For those of you who are dye free for your DC

[DietCokeLover]

When you made the decision to try/ do this, did you just go cold turkey or did you gradually reduce? Did you just go crazy in your kitchen throwing stuff out?

I do not have a TJs or WFs anywhere within a days drive so, was it difficult to shop this way in a regular/ mediocre grocery store?

Any online blogs or resources that would be helpful?

[ThreeofUs]

I have two suggestions:
-Get rid of everything in your kitchen and declare a ban on colors.
-Start baking all kinds of yummy treats (with no colorings in them!) so no-one feels deprived.

And good luck!

[Jenn27]

Cold turkey is the best (and fastest) way to see results. Go through your cabinets and toss (or donate) anything with dyes in them. We follow the Feingold Diet, so it's more than just dyes. This is a decet blog post with some shoppng lists:
http://allnaturalmomof3.blogspot.com...ing-lists.html
A tip, organic food won't contain dyes. Our Kroger, Biggs, and Meijer all have a lot of choices. The good thing, is that companies are catching on to consumers' desires for dye-free foods/drinks and are willingly removing them. I agree that just making from scratch is the best way to go, but it can bE done without it. Good luck! It's tough for a week or two but quickly becomes second nature.

[JBaxter]

Cold turkey. A little bit is the same as lot with us.

[Multimama]

I know there was a long thread about why you might want to eliminate food dye from your diet recently, but now I can't find it. Can anyone link me to it? I'm curious.

[maydaymommy]

Someone I know wrote a book which includes how she made small, gradual changes in her family's food. It's called The Unhealthy Truth.

I agree that the biggest results would be seen by going cold turkey, but maybe small steps using what you have at local markets would be easier on you & your family.

Good luck!

[JTsMom]

We've been doing a lot of diet changes around here. I would start by going through every single thing you buy (including the things that you wouldn't think would matter), and make a list of what things you'd want to get rid of. Then, look for substitutes, if needed. A lot of the time, you can find something very easily (especially if you ask for recs here). If you need to change a ton, it might be easier to do a little at a time so it's not so overwhelming.

Remember that a lot of food outside of the house is going to have dye in it as well, so if you want to be 100% dye free, you'll have to do some searching and planning. You can't just drive through someplace, know what I mean? We've started packing lunches a lot more often b/c it's just easier.

[daisymommy]

The Feingold diet was recommended by our developmental pediatrician for DS (who has ADHD and sensory issues). She said she always wants parents to try that first before she will recommend medication.

So, we bought the Feingold starter kit--the diet is no dyes, artificial preservatives, flavorings, and sweeteners. I menu planned, then threw out or donated to friends all things he couldn't have, and went shopping for new food.

Within a few days I noticed a change in my son. By the end of the first weeks we were speechless at the difference! It only got better from there!
And I totally agree with Jeanna--a little bit (even one serving) makes my son behave like a wild monkey on crack! There is no "a little bit at a time". It's cold turkey or nothing.

There are enough mainstream foods out there in regular grocery stores that I don't think anyone would have a problem finding enough acceptable choices for your kids, even without a Whole Foods or Trader Joes around. It just takes awhile to check labels, and then make a habit of sticking to those "safe" brands each and every time (in order to save time not reading labels every time).