When we talk about behavioural, learning and health affects of food additives, we are talking about an intolerance, not an allergy. Some people react to very small amounts of an additive, whereas others react after a build up of a problem additive. To find out more about food intolerance, visit the Food Intolerance Network's website, and for a list of additives to avoid, click here.

For most people, changing their eating and shopping habits to reduce the consumption of unnecessary and unsafe food additives can greatly improve health and behaviour*. However for some individuals, removing food additives alone will not resolve symptoms.

FAILSAFE Foods

Eating FAILSAFE foods (Free of Additives and Low In Salicylates, Amines and Flavour Enhancers) may be useful if you or your children are bothered by mood swings, PMT, short fuse, oppositional defiance, ADHD, foggy brain, learning difficulties, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, stomach aches, bloating, reflux, irritable bowel, ‘sneaky poos’, food cravings, difficulty falling asleep, night waking, headaches, migraine, asthma, stuffy or runny nose, frequent ear infections, tinnitus, arthritis, eczema or restless legs.

Research shows that ¾ of children who improve by changing diet, will react to the natural chemicals in food. It is difficult to understand that some natural foods can be a problem for us. Fruit and vegetables are not what they were 100 years ago – their chemical composition has been totally changed due to selective breeding and modern processing techniques. The DVD “Fed Up” by Sue Dengate is a good way to gain a better understanding of this. For more information on the DVD, click here.

The RPA Simplified Elimination Diet

Avoiding citrus and tomato products can help, as they are some of the highest in natural food chemicals. However, some people will find they are better off doing a supervised elimination diet, to fully assess the effects of natural and synthetic food chemicals. The RPA Simplified Elimination Diet has been tested over a period of 20 years at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit in Sydney with over 20,000 patients. For a list of failsafe friendly dieticians to help you undertake the elimination diet, please email us. Sue Dengate's DVD and books explain the diet and failsafe foods. Sue also provides a great factsheet on how to start Failsafe eating. RPA has a very informative book called Friendly Foods.*

* Please ensure you seek medical and dietary advice when undertaking a change in diet and always check ingredients when purchasing products.