Don't eat that, Do eat THIS!

We found very early on with Jack-man that he was a spirited child.

Clay being a spirited child himself, and me coming from a family of energetic boys, I knew there was help for us.

We realized that diet controlled his level of energy.

Jack has always been full of life, very energetic, enthusiastic and spirited.

But when he ate certain foods, these traits became magnified to the point were we found ourselves helpless to his outbursts and waves of "out of control"- ness.

My Grandmother found The Feingold Diet for my Uncle when he was young.  She had the same challenges that Clay and I found with Jack.

My Grandmother introduced the diet to my Uncle and noticed immediate changes.

When my Brother was born, My Mother found herself in the same position.  She implemented the diet for my brother and she too saw immediate results.

When Jack turned 3 we were having trouble with daycare.  Our Daycare provided pointed out that Jack was much more energetic than the other children, he was having difficulty concentrating on one task, and was taking her time and attention.  

That is when we really started to put all our effort into helping Jack in any way that we could.

Both my Mother and Grandmother suggested the diet to me. 

My next challenge was trying to make a believer out of Clay.

Here are the basics of the diet.

Nothing artificial.  Nothing.

At first it's A LOT of work.  Walking the aisles of the grocery store.  Reading Label after Label after Label.  But that's what I did.  I remember calling my Mom from Safeway completely frustrated that there was nothing without artificial flavoring and coloring. And to top it off, everything that I found that was on the program was 3 times the cost of items that were artificial.

Once I had the kitchen stocked, there was no choice for Clay but to see the results.  

It was immediate.  The high energy, and not listening, and the acting out, stopped.

and then.....

if we slipped, and he had something he shouldn't.....

The change was immediate.  

We had trouble disciplining, he wouldn't listen, the outbursts.

He was frustrated. We were frustrated.

I brought the diet to his school.  I provided the snacks, and a list of what he could have and what he couldn't.

Clay quickly became a believer.

It has made such a huge difference for us.

I have shared the diet with some friends, and they have seen results as well.

A lot of my friends eat all organic, and that's great. 

But this isn't about organic.

It's about All Natural.

So even if you think organic is hog-wash....

This is not that type of diet.

Nothing holistic.

There's no sacrificial Lamb.

It's just reading labels and being aware.

So here is my easy cheat sheet for you, from my few years of experience with this diet.

#1.  If it is sold at Trader Joe's.  It's okay.

(EVERYTHING they sell is All Natural.  The entire store.  I always let Jack get whatever he wants, because truth be told....it's not the easiest on him.)

#2. Every product made by Pepperidge Farms is okay.

(that means, all the Goldfish products and cookies and crackers are okay! Even the colored fish are colored with Vegetable extract.)

#3.  If its Organic and Whole Grain, usually that label is okay- including Safeway's "Eating Right" brand.

#4. Here are the words on the labels to stay away from: 

 Artificial.  A Color followed by a # (Like Yellow #5 and Red  #6.  Vanillan- not to be mistaken by Vanilla.  Vanillan is artificial. Annatto coloring is okay. 

To make it easier on us we have a specific cupboard that is just for Jack in our Kitchen. I keep it stocked with items specifically on his diet so when we have people come over to babysit, it's easy to tell them to only let Jack eat out of his specific cupboard. 

It's also easier for us.   

Now that Jack is old enough, he can get his own snacks, and he knows EXACTLY which cupboard to go to.

Here is Jack's cupboard:

Some of our go-to's include:

Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese (not regular) Only the Deluxe and the Whole Grain are All Natural

Cheerios(Multi-Grain, Regular, even Frosted are okay)

Pepperidge farm Goldfish(any type)

Ritz Crackers (the crackers only- The Ritz Bits are NOT okay)

Plain Rold Gold Pretzels

Regular Cheez It's

Krusteaz pancake mix- regular and wheat

We only use Pure Maple Syrup

Only real Butter as well.

Capri Sun- Any flavor

Sprite or 7 Up or Sierra Mist 

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Crackers

Anntie Anne's Bunny Crackers

Auntie Anne's Fruit snacks

Yoplait Vanilla Yogurt

Dole Real Fruit Frozen Bars
Hebrew National Hot Dogs
Dino-Nuggets (it's true!)

Of course the Normal items are okay- Cheese, Milk, Tortillas, Eggs, Bread, Meats, Fruits, etc.

Here is an example of a product we would NOT purchase:

This has it all- die, artificial, coloring.  

All Jell-O products are a big No-No in the Kirbyface household

I have found myself coming up with alternatives to some of Jack's favorite items like Jello-

Luckily I enjoy cooking....

so I make Cakes and Cookies from Scratch....

and I found this Jell-O like recipe (thank you Ina!)

It's a little more effort-but SO worth the results!

Here is an example of a product that we WOULD purchase

It's all fine!

Good Ol' Pepperidge Farm!

Now that we got the hang of it, it's second nature.

Don't get me wrong....We aren't angels...

There's always Birthday parties, and Holidays, and Amusement parks......

And sometimes....

When we make the decision.

Jack goes off the diet.

But we are prepared for the consequences, and understand that it's not Jack, but his body reacting to the chemicals. 

I know this diet isn't for everyone.

It's just worked for us.

And My Mom...

And My Grandmother...

:)

If this post in some way helps even one person out there, then it's worth it.

But most of all

This guy is worth it.