What we have learned from Margaret about the impact of food sensitivities has dramatically improved the overall health of our two young sons and our entire family. Every parent would benefit from this information. We will be forever grateful for her support -Johanna Sedin and her husband Henrik Sedin (captain of the Vancouver Canucks) Does your child have chronic health problems, such as stomachaches, constipation, diarrhea, repeated infections, excessive fatigue, bed wetting, or asthma, that are making life challenging for both your child and your family? Is your child's behavior making it difficult for them to develop friendships at school or making them feel isolated and alone? Are learning difficulties or disabilities resulting in your child falling behind at school and feeling "stupid"? COULD IT REALLY BE SOMETHING THEY ATE? offers practical advice and support to identify the often hidden trigger food that can be the cause of health, behavior, and learning challenges in children. Once the trigger food is identified, Margaret leads parents through an organized and practical approach to ensure their success and offers a wealth of information on how to implement diet change in the midst of a busy and often overwhelming family life.

Could It Really Be Something They Ate?

The Life Changing Impact of Addressing Food Sensitivities in ChildrenBy Margaret Evans

BALBOA PRESS

Copyright © 2011 Margaret Evans, RN, BScN, CPCC
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-4159-4

Contents

Dedication.................................................................viiAcknowledgments............................................................xiForeword...................................................................xixIntroduction...............................................................xxiiiPreface....................................................................xxixChapter 1. How Do I Know If Food Is The Problem?...........................1Chapter 2. How Did This Happen To My Family?...............................17Chapter 3. How Do I Know What Food To Remove?..............................45Chapter 4. Am I Ready To Change Our Diet?..................................73Chapter 5. How Can I Get Prepared So I Will Succeed?.......................103Chapter 6. Okay, How Do I Do It?...........................................149Chapter 7. Children With Autism And Other Disabilities.....................205Chapter 8. Quick Solutions To Common Situations............................221Epilogue...................................................................273Notes......................................................................285Bibliography And Resources.................................................289Index......................................................................303

Chapter One

HOW DO I KNOW IF FOOD IS THE PROBLEM?

How do you know if the symptoms your child is experiencing are related to food? Are they just typical symptoms that most children experience, or are there problems you should be worried about? Is this just a stage that your child will outgrow, or will it create a problem for them in later years? In this chapter, you will find the answer to these questions. The symptoms that can potentially be related to food are varied and involve almost any part of the body. You will find some stories of typical clients of mine that demonstrate both the physical and emotional implications of eating foods that are problematic for an individual child. You will then find a detailed checklist of the signs and symptoms potentially related to food to complete for your own child. If you find yourself ticking multiple symptoms or several symptoms within one body system, the chances are very high that food is contributing to your child's health, behavior, or learning challenges.

In chapter three, you will then complete an additional questionnaire to determine the food that is the most likely cause or trigger of your child's symptoms. Rather than remove multiple foods or expose your child to a multitude of unpleasant tests, this process will help you pinpoint the cause of your child's symptoms. The remainder of the book then leads you, step by step, through the process to make the diet changes successfully.

REAL-LIFE STORIES

The combination of symptoms that can appear in one individual varies widely. These stories are based on clients I have worked with and demonstrate the wide range of symptoms that can be caused by a food as well as the dramatic impact these symptoms can have on the life of a child and their family.

Johnny, age two: colic as a baby, eczema, asthma, chronic ear infections, red and itchy penis, and chronic diarrhea.

Jodie can't believe how exhausted she is caring for her two-year-old son, Johnny. She barely has time to exercise and finds herself resorting often to quick snacks of yogurt, cheese and crackers. She knew motherhood would be busy, but she never imagined how many unexpected things would appear. Johnny seemed to cry from the moment he was born and was inconsolable much of the time. As a baby, he slept for only thirty minutes at a time, and now, even at the age of two, wakes up at least four times a night. Johnny was breastfed for the first six months, and then Jodie switched to soya formula in a desperate attempt to improve Johnny's colic and the eczema that had appeared on the soles of his feet and on his cheeks. From the age of six months on, Johnny's eczema and colic improved on the new soya formula, only to be replaced by chronic ear infections and a red, irritated rash at the end of his penis. For each ear infection, Johnny had a weeklong course of antibiotics, and over the next few months, each course of medication seemed to result in increased diarrhea, which eventually did not go away between infections. When Johnny was started on solids, he spat most of them out, and by the age of eighteen months, he would only accept yogurt with mashed banana, applesauce, small pieces of cheese toast, and scrambled eggs. His diarrhea continued and made it impossible for Jodie to take Johnny to any daytime classes such as swimming or gymnastics. Her frequent trips to her doctor did not produce any answers. At twenty-two months, Johnny developed yet another cold that resulted in his first asthma attack. He was taken to hospital by ambulance because his breathing was labored, but he recovered quickly when he was given the appropriate medication. Johnny was discharged with a diagnosis of asthma and placed on a number of medications, including a daily steroid inhaler to control his symptoms.

Jodie is now at her wit's end and completely exhausted from caring for Johnny. She has been forced to leave her job because she is not able to find anyone who can adequately meet all of Johnny's needs. The asthma diagnosis presented an additional challenge, and Jodie is reluctant to leave him with anyone but her husband.

The health of Jodie's baby and the stress level of her family would be dramatically improved if Johnny's food sensitivities were addressed. The trigger food is likely the dairy based foods consumed both by his mother when he was nursing and then eaten by him as he grew up. Soya appears to also be a potential problem which is common in dairy intolerant people, and Johnny would benefit from having only limited amounts of this food, as well. His symptoms will continue to worsen as he grows, and the impact on both his life and his family will be profound if his diet is not changed.

Julian, age seven: learning disabilities, ADHD, aggressive behavior, poor coordination, recurrent tonsillitis, and a chronically runny nose.

Julian has been a busy boy for as long as his parents, Heather and Lawrence, can remember. As a toddler, his attention span was so short that he rarely stayed at any activity for more than a minute or two. Their house was always strewn with toys, and Julian insisted on climbing on everything. He suffered from bouts of tonsillitis almost every couple of months and his nose seemed to be perpetually running, even when he didn't seem to have a cold. He refused almost all the foods his parents offered with the exception of chicken nuggets, chicken noodle soup, and apple juice.

When he entered preschool, the kids were afraid of him on the playground, and he was quickly labeled as a bully. His aggressive behavior and refusal to wait his turn in the classroom resulted in him being isolated, and he rarely got invited to any birthday parties. Julian seemed accident-prone and was constantly falling and hurting himself. Both his fine motor and gross motor skills seemed delayed, and Heather and Lawrence were concerned about his readiness to attend kindergarten at the age of five. In addition, he continues to be sick often with tonsillitis and has been taking a least one course of antibiotics every three months since he was three. Heather is convinced that his behavior deteriorates after every course of antibiotics he has.

Julian is now in grade two and already showing signs of being academically and physically delayed. His fine motor skills are poor so he has difficulty holding his pencil and is usually slow getting his work done. During gym, the teacher comments that Julian is often uncooperative and inattentive. He has great difficulty doing exercises such as jumping jacks and often mixes up his left and right hand. In the classroom, Julian also finds it difficult to focus and often misunderstands the directions the teacher gives. Julian's parents are very concerned about his future.

Julian's story portrays the emotional and social impact of unaddressed food sensitivities. As he grows, these challenges will increase and his lack of academic and social success at school will put him at significant risk during his teenage years. By removing chicken which is the problem trigger food for Julian, both his behavioral and physical symptoms will improve. His self esteem will rise and he will no longer be viewed as a difficult child by his friends and his teachers.

Jennifer, age sixteen: acne, chronic bladder and yeast infections, migraines, irregular periods, and a very moody disposition.

Jennifer hates school. She hates sports. She hates doing chores. She actually dislikes most things except hanging out with her friends and listening to music on her iPhone. Her parents wonder what has happened to their little girl who used to have a sunny disposition and a sense of adventure. As a toddler, she had chronic bladder infections and recurrent tummy aches, but antibiotics seemed to keep things under control. She was also a very picky eater and refused almost everything her parents offered with the exception of crackers, toast, and cereal but she still seemed to be happy.

When Jennifer reached the age of twelve, however, it was as though someone had flipped a switch. All of a sudden her sunny disposition vanished and she became moody and argumentative, and her school performance deteriorated. She often skipped class and seemed to simply not care about the impact it was having on her marks. She developed severe acne and was placed on a longterm dose of antibiotics along with birth control pills, but these resulted in only minimal improvement. She began to have chronic yeast infections that required almost continuous medication and her periods were very erratic and unpredictable.

Now, at the age of fourteen, Jennifer's diet consists primarily of junk food, such as pizza, donuts, cakes and cookies, and she regularly gets severe migraine headaches. These headaches seem to be more common on the weekend after she has been out with her friends and are impacting her ability to spend time with her boyfriend. Jennifer's parents have been unable to find anyone who can offer an explanation why their daughter's health is deteriorating so significantly. Jennifer's attitude change and her decreasing interest in school are a source of worry for her parents as they are concerned about how this will impact her future.

Jennifer's story demonstrates how food sensitivities are impacted by the normal developmental changes that children go through. The hormonal changes that Jennifer experienced at puberty increased the impact of the foods that were already causing some other symptoms when she was younger. Removal of the gluten based products from her diet would result in significant improvement in both Jennifer's physical symptoms and her belligerent and argumentative attitude. Because of her age, it will be essential that her parents help Jennifer to find a strong and motivating reason to change her diet in order to enlist her cooperation. Because her symptoms are impacting her social life, Jennifer may be willing to cooperate. If the trigger food is not removed from Jennifer's diet, her challenging behavior and symptoms will continue into adulthood, and her future will be severely impacted.

FOOD SENSITIVITY SIGNS AND SYMPTOM CHECKLIST

One of the most effective tools in this book is the food sensitivity signs and symptoms checklist I have developed that you will find on the following pages. It is a common experience for clients of all ages to burst into tears when they see—often for the first time—a connection and common thread among the wide range of symptoms they have been experiencing. Many of the symptoms on this list will be ones that are not commonly associated with food. For example, while you may decide to try the diet because your child has chronic tummy aches, you may also find relief for his bedwetting, his crabby disposition, and his difficulty learning to read.

You will likely see your child as well as other members of your family reflected on this list. You may find yourself ticking boxes in almost every section, or you may notice that you have ticked a number of boxes that relate to one particular body system. Either way, this is indicative of a food sensitivity, and taking further steps to identify the trigger food and remove it from your child's diet will likely produce a dramatic improvement in their symptoms.

On the following pages is a list of many of the symptoms that can be related to food sensitivities. Along with the complete medical and family history and diet evaluation questionnaire found in chapter three, it is possible to identify an offending food that may be responsible for some of these problems. Removal of this food can often result in dramatic improvement in many of these symptoms. Mark the symptoms that are bothering your child now with a check mark, the ones that may have been a problem in the past with an X, and place the letter F beside symptoms that occur in you, your spouse, or other members of your child's extended family.

A. Skin

________itching—any body part

________eczema

________recurrent hives

________fungal infections (athlete's foot or genital infections)

________excessive sweating, particularly at night

________acne

________family history of skin problems

________skin rashes as a baby

________recurrent red or flushed cheeks

________dislike of being cuddled and touched

________bright red buttocks as a baby or young child

________small pimples on buttocks

________scalded, red appearance on buttocks as a baby

________brittle nails

________hair loss

________rapid development of hives following exposure to a food or other substance

B. Nervous System and Behavior

________depression

________headaches

________migraines

________difficulty sleeping

________excessive tiredness

________sensitivity to cold or heat

________nightmares

________mood swings

________negative, apathetic attitude

________difficulty learning sequential concepts, such as telling time

________poor memory

________difficulty remembering directions, particularly if they involve several steps

________weak organizational skills

________unexplained crying spells

________angry outbursts

________restlessness

________short attention span

________unusual twitches or tics

________diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome

________outbursts of foul language

________unusual repetitive behaviors such as cracking knuckles, blinking eyes

________learning disabilities

________hyperactive behavior

________born prematurely

________excessive sensitivity to being touched

________diagnosed with autism by a physician

________restless legs

________accident-prone

________leads with the same foot when climbing stairs rather than alternating feet

________stumbles and trips often and seems uncoordinated

________excessively clingy as a child

________craves a particular food excessively

________anxiety

________daytime sleepiness

________desire to crouch or hide in small corners or under furniture

________noticeable decrease in writing or reading ability after exposure to problem food or chemical

________family history of alcoholism

________delayed speech

________reluctance to keep clothing on as a child

________extremely active in utero before delivery

________hyperactive behavior as an infant such as shaking crib, banging head, refusing to be held

________as an infant, needed to be constantly walked or bounced in order to sleep

________excessive tantrums

________very easily frustrated by small events

C. Eyes and Vision

________increased sensitivity to light

________excessive blinking

________excessive rubbing of eyes

________tired, watery eyes

________itchy or red eyes

________dark circles under eyes

________bags under eyes

________wrinkles under the eye

________difficulty following moving objects with both eyes at the same time

________difficulty keeping place when reading

________crossed eyes

________"spaced out" look and appearance of being disconnected from their environment

D. Ears

________chronic ear infections

________decreased ability to hear

________increased sensitivity to noise

________ringing in the ears

________repeated courses of antibiotics for ear infections

________redness on the outside of one or both ears

E. Nose

________chronic stuffy nose

________chronic runny nose

________repeated rubbing and itching of nose

________excessive sneezing

________repeated sinus infections

________reduced or heightened sense of smell

________recurrent nosebleeds

________pain from blocked sinuses

________hay fever

________repeated use of antihistamines

F. Mouth and Throat

________bad taste in mouth

________bad breath

________chronic tonsillitis

________hoarse voice

________persistent and recurrent canker sores

________constant clearing of throat

________swollen, red, cracked lips

________excessive thirst, particularly for carbonated drinks

________sucking on fingers or clothes

________recurrent cold sores

________thick, white coating on tongue or inside of cheeks

________relentless talking and rambling on without a great deal of meaning

________stuttering

________excessive drooling as an infant

________unusual moans, groans, or strange sounds repeated often

________history of mouth infections, such as thrush

________history of recurrent dental disease

________feeling of having a lump in the throat

________diagnosed with enlarged thyroid or underactive thyroid

G. Lungs

________persistent cough during the day

________persistent cough at night

________family history of asthma

________asthma (diagnosed by a doctor)

________croup as a child

________recurrent bronchitis

________recurrent pneumonia

________taking asthma medications

________wheezing when exercising

________wheezing in cold weather

________shortness of breath when exercising or climbing stairs

________rapid onset of respiratory distress symptoms upon contact with specific food or other substance

(Continues...)

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