A typical Saturday at your house might look like what today has for me. However, today did not FEEL typical to me. Today felt weird. You see, just six short months ago, we wouldn't have been able to do what we did today. In fact, I would never have attempted it.
Track season has started, so Rick was up and gone before the sun even considered making it's debut this morning. Six months ago, I would have waited for him to get home around 7 p.m. and then gone out to run errands. (Because there was no way I was hauling Craig around town waiting for him to erupt or run off.) However, we've come far enough along in our food allergy journey that I locked both monkeys in the back of the minivan and took off this morning.
Our first stop was to a hotel in South Austin. My dad was attending a seminar there and he had something I desperately needed: Craig's Food Journal. (I left it at their house last weekend when we visited.) When we arrived he was in the lobby, so we sat down to visit with him. I was able to visit for 30 minutes while the kids played (almost) quietly on the couches beside us. Six months ago this would have NEVER happened. Craig would have run from the hotel at least 3 times. He would have attempted to climb the pillars at least twice. And I could have counted on him taking at least one part of his clothing off.
Our next stop was to the downtown Whole Foods. Today, not only did he push the buggy for me, but he read food labels and picked out appropriate items on his own. Six months ago he couldn't have walked through the store - he would have run. He would have talked incessantly the entire trip and at some point, he would have stomped his feet and jumped up and down when not given something he wanted. To the average "passer-by", he would have looked like a spoiled brat. However, we haven't changed anything in our discipline techniques. We've simply changed his diet. (Still think every other kid in the public school system needs to be on Ritalin?)
After a morning of shopping and errand running, we arrived back home and everyone napped. I made a gluten-free, egg-free, dye-free, salicylate-free, sulfite-free dinner and the kids ate at the table while I sat down on the couch for a moment of silence. (Yes, I realize this a cop out and the lazy mom's approach to a Saturday night. However, save your judgements for church tomorrow; Mama was tired.) When Craig finished his dinner, he raced his plate to the kitchen sink and then made a run for the backdoor. (He had a baseball game to finish.) Right as he was fixing to slide through the door, he turned around, looked right at me and pointed, saying: "Mommy, that was a great dinner".
I looked behind me to make sure he wasn't pointing at someone else. Then, I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Also, I searched the house for liquor to see if I'd been drinking. However, upon further investigation I discovered something beautiful: The child was talking to me!
Six months ago I'm not even sure he knew who made him dinner, much less that he could thank me or tell me he enjoyed it. Talk about making his mom's day! :)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Either Drink Your Coke or Take Your Vitamins - But Don't Do Both!
Wow. That is all I can think. To say I struck a nerve with you with my last post is an understatement! I cannot believe the amount of traffic this blog has gotten in the last 48 hours. I cannot believe the number of times my link to it on Facebook has been reposted on someone else's wall. I am astounded at how many people have contacted me regarding information. To say that people are hungry/interested in this topic is the understatement of the year!
Why are people so hungry for it?
Well, for some I think it's just genuine curiosity. For others, it's their love for my family that made them read and ask questions or make comments. (Thank you for that.) For others though, they're struggling (or their children are struggling) with health issues that seem to be linked to their food intake. And the more our Food & Drug Association adds to our foods, the more these problems will grow.
I'm sure you've seen Super Size Me, Food Inc., and other documentaries that highlight how much our food is being altered. However, as autism, ADHD, and even cancer cases rise, relatively few people are looking at food additives and preservatives as causes. We're "walking for cures" and "running for cures" and raising money at various other fundraisers and while that is all commendable, we're not paying near as much attention to what goes into our food and therefore into our bodies.
And - when we do pay attention to what goes into our body, sometimes we don't understand the chemical reactions that can take place after we ingest something. (This has especially been true in our son!)
For example - we've all heard that sodas are bad for us. If you are health conscious at all, you probably limit yourself to one or two a day (if that). However, did you know that an ingredient in your cola, when mixed with Vitamin C actually produces a known carcinogen that causes cancer? It gets worse. It has now been proven that this same ingredient in your soda causes DNA damage and that there are a number of diseases (including Parkinson's and neurodegenerative diseases) that are tied to DNA damage.
It's called Sodium Benzoate. Wikipedia defines it as "the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide and benzoic acid." It is a preservative that kills fungus and bacteria. Therefore, it is useful in food/beverages so that they have a longer shelf life. However, it is only useful in acidic foods like sodas, salad dressings, pickles, jams, and mouth washes. (They have to use other preservatives in less acidic products.)
Although manufacturers had been using Sodium Benzoate for a century, the FDA finally got enough pressure put on them in the 1990's to "urge" companies not to use it in products containing Ascorbic Acid (another name for Vitamin C). However, in the 2000's, they realized that "urging" hadn't cut it and many companies were still using it. A lawsuit filed in 2006 forced Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other soft-drink makers to reformulate affected beverages. I'll leave you to research the rest on your own, but I think you may be surprised at what they consider "affected" beverages. Let's just say there's a good chance that soda you're sippin' on still has Sodium Benzoate.
So, let's take it a step further. Nobody wants cancer, but what about a kid who's bouncing off the walls? While that's not as serious as cancer, it's serious enough if it's a chemical reaction taking place inside your child. (I am not comparing cancer to hyperactivity. Cancer kills - hyperactivity doesn't. I'm simply stating that this is one other reaction. No hate mail please.) In 2007, the UK's Food Standards Agency discovered that when you combine Sodium Benzoate with certain food colorings, it produced hyper activity in children.
Let's break that down ... You pack your child a "nutritional" cereal bar in their lunchbox. Let's say it's NutriGrain just for the sake of this illustration. Alongside their sandwich and their carrots, you place a sweet little juice box. Unbeknownst to you, you have packed your child a cancer-giving, hyper-activity-inviting lunch. Inside that cereal bar (yes, the NutriGrain one) is Red 40. (Hard to believe, huh?) And inside that juice, there is Sodium Benzoate. (Not all juices contain it - but some that are marketed to children do.) Or maybe it's breakfast. That precious toddler has some Fruity Pebbles and some apple juice. Same results.
Now - as a disclaimer - the FDA has assured everyone (smirk) that the levels of benzene that are released into the body are so low that they are not enough to cause cancer in humans ... just the animals they are tested on. Also - I'm sure that it would comfort you to know that in 2008 the FSA called for a voluntary (did you catch that?) removal of colors. It is interesting to note that they did NOT call for a voluntary removal of sodium benzoate.
So as long as I read food labels I should be safe, right? Sure! As long as you can memorize the multiple names of every food additive. Yes, you read that correctly. I will not attempt to draw conclusions as to why the FDA would allow preservatives and additives to have multiple names, but they do. Sodium Benzoate can be declared on a food label as Sodium Benzoate, E211, and Benzoic Acid. What makes it even harder is that they are constantly changing the names and adding to the list of what Sodium Benzoate can be called on a label.
Are you ready to pull your hair out yet? (Don't bother - just keep drinking the sodas and it will fall out. pahahahha! I missed my calling as a comedian.)
If you'll remember in my last post, I shared with you that there were 267 items on our original NO List (and only 94 on the YES). This is precisely why. Every additive and preservative has multiple names. The food colors/dyes are the worst. Most of them have multiple names and multiple numbers. The Red 40 I mentioned above is the one our son reacts the worst to and it can be labeled as Allura Red AC, Food Red 17, C.I. 16035, or FD&C Red 40.
The last thing I'll point out today is this: In the research I have done (and in what I hope you'll read after you finish this post), I have found that the majority of concern over these additives and preservatives that have been allowed for so long (many of them since the 30's and 40's) has only recently come to light. We are only discovering the effects that these additives have now ... 50, 60, 70 years later. All of the controversy has only recently erupted - within the last 20 years. If we liken this to what happened with cigarettes, we're on the same course. Remember when cigarettes first came on the scene? Good Housekeeping published an article recently about how doctors actually recommended smoking! That sounds ludicrous now given everything we know. However - my question is - will we be saying the same thing about these additives and preservatives in 50 years?
Why are people so hungry for it?
Well, for some I think it's just genuine curiosity. For others, it's their love for my family that made them read and ask questions or make comments. (Thank you for that.) For others though, they're struggling (or their children are struggling) with health issues that seem to be linked to their food intake. And the more our Food & Drug Association adds to our foods, the more these problems will grow.
I'm sure you've seen Super Size Me, Food Inc., and other documentaries that highlight how much our food is being altered. However, as autism, ADHD, and even cancer cases rise, relatively few people are looking at food additives and preservatives as causes. We're "walking for cures" and "running for cures" and raising money at various other fundraisers and while that is all commendable, we're not paying near as much attention to what goes into our food and therefore into our bodies.
And - when we do pay attention to what goes into our body, sometimes we don't understand the chemical reactions that can take place after we ingest something. (This has especially been true in our son!)
For example - we've all heard that sodas are bad for us. If you are health conscious at all, you probably limit yourself to one or two a day (if that). However, did you know that an ingredient in your cola, when mixed with Vitamin C actually produces a known carcinogen that causes cancer? It gets worse. It has now been proven that this same ingredient in your soda causes DNA damage and that there are a number of diseases (including Parkinson's and neurodegenerative diseases) that are tied to DNA damage.
It's called Sodium Benzoate. Wikipedia defines it as "the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide and benzoic acid." It is a preservative that kills fungus and bacteria. Therefore, it is useful in food/beverages so that they have a longer shelf life. However, it is only useful in acidic foods like sodas, salad dressings, pickles, jams, and mouth washes. (They have to use other preservatives in less acidic products.)
Although manufacturers had been using Sodium Benzoate for a century, the FDA finally got enough pressure put on them in the 1990's to "urge" companies not to use it in products containing Ascorbic Acid (another name for Vitamin C). However, in the 2000's, they realized that "urging" hadn't cut it and many companies were still using it. A lawsuit filed in 2006 forced Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other soft-drink makers to reformulate affected beverages. I'll leave you to research the rest on your own, but I think you may be surprised at what they consider "affected" beverages. Let's just say there's a good chance that soda you're sippin' on still has Sodium Benzoate.
So, let's take it a step further. Nobody wants cancer, but what about a kid who's bouncing off the walls? While that's not as serious as cancer, it's serious enough if it's a chemical reaction taking place inside your child. (I am not comparing cancer to hyperactivity. Cancer kills - hyperactivity doesn't. I'm simply stating that this is one other reaction. No hate mail please.) In 2007, the UK's Food Standards Agency discovered that when you combine Sodium Benzoate with certain food colorings, it produced hyper activity in children.
Let's break that down ... You pack your child a "nutritional" cereal bar in their lunchbox. Let's say it's NutriGrain just for the sake of this illustration. Alongside their sandwich and their carrots, you place a sweet little juice box. Unbeknownst to you, you have packed your child a cancer-giving, hyper-activity-inviting lunch. Inside that cereal bar (yes, the NutriGrain one) is Red 40. (Hard to believe, huh?) And inside that juice, there is Sodium Benzoate. (Not all juices contain it - but some that are marketed to children do.) Or maybe it's breakfast. That precious toddler has some Fruity Pebbles and some apple juice. Same results.
Now - as a disclaimer - the FDA has assured everyone (smirk) that the levels of benzene that are released into the body are so low that they are not enough to cause cancer in humans ... just the animals they are tested on. Also - I'm sure that it would comfort you to know that in 2008 the FSA called for a voluntary (did you catch that?) removal of colors. It is interesting to note that they did NOT call for a voluntary removal of sodium benzoate.
So as long as I read food labels I should be safe, right? Sure! As long as you can memorize the multiple names of every food additive. Yes, you read that correctly. I will not attempt to draw conclusions as to why the FDA would allow preservatives and additives to have multiple names, but they do. Sodium Benzoate can be declared on a food label as Sodium Benzoate, E211, and Benzoic Acid. What makes it even harder is that they are constantly changing the names and adding to the list of what Sodium Benzoate can be called on a label.
Are you ready to pull your hair out yet? (Don't bother - just keep drinking the sodas and it will fall out. pahahahha! I missed my calling as a comedian.)
If you'll remember in my last post, I shared with you that there were 267 items on our original NO List (and only 94 on the YES). This is precisely why. Every additive and preservative has multiple names. The food colors/dyes are the worst. Most of them have multiple names and multiple numbers. The Red 40 I mentioned above is the one our son reacts the worst to and it can be labeled as Allura Red AC, Food Red 17, C.I. 16035, or FD&C Red 40.
The last thing I'll point out today is this: In the research I have done (and in what I hope you'll read after you finish this post), I have found that the majority of concern over these additives and preservatives that have been allowed for so long (many of them since the 30's and 40's) has only recently come to light. We are only discovering the effects that these additives have now ... 50, 60, 70 years later. All of the controversy has only recently erupted - within the last 20 years. If we liken this to what happened with cigarettes, we're on the same course. Remember when cigarettes first came on the scene? Good Housekeeping published an article recently about how doctors actually recommended smoking! That sounds ludicrous now given everything we know. However - my question is - will we be saying the same thing about these additives and preservatives in 50 years?
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