If you follow the Feingold Diet for a number of weeks and do not see a significant improvement, DON’T GIVE UP.
You may have overlooked something when you first started the Diet. Re-read your Feingold materials and
review your diet diary and double-check your pantry shelves for unacceptable items. Be patient. Some
children go through four to six weeks of withdrawal with worsening symptoms before improving. In a minority of
cases the diet alone is not enough, but when other treatments are added, the change can be dramatic. In
autism, for example, the diet is seldom a “cure,” but parents report that other interventions work better once
the child is also on the Feingold Diet.
Common reasons for lack of success are:
- Using products similar to, but not actually those in the Foodlist
- Using an unacceptable brand of toothpaste, shampoo, soap, vitamins, medication, etc.
- Not eliminating all salicylates
- Infractions (eating foods that are not accepted)
- Adding back salicylates too quickly and, thereby, missing a build-up effect
- Testing out restaurant food too soon
- Excessive sugar