Diet Part 2: Behavior After

Josiah's behavior since going on the Feingold Diet has improved drastically. He is able to sit still (or as still as a normal 5 yr old boy can). He is able to control his behavior and choose to obey. We can have a calm conversation with him about his behavior. He is more loving to his siblings.

I can very easily tell when he has accidentally had something to eat which he shouldn't have. There were a few times he came home from PK4 last year and was literally bouncing off the walls and furniture. He wouldn't go to sleep for his nap. I would then ask him about what he had had to eat at school and sure enough we would be able to figure out he had eaten something with preservatives or additives.

I remember one very distinct time after our Community Group on Sunday evening. We usually eat dinner together and everyone brings something different to contribute. Needless to say, some of the food that is brought cannot be eaten by Josiah. So, one night we were having tacos. I looked on the bag of tortillas which had been brought for the group and there were 5 ingredients that Josiah couldn't have. Also, the cheese had artificial color (very common). So, I made him a taco with our tortillas and cheese. But then he wanted a second one and Chris made him one forgetting to get out our tortillas and cheese. Josiah only ate 1 taco with the bad ingredients. But within a few hours he was literally laughing hysterically about nothing, jumping on the bed, and not going to sleep. I knew he had had something he shouldn't have. I asked Chris and we finally figured out that he had made Josiah the second taco without our tortillas and cheese. Josiah finally got to sleep about 11:30PM. I had hoped he would sleep in but no, he was up early. When he woke up on Tuesday morning he was finally back to being our Josiah.

When Josiah accidentally eats something or has to take a medicine with something in it (another post), it is like he has taken an upper. He's on a drug high. Depending on how much has gotten into his system this high can last for up to 3 days. For a medicine which he has to be on for several days, it can take up to 2 weeks to fully get out of his system.

Josiah doesn't like himself when he is on a high. He has said that he hates himself and has even mentioned wanting to die. Josiah has told us that he likes himself better on his diet. He is extremely compliant about it. He doesn't want eat anything with preservatives or additives. He has even questioned people who are giving him food, asking if it has high fructose corn syrup in it. He see a bright colored cake or cupcakes and asks if it has artificial or natural colors in it. He has said that he can't eat at Chick-fil-A (one of his previous favorites) because they have MSG in their chicken.

Thankfully, if Josiah accidentally eats something, it is not life-threatening. He doesn't need to carry around an epi-pen. Whatever he ate will eventually get out of his system. But it does make life miserable for those few days.