Eliminating preservatives etc for better sleep

[*Danni*]

So ladies can you tell me.. I've read a little into it and know that artificial colours, flavours & preservatives are the big no nos, but what I'm trying to work out... Are things like emulsifiers, thickeners, anti caking agents etc as bad too? And other random numbers? As any loaf of bread I can find tend to have emulsifiers and I really can't find much without at least one of them. And what is with the ingredient "flavour"??? Does anyone know what that is? My portugese chicken and infant yoghurt has it in the list. Especially on things that say no artificial flavours?

It doesn't help when apparently there is a 5% loop hole where legally companies don't have to put on the ingredients list 5% of their additives and I never thought msg could have so many different names to hide under!!!! it's a tough one! And some of the words out there confuse me to no end. I feel like I'd have nothing to buy if I ruled out any odd sounding ingredient!

I've got the basic stuff down packed and felt so empowered whilst grocery shopping, it's great having this awareness and knowledge about these additives that you never had, feels good to be helping your baby and yourself!


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[willow5]

'Flavours' don't have to be disclosed they're considered company secrets and they don't want other companies to get hold of them. So, that said unnamed/numbered flavours are a gamble because you really don't know.

As for when it says 'no artificial colours or flavours' just because they are natural doesn't mean they're ok. Annatto is natural and it's a big no no for hyperactivity, head banging, sleep deprivation and a few more things, so natural doesn't always mean ok.

I think it's pretty hard to get bread in the supermarket without nasties, we did get a rye loaf from Coles for a while until we switched to Brumbies and Bakers Delight bakeries, much more choice
I think the emulsifiers are ok. You can print the additives to avoid list from the website I gave you that helps to check up. Or print the additives by symptom if you're starting with that to check against. Lots to learn and remember and take in I'm still wading though it all.

Oh double check on the infant yoghurt sometimes they have a nasty, I can't remember off the top of my head what it is, but be careful.

[Babyluv]

Loving this thread! I didn't know bakers delight bread was ok so that's good to know!

[willow5]

Loving this thread! I didn't know bakers delight bread was ok so that's good to know!

I know Brumbies have no numbers in any of their bread, I'm not sure that Bakers Delight are the same, but they definitely have a good range.

[Teeki]

Well, I think this is working!! DD started waking every three hours, instead of every 1.5 - 2. I was in heaven, and suddenly had so much more energy (just from a tiny bit extra sleep, it's amazing how much it means!). Then, last night, she slept for.... wait for it.... 7 hours in a row!!! I cannot believe it! She was so much easier to get back to sleep too, fed for 10 minutes and was sound asleep - very easy to put back in her cot without her wriggling and waking. She then slept for 1.5 hours, then an hour then up for the day. Her day naps have improved too, she always has over an hour two hours after waking now, and will have one or two other decent naps throughout the day.

I find this so amazing! I really was skeptical months ago when I heard of people cutting out dairy and wheat - I thought "how much can actually be getting through to the milk? Surely not enough to keep a baby up at night!" But I think I'm now convinced that diet is what was causing her frequent wakings.

I haven't gone completely cold turkey on all preservatives. I cut back slowly, removing junk food first, then looking at labels. I'm really lucky with our local Woolies, they have organic brands with zero preservatives and very easy to read labels. I've even been able to switch our tomato sauce, and the new one tastes better! I'm also making our own bread now that I have a KitchenAid (my new love lol). It's funny, the sense of satisfaction when I find a new product, that I can switch over to. It's like "Hooray, this is something we eat every day, we've been getting pumped with crap, and now I'm feeding us something *real*!" Flip side though, is when I absolutely cannot find a product without preservatives. Or I find something you'd think would be healthy, and it has a pile of nasties in it. So frustrating!

DH is half on board lol. He's supportive, and thinks it's a great idea for DD to eat super healthy, and for me to as well seeing as she still has bm. However he couldn't really care less what he eats lol. So he still has pre-packaged snacks at work, and his Iced Coffee and buys lunch from the smoko van sometimes. But seeing as I do the shopping, I'm filling the house with as much 'good' stuff as possible, and all our cooking is fresh and healthy. I still make a lot of his smoko stuff, so he's getting goodies there

Thanks everyone for your help and advice with this!

[willow5]

Kaytee I'm so glad it's helping you guys! I was sceptical too but when I finally just did it I was amazed like you 7 hours!!! That is awesome!!
My DP is a bit like yours he thinks it's great that DS and me eat limited additives and healthy, but as for him he'll still pump the crap into himself whenever he feels like it. Mind you he should be having a good look at his food to try to stop his itchy skin stuff and wheezing (well probably should stop smoking first lol)

I really hope you continue to have success, and I know that feeling of "yes! Found an alternative."
We're still having awesome sleep here usually only one or 2 wakings and no bm until about 5 or 6am then he's off again for an hour or 2 until he's ready to get up.
I am really starting to feel like I'm back in the land of the living again!

[willow5]

Kaytee, and anyone else that gave it a go, how's it going?

[*EJ*]

Just catching up after being away.... Kaytee i'm so glad you are seeing results. So good for you and so good for your little girl.

I found some icy-poles that were ok for the kids in woolies and they were on clearance when i found them, now woolies don't sell them

Not sure what else is a good option. Any ideas ladies?

[willow5]

I hate that EJ! I make ice blocks. Additive free juices make yummy ice blocks. I make ice creams too. Jalna yoghurt and fruit, apricots are DSs fave. I wizz the yoghurt with the fruit until it's smooth with my hand held blender thingy then pour it into the ice block moulds

[Teeki]

Thanks for checking in I'm doing pretty well cutting out additives, and we definitely notice better sleep in DD. She hasn't slept 7 hours again, but 3-4 hours is pretty standard. So much better than waking every 45 minutes!

I do have slip ups every now and then, and I notice the difference when I do. Not just in DD's sleep, but in myself. So I'm actually enjoying staying away from preservatives!

We have a few issues at the moment - I suspect DD is teething, she's learnt to crawl and sit up in the last few weeks, and I think she may be hitting a wonder week early. So I think she's up a little more than she normally would be but I'm still happy with every 3-4 hours!

She's also in a habit of wanting to be in our bed from around 3am. After this time she just won't get back to sleep properly unless I lay down with her. It's a bit of a problem because I need to get up at 6 and it wakes her, when she'd normally sleep til 7. But yeah, that's totally not preservative related and as she gradually sleeps longer periods we'll get over that I'm sure

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[willow5]

Sounds good Kaytee 3-4 hours is so much better than every 45 minutes! The teething and WW will throw things out, but it will pass.

[shan23]

Hi ladies! Thanks to Willow5 for linking me to here

I am going to give cutting everything out a try to try and help my DS's sleep. He is 12 months and still wakes every 1-2 hours overnight, has done for a good 6 months now. I dont know the last time he only woke 4 times overnight :/
I tried to get on the diet a few weeks ago, saw some changes after about a week but then he had his birthday party on the 12th and I've struggled to get back onto it since. I have also cut dairy out, which has hugely helped with a vomiting issue he had and he is also eating more solids. So now just the hard part left of cutting out the baddies for a month to see if it helps!

Its so confusing though! I've read over the website mentioned here (thanks again Willow!), and have the list of additives to avoid that I found on the symptom factsheet for sleep. I've noticed when label reading that there are a lot of numbers/names not on the sheet, do I assume they are ok? Or do some of the baddies come under different names?

And has anyone else cut down on natural things found in foods, like fruit? We eat A LOT of fruit daily, and after reading the factsheet I'm thinking maybe I should cut that down a little and have more veggie snacks instead.

I just want to give it all a good go for a month to see if it changes anything. If it does nothing then I've no idea what I will do lol

[willow5]

It is a bit overwhelming isn't it!

We were lucky DS isn't really affected by any of the naturally occurring offenders in fruit etc but some kids/people are it's trial and error at first.
If you're wanting to go all out and eliminate everything, which might be a good idea seeing as you've already identified triggers and sensitivities to dairy. Maybe you need to do the complete Fail safe diet, as talked about on the site. I think it's best to follow the book to do it properly.

We seemed to get really lucky, and by avoiding almost all numbers, and all of the numbers associated with sleep disruption, we had success. We really haven't challenged properly yet, but, we do know that Annatto is a definite offender, both for sleep and behaviour.

Some numbers are ok. Having said that, some are ok for us but maybe not for you guys. There is a complete list of additives on the site explaining what they are, what they are for and whether to avoid, use caution or that they rarely cause problems.

Bread is another big one to watch. We have changed to a no numbers bread. We get it from either Brumbies Bakery (not sure they have them in all states though) but Bakers Delight also do a no numbers range.

good luck with it hope you see some improvement soon

[*EJ*]

Shan23 it is very overwhelming for me also, i get a bit strict on it and then loose my grip and get a bit lazy again. We don't seem to have any really detrimental effects but i try and be smart about what we eat just for our own benefit.

I was having sleep issues with DD but have since got a little tough on our resettling and have had some success without having to look too much into the diet.

As Willow5 said it really does vary as to who the numbers will effect and how.

It's a hard enough with the pre-packed things but to even begin looking at fruit and veg is a scary thought also isn't it!?

Just wondering if anyone else saw last night that Coles are going to start having no artificial colours and added MSG in their range of food and drink? It's another step forward, not quite enough but we're getting there.