Completely additive free foods for kids! With challenges ;)

DD3 hit a new high last night. We had hot dogs for dinner. She's always been sensitive to additives, but last night was unbelievable!

I actually did break down & cry. Which brought her (& DS) to tears & after an hour of crying she was finally exhausted enough to sleep. I think the antibiotics she is on are adding to it all, because the day started at 7am & didn't finish til almost 10pm. The worst of it being after the hot dog. She jumped around, non stop, for at least an hour before I lost it. I'd tried everything until that point. The kids had been trying to sleep for at least half an hour & they couldn't.

We don't eat out much. Maybe chips on occasion (never with chicken salt!) She can't even have a popper/pop top when out without her mood changing drastically.

So I need recipe's for every meal. Breakfast... rice bubbles seem ok so far... lunch, dinner, snacks, winter foods, summer foods. She's pretty good with foods if she doesn't see green ;)

I think even some fruits set her off, but not sure which. Some suggestions there would help... I think its fruits high in fructose need to be avoided? Which ones are they? I always have a big range of fruit in the house, DS loves his fruit, DD3 isn't a huge fruit eater, but not too bad.

I don't buy many packaged snack foods at all. A packet of bikkies, or chips that we might bag up for school snacks for the other kids occasionally. She doesn't have many. I gave them up long ago, but am stuck there too.


CHALLENGES;
I'm in an isolated area. Its not cheap to buy foods here & the range is not big at all. I may need to start fortnightly shopping 2 hours away to try & actually buy 'health aisle' foods. They really aren't available here.
I'm also a single mum of 4, on a pension, working casually. So not a lot of money, or time. Yet in a town that has prices way above average for food :/ I was considering moving from WA back to the east coast in Jan, but might put that off for another 12 months, so really need to stick to those things.

She may not even handle sugar at all. Even a lot of home made foods have sugar. I'm guessing raw sugar would be a better alternative than white (bleached) sugar?


I'm not sure how well I'll do, especially with not a lot available to me, but last night was breaking point. This is an ongoing battle, every single day. I will talk to the doc about allergy testing next week I think. I think I need to know. I'm 99% sure we'll be looking at another ADD/ADHD diagnosis in the future :/ Between her & DD2, she wins hands down!! And that's not comparing their activeness. That's lack of focus etc...


This is hard. I'm struggling. Again!

It's very hard. It may not be the sugar, but salicylates. Have you looked in to the failsafe diet? Salycilates are a naturally occurring food chemical which give many foods flavour and are present in very high concentration in most fruits and many vegetables, and also a lot of flavourings. Generally, sugar is 'ok', a lot of the time.

The way to find out is to eliminate these from your diet - think very, very bland food - for at least a few weeks, then reintroduce to see what happens (though you'll probably see a big change in the interim). After that, if you find there is a sensitivity to salycilates, then you can figure out, through trial and error, what her tolerance is (so maybe a few pieces of fruit through the week might be ok, for eg).

Plain salted things are a good option for snacks. You can make a cordial concentrate from sugar and citric acid for a tasty drink alternative (and vodka mixer ;)) My son really liked the failsafe carob cake (I think it's dreadful, but there's no accounting for taste).

Good luck!

I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time with this. My sister struggled for a long time with behavioural issues in her kids, before realising that they could level everything out by just avoiding colours. I'm not saying your kids are necessarily the same, but sis the hotdogs have red shells? and Poptop drinks? Red colours? Blu is also especially bad.

You may not need to avoid additives entirely, as many 'e numbers' are actually natural, and well tolerated by most sensitive kids. The trick is to learn which is which. Once you work it out, you may realise that different brands are ok, my sister's kids can eat CCs, but not Doritos, or the other way round... I forget which, but believe me, she doesn't! There are some awesome lists and reference guides for additives which really help Mum's in your circumstances. If no-one else chips on with useful info, I can ask my sister for names and authors and web addresses for you.

Note that 'health food aisle' stuff is not always very healthy either. You're better buying single ingredients, rather than any kind of processed foods.

I know a lot of that Pholi. I won't do colours at all. I'm talking apple juice poppers. DD2 is more sensitive to yellow & oranges than reds. DD3 just seems to be sensitive to EVERYTHING :/

I know a lot of B&G things are ok. We usually do B&G hot dogs, but even that stuff I limit. Maybe once or twice a year, because its processed food. These were a different brand. I was given 2kg of them... I think I'll be giving some away & using some for the big kids lunches. DD won't be getting them again.

I'm just maybe looking for suggestions for dinners & things that will be eaten.

I will definitely look in to the failsafe diet MadB. I've looked at leaky gut, but honestly, I think my kids would starve on that. That's the only reason I haven't tried it.

Thanks ladies.

ETA - Good to see rice bubbles are ok!! :lol: Just wish they were cheaper!

What's interesting, is that a lot of those foods I'm already choosing.

But no sauces etc will be where we have to change. She likes rice, so that'll be easy.

Going to have to check my bread, but she doesn't really eat bread. Fail safe should be reasonably easy. That's pretty much our diet already. We don't have supermarket branded butter/marg, so that could be pricey. I usually buy B&G or ETA. But the rest of that we can do.

Pears are the only fruit we don't eat, yet the only fruit on the list! Oh well :) She might like them.

My DS1 is sensitive to high salycilate foods. Things like strawberries, green grapes sulatanas (and lots of other thing, but these are the ones which send him bat s**t crazy)...send him bananas. He will be fine one moments then within minutes of eating something high in salicylates, and boom, he's a screaming, twitching, nasty, violent crazy thing.

Yep... that's us. But she's over the top 24/7. Its just a steady stream of mischief, that reaches points of bat **** craziness.

She's had our usual bread, with our usual butter & is still sitting for peppa pig, so I might be ok with them... The butter has 202 in it, so will have to find something else, but our usual bread is all good :)

Yeah, don't bother with the failsafe not-tomato sauce. there's no way anybody would ever fall for it.
meat and three veg is pretty much what we did for dinner. you can do crumbed chicken pieces if you read labels on crumbs carefully or make your own (we bought gluten free stuff as also gluten & dairy free). With plenty of salt and pepper they're quite tasty.

I usually crumb myself anyway. If I can be bothered. I assume sausages are out though? I can afford sausages...very rare for me to be able to buy chicken that isn't drumsticks :lol:

And I'm forgetting, DD doesn't really do sauce. Not tomato sauce anyway. We do marinades & stuff, but that's easy enough. She's like this 24/7 though. She just hits crazy when there's something different. Like a juice or hot dog. She's still all over the place all the time. She's the same as DD2 with impulse control... a little worse. Mum has said that we're lucky we live here, because she'd be lucky to still be alive anywhere else. She'll run out on the road with out looking. Run off at the shops. Climb onto anything if she wants something. There is nowhere in this house out of her reach.

No type of discipline seems to work... until I lose my **** & completely snap :/ I've tried the positive parenting thing the health nurse thinks cures all, but its just not enough over here. I wish she could see that & give up on it. Not saying that it doesn't help, but its not enough. I'm not even sure she's in control of her behavior half the time, but other times its like she's getting to me on purpose (tipping the dolls bath water on the floor while watching for my reaction... that was last night, in her craziness though)

I don't think its going to be as simple as just cutting out additives now I've looked into it, because the majority of the time, that is us. Now I've finally looked at our every day foods, like the brand of bread we eat, I see that I'm doing the right thing & have chosen the right brands & its still not enough :/

Can jelly, water ice blocks etc be eaten on the fail safe diet? I could freeze my own lemonade I guess? Since nearly all fruits are out. Might look more into that. Its 40 degrees right now & we have no air con. Just fans & cold baths.


ETA; As I typed that she emptied the full bottle of tomato sauce onto her legs & my shaggy mat in the loungeroom... *sigh*
She knows its not ok. She has been in trouble for exactly this so many times before :/ Shampoo's, eggs, creams, soaps. If she touches it, she empties it... Even if we're not at home...

Mix up 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid in a saucepan and warm till all dissolved. Then use this as a cordial. You can freeze, as well. This is failsafe and tasty (it tastes like lemonade). I would avoid actual lemons as they're very high in salycilates. Jelly would be no good due to flavouring.

bananas are ok if you're not sensitive to amines.

Allergy train sells heaps of stuff you could try - it's not cheap, though at least they deliver.

We get preservative-free, gluten-free sausages, though they're not failsafe as they contain some extra flavouring. You may not have that option where you are, though. Most commercial sausages will contain salycilates in flavours and almost certainly have preservatives (and then I suppose it depends which kind of preservatives you have problems with). What about rissoles? They're a good one you can make and sort of sausage like.

When we are affected by what we eat - adults, too - we have a really hard time controlling ourselves. Little kids don't have full impulse control as it is, when they're under the influence of 'stuff' then they have no control. It's not really her fault, but that doesn't help you out much.

The thing with sensitivities is that the foods that we react to build up in the body over time and so it takes a while for the reaction to occur and it can last quite a while after you've stopped the foods. That's why it's necessary to completely eliminate for at least a few weeks before you'll see all behavioural issues disappear. It's a lot of hard work - one slip up and you have to start over again.

ETA - have you talked to your DD about this? She is probably quite aware that she feels terrible at times and may also have made the connection with foods. She might be quite willing to try to work on this together - at her age she's likely to appreciate just how much better she feels without that stuff in her system.

Ok. I'll do the best I can, with what I have, before I go shopping next week.

I know she's out of control. I thought the foods I was giving her were ok. Didn't realize all that fruit would have an effect on her TBH. Guess banana's are out til we find out though?

Lets hope this works :)

Thanks for all the advice x

Hey clover,

Sorry havent read all the replies properly but wanted to give you plenty of hugs.

How hard for you :(

My dd2 has severe eczema which is triggered by food.

Foods that i do that are failsafe and low allergy to my dd2 (note we use fish sauce and i checked ingredients it just has anchovies, sugar, salt)

1. Grilled fish with herbs and spices a bit of salt and pepper. I buy the frozen hoki fish from aldi (not sure if you have a close aldi). They end up being $1 per servings.

Serve this with corn on cob or mixed veggies

2. Curried chicken thigh fillet - marinate chicken cubed thigh with fish sauce, stirfry then add curry powder. Eat with rice and cucumber or other greens

3. Steamed fish with ginger shallots and a bit of soy sauce with rice

4. Fried rice (no eggs) rice, mixed veggies, ham

Edit: just read madb's post, going to look up amines and salycilates

Thanks mum2sweetCs.

I'll keep them in mind. No Aldi, Woolies, Coles, etc here. Only IGA's for 2 hours minimum. And fish is really not cheap, but I do have a bag of whiting fillets in the freezer. Wonder if she'd eat them...

I have no idea what we'll do for dinner tonight. Maybe big kids can have the thawed out sausages (bought Friday, didn't freeze) & we can have fish & rice...



So many things to move back to NSW for, but sooo many reasons to stay here, so far away from services :/

Whiting makes the best fish and chip!

Easy flour batter and home made potato chips!

Yum

My DS(10) reacts badly to a lot of foods. We generally eat -

Home made fried rice (no sauce) with egg (if tolerated), ham or chicken (can get preservative free) and frozen veggies.

Mincemeat for home made rissoles and hamburgers - don't add anything to the mince. Can get preservative free. Can also make home made sausage rolls with gluten free pastry (can do homemade too)

Drumsticks and veggies and home made chips or wedges without flavoring other than salt and pepper

Chicken thighs cut into strips, rolled in gluten free bread crumbs and sprayed with oil and baked.

Flat bread is better than normal bread - kids can react to yeast. Can get rice or corn bread. Or make roti yourself.

Snacks - home made gluten free pancakes.

Get Nuttelex - it's dairy free.

Yogurt - home made Greek yogurt (make your own culture and its easy)

Frozen yogurt with some fruits in it instead of icy poles

Frozen cordial but only the preservative free stuff or use recipe above

Slices of potato, sweet potato, pumpkin and turnip sprayed with oil and baked - need to be thinly sliced, think with a Potato peeler thinness

Roast veggie salad with balsamic and feta cheese

Home made gluten free bread dough, sliced 2cm thick, roll in cheese and plait. Can also use Vegemite in them

Carrots and celery and hummus.

oh yes, most mince has preservatives. There are quite a few butchers around who do preservative free mince in the city, but not sure about out there. It's worth asking, anyway. Is there a butcher? Maybe ask them. if they do their own stuff they may be able to help you out if you buy in bulk?
I think filo pastry is usually ok....
If you've no family history or suspicions about gluten or dairy problems, then I'd just assume they're ok and not cut them out for now. (just to reduce the hardship!)

Mum and dad are butchers and they are very particular about certain butcher shops because alot of them uses preservatives on their meat apparently to also make the meat look redder and fresher.

So get to know your butcher?

Also with mince, mum use to mince her own meat by buying a piece if say topside and use a cleaver to mince it by chopping it a million times!

My dd is very much like yours. I haven't got time to read all the responses now but thought I'd quickly respond. Check out the chemical maze and a book called fed up. You could go and see a paediatric dietician if you need more advice on what to avoid, we did and she was great. Steer clear of colours, flavours, preservatives, salicylates, too much sugar. Processed meats are bad, avoid sausages, anything packaged in the supermarket, the chemical maze is great for checking the numbers on packets and you can get an app for it. I keep editing as I think of more things. Google fruits that are high in salicylates and avoid them and see if that helps.

Have been reading all the wisdom in these replies with interest.
but just thought I'd add that from what I've read, these things can affect behaviour over days or weeks, not only hours.
So decide what changes you're going to make then stick with them for a few weeks, and THEN reassess behaviour.

I mean yes, the severe reactions can happen same day, but the overall stuff you talk about might take a while.
The sue dengate/failsafe/fedup stuff is great and has lots of tips on where to start.

good luck with it and much respect to you- many mums just settle for the adhd label and don't put in the hard hard work you are doing figuring all this stuff out.

Im at the point where I'm really not even wanting to bother with christmas.
Shopping is done, but wrapping hasn't started.
By the time I finally get dd to sleep at night, im mentally & physically exhausted :(
She will just run through the house & flick things of the table, throw her plates/cups etc on the floor, chases the others around with a broom, brush or something else threatening & enjoying them running away & cowering from her.

My day is full of getting her to pick up after herself, picking up after her, breaking up fights & dealing with it the best I can, to the point that I havent cooked a decent meal in almost a week. I haven't showered in 2 days. Its 10.15 at night & she's still awake. I stupidly gave in & let her have a pie, after dd2 had one for dinner. We have 6 or more meltdowns at the fridge a day, with her holding the door open for so long I'm waiting for the bloody thing to blow up!

Every night lately I've become a screaming lunatic because I dont know what the hell else to do, or how to handle it.

I hate what my house looks like, even though I spend hours a day cleaning. I will never have a clean house. Not just because 'kids make mess', but because I'm that mentally screwed every night I have no idea where to start! Its not a tidy up job.

She never leaves my side & in the lead up to christmas there isn't that chance. Mum & dad are gone & everyone else is flat out.

She sleeps after 10pm & is still awake by 8-8.30 every morning. 8pm is bedtime, with everything off at that time. But she can still lie there wide awake for 2 hours or more!

I am trying so hard to get this diet under way, but its a challenge. Definitely worth it, if it works, I just need to learn to deal with the meltdowns. Its hard to say no to an apple, or a strawberry.

She's slowly getting worse & I'm not coping very well alone. Dd1 lost more nail polish today, I've had full bottles of laundry liquid, shampoo etc tipped out, the christmas tree pulled apart & a chux shoved down my shower drain with the bathroom flooded... all in the last 3 days.

All while I was washing up, or hanging out washing. Or doing something else that I can't not do just because she needs 24/7 supervision.


Oh I just need to vent. 10.30 now. I planned to have a shower tonight, maybe even shave my legs. ALONE! Then start wrapping... I'll be up til 2am christmas eve then grumpy christmas day the way we're going :/

Oh Clover, that sounds utterly exhausting. Just reading your description I feel overwhelmed. That your children are clothed and fed... you are doing brilliantly. Let alone to be stretching you poor tired brain to manage Christmas and considering dietary changes. I 100% agree with making long-term, consistent changes to diet, but go easy on yourself in establishing it. It'll take time for you to learn what works and for your kids to adjust to the changes. It sounds like you could use way more help though.
I have read bits and pieces of your other threads and I think you're about to/considering a move? Do you know what professional and social supports are available where you're going? You can't do this all on your own. No one can. You are, for now, but you deserve a break, some strategies and a big cuddle.
Here's a virtual one in the meanwhile. :hug:

I was moving, but I've decided to stay here for another 12 months. Dd has kind of helped that decision. There's no way I could pack up & travel to NSW completely alone :(
I can barely manage a food shop most days.

At the same time there are way more services over east.

I need a break, I just wish it was that easy. The only person I usually have to give me the occasional time out is an auswim instructor & their holiday lessons started yesterday, the day after school finished, & go through to Christmas Eve.

7am dd was awake. With a bottle she's back asleep. Yep, my 3 year old has a bottle. Well, it's a cup, with a lid & watered down milk, but it's a bottle. I'm trying to cut her off it. I've been trying to for about 12 months... But with it she sleeps. Without it she lays awake for hours, or even better, cries, kicks, screams etc til she passes out or I get it for her.

I don't know what, if any other services are available here, but all I get from the health nurse is triple p. She thinks that will make it all better. She won't listen when I tell her it doesn't help. I've tried. She's not understanding what's actually going on. She doesn't have kids of her own & really doesn't get that this is beyond normal.

I might need to find out more about my cousins milk allergy. He was ADHD. No milk/sugar etc. I think the milk was linked to his asthma, rather than behaviour, but it might pay to find out.

It's really hard, yes. You need to marshal yourself, shop and plan, and then start. I found it worked better, also, to make the whole family do it. That way nobody is being singled out. Good luck.

Forgot to mention, that I talked to our butcher. Their mince is additive free! The only things that have additives are the sausages & even then its absolute minimum.

She also said their crumbed meats are additive free, but I might still do my own, just to be sure. Good to know I they are eating good meat though :) Makes me feel pretty good anyway.