelly is strawberry fruit spread found at Kroger
  
• Hot Dogs (nitrate and nitrite free) on regular buns with ketchup
  
• Spaghetti (whole wheat with marinara sauce from a jar)
  
• Homemade pancakes with chocolate chips (no syrup)
  
• Turkey (sandwich meat), cheddar cheese, and crackers
  
• Tacos - made with black beans, salsa, and cheese on a tortilla
  
• Lots of carrot sticks
  
• Lots of grape tomatoes
  
• Lots of applesauce
  
• Strawberries, blueberries, apples, bananas, canned pears and peaches (won't eat fresh)
  
• Apple juice in the morning with breakfast and organic chocolate milk with dinner
  
• Homemade chicken "nuggets"
  
• Favorite desserts are Oreos and chocolate ice cream - twice a week or so
  

 

Not healthy at all. When I make something he doesn't like for dinner (most nights, sadly), I give him carrot sticks and tomatoes and he will pick at the rest. He will eat a side of buttered bread, but he refuses to eat whole wheat, so I try to buy the healthiest white bread I can find (and I know it's not really healthy).

 

There you go...his diet. I hate it and I really try to get him to eat a variety of food, but it has become a battle and I am tired of fighting. :tongue_smilie:

 

Thoughts??? Suggestions??? Where do I go from here?

 

ETA: he also LOVES goldfish crackers, but I try not to buy them often

[Just Kate]

Bumping :)

[Shelsi]

The goldfish crackers actually don't have artificial food dyes.

[Lisa in Jax]

For ds gluten is the trigger (although we took out dyes/preservatives, etc he has those occasionally now and they aren't a trigger for him). Anyway, he is just completely unreasonable, defiant, hyper etc. Gluten and dairy are big triggers for behavior issues and corn syrup (in any form) causes issue for some people as well.

 

Same here. DS was gluten- and casein-free for 5+ years b/c he was unreasonable, angry, hyper and quite the know-it-all when he ate anything with gluten or casein in it. He tolerates dairy now -- with digestive enzymes -- but gluten is still a trigger for butthead attitude and oppositional behavior, so we don't allow any gluten.

 

To the OP: DS had been gluten- and casein-free for about a year when son we realized that we also needed to eliminate artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives. After sneaking a candy with both HFCS and Blue #1 at school one day, he came home acting weird. I left the room for just a minute, and came back to find that he had begun spinning in circles while staring at the floor. He continued doing that for more than 20 minutes before I could get his attention. That reaction led us to remove HFCS and all artificial food colors and preservatives from his diet, too.

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

[LibraryLover]

I don't actaully think that sounds 'not healthy at all'. He's eating veggies and fruits, and I don't have a problem with nut butters or home-made nuggets. (What is in the batter?) Other folks might have other thoughts.

 

I might reconsider the chocolate milk (I saw there was 28 grams of sugar in a small container of chocolate milk when we were recently in an airport trying to find snacks when we were starving during a 3 hour flight delay. I was shocked anyone thought to cram that much sugar into a container meant for a child!). Work on getting him to like water (maybe sparkling or iced), and try to get him on a peanut butter with less sugar, (and maybe use a little less jelly?) if he's really eating a lot. Do it gradually, mix it at first etc.

 

I buy all beef Applegate hot dogs fairly frequently in summer, and there is a grass- feed supplier nearby, although it's even more $ than Applegate's. Add an extra egg or two to the pancake batter. (What kind of mix/flour do you use? Don't add sugar, since you've got the choc chips. What kind are they? Can you add fewer if ypu think they are affecting him)

 

My youngest enjoys PB & J. She is not a picky eater. We use organic pb & jelly (jelly has sugar-- my mother and a friend makes it, and I try to make it last), on Matthew's or TJ's whole wheat bread. I think it's a fine lunch for a child without allergies, especially with some carrot sticks and fruit. She also likes organic almond butter, but it's getting very $$$$. Over $8/jar here.

 

Maybe try a gluten-free bread, or a good white bread without HFCS or additives (Are you near a Trader Joe's? Matthew'ss also makes a white bread without HFCS etc). (If you tell me a baquette is unhealthy, I'll cry. lol) A ketchup without HFCS etc.

 

When he eats a lot of sugar, or oreos or ice cream, or the chocolate, do you see changes in him? Is there a pattern to his behavior? Do you think, "Oh, no, everytime I give him pancakes he freaks out? "

 

Keep the protein up, and see if it helps, and try to find condiments etc without dyes. I don't know what's in your Marinara sauce, but sauce is very easy to make with stewed boxed or canned tomatoes. Some sauces have HFCS and other ingredients you might not want. It depends on brands. SAme goes for pears and peaches. If you can't find them without sugar, just give him more of the other items, or find a brand without HFCS. Check the ingredients on the applesauce.

 

When he eats lots of fruit give him a little protein with it. A hardboiled egg, a piece of cheese, some peanut butter on an apple etc.

 

I'm not really a purist, but checking ingredients for dyes, BHT, corn and sugar overload etc is a good idea.

Edited August 13, 2012 by LibraryLover

[besroma]

This thread is fascinating.

[Incognito]

Dairy affects my DS's behavior. My DH still doesn't really believe it, but after this last trial of dairy I told him it was fine if he didn't believe it and it was all just a placebo, I NEED that placebo effect to live with the boy day in and day out. :) He loses self control so he acts on bad impulses like hitting and fighting. He also spins around and around. I wouldn't have belived that correlation if I hadn't seen it myself on a couple of dairy trials.

 

As far as adding food to a picky eater's diet - lately we've had success with putting one small piece of a new thing on the plate and we expect them to eat/try that. It's small - often just one bite. Usually they are willing to try one bite. We otherwise have a small serving of other "acceptable" food on their plate, and when they have eaten everything on their plate they can have more of whatever. So it does happen that they eat small meals sometimes when they refuse to try the new food, but it has worked to get them trying more things and finding they actually like more things.

[Just Kate]

I don't actaully think that sounds 'not healthy at all'. He's eating veggies and fruits, and I don't have a problem with nut butters or home-made nuggets. (What is in the batter?) Other folks might have other thoughts.

 

I might reconsider the chocolate milk (I saw there was 28 grams of sugar in a small container of chocolate milk when we were recently in an airport trying to find snacks when we were starving during a 3 hour flight delay. I was shocked anyone thought to cram that much sugar into a container meant for a child!). Work on getting him to like water (maybe sparkling or iced), and try to get him on a peanut butter with less sugar, (and maybe use a little less jelly?) if he's really eating a lot. Do it gradually, mix it at first etc.

 

I buy all beef Applegate hot dogs fairly frequently in summer, and there is a grass- feed supplier nearby, although it's even more $ than Applegate's. Add an extra egg or two to the pancake batter. (What kind of mix/flour do you use? Don't add sugar, since you've got the choc chips. What kind are they? Can you add fewer if ypu think they are affecting him)

 

My youngest enjoys PB & J. She is not a picky eater. We use organic pb & jelly (jelly has sugar-- my mother and a friend makes it, and I try to make it last), on Matthew's or TJ's whole wheat bread. I think it's a fine lunch for a child without allergies, especially with some carrot sticks and fruit. She also likes organic almond butter, but it's getting very $$$$. Over $8/jar here.

 

Maybe try a gluten-free bread, or a good white bread without HFCS or additives (Are you near a Trader Joe's? Matthew'ss also makes a white bread without HFCS etc). (If you tell me a baquette is unhealthy, I'll cry. lol) A ketchup without HFCS etc.

 

When he eats a lot of sugar, or oreos or ice cream, or the chocolate, do you see changes in him? Is there a pattern to his behavior? Do you think, "Oh, no, everytime I give him pancakes he freaks out? "

 

Keep the protein up, and see if it helps, and try to find condiments etc without dyes. I don't know what's in your Marinara sauce, but sauce is very easy to make with stewed boxed or canned tomatoes. Some sauces have HFCS and other ingredients you might not want. It depends on brands. SAme goes for pears and peaches. If you can't find them without sugar, just give him more of the other items, or find a brand without HFCS. Check the ingredients on the applesauce.

 

When he eats lots of fruit give him a little protein with it. A hardboiled egg, a piece of cheese, some peanut butter on an apple etc.

 

I'm not really a purist, but checking ingredients for dyes, BHT, corn and sugar overload etc is a good idea.

 

Thank you so much for looking at ds's diet! As for the chocolate milk, I give that to him because he refuses to drink white milk. This all happened around the age of 4...he just changed his eating habits! Our ped at that time said that it is more important for him to be getting milk, so just let him have chocolate milk (I know this is debatable). I do try to limit it to one glass, once per day. He does drink a lot of water throughout the day.

 

I think I will start keeping a detailed food diary on him and include his behavior. Maybe this will help me to see if there is a real connection.

 

Thank you for all of your suggestions. You have given me a lot to think about!

[MiniBlondes]

One of mine is sensitive to red dye. I noticed it because she would always vomit after eating something red, and the vomit was always... well, red. Then after I eliminated it, I could tell a big difference in her attitude as well.

[Susan in TN]

I'm almost embarrassed to list out what he eats, but as I said earlier, he is PICKY!!! In my defense, he used to be one of those kids who ate so healthy - I even had people comment to me about it. The one day - BAM - he stopped eating so many foods (probably around 4 years old or so). Very strange...

 

 

Here goes:

 

• PB&J Sandwiches - peanut butter is Skippy Natural (has sugar) and jelly is strawberry fruit spread found at Kroger

• Hot Dogs (nitrate and nitrite free) on regular buns with ketchup

• Spaghetti (whole wheat with marinara sauce from a jar)

• Homemade pancakes with chocolate chips (no syrup)

• Turkey (sandwich meat), cheddar cheese, and crackers

• Tacos - made with black beans, salsa, and cheese on a tortilla

• Lots of carrot sticks

• Lots of grape tomatoes

• Lots of applesauce

• Strawberries, blueberries, apples, bananas, canned pears and peaches (won't eat fresh)

• Apple juice in the morning with breakfast and organic chocolate milk with dinner

• Homemade chicken "nuggets"

• Favorite desserts are Oreos and chocolate ice cream - twice a week or so

 

Not healthy at all. When I make something he doesn't like for dinner (most nights, sadly), I give him carrot sticks and tomatoes and he will pick at the rest. He will eat a side of buttered bread, but he refuses to eat whole wheat, so I try to buy the healthiest white bread I can find (and I know it's not really healthy).

 

There you go...his diet. I hate it and I really try to get him to eat a variety of food, but it has become a battle and I am tired of fighting. :tongue_smilie:

 

Thoughts??? Suggestions??? Where do I go from here?

 

ETA: he also LOVES goldfish crackers, but I try not to buy them often

 

:grouphug: I have a picky eater who is getting better, but I sure understand the struggle it is when your child will only eat chicken nuggets, macaroni, and waffles with cream cheese :tongue_smilie:.

 

Looking over his list, I'd start by eliminating the milk, cheese, ice cream, and peanut butter (or any nuts). Not sure if there's anything to use as a substitute, but maybe just throw in more of the other foods for him.

 

If you are super worried about calcium, there are other (and more effective) ways to get it - there are some child friendly suppliments you could try, or if he'll drink it, make some beef broth made by simmering beef bones for several hours with 2T vinegar. It will have much more "useable" calcium in it than milk.

 

I've also read that sugar is rarely the problem, but more likely other ingredients that come with it - the dyes, preservatives, and artificial flavorings.

 

I recently came by a recipe for chocolate banana ice cream you might give a try - 3 ripe bananas (just ripe, not browning), peeled and frozen, 2T cocoa powder, 1tsp vanilla. Blend thoroughly. Use a small amount of juice or heavy cream if necessary to get the desired texture.

 

I know it can be overwhelming, so take it one little step at a time. :)