When you look at the history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, you'll notice that the increase in cases started in the 1960's and is still steadily increasing.
It is normal for children to be energetic and noisy, but why is it affecting the youth to such a debilitating degree? Back in the 1960's, a well-known allergologist named Dr.
Benjamin Feingold discovered that artificial food additives cause ADHD and other childhood behavioral problems.
Food additives are natural or artificial substances mixed into food for various purposes, such as to add color or to preserve them.
All artificial food additives have to go through rigorous testing protocols before experts decide that they are safe for consumption.
However, experts have never considered that artificial food additives may incite allergic reactions that include asthma, rashes, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Artificial food additives have been around for some time, but Dr.
Feingold discovered that food manufacturers started using more of them in the 1960's, particularly in foods marketed to children.
Today, most foods you can find on supermarket shelves contain artificial additives.
The following food additives have components that are known to aggravate the symptoms of ADHD in children.
Food coloring Candies, donuts, chocolate, and cakes - they wouldn't look very appetizing if they only came in white or brown.
Fruit juice and sodas are also given food coloring to make their original colors stand out even more.
But did you know that the base ingredient of food coloring is a derivative of petroleum, which also happens to be the source of gasoline? It's hardly surprising that children are likely to develop attention and behavioral problems - you'd be hard-pressed to find a youngster who doesn't enjoy colorful candies or soda.
There is scientific evidence for the effects of food coloring in children with ADHD.
In 2007, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency designed a study to explore the relationship between food coloring and ADHD.
300 children with the disorder were given fruit juice that contained artificial food coloring and preservatives.
The conclusions were rather controversial: the children displayed different types of hyperactive behavior after drinking the fruit juice.
Although the researchers could not determine if it was the food coloring or preservatives that triggered these reactions, it is safe to say that any artificial additives worsen behavioral problems in children.
It is fairly easy to detect artificial food coloring in food items; all you have to do is look at the ingredient labels.
The additives will be indicated with a color and number (e.
g.
, Yellow 5 or Red 40).
Artificial preservatives Salt and sugar have been used as preservatives since early civilization, but today artificial preservatives called BHA, BHT, and TBHQ are used to prolong our foods' shelf lives.
Like artificial food coloring, these chemical preservatives have a petroleum base.
BHA, BHT, and TBHQ are critical ingredients in food manufacturing because of their anti-oxidant effect, which prevents the fat content from spoiling.
While there are many natural anti-oxidants that can be used in their place, they are far more expensive than their chemical variants.
Artificial flavorings Artificial flavorings are usually made of hundreds of synthetic chemicals to add or enhance the flavor of food.
Currently, there are no restrictions on ingredients for artificial flavorings - which is pretty frightening, because they can come from anything.
Artificial vanilla flavor, for instance, is derived from paper mill waste, and this is often used as an ingredient for cookies, cakes, and other pastries.
Dr.
Feingold discovered that removing all artificial additives from a child's diet resulted in improved behavior and reduced symptoms.
If you think artificial additives might be aggravating your child's ADHD, ask your nutritionist or health care practitioner to put your child on the Feingold Diet, an ADHD diet in which all artificial additives are removed.