The Feingold Diet is a nutritional test that eliminates foods with artificial additives to monitor the effects on an individual’s conduct disorder symptoms, particularly in children. It is based on the idea that certain behavioral disorders may be linked to a diet containing artificial additives. The program has two stages and is intended to discover any dietary causes behind behavior problems.
The Feingold Diet, also known as the Feingold Program, is a nutritional test to find out which particular food additives may trigger or worsen the symptoms of behavioral disorders in people. It is based on the idea that certain behavioral disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette’s syndrome, may be linked to a diet containing artificial additives. The primary goal of the program is to systematically eliminate foods with artificial colors, preservatives, and sweeteners and then monitor the effects that dietary changes have on an individual’s conduct disorder symptoms. It is mainly used for children with behavior problems.
During the 1960s, Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a pediatric allergist, began advising his patients to reduce their intake of foods containing additives to help with their allergies. He discovered that the parents of many of his patients reported a decrease in their children’s hyperactivity. In 1973, Feingold officially presented the KP Diet, later renamed the Feingold Diet, to the American Medical Association.
The Feingold Diet is based on Dr. Feingold’s notion that conduct disorders became more prevalent in the United States as more people began eating foods and using products that contained artificial ingredients. The show promotes regression to the ways people ate in the United States before the 1940s, such as eating more food made from scratch and less food that was artificially processed. It also calls for reducing the use of colored household products, such as colored toothpaste and children’s vitamins.
There are two stages of the Feingold diet. In Stage One, all additives, such as preservatives, colors, flavors, and sweeteners, are removed from the patient’s diet. Certain fruits and vegetables that contain the chemical salicylate, such as berries, oranges, cucumbers, and radishes, are also eliminated during Stage One. During Stage One, patients cannot take aspirin. This program period is held until a patient sees positive behavioral results for at least four to six weeks.
If positive changes continue through Stage One, a patient will move on to Stage Two of the program. During this stage, the chemical salicylate that was removed during Stage One will be reintroduced into the patient’s diet to determine if she can tolerate it. The other additives are not reintroduced. If a patient’s conduct disorder symptoms do not recur, they will be allowed to continue eating fruits and vegetables that contain salicylate.
The Feingold diet is promoted as an elimination diet to get rid of foods that cause symptoms rather than simply treating the symptoms. It is intended as a means of discovering any dietary causes behind behavior problems. The program is not opposed to the use of medications to treat behavioral disorders if dietary changes do not yield positive results.
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