Why I Started This Blog

I started The All Natural Diet blog because I want parents to be able to make informed decisions about what they feed their families.  We do the Feingold Diet and we love it.  But there are some items that are not included in the shopping guide, for various reasons.


So, I decided to take things into my own hands.  As a mother of four kids with food allergies, we are already limited with our food choices.  I found that over the years, and particularly when we started doing the GFCF (gluten and dairy free) diet, that many of the products we were eating were not in the Feingold shopping guide, despite the fact that they "looked" clean. 

Some of the products were not in the shopping guide because the manufacturers refuse to respond and fill out Feingold's forms.  Feingold therefore will not list them in the guide.  It's quite possible that some of these foods are clean and we are missing out on foods that we could safely feed to our kids.  

Other times, Feingold is waiting to hear back from a manufacturer.  I'm not sure how long they wait but sometimes it is months or even a couple of years before they finally just say that they are not going to respond and are then put on the "black list." 
There is an area on the Feingold web site that shows all the companies that have been blacklisted. 

If I as a consumer contact these companies, I can get answers, and often in a matter of a few days.  Now my way of contacting the manufacturer is not as sophisticated as Feingold's but it's better than nothing.  And there are times when I get an answer that something definitely is not approved and contains some kind of chemical.  At least then I know to avoid that product for sure. 

I like having all the information I can about a product so that I can make an informed decision about what foods to feed my family.  Feingold is a great resource but it isn't the end all.  I am ultimately the one who makes the decision on what to feed my family, not Feingold. 

So, I decided to contact these manufacturers myself and post their responses here.  There are also many products that are not listed because they simply have not been researched yet.  If you mention it on the boards, you will be told to submit it to PIC for review.  I did that once for a few items and the process was very lengthy and tedious.  I've found writing the companies myself to be a better use of my time and sometimes more efficient.

For the money we pay to have a membership, I feel Feingold should be doing more of the work, not the member.  When items are mentioned on the board, they should immediately get on it and research the product.  I can understand if they just didn't know about a new product, but that often is not the case.  A product can sometimes be out for a couple of years before Feingold lists them in the shopping guide. 

I've contacted a few companies already and will start getting those posted here in the next few weeks.  For the most part, I am asking them if their products contain any artificial colors, flavors, the preservatives BHT, TBHQ, or BHA, either in their product or in the packaging.  I also ask if these additives are within any of the other ingredients they use that they may outsource from another company. 

You can read their exact responses so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not to use their products.  I will list them as "clean" or "unclean" based on their responses and my best guesstimate. 

We have been doing Feingold for eight years so I have become accustom to reading labels and also for watching my kids to see if they are having a reaction to a food. 

I am also going to try to post a picture of each product as I know this is really helpful when you are trying to find a new product in the store.  Sorry, my pictures on not professional!  I just want to show an example of the product.

We also avoid corn syrup, MSG, nitrates, nitrites, and sodium benzoate.  These are allowed on the Feingold Diet but we choose to avoid them for health reasons.  I go into more detail about that on my e-book that is set to be released in February, 2013 on Kindle.  I also explain how to read labels and what all these additives are made of and how they can affect your child.  The e-book will be getting a new title, to be announced soon.

But anyways, I may list some products that do contain corn syrup, MSG or one of these other additives.  It's up to you if you want to avoid them or not.  Things with corn syrup we may eat on occasion or for special events like Christmas or while we're on vacation, as it's nearly impossible to avoid MSG and corn syrup when eating out.

If you have contacted a manufacturer or wish to do so, please feel free to forward me their response and I will post it.  Send it to:  sheridavis27@comcast.net.  For more details on how to do that, please see read the following post here.

http://theallnaturaldiet.blogspot.com/2012/12/products-to-be-reviewed.html

Please also include the original question posed to the company.  There are times when the company will give a response that is technically answering your question, but allowing them room to be dishonest.  I sometimes have to send them a follow up question to clarify and get the answer I am looking for.  Manufacturers can be very sneaky in their answers.

I hope this list will help parents make the best choices possible for their families.  Please use this as a guide and not a Bible.  Ingredients can change at any time.  I hope this also sends a message to manufacturers that we want them to use clean ingredients and take all the chemicals and junk out of our foods! 

If you have a child with ADHD or another related issue, I would suggest using the Feingold program.  The All Natural Diet is just a way for people to make more informed decisions about the food they eat.  It's not a program to correct any diagnosed issues. 

I will not be listing whether a product is stage one or stage two Feingold.  I also will not list if a product is Feingold approved.  For that information you'll have to join Feingold. 

My intention is to just help people make better and more informed choices about their food.  It's quite possible that I will list a food as "clean" when it really isn't.  I apologize in advance for that but again, this is not a strict program.  There are no rules. I will not send the food police to your house if you eat off diet.  You can choose to eat unclean foods sometimes if you want to.  I won't judge.

I just think people need to take back control of their health by having as much information as possible.  Of course the best and healthiest way to eat is to avoid all processed foods and eat all raw fruits and vegetables, seeds, and nuts. 

But, let's be practical.  We live in America and we have kids.   I'm not endorsing any of these products as being healthy, because let's face it, some of them are not.  But, if you have to eat processed foods, let them at least be free of chemicals and additives that are known to be hazardous to your health and cause behavioral issues.

I read a blog post by a vegan who said the following: "Food is power, and by taking the control of it back into your hands as much as you possibly can, you are strengthening yourself as a human person." 

They also quoted John Jeavons, a great humanitarian and farmer who once said, "Food is power...are you in control of yours?"

I LOVE these statements!  They are so true!  That's the message I want to convey through this blog.  No one is responsible for your health but YOU.  Not your doctor, not me, not Feingold, not your parents, not the government, not the FDA (certainly not the FDA!).  We all need to do our own research and educate ourselves on what's in the food we are eating. 

(Here is the article I took the above quotes from. Great article too by the way. I will be making my own rice milk very soon! http://www.veganreader.com/2009/05/17/how-to-make-rice-milk-and-stop-supporting-rice-dream/ )

Eating a diet free of additives is a baby step in the right direction, especially if you are used to eating the Standard American Diet (SAD).  If you are already educated and eating healthy, this web site may not help you very much.  That's good news! You're already way ahead of the game by eating non-processed foods.  But, I think this blog can be helpful for the typical American family who wants to make more informed healthier choices from what's available in their local grocery store.

Again, this is not a full proof, follow it by the book diet.  I am just conveying the information I have gathered and giving my opinion on products.  The rest is up to you.

For more information on the Feingold Diet, you can visit my main blog at www.allnaturalmomof4.com. 

I also have another blog where I list all my recipes.  It is at www.feingoldrecipes.blogspot.com. 

To join the Feingold Association,  please visit www.feingold.org.