Customer Reviews

Why Can't My Child Behave?: Why Can't She Cope? Why Can't He Learn?

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is an easy to read, very informative life saver for parents with children who show signs of A.D.D. or A.D.H.D.. Before you even consider Ritalin, even as a last resort such as I did, read this book and try the four day sample diet and I am confidant you will see a great improvement in your child! I have to say, though, if you see improvement you will have to join the Feingold Association of the United States for recipes and an easy to use guide of name brand products for your area that will make life easier on busy parent's as it gives you a chance to buy a lot of your favorite convienence foods which help add variety to the diet. It is WELL worth it! Do yourself and your child HUGE favor and buy this book.

This book describes the same behaviors that were evident in my child. Wow! You mean I'm not the only one...Jane, yes I feel like I know her after reading the book, walks you through the process of dietary management of the behaviors and symptoms of hyperactivity. She really tells you how to function in a society that most events are based around eating/drinking, mostly chemical-laden foods. Their is a national organization that for a small yearly fee ($75) provides you with all the homework of what foods work and a shopping guide, a meal planner, phone and internet support and loads more. This really is a great way to avoid adding more chemicals/drugs into your child's life! I certainly agree that I'd rather remove the culprit of the hyperactivity than to add more chemicals into my child. And it's all healthy! Yes, junk food is allowed, it's just all-natural junk. Right now, that includes Pringles potato chips, Fritos corn chips, pop-tarts(selected varieties), hot dogs, etc. It's just a matter of choosing the acceptable brand. For example, not using Skippy peanut butter, but using Peter Pan or Jif. It's that easy at times. Jane Hersey is a wonderful read!

When I first picked up this book, I thought I'd find the typical parenting tips on time-outs and reward systems and the like. I was surprised to find the book making connections between certain behaviors and the foods we eat. I was sceptical, but kept reading. When I read the list of symptoms, I realized that my 7 year old son had many of them. I thought I'd give the diet a try, even though I was still very sceptical. IT HAS CHANGED MY SON'S LIFE!!!! Yes, my food bill almost doubled, but only for a few weeks. Now it as almost back down to where it was before. Yes, the diet seemed difficult and overwhelming at first, but now it is so easy it hardly seems like we're on a "special diet". No, we do not eat a lot of snack foods, or sugary cereals. Frigo cheese-heads, and Crispix cereal are favorites at our house. Sure I could have saved money by joining CHADD and buying medication with the change, but medications just cover up symptoms, and don't do anything about eliminating the cause of those symptoms. This diet can reduce or eliminate many of the causes of ADD and ADHD symptoms. The only drawback to this diet is that it takes EFFORT. It is a whole lot easier to just shove a pill down your kid's throat each morning, but is that really the best choice? The diet must be strictly followed for the first several weeks, then foods can be reintroduced one at a time to see if they bring on unwanted behaviors. The long and the short of it is, this book probably saved my son's life. I highly recommend it.

If your child is hyperactive or suffers from other disorders such as Tourette's syndrome, Autism or a learning disability, you must read this book. It is based on the research of the late Dr. Ben Feingold, who discovered the important link between food additives and behavior problems. Any parent who is dissatisfied with using medication for their child and is finding out that is isn't really working well anyway can benefit from reading Hersey's book. She takes the Feingold research a step further so that parents who want to try the diet can implement it easily. The book offers success stories and hope, something that parents who are struggling with these disorders desperately need. The book is written in the warm, compassionate style of a mother who has obviously "been there." One might as well be sipping coffee by the fire in Hersey's kitchen, but you don't have to travel that far. Hersey dispenses practical advice supported by solid documentation of the diet's success. Hersey has clearly done her homework. Further, the book gains even more credibility when one notes that the reason for Hersey's book is solely to help other parents by sharing an inexpensive and often successful way to handle ADHD symptoms. Will it work for everyone? Obviously, no. Nothing does. But for the past 20 years, thousands of families have benefitted from removing atificial colors, flavors, preservatives and salicylates from their diets. Certainly, no one has been harmed, which is more than can be said for overprescibed medication. The diet makes good sense for everyday living for all family members, but most especially for suffering children. It is an inexpensive, healthy, and often successful remedy for so many. Hersey explains the nuts and bolts well. Aside from some typos here and there, the book is a fine piece with great research fueled by a compassionate voice. Run, don't walk, to get this book. It may contain the answer to alleviate your child's suffering

The author must have been peeking through my window while writing this book! It was amazing; she described my child to a T. I had to try the diet. What did I have to lose, but a lot of stress, behavior problems and many hours spent on disciplining. Within the first week I saw a difference and in the second week I saw a new person! Thank you Jane Hersey for sending this "Gift from God" my way!

As a help-line volunteer for the Feingold Association, I have often found Jane's book invaluable as a resource for information and tips on coping with many of the situations that confront new members.

For the lady who quoted the ChADD misinformation about the "dozens of studies in the past 15 years" -- first, most of these studies were done in the 1970's with reviews on them in the 1980's .... we're getting close to 30 years ago, not 15 ... And she says these studies "have consistently failed to find support for the Feingold Diet". Well, that is true of these early studies funded by the food additive and chemical industry. They were designed that way. Indeed, one of them (Harley, 1978) claimed that there was "no scientific support" for the diet in the face of his own results that 100% of the preschool children did better on the Feingold part of a double-blind diet study.

Second, most of the studies in the past 20 years (counting back from today) DO show support for use of the diet. You can see a listing of studies from the peer review medical literature, including 37 double blind placebo controlled studies, that directly and indirectly support the use of diet for treatment of ADHD. According to the NIH guidelines, it only takes 2 (two) such studies to catapult a medication into a Class A treatment for ADHD..... how many more will be required before dietary intervention is accepted?

In Jane's book, there is an interesting section reviewing these early negative studies, and there are also answers to the myths such as "lack of vitamin C" because orange juice is eliminated (presumably, the author of that one never heard of lemonade, grapefruit juice and all the other good Vitamin C sources the book lists)

Well, my sister had severe ADHD and Hyperactivity, to the point she was kicked out of a dozen daycares. All we heard was what a horrible kid she was. Finally in 1987 we found Dr. Feingold's book and within weeks she was listening, respecting boundaries and going to sleep at a decent hour. My mother kept her on the diet and each year communicated to her teachers that her behavior was contigent on her diet. If the teacher deviated, he/she would have to accept the consequences. Believe me, one incident of giving her kool-aid or another forbidden food and they did not want to repeat it. Over the years, I have recommended this book to many people. Few have taken the time to do what is necessary to help their children, prefering a quick fix with a "pill." I can assure you, when I have children, they will be on this diet! Oh and my mother was a senior executive at Sprint before retiring, I'd hardly call her a Granola Wacko!

This book is chock full of information you need to know before you spend any more money at your local grocery store! The Feingold diet has done wonders for my son and myself. We'd have a world of much healthier people if we all ate this way.

I had to laugh reading some of the reviews. CHADD is funded by Big Pharma so of course they're going to say diet doesn't work. Jane Hersey is far from nutty--she's a wise woman who's opening some eyes to what's truly in our foods. You don't need to call her names just because you don't want to believe what she writes.

The Feingold Association is far from the only people who are finding that food and behavior and food and learning are connected. The move for healthier foods in our schools shows that. I wish everyone would read this book, whether they have children or not. It's quite eye-opening.

Within 2 weeks after starting Ms Hersey's suggestions, I had people stopping me asking me what I put my child on. They were shocked to find out that it was only a diet change.

This book will change your life....for the better! Jane Hersey is able to explain in an easy to understand way just how food additives effect you.

The Feingold diet changed my family's life and this book is like a beginners manual.