How to Find Out If Phenols are Effecting Your Child's Behavior

Phenols are a chemical or property in foods that cause yeast to grow in the body and can have dramatic effects on childhood behavior. Hyperactivity and unexpected sleepiness are common. By eliminating certain foods for a minimum of six weeks can tell the difference and help your child avoid allergy skin testing. Use the following guidelines to determine is your child may have a phenol sensitivity to gluten allergy. Just a few simple diet changes can have an intense effect on your child's behavior and overall feeling of well-being.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

How To Find Out If Phenols are Effecting Your Child's Behavior

1. Evaluate your child by asking the following questions:
   
   Does your child have a distended belly, especially after eating?
   Does your child spend a lot of time in the bathroom?
   Do they complain of "itchy" or bothered insides?
   Do they get sleepy after eating pizza or pasta?
   Do they get hyper after eating raisins, apples or grapes?
   Do they crave crackers and cookies more than usual?
2. Eliminate those foods for a minimum of six weeks. You can not cheat even once or you have to start all over. It may seem like a long time but there are plenty of yummy substitutes and you will be doing a great service for your child's health.
3. Substitute the offending foods with gluten-free bread available at health food stores and more commonly at mainstream grocery stores. Read labels for gluten. Instead of the usual snacks try carrots and peanut butter, snap peas and string cheese, turkey cubes and cheese crumbles and fruits that don't produce yeast in the system. Avoid raisins, apples and grapes.
4. Remember this: if your kid craves it, cut it out! That can be a sure sign of an allergy which can effect behavior and overall feeling of well-being. Also, remember to stick to the six week trial period for true results.
5. The extra effort on your part to closely monitor your child's diet can have a great effect on behavior. Allergy and yeast-producing foods can lead to behavior misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit Disorder and Celiac disease.
6. Research sites like www.GFCFdiets.com for support groups and additional information on this subject.