Nightmare nitrates make my child hyperactive and miserable!

So far I have only discussed the negative effects which E202 Potassium sorbate have on our little girl. Sadly this is not the only preservative which she reacts to.

Manufacturers add nitrates and nitrites to foods such as cured sandwich meats, bacon, salami or sausages to give them color and to prolong their shelf life. When added to processed foods in this way, both nitrates and nitrites can form nitrosamines in the body, which can increase your risk of developing cancer.

The major concern is a class of synthetic food preservatives that includes sodium or potassium nitrates and nitrites, which food companies put in cured meat to preserve its color, prevent fats from going rancid and keep bacteria from growing.

Nitrates is a known yet little publicised cause of bad behaviour in children. It crops up in ham, luncheon meat, peperoni, bacon, processed turkey and chicken, hot dogs. Watch out for pizza toppings as well.

Feingold diet

Late 1960's and early 1970's, a pediatrician and allergist, Dr. Ben f.. Feingold, developed the K-P diet (later called Feingold diet). To prevent and treat behaviour (Hyperactivity) disorder and learning difficulties in children, Dr. Feingold recommended a diet free of sodium nitrate and other artificial additives.

The taconow website writes that:

Foods containing nitrates or nitrites, like those in preserved meats, bacon, ham, hot dogs and pickles should be avoided, since children with autism are known to have higher levels of these toxic derivatives of nitric oxide stored in their bodies due to an inability to detoxify.

http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/toxins-in-foods-the-environment/

This next website advises there are several preservatives that may cause behavioral problems in children. They include but are not limited to nitrates, nitrites, and sodium benzoate.

http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/adhd-add/five-foods-negatively-affect-childs-mood/

How about you? Have you or your child experienced adverse effects after consuming nitrates? Please leave a comment,

Food Intolerance nightmare! Potassium Sorbate is in everything!

After realising that our child reacts severely to Potassium Sorbate  two years ago we have since strived to make her diet free from it. Not as easy as it sounds!

For one thing, potassium sorbate appears in hundreds of foods. Long shelf life baked goods such as: muffins, cakes, buns, crumpets, hot cross buns, scones, biscuits, cookies. Jar goods such as pasta sauce, some makes of bottle sauces such as BBQ, Soy, Brown and many others. Low fat mayonnaise , dilute juice, flavoured water. I could go on and on. Next time you do your grocery shop, check the items you are buying for E202 Potassium Sorbate, you will be shocked.

Here are some further websites which mention the ill effects of potassium sorbate.

Pottasium sorbate  causes "Allergic & Hyper-Sensitive Reactions, Asthma, Behavioural Problems, Skin Ailments (Eczema, Dermatitis, Itching, Hives, Rash, etc)" says the following website:

http://thefoodwerewolf.com/additives-to-avoid-by-number-adhd-2/

The following article discusses the ever popular fruit shoot drink which used to effect Angelica horrendously. They write that "Prolonged dietary intake of potassium sorbate in the form of preservatives (incorporated in canned foods) can lead to nutritional deficiencies by impairing the absorption of nutrients from the food"




http://nakedwildandfree.com/children-naughty-fruit-shoot/

This next website states that "In a study done in Turkey, potassium sorbate was found to be genotoxic to the human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro (ie: causes damage to the DNA)."

http://theorganicsinstitute.com/tag/potassium-sorbate/

Have you or anyone you know experienced adverse effects from consuming Potassium Sorbate?

Pottasium Sorbate and it's toxic effects on my child

Here is another link to a blog in which a mother discusses the effects that preservatives have on her daughter. She writes that "Pottassium sorbate is on our NO list".

http://nopreservativesallowed.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/benzoates-and-my-girls-adhd-like.html

Apart from the fact that when Angelica is exposed to E202 - Pottassium Sorbate - she experiences so many negative effects, she also takes a VERY VERY long time to get back to normal.  Even small doses take at least a week before she is fully recovered. If she has ingested large amounts it can take up to a MONTH!  

There is very little advice out there to help parents who do have issues with children that react to preservatives. The basic guidelines seem to be drink lots of water and do exercise.

This seems incredibly unhelpful. Surely the companies out there who are creating these chemicals need to provide clearer information to parents who need an antidote? Shouldn't there be clear warnings on food that contains E202 detailing the possible side effects that can occur?


Have you experienced adverse effects caused by E202? How do you help your child to get back to normal rather then just having them "weather it out?" We would love to hear your comments.

Why is there so little information about the adverse effects of pottastium sorbate on behaviour?

Why is it that there is so little information about the effect of potassium sorbate on childrens behaviour and well being?

Now obviously this preservative does not cause harm to all children, but Angelica cannot be the only child who suffers when she ingests this preservative.

Pottassium sorbate is an e number. To be precise it is E202.

Now, everyone has heard that colourings can have an adverse influence on childrens behaviour. Its a well known fact.

So therefore, why is it that E202 seems to slip under the radar?

It is a huge concern to me that there are probably thousands of children whose parents do not realise that their moods, sleep disturbance, skin issues and concentration is being caused by E202.
Clearly there is a lack of research and understanding that this occurs. But it DOES occur. I believe that there are many many other families who are suffering because of this.

If one looks on the internet, there are other blogs which mention the same experience.

Take for example the one below.

http://alterna-mom.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/ps-why-is-my-child-agitated.html


More needs to be done to educate parents about the adverse effects this preservative can cause.

What about you? Do you or anyone you know experience issues with Pottassium Sorbate? Please leave a comment.

The first culprit - Potassium Sorbate

I have started this blog to document our struggle with the immense and deliberating issues that preservatives have on our chid Angelica who is 8 years old. During this time we have experienced a rollercoaster ride as we have tried to determine the cause of many many problems and struggles that have been caused by preservatives present in Angelicas diet.

Up until the age of 3, Angelica truly was angelic. Her behaviour was practically perfect and she was agreeable and sunny natured. At this stage we started to notice a gradual decline in her behaviour and also other symptoms started to appear. To begin with, we simply put this down to regular toddler tantrums and pushing boundaries. It also coincided with her starting Nursery and we felt this was a factor. However her behaviour continued to deteriorate. She was frequently hyperactive and found it difficult to follow simple adult instructions or requests. Sitting still was literally impossible. On family days out, Angelica would start running and need to be chased. It sounds amusing but it made going out on simple shopping trips a huge challenge. She had disturbed sleep patterns. Furthermore she would often  be constantly scratching.

At school she struggled during teaching sessions. She was unable to concentrate during carpet sessions and would constantly talk. She would not sit still for long. This continued for four years until she reached year 2. At this stage the school had labelled her as a "naughty child". She was constantly in trouble for having tantrums and struggled socially. People saw her as a badly behaved child. We were in despair and had tried everything.

There were times when Angelica was well behaved but it was a constant knife edge. She was never completely calm although at times she was more manageable then others. We started to investigate her diet to try and find triggers.

We investigated cutting out sugar and food colouring but that made absolutely no difference. Finally we started a food diary and began a process of elimination.

One day we went out for a meal. Angelica was good until we left the restaurant. About 15 minutes after leaving her behaviour changed drastically. She started shouting and screaming and had a huge melt down in the car park. She was behaving aggressively. It was as though she was possessed. Clearly she had ingested something! To transform so rapidly from entering to leaving the restaurant, it indicated that she had to have eaten something that had affected her almost immediately. We looked at the bottle of juice that Angelica had brought out of the restaurant. After checking the ingredients and researching them, we noticed one of them was "Potassium Sorbate". Little were we to know that this preservative would become engraved on our minds. After getting home we checked all of the food in the cupboards . We found three foods in the fridge had it listed as an ingredient. It was also present in biscuits, drinks, cakes, crumpets, muffins and the list can go on and on.


We replaced all of the food in our cupboards with potassium sorbate free foods. Within two weeks Angelica was a changed child. Her school work was improving, her concentration improved, she was able to focus and socialise and was happier and more relaxed. Her sleep improved and the scratching stopped. 

This was the start of a long hard and frustrating journey which we have undertaken  as I shall continue to tell you about...