On Friday evening, Spud took PBug to her school carnival. In the name of school spirit, they ate dinner there. PBug had a hot dog and some corn chips. Saturday morning she was an emotional wreck. She was melting down over everything and just couldn't get herself together. I told Spud I suspected the hot dog. I mentioned it to my mom, who happened to be visiting Saturday and witnessing some of this behavior, and she told me that my seven year-old niece can't have regular hot dogs because they give her a rash. I hadn't known that.
"Maybe hot dogs are giving PBug a rash on her frontal lobe," I thought.
Yesterday we went to a birthday party (yes, I know, we go to an excessive amount of birthday parties) and I knew that they would be serving hot dogs. Since I already suspected hot dogs were effecting her behavior, I considered bringing along one of our hot dogs from home for PBug to eat along with her Whole Foods cupcake. I didn't though. I wanted to see what would happen when she ate another regular hot dog.
This morning she cried about anything and everything from the minute she got up until the moment I dropped her off at her classroom. The behavior I noticed was out of the ordinary for her. (It can't be blamed on tiredness or crankiness because she'd had plenty of sleep all weekend.) Just as with food dyes, I didn't see an obvious reaction until the next day. I'm nearly convinced that hot dogs are to blame.
There's this little voice in the back of my head that whispers "You're blaming your kid's bratty behavior on food instead of taking responsibility for it." But I've learned to ignore that voice. I know PBug very well, and I can tell the difference between her typical five year-old negative behavior (of which there is no shortage) and the kind of behavior that I see in her when she's having a dietary reaction. It's a complete-loss-of-control-over-her-emotions.
So there you have it. Add conventional hot dogs to the list of things PBug won't be consuming any time soon. (I'm broken-hearted, can you tell?) I once had a friend suggest that the reason my kid has reactions to food dyes is because she so rarely consumed them that she hadn't been able to build up a resistance to them. To that I say, Oh well!
I'm curious, have your kids ever had a behavioral reaction to any foods they've eaten? How do you deal with it?
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What? You don't want to build up your daughter's resistance to toxic chemicals?
ReplyDeleteYour child can have hot dogs and practically anything else and still avoid artificial dyes, flavorings and preservatives. The Feingold Association, a nonprofit parent support group, has been doing this since 1976. Its website is www.feingold.org
ReplyDeleteYou know, my sister made the same comment to me (about us not exposing Bear to that stuff so of course she would react when she had it) but she didn't mean it negatively, or that I should be exposing her, she was just stating the fact. I wish I could pinpoint my 3 yr old's negative behavior to something in her food, cuz then I'd throw that food out and maybe have a less emotionally headstrong child, but alas I haven't been able to find any food culprits. We eat a low sugar, no HFCS, no artificial colorings diet. Those days must be so tough when PBug has a food reaction.
ReplyDeleteI had my kids muscle tested by a holistic doctor for food sensitivities. They had all different symptoms: rashes, behavior and stomach problems. 3-4 months later, after changing their diet, all of their symptoms were gone. Our culprits were wheat, dairy and eggs. I highly recommend muscle testing. It's non-evasive, and my 1 year old was even able to test accurately. It's much easier than trying to figure it out on your own.
ReplyDeleteThis is new. However, on the bright side, its great that she'll be saved from eating these unhealthy processed food items.
ReplyDeleteIm Izzy, a new follower, cheers!
I sympathize, our munchkin is sensitive to chemicals too and we are gradually sorting out the culprits. In Australia the issue with hot dogs is the 600 number chemicals which are the flavor enhancers, mostly replacing msg. We have an almost instant reaction to these (20 mins after) and it is not fun to say the least. Anything with yeast extract also has the same reaction. Our bodies are not designed to safely process chemicals, I applaud you for doing what is best for your child! :)
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