Going Dye Free

Our persistence has paid off, and the school is pushing forward with additional assessments and evaluations for Annika.  We're hoping to identify the underlying disorders or issues that are causing an increase in "undesirable" behaviour.  Unfortunately, in these early phases, there seems to be more focus on medication than the root cause.

Now, don't get me wrong, I wholly believe that medication has a good and proper place in the treatment of many disorders.  However, I don't personally believe that it should ever be used as the only intervention...and it should normally be reserved as the method of last resort...when the preservation of life outweighs the possible side effects.

When doing research on the medications that would likely be used, I was horrified.  The treatment for my daughter's inability to focus - amphetamines (which if you took without a prescription, would buy you a one way ticket to jail).  The treatment for irrability and agressiveness in children with autism - very powerful anti-psychotics (whose main side effects are DEATH, tardive dyskensia (a PERMANENT side effect), and worsening psychiatric conditions).

We wanted to find a way - anyway- to help our daughter before we resorted to medications that would have unknown effects on her developing brain.  We have heard from several friends and colleagues who also have children on the spectrum or dealing with ADHD and behaviour issues, that they have had success with a variety of dietary changes...success that has negated the use of medicaitons.

Our scope of dietary changes is a bit limited by location (we only have one grocery store on our base, and the local stores are vastly more expensive and ingredient lists are in a foreign language), but we are never-the-less beginning the journey of finding a natural way to help Annika.

We are starting out by trying an artificial dye free diet.  That means getting rid of Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and 2, and Green 3...and reducing the use of Caramel Colour.  I need to do a good recon trip to the commissary to determine what we should and shouldn't be buying, with my list of no-nos.

That recon trip hasn't happened, but I have started reading "real food" blogs, and scouring through the items already in our house.  I am thoroughly shocked and dismayed at how many items have these dyes in them...and so many of them the dyes seem to serve no other purpose than to make the food beautiful...no flavour enhancement, no nutritional value, no health benefits...just "beauty".  To be honest, I don't care about beautiful food, just healthy food.

I want food that will help my child be healthy, happy...to live the fullest and best life possible.  So slowly, one baby step at a time, we are taking away the stuff that wasn't supposed to be in food in the first place.