Terrible, horrible, no good, awful chemicals in our food

It's an interesting thing, dealing with food allergies.  Our youngest daughter, almost 4, has intolerance to some foods, dyes and preservatives.  Once we got our daughter's allergies figured out she became outgoing and happy all the time.  Before figuring them out she would scream all the time. This isn't an over-exaggeration.    I stopped going places at night because, as an infant, she screamed horrible screams the entire ride. She cried almost constantly. She fussed all the time. She was a very unhappy baby.

As a younger toddler, 18 months-3 years, she was extremely clingy and refused to go to Nursery class at church almost every week. Most kids love being able to go play with toys and have snacks, but she didn't care.  After many months, she finally got more relaxed and comfortable just before she turned 3. Once she was 3 she was able to go the Sunbeams class.  That required that she sit through a 10 minute spiritual lesson called Sharing Time and about 30 minutes of singing time.  She was the ONLY child that did not adjust after a few weeks.  She constantly ran around the room. She refused to participate.  She climbed on my lap and snuggled.  She would dance and twirl, which sometimes sparked the other little girls to get up in front with her to twirl their skirts around.  It was cute and yet embarrassing too.

We had already figured out that she couldn't have gluten, food dyes, and dark colored clothing.  We also knew that she couldn't use soaps and lotions with dyes or gluten.  I switched to a calendula based diaper cream because the petroleum based creams caused her severe pain.

One day a friend sent me a link to a blog post about petroleum based food dyes and the preservatives that are also petroleum based and cause similar symptoms.  I read that and gasped!  The "treats" that we thought were okay might actually be causing problems.  I had to test it out; remove the preservatives and see how she responded.

When we eliminated gluten she became more happy.  People said she was like a new child.  When we removed food coloring she became even more happy. Again, people were shocked at how different she was. Then we removed the preservatives TBHQ and BHT.  The results were awesome! Just awesome!

I didn't think she could be any more happy, but I was wrong.  All of the sudden she was talking to people at church instead of screaming at them.  She climbed in peoples' laps instead of hiding behind me.  She smiled at people instead of growling at them.  It was fantastic!  Again, she was a NEW child! Or, in reality, she was allowed to escape her painful prison.  A prison no one knew was there.

Recently we had a few weeks where she became very sad and grouchy again.  There had been about 3 Sundays where she refused to go to class and she cried most of the time.  She became clingy and cranky.  I kept trying to link it to the weather because it had been rainy. The problem with that became clear when she was grouchy even on sunny bright beautiful days.  I was at a loss.

I began praying to know what was causing the problem because I have learned, over the years, that our moods can be directly linked to the foods we eat.  Food has a HUGE effect on us.  The answer to my prayer came as I pondered what we had been doing differently for food in the more recent past.  The Gluten free macaroni and cheese that I had been giving her from Walmart popped into my head,  She was begging for it almost daily. We purposely ran out of the macaroni and cheese and I told my husband that I was going to do an experiment to see if it was the cause. I thought maybe it was the annatto coloring.  I noticed that the annatto coloring was also in the Earth Balance butter that we use.  She had never had a bad experience with that before so before going crazy we just decided to see if it was something in the mac and cheese.

After about a week without this particular brand of mac and cheese her mood began to improve. It took approximately 2 weeks for the offending substance to leave her body and she began to be happy again.  We continue to use the Earth Balance butter with no issues.  What a relief!

I still don't know which ingredient caused the issue.  The list of ingredients on the Walmart Gluten free mac and cheese is rather long.  I didn't recognize MANY of the ingredients.  I should not have purchased it at all, but was trying to save money.  Ha!  This is why I don't like "crappy" ingredients or "junk" in my food.  Many of these ingredients aren't even food.  That's why I tend to purchase items with natural and minimally processed ingredients.  Ingredients that I can actually read and understand.  

And the joys of food allergies continue....

Food dyes....in strange places

It was a nice day to be out of the house...cloudy, windy, and freezing!  Brrr! We even went back to the house to grab a warmer coat and hats and mittens.  Yup...it's cold.  We enjoy going to kid's resale shops with our friends... and then going to craft stores like JoAnn and Michaels.  Today was no different.  Once we enjoyed searching the racks at Children's Orchard we entered JoAnn.  *sigh* yarn!

Part way through our adventure, Miss Ballerina asked to go to the bathroom.  We happened to be right next to it...SCORE.  When we were washing hands, that quiet little voice whispered that I should check the label on the soap; which was on sale with a cute sign next to it. It was some lemon scented soap that was bright yellow.  It made the entire bathroom smell delicious...which says a lot.  Guess what the last ingredients were...RED 40, BLUE, and YELLOW.  ACK!!!

I washed my hands, and since they were out of paper towels, I ended up wiping them on my jeans.  Ugh.  But...oh well.  Then Littlest Miss said, "Hands!" She wanted to get in on the hand washing fun!  But after reading that label there was no way I was going to wash her hands with that soap.  So, I just rinsed her hands.

We exited the bathroom and began looking at the yarn selection again.  A couple of minutes later Littlest Miss started acting like her bottom hurt or something hurt.  I picked her up and tried to console her and instead of getting happier...she got more upset, agitated and angry.  Her poor mood escalated until I could barely hold onto her.  She thrashed and threw her body around in pain.  I flipped her over and looked into her eyes...her pupils were tiny...constricted.  Somehow that hand soap had affected her even though it was on my hands and not hers.  She never touched the soap directly.  Wow.

I quickly paid for my yarn and made a bee line for the car.  I buckled her screaming, thrashing form into her car seat and got out the baking soda.  I added the baking soda to her sippy cup of water and shook it up.  But she refused to drink it.  I needed something to get her to drink the water.  I remembered that I had a small container in my purse that was empty.  I took it out and poured a little water into it.  She happily sucked down the water from the tiny cup.  After about 4 small cups of baking soda water she started to calm down.

Not only do I have to be aware of all the different types of food that have food dyes but I also have to be aware of hand soaps.  I stopped into the health food store on the way home and grabbed a bottle of hand soap that would be safe for her little hands.

I never realized how difficult it would be to keep a toddler away from dyes.  They are everywhere.  I found them, yesterday, in mayonnaise.  REALLY??? They couldn't make it without?  Crazy!!!

We are now home...relaxing...and enjoying the happy baby.  *huge sigh*

My quest continues...to make sure my home is as dye free as necessary for my little one to be as happy as possible.

Oh food dyes...

The sweet little angel’s eyes constricted, turning into tiny black dots. Her eyes glazed over and she began to scream.  The transformation was gradual; gradual enough so it took me a while to realize the cause.  She wanted me to pick her up, hold her, make it better, but when I reached for her she would arch her back and scream and squirm.  It didn’t feel good for me to touch her skin, or so it seemed to me.  She lay on the floor thrashing and screaming.  And I sat on the floor wondering what in the world was wrong.  I offered snacks; grapes, apples, nuts, bananas, raisins.  Nothing worked.  I offered a bath.  To which she shook her head.  I got up and went to my bathroom, since she didn’t want me to touch her anyway and she screamed harder; following me in her tantrum.  I came back and sat with her.  She stilled screamed, but I didn’t try to touch her.  I smiled at her every time she looked my way.  Somehow this seemed to calm her.  She tried to sit on my lap, but instantly her back arched and her arms flailed and she slid off my lap. 

She lay on her back, her bare belly facing me with its red scribbly marks all over her round tummy.  She had been coloring with a red pen at the table next to me and inevitably the pen ended up on her skin.  Red pen. On her skin.  Could that be it? The red dye in the pen? I got up and got out the baking soda, a small sippy cup of water and mixed 1/8 of a teaspoon into the water.  I put the lid on the cup and tried to offer the liquid to her.  She pushed it away.  Several times.  I finally had to force some into her mouth 3 or 4 times before she took it on her own. 

Gradually her pupils began to normalize.  She climbed onto my lap and lay there, stirring occasionally.  After a few more minutes I was able to touch her skin without her pulling away from me.  I rubbed her back.  The baking soda began to work through her system and she passed a little gas.  She smiled and it reached her eyes and she giggled.  Her eyes were clear again. 

The symptoms are not completely gone.  She still fusses for no apparent reason; but I KNOW the reason.  But she is sitting quietly watching Blues Clues.  I can breath and step into the next room.  The hour has passed, but I won’t forget.  The red pens will disappear. 

Food dye sensitivities are real.  And the sensitivities do not stop with food.  They can be caused by pens, markers, clothing and other fabrics too.  It makes me want to run out and buy everything in white!  LOL!

Don't be afraid to ask

Some of our favorite foods now list ingredients like "natural flavors" or "natural colors".  This catch-all phrase has now become a HUGE red flag warning to me. We love chocolate chips and recently, when I renewed our Sam's Club membership, I purchased a couple of large bags of Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels.  They say they are "all natural" right on the front of the bag.  I decided I should re-read their label, as I had read it quite a long time ago.  There it was...towards the end of the list..."natural flavor".  

Littlest Miss LOVES to have almonds, peanuts, and a few chocolate chips as a treat, but I didn't want to risk causing even more screaming by giving some unknown ingredient to her.  I began searching the web for the information I lacked.  I couldn't find it.  I picked up the phone and called Nestle and after a little while was passed on to a human being.  (Isn't technology grand sometimes!) 

I explained that my reason for calling was to determine exactly what ingredients were in the chocolate chips due to a child's food allergy. He was very helpful...especially when I used the word allergy. Hmmm.  It took him a while but he finally came back on the line and said the ingredient is vanilla.  According to him, the FDA is now allowing them to list vanilla as "natural flavor".  Stupid FDA.  Wouldn't it be better, more beneficial, cost effective, etc to simply list all the ingredients as they actually are? But then that would just be TOO easy wouldn't it. We wouldn't want people to truly be informed, would we.  I guess that is why they have helpful customer service reps in place to help you determine exactly what is in your food.  Silly.

Anyway...I asked him to clarify if this ingredient was PURE vanilla or vanillin, which is artificial flavoring.  He assured me that it is indeed pure vanilla and that the company used to use vanillin but changed it so the ingredients could be natural.  He then explained that Nestle is going to be changing many of their foods to have natural ingredients.  I told him that was wonderful and thanked him for his help and we ended the call.

There you have it. Now you know which chocolate chips can be on your list of safe things to eat.  So, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call a company to find out exact ingredients in their foods.  

Now...below is a recipe I got from one of the girls at church.  She loves to bake and is good at it.  They were out of graham crackers but she still wanted to make these treats that she was craving so her mom suggested she use oatmeal instead.  I stuck around to see the results.  Umm....YUMMY!  I don't normally keep graham crackers in the house because they all contain high fructose corn syrup.  Yuck.  This is a great alternative that is healthier.  I left the graham crackers on the list of ingredients but I would recommend that you try the oats first. I used quick oats and she used regular.  It tasted the same to me...I think because we both blended the oats in the blender first to make them into a powder.  

My other tip for the day is stay away from margarine of any kind.  I KNOW it's cheaper.  But it's bad for you.  Use real butter.  I like using salted but many use unsalted.  That's all personal choice.  

Peanut Butter Bars

2 cups of blended oats OR crushed graham crackers 

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup melted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

4 Tbsp. peanut butter

In a medium bowl mix together oats, sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, and melted butter. Press firmly into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Melt chocolate chips and 4 Tbsp. peanut butter together and pour over the top of the oat mixture.  Freeze for one hour.  Cut, serve and enjoy!

Food Dye Sensitivity

Our littlest Miss has been a fussy little one.  She started out that way.  Recently though, we had been noticing that some days were much worse than others.  Some days she would cry, scream and throw tantrums and would not be consoled.  I had started to keep an eye on her to try to figure out what might be the cause of her sadness.  I had decided that I thought it might be dairy and/or food dyes.  But without any evidence it was hard to really figure it out.

My dad came to town to visit with us for a week.  One of his favorite treats to share with my kids over the years has been M&M's.  So, true to form, he took the little ones on a walk with my husband while I had the boys at Scouts.  They stopped and got M&M's for them and proceeded to have a GRAND old time.  When they told me what they had fed her I was a bit upset.  But my husband was not convinced that the food coloring made any difference in her mood at all....until the next day.

For the next 3 days we dealt with a lot of screaming, and tantrum throwing.  NOW my husband is a believer.

A couple of weeks later, when my mom was visiting, my husband made our favorite cereal treats with marshmallow and cheerios.  We didn't even THINK to check labels.  Everyone enjoyed yummy treats.  Later, in the evening, Littlest Miss, who was tired, began fussing.  This wouldn't be abnormal for most 19 month old children, but it was the way in which she fussed and carried on.  There was thrashing, flailing, screaming, kicking, arching of her back,biting, and she wouldn't let me hold her.  During her fit we discussed what she had eaten and looked online for a list of ingredients for the marshmallows. I finally ended up emailing the company to get the info.

After about an hour of this behavior she finally crashed and fell asleep on my lap.  But it was a fitful sleep.  She didn't sleep soundly for the rest of the night.  She woke several times and couldn't get comfortable.  In the morning I checked my email and LOW and BEHOLD at the very bottom of the list of ingredients was Blue 1.

Blue 1...I don't like you very much right now!  In fact I might just hate you! LOL!

So, now we are going to be CRAZY and INSANE label readers.

Here is a blog I found with some great info about food dye sensitivities.  I am very aware of how food can effect our bodies both positively and negatively.  It's a passion of mine and maybe that is why I was so aware of this.  BUT I was NOT like this years ago.  I gave my kids whatever I felt like...without a second thought.  Not anymore.  It's simply not an option for our family.  *sigh*

The above site also talks about the connection between milk and food dyes and other petroleum based ingredients.  Very thought provoking.  A friend of mine mentioned that her son couldn't even wear red clothing because he was allergic to the red dyes.  Basically anything that touches your skin could possibly cause a problem IF the individual has a severe enough sensitivity.  *wow*

Another great blog with a lot of useful, helpful insights on the terrible, awful, horrible-ness of petroleum based food dyes that are used ALL the time in the USA.

I will continue my research and hopefully arm myself with enough information to protect my family from the negative effects of food dyes and other artificial ingredients. My journey to rid my home of artificial ingredients and sometimes gluten and dairy has taken many years...8 1/2 years so far...and has evolved and morphed as I learned about different things.  If you have a desire to rid your home of artificial ingredients and preservatives, start small.  It can be very overwhelming at times. Just take your time and start small.  Here is a suggestion for where to start:

If you have a family you may keep peanut butter and jelly in the house all the time.  I know we do!  It's a staple in our home!  One of the first things I changed was the kind of peanut butter I purchase.  Look on the label.  Make sure it has simple ingredients like...peanuts, sugar or molasses or honey for sweetener, oil and salt.  Now, some people would just buy the ones with peanuts or just peanuts and salt, but I don't care for those as much.  We like both the Jif and Skippy natural peanut butters.  I prefer the one sweetened with molasses though.  The next thing is the jelly or jam.  Try to find one that has fruit and sugar.  The two that I am fairly sure are okay...notice I said fairly.  I don't have a jar in my house to check right now....is Smuckers Simply Fruit or the Polaner All Fruit.  And last is your bread.  Most breads have high fructose corn syrup.  Do some research of your own on that.  It's not good.  I will still use corn syrup once in a great while but NOT high fructose corn syrup.  It's been processed and really not good for you.  Anyway, look for a bread that is as healthy as you can get it for now.  If you don't recognize an ingredient go research it and see what it is.

I'll give you an example.  Do you know what cellulose powder is?  It's made from trees.  Tree pulp...if I remember correctly...it's been a while.  Some people say they add "sawdust" to bread and other pre-made products as a filler...well they're right.  My sister was the one who actually asked me what the ingredient was  and I looked it up.  We laughed.  I guess if you WANT to eat tree... that is up to you, but I'd rather not.

Also keep in mind that when they put "natural flavor" and "natural color" on a label you need to be cautious.  It's a "catch all" phrase.  It can mean too many things.  It can even mean MSG.  I try to stay away from it because it's a company's way of not being 100% honest about their ingredients.

Now I have spent far too long on the computer and the children are beginning to revolt!  Until later...