How diet – and spelt – helped changed our son’s life.

Beth George

This is a guest blog post by Beth George. Beth is a mother, child advocate lawyer, food activist, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Spelt Right Baking, based in Portland, Maine and Fair Lawn, New Jersey.

This is a story of how a change in diet made a huge difference in my son’s life.  I hope our story may help others.

As a former child advocate attorney, I worked with many children in juvenile courts, in state custody, and in special education. I was alarmed by the number of children diagnosed with various disorders, who were systematically placed on drugs without proper testing – and no quantifiable improvement.

Then the issue hit home. Between the ages of 4 and 6, my son started exhibiting both behavioral problems and health issues. Along with stomach upsets and a compromised immune system, he sometimes would flap his hands, moan, and get red-hot ears. Sometime he would rock back and forth, or become extremely agitated or hyperactive. As you can imagine, this caused problems for him when he started school.

At a young age, he was misdiagnosed with ADHD, Asperger’s, Pervasive Developmental Disorder and other disorders. Doctors recommended psychotropic drugs. But I resisted. I just wasn’t convinced that any of these diagnoses were accurate because in between episodes, his behavior was normal – calm, introspective and manageable.

By the time he was 8, we started taking a closer look at the relationship between what my son ate and how he behaved.  Through trial and error, we began the process of identifying food sensitivities that had a direct impact on his behavior. We looked at wheat and dairy, in addition to artificial additives, high fructose corn syrup and all overly processed foods.

I had heard that some children had problems digesting wheat, so we began there. We tested him by removing wheat from his diet, then putting it back in – a modified elimination diet. It soon became clear that he had trouble digesting common wheat.  When he ate too much of it, he became irritable and sometimes literally shut down.  When he was younger, he would go into a complete fog. He also had significant digestive issues (vomiting often or constipation).

Once we identified common wheat as one of the big culprits, we tested him for celiac disease. Tests showed that he did a not have celiac – an autoimmune disorder in which all gluten should be eliminated.  So we began looking for a substitute for common wheat so that he could enjoy some of his favorite foods – bagels, sandwiches and pizza. That’s when we discovered the ancient grain, spelt.  Gradually, we introduced spelt into his diet – and success!  This wonderful grain contains a gluten that is water soluble and much easier to digest.  Plus, as an heirloom grain, it is loaded with many nutrients that have been stripped from the new varieties of grains.  And it passed the taste test with all three of our kids!

After eliminating common wheat, we followed the same process with artificial additives. Again, we were able to determine his reactions by process of elimination. He would get red-hot ears and have meltdowns after eating foods with artificial colors – especially the reds and yellows.  Next on the list was high fructose corn syrup, which we were able to link to his episodes of hyperactivity. He once had a bad reaction after chewing bubble gum (it was the only thing we allowed him to have from his Halloween booty).  We soon learned it was the BHT preservative in the gum that was the likely culprit. (There is a study published in the Lancet in September 2007 demonstrating the connection between artificial additives and hyperactive behavior in “normal” children.  Feingold Association is also a great resource on the problems artificial additives can cause.)

In addition to the elimination diet, we also did metabolic testing and learned that our son’s body lacked essential Vitamin Bs.  We supplemented him with complex Bs, omega 3s, and calcium and magnesium to help with the absorption.

The results of our diet experiments were profound. After implementing a regulated (but very satisfying) diet, our son’s life was completely turned around.  He is now free of any diagnoses and has never needed any of the medications that doctors used to recommend. By the time he was in middle school, he was a successful, well-adjusted student. Now, age 14, he is taking courses at the local community college.

My advice to parents is to look at all foods as suspects (it could be wheat, corn, soy, eggs, or whatever for some kids). It’s probably best to start with the biggest known culprits: wheat, dairy, and, of course, all of the artificial junk. Also, consult with medical professionals who are knowledgeable about metabolic testing to see if your kids might be nutrient deprived.

When we first started on this journey, the options for all natural, common wheat alternatives – were quite limited.  This led us to creating a small baking company, Spelt Right, with the dual mission of making the best tasting healthful spelt products anywhere and to do outreach on the connection between diet and behavior.

The importance of eating well is nothing new – it’s simply been forgotten or ignored, especially in our hurried, modern lifestyles. But Hippocrates had it right, even in 460 BC:  “Let Food Be Thy Medicine; Let Medicine Be Thy Food.”

Do you have a similar story about how spelt has improved your health and life? Please share!

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