November Gratitude - Day Nineteen

My handsome, healthy guys. Love them so.

Today I am thankful for The Feingold Association. We joined the summer of 2005 due to Joe's yellow 5 induced migraines. I was hopeful I would be able to help Joe avoid all dyes and the headaches and migraines that went with them.

Avoiding artificial dyes, preservatives and flavors are only a part of the program but I really thought that was all we would need. But as I read more about the program and spent time on the members' board I realized we needed to try the whole program. That meant starting at stage 1 and removing fruits and vegetables with high salicylates. Apples, berries, grapes and oranges are a few favorites we gave up for a while.

We found Joe did so much better with this new healthier way of eating and surprisingly found he (and I) reacted to some of the stage 2 items we tested back in. We also found we both strongly reacted to cinnamon and he was sad to know maple syrup caused problems for him, too. These last two items are not typically problematic to Feingold members but because we'd kept a food diary we were able to track foods and reactions. Like many other Feingold members we both react to chemical scents. Artificial air fresheners, stinky laundry detergents and perfumes can be tough. But keeping our house free of scents seems to help us deal with other scents better.

We kept our house Feingold safe - all for one and one for all - but Chris and Marc ate what they wanted to out side of the house when Joe was not with them. Marc had things like Butterfingers and Kit Kats and movie popcorn and sodas at work and when out with friends. He was convinced for a long while none of it bothered him. But he finally realized there was a correlation between his headaches and feeling cranky and junk food. So he started eating better on his own.

I'll be honest and say right up front that Feingold was not easy at first and was not our total answer. For many people it is and that is a wonderful blessing.

For us Feingold was the springboard improving our health and we took things beyond Feingold considerably.  I don't know that I could have gotten to this point without Feingold and the amazing members board. Many of the members that helped me are still there helping others.

We no longer consider our diet to be the Standard American Diet. We eat a more plant based, whole food diet with emphasis on naturally gluten free foods and limit our sugar and meat consumption greatly. We consume as many organic foods as possible to lower our exposure to chemicals. These changes have evolved over years in baby steps.

Lots of research into supplementation, incorporating applicable aspects of Body Ecology Diet, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Specific Carbohydrate Diet and The Westin A Price Foundation and then addressing yeast overgrowth have made a huge difference.

Feingold has been wonderful for our family and I am thrilled to pay my membership dues each year and volunteer some of my time. I am always happy to answer questions and help anyone get assimilated because I of the great moms who were there when I needed them.

Good health and happy kids - that's a lot to be grateful for.


Thanks for this pic Gabby!