Autism is a disorder in which children demonstrate difficulties with social interaction, communication, and stereotyped or repetitive behaviors or interests. Typical treatments commonly focus on behavioral therapies; however, some parents seek out alternative dietary treatments. Although mainly advertised as a dietary intervention for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, the Feingold Diet proposes that it can be beneficial in improving behavior for several disorders, including autism, depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Feingold Diet removes all artificial and synthetic dyes, flavors, preservatives and sweeteners from a child's diet, and claims to improve learning, behavior, and overall health.
Symptoms of Autism
A diagnosis of autism is often made in the early childhood years, often prior to age 3. As described by the National Institute of Mental Health, children with autism demonstrate difficulties with communication, social interaction, and stereotyped or repetitive behaviors. Some children with autism have very limited or no language abilities. Others, they have difficulty understanding nonverbal communication such as body language and gestures, holding conversations, and understanding tone of voice. In social interactions, children with autism tend to avoid eye contact and have trouble understanding how others feel. They may seem detached from others and prefer to play alone, and have difficulty understanding facial expressions. Unusual or repetitive behaviors or interests may include movements such as rocking or hand flapping and interest in a specific toy or subject, such as trains or cars.
Structure of the Feingold Diet
Ben Feingold, a pediatrician, allergist, and creator of the diet, believed that certain individuals were "chemically sensitive" to certain additives in food. He noted improvements in children's hyperactivity and other behavior when these additives were removed from the diet. The diet removes foods that contain artificial flavors, preservatives, and colors as well as aspartame, an artificial sweetener. The diet's website proposes that in the initial stage of the diet, aspirin and foods that have salicylate, a chemical similar to aspirin that naturally occurs in some foods. Foods that contain these artificial additives are then gradually removed from the child's diet.
Unacceptable Foods
The Feingold Diet proposes that the removal of artificial food dye, preservatives, and flavors can help to improve behavior, learning, and health in children with a variety of disorders. Food dyes, listed on ingredient labels as Red 40 or Yellow No. 5, are made from petroleum, and are thought to be unsafe for children who are sensitive to such chemicals. Many foods contain considerable amounts of preservatives to keep them fresh. Three major preservatives to avoid are BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. These synthetic products are also made from petroleum and prevent food from going bad, but are thought to be harmful. Artificial flavorings such as imitation vanilla contain several chemicals and can be problematic if consumed. The Feingold diet website provides information on brands and manufacturers that are safe to consume, and further information on how to structure the diet.
Efficacy of the Diet
The removal of these unnatural additives is thought to lead to improvements in behavior such as reduced hyperactivity, impulsivity, frustration, aggression and irritability. Improvements in the ability to learn -- improved attention, memory, and comprehension -- and fewer physical symptoms, including asthma, headaches, ear infections, and sleep patterns, are also thought to be the result of this dietary intervention. The diet's website reports that more than 80 percent of all children see significant improvements from this diet. Specifically, the website notes that, according to the Autism Research Institute, reports from parents indicate that 56 percent of children on the autism spectrum who tried the diet found it to be effective. However, there is little research on the effects of the Feingold Diet for children with autism. Research studies do not support the widespread efficacy of the diet for children with ADHD. So, the effectiveness of this diet as a treatment on its own has not been confirmed by research, but it may still be an effective means of intervention for some children.
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