If you haven't read my hub about Kat's other food sensitivity (barley, malt, and corn, so far; a grain allergy, but not to ALL grains) this hub is really more of an update.

Once we removed all food products with barley, malt, and corn, life in our house calmed considerably. We still had our moments, but they were fewer and the calm times were longer. But we still had those moments. The moments when my loving, caring, helpful 9 year old turned into one of those children that make you feel sorry for the parents (although on some level we all think it is their fault for not disciplining them).

The kicking, the screaming, the blatant defiance. When the child behaving this way is nearly as tall as the parent involved in this "moment," it can be rather difficult to really get a hold on the situation. (This would be the down side to marrying a man over a foot taller than me. Our children will all tower over my 5'1. Kat at 9 years old is already 4'8. My 6 year old is around 3'11 the last time I checked. My step sons are both even taller. The oldest is 12 and the same height as me, and the younger is 10 and and somewhere between Kat's 4'8 and Zack's 5'1.) Needless to say, when Kat has one of her episodes, it is exceptionally trying.

Every with removing barley, malt and corn from her diet, the episodes didn't stop altogether. So we moved on to other things in her diet. I stumbled across some information about red dye 40. In reading other mothers descriptions of how their child behaved after ingesting red 40, I was in shock. They could have been writing about my child! The anger, the aggression, the uncontrolable nature of the whole episode, and then the remorse afterwards. Kat is always terribly upset after it is over. She apologizes profusely for her behavior, and has said on more than one occassion that she didn't know how to stop. One mom in an article I read discribed her childs behavior as "aggressive hyperactivity." In regards to my child, this description is pretty well on the mark. Another said it was like her sweet 3 year old son became possessed. Again, for Kat, this is pretty well on the mark.

Once we removed yet more foods from Kat's diet, the behaviors have ALMOST stopped. And when we do have an episode, it can almost always be traced back to something with red 40 in it. However, there were still those few occassions that it just didn't seem obvious. So back to the wonderous internet to do more researtch. That is when I discovered http://www.red40.com/. It has a list of products that contain red 40. I was in shock! Beyond the obvious producst that are red, are others that you would never think contained red anything!

Pillsbury cresant rolls, Pillsbury Moist Supreme Cake Mix Yellow, Pillsbury refirdgerated pie crusts, their Quick Bread and Coffee cake mix, Duncan Hines Delux Cake mix in golden and yellow and their Home Style Vanilla frosting ... the list goes on. Even a hair creme that I have contains red 40, and it is WHITE!!!

Kats reaction to red 40 is almost immediate. She had a cup cake at school yesterday that I am pretty sure was one of the cake mixes that has Red 40, and last evening, she went into one of her fits. I can't even recall what started it, other than my telling her to go to her room. After about half and an hour of angry crying (and there is a difference between her upset/sad crying and the angry crying), it changed to the sad crying, and I told her she could come out of her room. When she came out, she walked up to me and said "I am so sorry mommy. I didn't want to be that way." In these moments, she just totally loses control. I have found that putting her in a bear hug and holding her head to my chest so that the sound of her screaming is muffled helps HER. Benedryl usually works when it doesn't seem to stop, so I am wondering if an Epi Pen would benefit her. Benedryl takes so long to kick in that it almost seems not to be worth it.

Children who have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) generally have significant improvements of their behavior and ability to concentrate when artificial additives such as red food dye is removed from their diet. Red 40 can also cause problems in adults. It can cause migraines, upset stomach, and make you feel jittery and uncomfortable.

Of course not all bad behavior and ADHD are a result of food dyes but it can most definitely be a contributing factor and is one worth looking into. Red 40 is not an essential part of our diet, it's quite the opposite. Red #3 and Red #40 are the two food coloring additives approved for use in food (by the FDA) yet if they were sprayed on weeds they would work as a pesticide. Many parents have had success in eliminating red 40 from their child's diet, the results have been favorable.( From this web page)

Kat is doing pretty well not eating things that she knows she shouldn't. When things that aren't red contain Red 40 though, it is nearly impossible for her to know for sure. Next school year, I am hoping to have an official diagnosis regarding the Red 40 dye, and will take in a list of things she can't have in addition to the grain allergy they already know about. (We don't have health insurance right now, but should have it by the time school starts up again in the Fall.)

I hope that if your child is having similary beahavioral problems that you won't jump to the conclusion that your child has ADD, ADHD, or some other problem. Kat's school last year tried to convince us that she was bipolar, even though she didn't meet many of the requirements needed for an actual diagnosis. I am always hesitant to drug my children, regardless of the "professional" diagnosis. Four years ago my childs pediatrician tried to diagnose Kat with athsma, all because she had a cold. He asked if she was coughing at night, and I said yes. So he gave her an inhaler. SHE HAD A FREAKING COLD. She has never had any trouble outside of a cold, and the peds she ha had since then all agree that she has never had athsma. Three of those Drs were in the same practice as the one who said she had it.

Bottom line: trust your instincts. Don't take a doctors word as law. There is a reason it is called "practice" and not "perfection."