http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1069
test of 2 days of junk foods: Justin Fletcher, 13, Christchurch, NZ:
FAILSAFE #41 2004.04.08: Murray

www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,280284a7144.00.html

Student tests junk food

Thirteen-year-old Justin Fletcher from Christchurch, NZ, carried out
his own test of junk food for a school science project.

For two days, Justin ate only junk food including Coco Pops, Coke,
cake, meat pies and lollies then put himself through a series or
reading, typing and mathematics tests. Justin repeated the exercises
after two days of eating chicken, rice, bread and lettuce.

The results showed that he read 43 per cent slower, typed at nearly
half his usual speed and solved maths problems up to 35 per cent
slower.

'It was only once I had finished the tests and converted the results
to percentages that I realised how big the difference was,' said
Justin.

Justin's family also noticed behavioural changes, like mood-swings,
after he binged on junk food. His mother Philippa, a community
health promoter, was shocked. 'It was such a short period of time, I
didn't think it would have much impact, she said.
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,280284a7144.00.html

From: "Howard" <confoodnet@...>
To: <failsafe_newsletter@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [failsafe_newsletter] FAILSAFE NEWSLETTER 41 Feb-Apr 2004
Date: Thursday, April 08, 2004 9:59 PM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

FAILSAFE #41
Newsletter of the Food Intolerance Network
February - April 2004

FAILSAFE supports people using the low-chemical elimination diet
recommended by the Australian Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - free of
additives, low in salicylates, amines and flavour enhancers - for
health, behaviour and learning problems.

The FAILSAFE Newsletter is now available free by email. Just send
your email address to failsafe_newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

THIS MONTH

Big win for additive free team

The McDonald's diet

44-day 'starvation stunt'

Student tests junk food

Research: 6-day fast for autistic boy, Most urticaria is food-
related, say researchers, Food additives and runny nose, Gluten and
mental symptoms, Mercury-based preservatives in vaccines

In brief: report adverse drug reactions, antidepressant suicide-
related warnings, aspirin induced asthma, autism reaching 'epidemic
levels'.

Lobbying: Preservative complaint rewarded

Readers' stories: [312] - [327]

Product updates: ***WARNINGS*** Amines in meat from Coles and
Woolworths, McCains Healthy Choice, Pampas butter puff Pastry,
Bakers Delight finger buns, Sunicrust Mighty Soft bread, BiLo bread
caution, Regarding mercury in fish, Honey blends. ***GOOD NEWS
***Sunfield safflower oil in New Zealand, Cheap canned pears, tinned
halves or quarters in syrup, Fantastic Long Life Noodles, Sunbeam
home Fairy Floss (cotton candy) makers, Fluff is a failsafe
marshmallow spread.

Questions: Easter eggs, BeCALM'd, Food packaging legislation,
preservative in 7UP lemonade, vitamin supplement and heart beating
fast.

Cooks Corner: Fluff marshmallow spread, Chicken noodle snack,
Moroccan Chicken, Butterscotch Pudding

=====================================================

Hi everyone

Apologies for the lateness of this newsletter. After living in
Darwin for 15 years, we have just moved 5000 kms to Coffs Harbour in
NSW, and it was more disruptive than I ever imagined. In the process
I managed to lose some emails, so please write again if you haven't
been answered.

Welcome to the many new subscribers who have joined us since the
last newsletter, and thank you to those who have responded so
enthusiastically to my new book 'Fed Up with ADHD'.

In this newsletter there are more 'bad news' product reports than at
any time since the start of the Food Intolerance Network, especially
regarding amines in supermarket meat, the spread of antioxidants BHA
(320) and TBHQ(319), propionates (282) in bread and benzoates (211)
in 7UP. The new way of distributing supermarket meat in particular
might account for many families who are scratching their heads about
why the diet isn't working.

For good news amid the gloom, see increasingly positive medical
research and some outstanding unofficial research looking at the
effects of foods, and I love the heartwarming story about an
additive-free sports team. See the Q&As for Easter suggestions, and
reports of the Sunbeam home fairy floss maker in the Product Updates.

Happy failsafe eating - Sue Dengate (sdengate@...)

================================================
Big win for additive free team

A team of tiny T-ball players demonstrated the benefits of additive-
free eating last month when they won 9 matches in 3 days to become
undefeated under-10 champions in the ACT.

'I knew they would have to maintain focus and stamina, so I
requested a junk food ban 2-3 weeks before the competition',
jubilant coach Sheryl Sibley explained after the win.

While other competitors lined up during the three-day carnival for
treats such as coloured shaved ice, Sheryl's team proudly asked for
their shaved ice without topping.

'These were all normal kids who had never been diagnosed with
anything, yet the parents could see a difference' said Sheryl. 'It
was a long, tough competition, but everyone was happy. There were no
tears or complaints afterwards as often happens. The girls showed
exceptionally sustained skill, focus and teamwork, beyond what you
would expect for their age'.

After the win, parents with other children in the competition
asked 'why can't they do this for the older teams as well?'

For details of Sheryl's additive-free sports plan, see the Eating to
Win low additive factsheet on the website.

The McDonald's diet

When McDonald's declared on television that their food was
nutritious, New York filmmaker Morgan Spurlock decided to test their
claim. Spurlock, aged 33, ate and drank only at McDonald's for 30
days. The result was a documentary called Super Size Me: a Film of
Epic Portions which won Spurlock the Best Director (documentary)
Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

During the course of the film, Spurlock gained 12 kg (25 pounds) and
developed headaches, depression and high cholesterol.

'He was an extremely healthy person who got very sick eating this
McDonald's diet', said SoHo based general practitioner Dr Daryl
Isaacs. 'The liver test was the most shocking thing - it became
very, very abnormal'. Spurlock has since returned to normal
health. 'The treatment was to just stop doing what he was doing,' Dr
Isaacs said.

Spurlock said he felt terrible by the end of the month. 'It really
affects you in so many ways that I think a lot of people don't
realise, very subtle little things. Over the course of the film you
see my transformation and it's not pleasant.'

Every day McDonald's feeds 46 million people worldwide. The company
has declined to comment on the film, which will be distributed later
this year. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4078903

44-day 'starvation stunt'

While Morgan Spurlock was filmed stuffing himself at McDonald's in
the USA, 30 year old American illusionist David Blaine was filmed
starving himself in London. Blaine spent 44 solitary days in a
perspex box above the Thames consuming nothing but water. By the end
of the six week fast, despite losing 24 kgs (56 pounds) and
suffering from severe heart palpitations, blurred vision and
breathing difficulties, Blaine said, 'This has been one of the most
important experiences in my life'. Hospital doctors later diagnosed
phosphate deficiency and low blood pressure but said he was expected
to make a full recovery.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3203472.stm

Student tests junk food

Thirteen-year-old Justin Fletcher from Christchurch, NZ, carried out
his own test of junk food for a school science project.

For two days, Justin ate only junk food including Coco Pops, Coke,
cake, meat pies and lollies then put himself through a series or
reading, typing and mathematics tests. Justin repeated the exercises
after two days of eating chicken, rice, bread and lettuce.

The results showed that he read 43 per cent slower, typed at nearly
half his usual speed and solved maths problems up to 35 per cent
slower.

'It was only once I had finished the tests and converted the results
to percentages that I realised how big the difference was,' said
Justin.

Justin's family also noticed behavioural changes, like mood-swings,
after he binged on junk food. His mother Philippa, a community
health promoter, was shocked. 'It was such a short period of time, I
didn't think it would have much impact, she said.
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,280284a7144.00.html
================================================
Research

6-day fast for autistic boy

An 8-year-old autistic boy with hyperactivity, uncontrolled laughter
and disruptive behaviours such as screaming, biting, scratching and
object throwing showed behavioural improvement during a 6 day fast
with only spring water allowed. Throughout the tests, the boy was
kept in a room under observation and allowed out only for toilet and
bathroom breaks. Reintroduction of individual foods showed that
foods including wheat, dairy products, tomatoes, mushrooms and corn
were instrumental in producing behavioral disorders with this child.
O'Banion D and others, Disruptive behavior: a dietary approach. J
Autism Child Schizophr. 1978; 8(3): 325-37.

Most urticaria is food-related, say researchers

German researchers using a diet 'largely avoiding preservatives,
dyes and natural pseudoallergens' found nearly three quarters of
patients with urticaria experienced remission of more than 6 months,
compared to one quarter with spontaneous remissions. Nearly all
patients who improved on diet reacted to tomatoes. Henz BM,
Zuberbier T. Exp Dermatol. Most chronic urticaria is food-dependent,
and not idiopathic. 1998; 7(4): 139-42.

Food additives and runny nose

Twenty non-allergic subjects with chronic rhinitis reacted to sodium
benzoate (E211) with symptoms including runny or blocked nose,
sneezing and itchy nose. There were similar but fewer reactions to
tartrazine (102), erythrosine (127), para-hydroxybenzoate (214-219),
sodium metabisulphite (223) and monosodium glutamate (621). Pacor ML
and others. Monosodium benzoate hypersensitivity in subjects with
persistent rhinitis. Allergy. 2004; 59(2): 192-7.

Gluten and mental symptoms

A family history of coeliac disease is a risk factor for
schizophrenia, according to authors of a study published last month.
Meanwhile in France, a 41 year old woman with Down Syndrome who
lived with her parents and had a normal social life suddenly
experienced some hallucinations, depression, anorexia and autistic
behaviour. Despite a negative bowel biopsy (although positive
antigliadin antibody tests), a gluten-free diet led to 'a
spectacular and lasting improvement of both psychotic and depressive
symptoms'. Eaton W and others, Coeliac disease and schizophrenia,
British Medical Journal 2004; 328(7437): 438-9, free full text
available at bmj.com; Serratrice J and others, Presse Med, 2002; 31
(33): 1551-3.

Mercury-based preservatives in vaccines

A Centre for Disease Control study led by a vaccine manufacturers
employee revealed a significant association between mercury-
preserved vaccines administered to infants and later developmental
abnormalities such as speech and language delays, tics and ADHD-type
symptoms. This association was not included in the final report, say
critics. 'I do not want [my] grandson to get a thimerosal-containing
vaccine until we know better what is going on,' said Richard
Johnston, a pediatrics professor at the University of Colorado,
according to the transcript of a meeting in July 2000. Study authors
and advisers discussed preliminary findings that indicated the risk
of autism was 2 1/2 times greater among children who received the
highest levels of thimerosal compared with those who received none.
http://www.safeminds.org/CDCSuspicion/cdcsuspicion.html

Diet not working as well as you'd hoped?

One tiny mistake can make a huge difference. For fine-tuning, see
the recently updated list on the website Checklist of common
mistakes. Readers tell us this list is very useful.
================================================
In brief

* Report your adverse drug reactions to the new Australian AME
(Adverse Medicines Event) hotline, 1300 134 237 from 9am - 6pm EST,
Monday to Friday in an 18 month trial from 20th Oct 2003. Here's a
chance to report the effects of preservatives and colours in drugs
(and see below for the story of the effects of benzalkonium
chloride).

* The FDA has asked the makers of 10 common antidepressants to add
or strengthen suicide-related warnings on their labels following an
emotional meeting last month with anguished families who blamed the
pills for their loved ones' suicides. Days later, a 19-year-old
taking part in a study of Eli Lilly and Co's experimental new
antidepressant duloxetine hanged herself in a company-run facility.
The drugs of concern are SSRIs or SSRI-like drugs.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4579108/

* Aspirin induced asthma. Many more adult asthmatics are sensitive
to salicylates than are aware of their sensitivity, say researchers.
While only 3% report aspirin sensitivity, 21% of adult asthmatics
reacted to oral challenges. Most also react to ibuprofen, naproxen
and diclofenic NSAIDs. Jenkins C and others, Systematic review of
prevalence of aspirin induced asthma, BMJ 2004; 328(7437): 434-8, free
full text at www.pubmed.com.

* Autism reaching 'epidemic levels'. Autism was first identified in
1943. The incidence of autism has increased from about 1 in 2,500 to
5,000 children in the 1970s to 1 in 150 to 500 children. A big new
study in California is looking for causes.
ttp://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/sci_tech/article/0,1651,TCP_1017_2593391,00.
html
================================================
Lobbying

Preservative complaint rewarded

When Judy from Victoria emailed Goodman Fielder to complain about
the recent addition of 282 to Sunicrust Mighty Soft bread, a
customer service representative phoned her back. 'I pointed out that
we no longer have a standard loaf size bread with no 282 and this
affects our kids,' Judy said. She also mentioned the impact of
putting lunches in square reusable containers 'to get environmental
awards'. Goodman Fielder noted her complaint and sent her a $5 Coles
gift voucher. 'To get them to reverse their decision, we need more
people to complain to them', Judy says. You can email Goodman
Fielder at
http://www.goodmanfielder.com.au/dir065/gfsite/gflimited.nsf/Content/
Contact+Us or phone 1800 025 768.
================================================
Readers' stories

[327] One-liners (April 2004)

* If it wasn't for your books, one of us would be dead by now -
reader, Qld.

* Going failsafe is the best thing that our family ever did! -
reader NT.

* Congratulations on your new book! Another wonderful read (full of
tears for me!) - reader NSW.

* For the first time since my son was diagnosed with ADHD I was able
to relate to someone about what it is like to live with this
condition on a daily basis.- email.

* When I was diagnosed with a salicylate intolerance I found your
book incredibly helpful and it stopped the usual 3 or 4 hours of
runny nose every day! - reader UK.

* Your book with its striking cover jumped off the shelf at me - I
couldn't put it down and we have been on the failsafe diet ever
since. -email.

* The more I see the effect of this diet, the more I find it
incredible to believe that the medical profession and food
authorities/manufacturers can deny that additives have any effect. -
reader Qld.


[326] Amines in supermarket meats (April 2004)

Even though my asthmatic daughter Kate improved out of sight on the
failsafe diet, she never got the fabulous results that other
failsafers report, and I always wondered why.

Up until November last year, Kate's peak flow was around 280-300 and
although she never needed Ventolin, we couldn't get her off inhaled
steroids. Suddenly in November her peak flow shot up to 380-395
consistently and we were about to take her off her Pulmicort. Then
after two months she slumped back to a peak flow of 250 and needing
Ventolin. Nothing had changed in her diet.

A light bulb moment occurred when I realised that I had been buying
our meat from Coles or Woolworths for years but last November I
started buying local butcher's meat. I hadn't realised the
connection that the butcher's meat was what brought Kate's peak flow
up to the 380 range and when I returned to buying Coles meat even
though fresh, it slumped down to 250. Why?

It turns out that what I thought was fresh meat from my local
supermarket hasn't been fresh at all. Meat is sent to the Bathurst
Woolworths and Coles stores not as carcasses, but in vacuum packs.
When the vacuum pack is opened, the meat is repacked in trays and
sold as fresh meat to the consumer with a use by date 3-5 days from
the opening of the cryovac pack. This lasts the supermarket up to 8
weeks so the meat can be up to 60 days old in the vacuum pack before
it is opened and sold as fresh meat. By comparison, my local butcher
reassures me that his meat is killed on Thursday/Friday and he gets
it Monday. I purchase on that Monday for the week and freeze.

I found on the internet that vacuum packaging of meat is not an
effective means of retarding the production of amines, and we know
that Kate is a sensitive amine responder.

Kate has now been off Coles meat for five days. Her peak flow has
risen from 250 to 330 already and she no longer requires Ventolin -
so this was obviously the cause of her asthma. This was the hardest
food item ever to figure out. I am usually pretty good at finding it
but this one had me baffled until I realised the meat connection. It
was only because there was a pattern to the asthma. Kate woke up
every Monday morning needing Ventolin and the only thing different
about Sunday was the roast lamb for dinner!

Coles Customer relations say that this is a fairly new procedure,
but some stores have been doing it longer than others. Some
Woolworths stores vacuum pack only beef not lamb, but Coles
supermarkets vacuum pack both lamb and beef. This may change from
supermarket to supermarket. I know that this is my problem and will
be a problem for a lot of amine responders. Chicken is not affected,
as it is usually 48 hour from slaughter to sale. After my sleepless
nights and desperation to track down this offending amine, I hope
now to get the word out to other amine responders which I know you
will do on your website. - Susan Bragg, NSW.

[325] Autism - on or off-diet during assessment? Readers' opinions,
please (April 2004)

My autistic son has been on the diet strictly now for nearly 2
years. He looks terrific and is very healthy with only a very mild
sniffle since going failsafe.

He starts pre-primary school this year. It is the school where he
went to kindy last year so they are very aware of his requirements
such as: no hairspray, aerosol deodorants, perfume etc and are using
enjo gloves in the classroom to avoid any chemical being used during
the day. Big relief.

We have a five-month wait for the formal disability services
assessment to obtain aids for school. I don't know whether to take
him off the diet for the period of the assessment. On the diet,
although excellent, autistic signs are still evident, for example:
no eye contact, no imaginary play, everything is black or white, no
flexibility etc. If we take him off the diet we get a severe
reduction in speech, tantrums, aggression, argumentative, rashes,
red ears, hypersensitivity to noise, dislike of being touched and
the list continues.

I am an avid failsafer and can't now imagine life without failsafe
(my son has failed all challenges on a number of occasions and is
also intolerant to airborne salicylates). Could I have input from
other failsafe mothers on what they think would be best during the
assessment? - reader, WA.

[324] Autism and diet at school (2) (April 2004)

About 18 months ago you helped us put our son Ryan (now nearly 5
years old) on the elimination diet, after we had been to RPA for
Ryan's hyperactivity, ADHD and autism. Three months later you helped
us find a problem with wholegrain wheat and antioxidants that had
pulled us undone. Salicylates turned out to be our main problem
although antioxidants are a close second, with amines and other
additives a problem too.

Our son is now in his second year at special school, where he has
made great leaps and bounds. When Ryan started school he was already
on the diet. Months later when we'd allowed bananas to become more
frequent than one half every second day, his teachers actually came
to me and asked was Ryan eating something he shouldn't be. It took
us three weeks to figure it out, and cut back on the bananas.
Through this incident, they really came to see what we were talking
about. Interestingly the school has strongly supported us, always
keeping us up to date with what's coming up for 'tasting' in cooking
classes, and seeking alternatives for Ryan. I'm very grateful for
this! - reader, NSW.

[323] Dodgy doctors and salicylates (April 2004)

I've kept my 12 year old's asthma at bay for most of his life with
dust mite control, no additives etc. Since the Christmas holidays
started he's had a virus and then constant asthma. I visited a
doctor two weeks ago and he put my son on a wheat free, dairy free,
additive free diet (all of which I've done before) as well as
salicylate free diet for which he gave me a list of good and bad
foods. He also recommended steaming eucalyptus twice a day for mucus
control as well as some supplements.

After 10 days there had been no improvement so I sat down and reread
your book as well as Friendly Food from RPAH. I found his list had
been quite misleading - no talk about cold pressed oils, different
rices, raw and roasted cashews, hazelnuts, tamari, additives in
margarines etc. Probably the worst thing has been the twice daily
sucking in of eucalyptus oil!!

There must be a lot of doctors out there like this who send people
off with half-baked lists and advice and consequently end up with
very spurious results. Most of the population treat doctors as gods
and never question them but, as I have proven on many occasions,
they are not infallible and people need to be a lot more aware and
questioning. It is has been hard yakka trying to get my son to give
up so many different foods and all for nought as now we will need to
find somebody who really knows what they are doing and start again.

Had I not had your book, we could have come to the conclusion that
the problem is not salicylates, whereas there is a possibility that
it is. - by email.

[322] 635: Rash was caused by 2 minute noodles (April 2004)

Well it hasn't even been a week yet and I'm feeling better, my rash
has cured 80% best ever, the main problem was Maggi 2 minute noodles
as I have been eating them at least once a week since I left home (I
guess mother's cooking says a lot there) just because they were
quick and easy.- from the failsafe groups.

[321] 635: Life-threatening reaction to flavoured chips (April 2004)

I believe I had a very real dangerous reaction last year to chips
whilst I was in early stages of pregnancy. I was admitted to
emergency and due to difficulty breathing a nurse had to stay in
with me. They asked me had I taken any unusual drugs etc and were
baffled when the only different thing I had eaten was flavoured
chips. I even took the packet with me, the reaction started almost
immediately. Previously I had only ever eaten plain, but due to a
craving I got a flavoured variety. I thought I was going to die. By
the time I got to hospital (luckily it wasn't far from home) my
mouth and throat was so swollen I couldn't talk or breath properly,
of course because of this I was treated as high priority and treated
straight away. Thank God I had realised straight away when I got a
tingling burning sensation and felt like I had been to the dentist
and had a local anaesthetic. My mother had said something about
these chemicals recently in our diets (I had actually dismissed this
at the time) but thank goodness she did. I think I am lucky to still
be here. - reader, SA.

[320] Learned to read 'overnight' (April 2004)

My 5 1/2-year-old daughter Claire has been on the elimination diet
for 2 months with amazing results. The main reason for doing the
elimination was her bed wetting, and after about 5 weeks we saw a
marked improvement (but not yet cure), also, she had stopped her
ceaseless empty chatter, her cradle cap (she has had it since
starting solids!) has pretty much gone, the dermatitis on her back
has gone, her drawing has changed from a dark blue or black scribble
to colourful age appropriate drawings of recognisable objects, and
she has overnight (it seems) learnt to read! - from the failsafe
groups.

See illustrations, the blue one was done a few days after
the 'normal' one, while she was reacting to too many flavours in too
many 'treats'



[319] 'Most improved mathematician' (April 2004)

I tried the failsafe diet several years ago unsuccessfully. I
realise now that I was not strict enough with the salicylates and
additives. So, once again I've turned to the book, this time with
new vigour. After three days, my child who has learning difficulties
and is repeating year 1 has been praised by three different teachers
and is receiving an honour certificate at school (a positive
reinforcement program). My older son (9) received an award on the
same day for the 'most improved Mathematician - Years 4-7'. They do
a fortnightly maths test (same test each time -they have a copy at
home to practice) - he doubled the number of questions answered in
the allotted time and got nearly all of them right with only one
short trial at home. I am determined to continue this time. Thanks
so much - we may have finally found the answers. - email.

[318] Chronic eczema (April 2004)

My 3-year-old daughter developed eczema at the age of six months
when I introduced solids and by 8 months she needed frequent
cortisone cream. The doctor said she would grow out of it, but every
time I stopped using the cortisone cream the eczema would start
again within 4 days. Now her eczema is so close to being gone that
we are just waiting for some healed areas to disappear. Her legs are
smooth and so are her arms except for a couple of tiny spots. She
would still be covered in eczema if it wasn't for your books and all
the heaps of help and reassurance you have given me. I've been close
to tears and felt like giving up several times, but I couldn't let
her suffer, I had to keep persevering. How do you say thank you for
giving a child the opportunity to live a 'normal' life. - reader,
NSW.

[317] 'Absolutely foul' to 'wonderful' 13 year old in three weeks
(April 2004)

We are trying the failsafe diet for my 13-year-old nephew, Lachlan,
who has come to live with us. Lachlan has ADHD and I believe a huge
dose of oppositional defiance as well as Aspergers and I am finding
him unmanageable. We noticed a bit of an improvement on the first 3
days of our failsafe diet but he then reverted to absolutely foul -
defiant and oppositional!!

Two weeks later. I think that Lachlan's behaviour is better overall
but I still get defiance at times. We have been on the diet for 3
weeks now and he has been off his dex for 1 week. He says he doesn't
notice any difference, but I do.

Three days later . We had a wonderful day with Lachlan yesterday -
so different from our daily experience a couple of weeks ago. I have
decided to leave Lachlan off his medication indefinitely at this
stage as he seems to be a much nicer person when not taking it. He
even seems to be understanding some of the basic maths concepts that
were just beyond his grasp in the past. - reader, Qld.

[316] Disastrous Christmas (April 2004)

A couple of years ago I discovered through the elimination diet that
my son (now 8) can't tolerate gluten. I also suspected that he had a
problem with artificial flavours, colours and preservatives, but due
to the fact that we pretty much avoid these anyway, I didn't
challenge him with them. Well, at Christmas we went for a month's
holiday to New Zealand. I got slack on avoiding preservatives so he
was eating lots of peanut butter with BHA (320).

The worst thing is that we didn't really think about what was
causing his deteriorating behaviour, but just battled through our
holiday trying to cope with it. When we returned home I started
buying a different brand of gluten free bread but it wasn't until he
returned to school and went from an average maths student at the end
of 2003 to bottom of the class in a remedial group at the start of
2004, and looking back at the horrendous hour-long tantrums we were
experiencing at home, that I seriously started questioning what was
going on. Living with him was like treading on eggshells. At the end
of one particularly distressing tantrum he said he hated himself and
hated the way he felt. His teachers said he has NO concentration. I
had noticed this myself at home during the holidays but STILL didn't
think of diet! He had also totally lost interest in playing the
piano which he was mad keen on before we went on holidays. He said
it was too hard.

I phoned Woolworths to double check on the ingredients in their
gluten free Kerry Formula bread. They told me they don't put
preservatives in their bread. Then when I asked specifically about
E320 she said, oh yes, it has that. Anyway, apart from 320 being in
the bread he was eating 2-3 times a day, I'm not sure of what other
preservatives he's had, but for nearly 2 weeks now he's been off
them all and his behaviour has become quite reasonable. He has again
become excited about playing the piano, and I have my lovely little
boy back. Even my husband who is a bit of a 'disbeliever' until he
is thoroughly convinced has noticed a big difference.

I can't believe I let all of this happen. And when it was happening
I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. It's scary that chemicals
permitted in our foods can have such an extreme effect. My son
avoids gluten because he hates being sick. There is no problem
there. But preservatives are more difficult. I can keep him off them
now, but when he's a teenager will he have to become antisocial and
drop to the bottom of the class again and reach rock bottom before
he is determined to avoid them, because at the moment he can't, or
doesn't want to, understand the connection. It's very hard, but when
I feel sorry for myself or him I just remind myself that at least we
know what the problem is. Wouldn't it be awful having that sort of
behaviour and not knowing why? - reader, NSW.

[315] Preservative causes symptoms of motor neurone disease (April
2004)

Last year we moved into our new house and within a month I began
getting generally weak with extremely weak arms. I had a few
episodes of feeling drunk and not even being able to chew. I'm a
cyclist and couldn't cycle for most of the year. They tested for
everything from MS to motor neurone disease but put it down to a
virus. Then I used a nasal spray. My nasal passages swelled up, I
became itchy all over and my lips swelled. The same happened with
eardrops. The preservative in them is benzalkonium chloride which is
in a concentrated form in nearly every household cleaner (from Pine
O Clean to spray and wipe type cleaners). I had started using these
cleaners when we moved into our new house because the baths etc are
plastic these days and they tell us to use spray and wipe instead of
Jif. That was when it all started. In retrospect I believe
my 'virus' was in fact this chemical. I have now almost completely
recovered except for some weakness in my arms.- by email, NSW.

[314] 13 years of intolerance to soy (April 2004)

I am soy intolerant. More specifically I suffer from a legume
intolerance which is only now apparent after 13 years of suffering
and frustration. My intolerance manifests itself in the form of
chronic idiopathic urticaria, meaning never-ending hives of unknown
origin. 'These hives are large unbelievably itchy red welts that, in
a severe attack can cover almost all of the body. My symptoms got
worst and extended to lethargy, aching and swelled joints, sleepless
nights and eventually an emotional feeling of hopelessness of ever
being able to stop the relentless onslaught.

My story began when I was 30 years old and developed a few welts for
no apparent reason since I was otherwise healthy. I went to well-
known allergy experts and my GP. It was obvious to them that I was
suffering a food sensitivity. After I failed a skin test for
allergic reactions, they focused on a food intolerance type problem.

Years went by of chopping and changing, trying different things and
variations to elimination diets. One thing did stick out - soy sauce
caused me an immediate affect. Clearly I shouldn't have soy, but
what else was causing the reactions? After all I only had soy sauce
with a very occasional Chinese meal or rice.

The most important aspect of identifying my problem was keeping a
record of what I ate every day for years. Eventually, when the
breakthrough came, it was due to improved food labelling on
Australian packaging combined with information on food ingredients
in Professor Brostoff's book on food intolerance.

One afternoon, one of my kids left an empty Cheezels packet on the
bench in the kitchen. I picked it up to dispose of it and, as I'd
been doing habitually for years, read the food ingredients label. To
my utter surprise and confusion, it said 'contains milk, dairy and
soy products'. I always liked twisties and cheezels, but never read
anything in the past that alerted me to soy products within the
ingredients. I closely read the ingredients list. No mention of soy.
That's odd, I thought.

I then went straight to the book mentioned above and referred to
soya in the Appendices. Amongst other things it said '... a frequent
offender in food intolerance.' I then recalled being tested for soy
with the 'overdose' of soy milk routine. It didn't make sense. I
keep reading down to 'Food Labelling' and there it was, 'May be
described as lecithin, vegetable gum, vegetable protein, textured
vegetable protein or vegetable starch'.

I referred back to the Cheezel labelling and there it
was: 'vegetable gum'. I then went to the West Australian Health
Department's 'Food Additives Guide'. I looked through and found all
the numbers relative to these titles, particularly lecithin (322)
used as an antioxidant in many foods and checked out my pantry and
fridge. More than half the food I had contained at least one of
these soy based ingredients, but not one made mention or reference
to them being a derivative of soy.

I stopped eating anything that contained ANY soy based ingredients
and within 24 hours there was a major change! [this complete
interesting story is available on the website] - Wayne, WA (Wayne
welcomes feedback on his story - send emails through
sdengate@...).

[313] Big improvement in reading and maths (April 2004)

We were having troubles with our son at school not concentrating and
mucking up, but since reading your book and taking things out of his
diet he went from reading level 3 to 16 in one school year and came
first out of all the boys in his class in a maths test, so I would
just like to thank you for giving us the information we needed. -
Sherree, NSW.

[312] Naturopathic way makes us sicker (April 2004)

I have been using your book like a bible for my four-year-old and
have had wonderful success. Without it I don't think our family
would have survived. Our little boy has salicylate sensitivity and
is also affected by a lot of preservatives and colours. He
previously suffered from severe bloating, diarrhoea and stomach
cramps which are controlled with this diet. His severe rages and
tantrums also went away almost instantly when we started failsafe
eating. My son is very grateful because he doesn't like having
stomach cramps. He said to me one day when he was only three, 'Mummy
what are we going to do about my tummy, it really hurts' and that
was when I found your book.

I am a nutritionist and have studied through natural health
colleges. I have found that trying to help my son and myself the
naturopathic way only makes us much sicker, as you stated in your
book. Damien cannot take vitamins or eat lots of fruit and
vegetables. - Karen England, NSW.

MORE READERS' STORIES on the website
================================================
Product updates

***WARNINGS***

* Amines in meat. An increasing number of Coles and Woolworths
supermarkets are buying all their beef (and in some cases lamb) in
vacuum packs, repackaging and selling up to 60-day old meat as fresh
meat. This meat is far too high in amines to be failsafe. Check with
your local supermarket, and see the story of Susan Bragg's fine
detective work in Readers Stories.

* McCains Healthy Choice not so healthy: their Healthy Choice Fries
and Wedges now contain unlisted antioxidant BHA(320). McCains tell
us that the beef tallow in their hash browns is usually free of BHA,
except over Christmas. Many manufacturers have complained to us that
they are unable to source vegetable oil without BHA, even though
ascorbates and tocopherols (306-309) are safe alternatives. Thanks
to Andra Somerville and many other readers.

* Pampas Pastry: the butter puff pastry is no longer failsafe due to
the inclusion of listed sorbates (202) and propionates (281).
However, Pampas Puff Pastry made with vegetable oil, not butter, is
failsafe. Thanks to Llewellyn Wall.

* Bakers Delight finger buns are not failsafe because the flavour
(listed on the website) is called 'spice wash' and definitely
affects failsafers. Stick to the plain bread or get your finger buns
from Brumbys. Thanks to the failsafe groups.

* Mighty Soft bread not so mighty anymore: Sunicrust Might Soft
bread in Victoria now contains calcium propionate (282) as in the
other states, see Judy's report below. Thanks to Alison, Peter,
Jenny, Judy and many other angry readers - there were heaps of
complaints about this one!

* BiLo bread caution - the supermarket in Chadstone (maybe all BiLo
stores) used to supply beautiful fresh bread rolls, preservative
free, baked in-house. Now the breads are not baked in-house but
brought in and contain preservative 282. Thanks to Jenny Ravlic

* Regarding mercury in fish, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
(FSANZ) now advise pregnant women, women planning pregnancy and
young children to limit their intake of shark (flake), broadbill,
marlin and swordfish to no more than one serve per fortnight with no
other fish to be consumed during that fortnight. For orange roughy
(also sold as sea perch) and catfish, the advice is to consume no
more than one serve per week, with no other fish being consumed
during that week. If amines are OK for you: canned tuna generally
has lower levels of mercury than other tuna because the tuna used
for canning are smaller species that are generally caught when less
than 1 year old. It is considered safe for all population groups to
consume a snack can of tuna (95 grams) everyday, assuming no other
fish is eaten. More at www.foodstandards.gov.au

* Honey blends - for non-salicylate responders: Australian honey
blended with Argentine honey is considered a serious health risk due
to presence of nitrofurans- stick to 100% pure Australian honey.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2004/20040312bq
ae.shtml

***GOOD NEWS ***

* Sunfield safflower oil in New Zealand in the oil section of your
supermarket is antioxidant-free and failsafe. Thanks to Robin Fisher.

* Cheap canned pears, tinned halves or quarters in syrup, are
available from the SPC Ardmona Factory Sales in Mooroopna, near
Shepparton, Victoria. You can buy slabs of 12 x 425g cans for $12
full price, but on a good day, you can often get them for $4 or $6
on special. Thanks to Jenny Ravlic.

* Fantastic Long Life Noodles made from just wheat flour and salt
are failsafe. Check ingredients lists on other noodles, as they
often contain non-failsafe ingredients. Thanks to Tania Cannons.

* Sunbeam home Fairy Floss (cotton candy) makers have been strongly
recommended. One tablespoon of sugar and ten minutes entertainment
provides the kids with a failsafe treat. Great value for $59.00.
Thanks to Andra Somerville and Sheryl Sibley.

* Fluff is a failsafe marshmallow spread, ingredients: glucose
syrup, sugar, dried egg white and artificial flavour (vanillin) in
the spreads section of Coles supermarkets, in a glass jar with a red
lid. The website for recipes is: http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/
This product is limited for people who react to suphites (glucose
syrup) and salicylates (vanillin). Thanks to Ingrid Boyle
================================================
Your questions:

Q. We usually have a huge Easter egg hunt and my son keeps asking
will he be able to have any eggs. Can he have a chocolate challenge
over Easter?

A. You can't use regular Easter eggs for the amine challenge because
they contain too much flavour (salicylates). Dark chocolate is
recommended so Nestle dark choc bits (unflavoured) are ideal. You
can make your own chocolate eggs out of that, by melting it down (in
a double boiler) and using commercial chocolate egg moulds or you
can use two spoons.

For non-amine responders, one failsafer has recommended the Lindt
chocolate carrots available this year in Coles supermarkets because
they are unflavoured.

Otherwise, you can buy carob Easter eggs. One failsafer wrote 'I
have one 80gm carob egg, ingredients: milk solids, vegetable oil
(palm kernel), carob powder (3%) and emulsifier (soya lecithin). I
also have a small plastic rabbit container to put Pascall white
marshmallows in.'

Or you can regard Easter as a treat, buy a packet of the very little
chocolate Easter eggs as a way of minimising the harm, and use them
for a big Easter egg hunt, so the hunt is more fun than eating the
eggs.

I am usually inundated by emails from parents telling me how
horrible their kids are in the week after Easter because the amine
reaction is generally delayed and can last up to a week or more.

Q. Do you know anything about BeCALM'd?

A. Two families have reported that this product really works.
Ingredients include natural amino acids 5HTP (L-5-
hydroxytryptophan) and phenylalanine. In 1989 L-tryptophan
supplements were associated with eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS)
including 37 deaths which may have been due to a bad batch. In 2001,
the FDA warned that EMS and related disorders are also reported to
be associated with exposure to L-5-hydroxytryptophan, which is not
made in the same manner as L-tryptophan.
(http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-tryp1.html). Phenylalanine may
interact with certain psychotropic medications to cause movement
disorders. Consult your medical professional before combining it
with ADHD medication.

Q. A lady in a bakery told me this week that she was waiting on a
delivery of new bread bags, as they had to list all ingredients now!
(yay) Do you have the particulars of the new legislation?

A. The 'new' legislation is the new Food Standards Code, which was
introduced in December 2002. Manufacturers were given until December
2003 to use up old packaging. The new code requires nutrition
information and reduces the labelling loophole from 10% to 5%, but
still doesn't require all ingredients to be listed. For example, it
still means BHA (320) or TBHQ (319) can be hidden in products such
as chips and biscuits in amounts which can affect our kids,
especially if eaten every day (see disastrous Christmas story
[316] ).

Q. Can you tell me how badly this preservative in 7UP lemonade would
affect my child, and an alternative drink I could give her?

A. The preservative is sodium benzoate (211). It has been implicated
in everything from asthma to itchy skin rashes to behaviour.
Behavioural reactions are likely to be next day irritability,
lasting all day, with outbursts if things go wrong. One woman who
hadn't noticed the new preservative wrote 'My son had temper
tantrums 20-24 hours after having the 7UP. We have stopped buying it
now'. As an alternative, Schweppes bottled lemonade is preservative-
free but limited to 150 ml per week because of salicylates and
amines in the natural lemon flavour. You could try the Magic Cordial
recipe in all my books and on the website brochures.

Q. Last summer I took a vitamin supplement and about 5 minutes later
my heart started beating so fast and I couldn't breathe, and felt
weak and cold-sweaty. I honestly and truly thought I was going to
die. My mom sped me to the hospital emergency where they performed
some tests, but according to them I could not be in better health.
After about an hour of being tested all the symptoms went away just
as suddenly as they came. I never had that before then or since, and
I am 100% sure it was brought on by the supplement, although at the
hospital they did not believe me.

A. Heart palpitations are a well-documented reaction to some of the
B group Vitamins B1( thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin,
niacinamide, nicotinamide, nicotinic acid) and B6 (pyridoxine,
pyryridoxol, pyridoxamine). Another failsafer described a sudden
rash, dizziness, shortness of breath and 'my whole head became hot,
flushed and red, so much that a colleague came over concerned' five
hours after taking a multivitamin tablet which was free of additives
and herbs. Niacin is known to cause flushing. There could also be
hidden colours or herbs that affect some people.

Check out the Questions and Answers section in the website for many
more details.
================================================
Around the groups: getting in touch

A failsafer would like to hear from others in Northern Ireland,
respond via sdengate@...

Anyone know where to buy fresh goat's milk in the Mt Colah -Hornsby
(NSW) area?

Bounced emails: 2 from bigpond (topics failsafe/glycerine) and one
from ncweb (triad asthma). Please try again. Preferably send
alternate email addresses if your emails are not getting answered.

Dutch and Spanish translators - A big thank you to the five Dutch-
speaking failsafers - more than I expected - who responded to my
request for a Dutch translator! Are there any Spanish speakers out
there who would like to translate bits of 'Presencia de sulfitos en
carne picada y preparados de carne elaborados en industrias de la
comunidad Valenciana'?

Restaurant review: The Peasants Feast in Sydney

A popular restaurant in the eating strip of King Street Newtown, The
Peasants Feast is one of only two organic restaurants in Australia.
Water is triple filtered, many of the dishes are gluten and dairy
free, customers with food sensitivities are very welcome, and a
booklet listing every ingredient in every item is available on
request (we would like to see every restaurant do this!).

Although at first glance the menu is loaded with nonfailsafe items
such as eggplant caponata torte, diners can order any food, cooked
any way and avoid the high-salicylate sauces which are normally
served. I chose grilled Oak Farm organic chicken, served on cous
cous and yoghurt while Howard ate the kangaroo loin fillet with
grilled sweet potato and we shared a side dish of green beans.
Everything was beautifully cooked, presented and delicious. For
dessert, we enjoyed the steamed banana pudding with a homemade,
failsafe and truly exceptional caramel icecream. Entrees range from
$10.50-$14.00, mains $19.50-$25.50 and desserts $9.00.

We ordered on the night which limited our choice and we were
prepared to eat moderate salicylates and amines. If you want a
special meal, the chef would prefer several days notice since many
of the foods are marinated beforehand, phone 02 9516 5998.
(Reviewers paid for their own meals.)

Email discussion groups

Email support groups are immensely popular and have over 700 members
in total. There are now three big general groups and an increasing
number of special interest or regional groups. Failsafebaby (to
subscribe, email 'subscribe' in the subject-line to failsafebaby-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com) is off to a strong start and has been
expanded to include toddlers and children of any age who still need
Neocate. New regional groups include finAd (Adelaide and South
Australia), finNT (Northern Territory) and finCant (Canterbury NZ).
See more details on the failsafe support Factsheet on the website.

A new general group for beginners has also just started, because
Failsafebasic and Failsafe2 are over 150 members each. Email
failsafe3-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Support contacts

There are now 70 support contacts in 47 locations in Australia, and
in New Zealand and 7 overseas countries - see website.

Talks and television

APRIL

MELBOURNE Sunbury: Thursday 22nd April, 1-3 pm: Food Intolerance and
Allergy Seminar with Jenny Saal, leader of the Melbourne Food
Intolerance Network, Sunbury Community Health Centre, 12-28 Macedon
St. Sunbury, Cost $10, Contact: Helen Hill for bookings, Phone: 03
9744 4555. Any enquiries re food intolerance phone: Jenny 03 9740
5645 or email davidjennysaal@...
MAY

SYDNEY Epping Monday 17 May 2004 7.30pm: Sue Dengate "Fed Up with
Childrens' Behaviour" - West Epping Uniting Church, cnr Carlingford
Rd and Orchard St. $5pp including supper. The evening will not cater
to children. Phone 02 9868 3674 to register weppinguca@...

SYDNEY Tuesday 18 May: parents of autistic children talk with Sue
Dengate (tbc)

CANBERRA Wednesday 19 May 2004 1-2pm: Sue and Howard Dengate will give a
seminar to FSANZ staff on "Intolerance Reactions to Food
Additives". Not open to others.
AUGUST

ALBURY & GIPPSLAND (tbc)

Requested but no date set: Adelaide Hills SA, Tamworth NSW, Lismore
NSW, Central Coast NSW

Brochures

Printable trifold brochures on food intolerance and oppositional
defiance are available. We'll post one of each for free that you can
copy, or you can buy bulk copies at cost. See instructions on the
website for accessing pdf versions. Email confoodnet@...
with enquiries.

We loved this comment from one satisfied failsafer:

"Ah, the answer to my prayers. I had no idea the brochure even
existed, but thanks so much for directing me to it. I am not very
Internet savvy, however I found it easy enough. Regarding possible
opposition to failsafing within the child care setting ... now all I
have to do is hand over a copy of this and let them ask questions!
Thanks again. I highly recommend everyone print this out if you
don't already have a copy, it sure cuts out the "but WHY can't your
kid have (insert food here)?" questions. Great for grandparents too."
================================================
Cooks' corner

Fluff marshmallow spread

(see product updates)

Chicken noodle snack

1 packet Fantastic Long Life Noodles
homemade chicken stock
chopped cooked chicken
Bring stock to the boil, add noodles and chopped chicken and simmer
until noodles are cooked. This is a good substitute for 2-minute
noodles. - Tania Cannons

Moroccan Chicken

500 gm chicken thigh fillets
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
half a carrot, sliced thinly (optional)
1 shallot and half a leek, finely sliced and fried in failsafe oil
Put all ingredients in pot, bring to the boil, reduce heat and
simmer for one to one and a half hours. Serve in a bowl or with cous-
cous. - Grace Lyons

Butterscotch Pudding

'When I make it I always make two and the kids get so excited!!' -
Dawn Lockwood
1 cup SR flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teas salt
60g butter
1/2 cup milk
Sauce: 2 tbspn golden syrup
1 1/2 cup hot water
30g butter

Pudding: Sift flour, sugar an salt into bowl. Add melted butter and
milk. combine thoroughly. Pour into greased dish. Sauce: Combine
ingredients in saucepan, stir over low heat until butter melts. Pour
mixture on top. Bake in a moderate oven (180-200'C) for 30-40
minutes.

================================================

The FAILSAFE Newsletter: You can have this Newsletter emailed to you
for free about every two months, and also see it on this website.
Subscribe: failsafe_newsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Frontpage:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/failsafe_newsletter

© Sue Dengate (text) PO Box 85 Parap NT 0804, Australia.
sdengate@... Thanks to Jenny Saal, Robin Fisher, Andra
Somerville, Rex Warren, Arnold Ward, Tania Cannons, Jenny Ravlic and
many others who have written, phoned and contributed to this
newsletter. Further reading: The Simplified Elimination Diet from
dietitians, Fed Up, Fed Up with Asthma, Fed Up with ADHD and the
Failsafe Cookbook by Sue Dengate Random House, and Friendly Food, by
Swain and others, Murdoch Books.

Yahoo! Groups Links

************************************************************

Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@...
1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 USA 505-501-2298

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/927
Donald Rumsfeld, 1977 head of Searle Corp., got aspartame FDA approval:
Turner: Murray 12.23.2 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1039
three-page review: aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde) toxicity:
Murray 11.22.3 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1026
brief aspartame review: formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 9.11.3 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1025
aspartame & formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 9.9.3 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1067
eyelid contact dermatitis by formaldehyde from aspartame, AM Hill & DV
Belsito, Nov 2003: Murray 3.30.4 rmforall [ 150 KB ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/989 On 4.10.2003
the European Union Parliament voted 440 to 20 to approve sucralose,
limit cyclamates & reevaluate aspartame & stevia: Murray 4.12.3 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1065
politicians and celebrities hooked on diet sodas (aspartame):
Murray 3.24.4 rmforall

http://google.com gives 221,000 websites for "aspartame" , with the top
9 of 10 listings being anti-aspartame, while
http://groups.google.com finds on 700 MB of posts from 20 years of
Usenet groups, 83,800 posts, the top 10 being anti-aspartame.
http://news.google.com 28 recent aspartame items from 4500 sources.
http://www.AllTheWeb.com gives 291,700, the top 7 of 10 being
leading and very well informed volunteer anti-aspartame sites.
http://teoma.com/index.asp gives 85,700 websites, top 8 of 10 anti.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed lists 753 aspartame items.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
for 1069 posts in a public searchable archive 121 members

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/messages 784 with 16,726 posts
************************************************************