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...