
The Feingold diet is an elimination diet initially devised by Benjamin Feingold in the 1970s. It was designed to help children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. The diet involves avoiding certain foods that some people think make symptoms worse, such as artificial food colouring, sweeteners, preservatives, and some fruits and vegetables. The effectiveness of the Feingold diet has been called into question, with most experts agreeing that children should not be on restrictive diets except in rare circumstances.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Purpose | To help alleviate symptoms of ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities |
Foods to avoid | Nuts, fruits, vegetables, foods containing synthetic additives or dyes, salicylate, artificial food colouring, artificial flavours, preservatives BHA, BHT, TBHQ |
Foods to eat | Snacks, desserts |
Effectiveness | Mixed research, no concrete evidence |
What You'll Learn
The Feingold diet is an elimination diet
The Feingold diet is a diet in which certain foods are avoided by replacing them with safer choices of food additives. Various foods can be included in the Feingold diet such as snacks and desserts. The diet can also be used as a diagnostic tool to determine the foods causing allergies.
The Feingold diet is designed to help kids with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. It involves avoiding certain foods that some people think make symptoms worse. Those who support the diet believe that taking artificial food colouring or sweeteners, preservatives, and some fruits and vegetables out of a kid's diet can help with focus and behaviour.
The Feingold Diet restricts many healthy foods, including certain nuts, fruits, and vegetables. It also forbids any foods containing synthetic additives or dyes. Such restrictions may not only make grocery shopping difficult, especially for parents planning family meals, but limitations may demonise foods starting at an early age, which may promote a negative relationship with food later in life.
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It was initially devised by Benjamin Feingold
The Feingold diet is an elimination diet initially devised by Benjamin Feingold following research in the 1970s that appeared to link food additives with hyperactivity. By eliminating these additives and various foods, the diet was supposed to alleviate the condition. The diet was originally based on the elimination of salicylate, artificial food colouring, and artificial flavours. Later in the 1970s, the preservatives BHA, BHT, and (somewhat later) TBHQ were eliminated.
The Feingold diet is designed to help children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. It involves avoiding certain foods that some people think make symptoms worse. Those who support the diet believe that taking artificial food colouring or sweeteners, preservatives, and some fruits and vegetables out of a child's diet can help with focus and behaviour.
The Feingold diet is a diet in which certain foods are avoided by replacing them with safer choices of food additives. Various foods can be included in the Feingold diet, such as snacks and desserts. The diet can also be used as a diagnostic tool to determine the foods causing allergies.
The Feingold diet was popular in the 1970s as a treatment for ADHD, but its effectiveness has been called into question. There is no good evidence that it is effective, and it is difficult for people to follow. Most medical professionals agree that children should not be on restrictive diets except in rare circumstances involving conditions like phenylketonuria, celiac disease, food allergies, or epilepsy — and then only under medical supervision.
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It was popular in the 1970s
The Feingold diet was popular in the 1970s as a treatment for ADHD. It was initially devised by Benjamin Feingold following research that appeared to link food additives with hyperactivity. The diet was supposed to alleviate the condition by eliminating these additives and various foods.
The Feingold diet is an elimination diet that involves removing certain foods and replacing them with safer choices of food additives. It was originally based on the elimination of salicylate, artificial food colouring, and artificial flavours. Later on in the 1970s, the preservatives BHA, BHT, and (somewhat later) TBHQ were also eliminated.
The diet is designed to help children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. It involves avoiding certain foods that some people think make symptoms worse, such as artificial food colouring or sweeteners, preservatives, and some fruits and vegetables. Those who support the diet believe that eliminating these foods from a child's diet can help with focus and behaviour.
However, the effectiveness of the Feingold diet has been called into question. There is no good evidence that it is effective, and it is difficult for people to follow. Most medical professionals agree that children should not be on restrictive diets except in rare circumstances and only under medical supervision.
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It restricts many healthy foods
The Feingold diet is an elimination diet initially devised by Benjamin Feingold following research in the 1970s that appeared to link food additives with hyperactivity. The diet was originally based on the elimination of salicylate, artificial food colouring, and artificial flavours; later on in the 1970s, the preservatives BHA, BHT, and (somewhat later) TBHQ were eliminated. The Feingold diet restricts many healthy foods, including certain nuts, fruits, and vegetables. It also forbids any foods containing synthetic additives or dyes. Such restrictions may not only make grocery shopping difficult, especially for parents planning family meals, but limitations may demonise foods starting at an early age, which may promote a negative relationship with food later in life. Most medical professionals agree that children should not be on restrictive diets except in rare circumstances involving conditions like phenylketonuria, celiac disease, food allergies, or epilepsy — and then only under medical supervision. Most processed foods contain additives to increase freshness, enhance flavour or appearance, and maintain quality.
The Feingold diet is designed to help kids with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. It involves avoiding certain foods that some people think make symptoms worse. Those who support the diet believe that taking artificial food colouring or sweeteners, preservatives, and some fruits and vegetables out of a kid's diet can help with focus and behaviour. Research about the diet is mixed. Some experts say it may help some kids but not all. You shouldn't use the diet in place of your child's ADHD medications or therapy. You eliminate certain foods or ingredients, even if they're in medicine or toothpaste.
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It is difficult to follow
The Feingold diet is an elimination diet that was initially devised by Benjamin Feingold in the 1970s. It was designed to help children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. The diet involves eliminating certain foods that are thought to make symptoms worse, such as artificial food colouring, sweeteners, preservatives, and some fruits and vegetables.
Additionally, the Feingold diet may be difficult to follow because it requires eliminating food additives, which are present in most processed foods. Additives are used to increase freshness, enhance flavour or appearance, and maintain quality. Finding alternatives to processed foods that do not contain additives can be time-consuming and expensive.
Furthermore, the Feingold diet has not been proven effective in treating ADHD or improving behaviour in children. Current studies do not report concrete evidence of its benefits, and it has been referred to as an "outmoded treatment". As such, it is important to consult a pediatrician before starting this diet, and it should not be used in place of a child's ADHD medications or therapy.
Overall, while the Feingold diet may be beneficial for some children with ADHD, it is difficult to follow due to its restrictive nature, potential negative impact on the relationship with food, and lack of concrete evidence supporting its effectiveness.
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Frequently asked questions
The Feingold diet is an elimination diet initially devised by Benjamin Feingold in the 1970s. It was designed to help children with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other learning disabilities.
The Feingold diet involves eliminating certain foods that some people think make symptoms of ADHD worse. These include artificial food colouring, sweeteners, preservatives, and some fruits and vegetables.
Some research claims that restricting food additives will improve the behaviour of children with ADHD. However, current studies do not report concrete evidence of this.
The Feingold diet restricts many healthy foods, including certain nuts, fruits, and vegetables. It may also make grocery shopping difficult and promote a negative relationship with food later in life.
Most medical professionals agree that children should not be on restrictive diets except in rare circumstances involving conditions like phenylketonuria, celiac disease, food allergies, or epilepsy, and then only under medical supervision.