We had a rather difficult time travelling in America. We were all getting stressed, the kids were fighting one minute, and bouncing off the walls the next. It was almost as if I had two toddlers again. I, myself, was feeling like I had a newborn with the amount of sleep I was getting. Then I remembered, when ArgeySon was two or three, he started getting really aggressive, biting and hitting and screaming. We handled it as gently as possible, and it was only a few weeks into this behaviour that I heard an interview on the radio with Sue Dengate. Sue is known for her Failsafe diet plans, (Failsafe is Sue’s word for the RPAH Elimination Diet).
The Failsafe diet talks about eliminating the nasties that can affect things like sleep, behaviour, attention, and energy. The “elimination” part of the diet is basically about stripping your diet back to basic foods and then adding foods back in to work out what are your personal triggers.
At home, we really didn’t go through the elimination diet strictly. We were too desperate to get some changes happening, so I just did a bit of research to find out what the higher level foods were that caused aggression, and whether they were foods that ArgeySon ate a lot of. I tried cutting them out, and almost immediately noted a HUGE change. For him, his triggers were the salicylates found in strawberries, and grapes, and the orange additive in chips and crackers. This gave me a bit of time to read and learn a bit more about it all. I learnt that it would perhaps be possible to have these foods again, but that I would probably need to monitor the amount in order to make sure there was not a build up of the triggers in his system. In other words, I could perhaps give him two or three strawberries a day, rather than the bowl full I was letting him eat every day.
While travelling we had forgotten about the Failsafe diet. With all the amazing foods to try in various countries, it literally just slipped my mind! The eating plan that we had developed at home was non-existent. But once again, when I finally made the changes in diet, the difference in all of us was incredible.
Can you guess what cause the problems in America? Yep, that pesky orange food additive (annatto) that is in everything over there, from cheese to drinks. Plus, it was summer so I was dishing out the high sal fruits without even thinking!
Now, don’t get me wrong! I LOVE America. We have had two really brilliant trips there and have made some great friends! But if you have food allergies/sensitivities, you need to know which foods to eat and which to avoid.
So, my number one advice is, if you have food allergies or sensitivities, do some solid research before you travel anywhere! Find the places to buy whole food. Look at the gluten free options if you need it.
If you think the Failsafe Diet might help for you and your family, then I would suggest checking out Sue’s website fedup.com.au and the failsafe diet explained website – both of which simplify the diet plans and will give you a few downloads that you can save to your phone or iPad for easy reference. If you want to go through the whole Elimination Diet before you leave, then the handbook would be perfect.
Where to eat in America to comply with a Failsafe Diet:
Anywhere fresh is fine for us. The Whole Foods Markets are great if you want to buy to take back to the apartment/hotel. If you are watching the sals, then be careful of the fresh fruit and veg and make sure you comply with those that don’t irritate you. Denny’s is almost impossible when buying from the kid’s menu, particularly if your kids are partial to the American orange cheese. The adult’s menu is a little fresher, and more suitable, and is also a cheap option for eating out.
Whatever you do, don’t eat:
Goldfish (the snack, not the animal), Cheese, Corn chips, Crackers or Crisps, Ketchup and Ground Meat.
If you get a list of the additives and colours that can spark issues, you can start checking the food at the supermarket before you buy it.
Suffer from other allergies:
If you want to know more about travelling with food intolerances, I would suggest checking out Going Where the Wind Blows. They are an excellent resource for many different food intolerances and how to deal with them when travelling.
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I remember friends bringing us jellybeans from America and they contained so many additives and colours that are banned in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. No way I was going to feed them to the children! We did do the full elimination diet and discovered a build-up of salicylates can also be a problem for us. Not had issues with orange but did with annatto, but as we were dairy free it wasn’t too much of a problem. Good to hear you managed to reduce food sensitivity symptoms in your family whilst travelling.