Amanda Horein

-=-I would agree with this as well. I would not advocate forbidding them the
foods they crave (and if it is biochemical, it will come with cravings and
withdrawals as well). That will just make them sneak and they *will* sneak
if it is forbidden. However, I do think there is value in letting them know
that there may be a connection and seeing if you can find one.-=-

My daughter has a sensitivity to Red Dye. When she has had some (and it
takes very little to "wind her up") she gets really angry really easily.
When we first discovered this we talked with her about it. After I had kept
a journal for several weeks and tried many different things with her (that
were non food related) we finally explained to her what we thought was the
cause of her anger. She was 3 1/2 at the time.

We took the red dye out of her diet. On a couple occassions she did eat
some things with red dye in it and without warning, within an hour or two
the littlest thing was setting her off and her anger was to the point of
hitting, biting, etc. I took her in my arms and explained to her that we
believed the way she was feeling at the moment was due to the Red Dye that
she had gotten and I would hold her until she was calm and/or ready to get
up.

Now, we don't really tell her she can't have things, but we will inform her
that there is red dye in them. She willingly traded all her halloween candy
that potentially had red dye in it for things that didn't. She doesn't try
to sneak, but I don't think she craves it either. We also provide and keep
on hand at all times, food that does not have red dye in it. We have gum
and suckers in the car (you know those bank ladies like to give out suckers
:) and we take peanuts to the movie theatre instead of popcorn.

The reason behind me even investigating the "red dye" issue was because of
how much it hurt my heart to watch her be in so much apparent pain while she
was angry.

--
Roger, Amanda, Marti and Lilly

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education" -Mark Twain

1/2 Price Slide shows make GREAT Christmas Presents!
Example Slide shows at
http://server3.inalbum.com/ia30/show/choose2bgr8/
See my pictures at
http://www.HopesCreations.com
http://choose2bgr8.deviantart.com/gallery/


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