The Failsafe diet - has anyone tried it?

[windywoos]

I'm reading Fed Up by Sue Dengate, which seems like a too-good-to-be-true book. She advocates that an elimination diet free of additives, salycilates, amines, bread preservative, etc. can free kids (and adults) of all kinds of symptoms from brain fog through to ADHD, asthma, ME and behaviour problems. I'm reading it because I suspect DD's food issues might be linked to her very distracted, impulsive behaviour. I'm a scientist though, and would be comfortable with more evidence. If you believe what you read then most supermarket foods should be banned, and we would have a more productive nation on our hands.

Has anyone tried this diet, why, and if so what were the results?

Hi, I am interested in this too - am also reading the book at the moment and find it quite convincing. I think at least some of the additives etc that age talks about are banned in the UK but not Australia and actually I think if you are prepared to look really carefully at labels there is quite a lot which is ok as not all additives are linked to problems (if you look at full list on her website which has a lot more info than the book). However I am not sure I could do the full diet (well, it's not really for me but my DS) but trying to do as much as possible starting with eliminating the additives etc and then will think about fruits etc. It would be much easier to have a uk based safe shopping list though- I have emailed one of the uk contacts from the website so hoping to get some info from them.

ooh, if you get one, would you be able to post it here or send it to me? I did the weekly shop yesterday with new eyes and found out that DD2's freefrom stuff is some of the worst re. additives. Is there such a thing as additive-free ham? What she said about the effect of preservatives on gut flora struck a chord with me. DD2 lives on ham and that cannot be good for her given that most of her food allergy symptoms are gastric.

Yes will send it too you if I get anything! It takes so long reading all the labels and then working out what is ok and what isn't - would be so much easier to just have a list of things that are ok! I was just a bit shocked looking at the contents of some ham - had always assumed that ham just contained, erm, ham! Have bought a breadmaker and going to attempt that tonight, homemade bread to avoid all the nasty bread preservatives!

Tesco finest multiseed and oatmeal breads are preservative (and soy)-free