Is the Feingold Diet hard?

No, it isn't hard to change your grocery list.

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Last Updated 9/7/08

The primary emphasis in the Feingold Diet is getting rid of several groups of synthetic chemical additives, most of which are made from petroleum.

You will be able to find most of the foods you need at your neighborhood supermarket. The Feingold Foodlist & Shopping Guide contains about 200 pages of lists of brand name foods that are acceptable to use. You are probably already using many of them such as Crispix cereal, Hellmann's Mayonnaise, Ghirardelli Chocolate candies, Minute Rice, Sunshine Hi Ho Crackers, Fritos, Seven-UP, Lender's Raisin 'N Honey Bagels, Breyer's Ice Cream (black box).

Most people find that once they are established on the program they can actually have a much higher quality of food while spending less on groceries. The most expensive foods are often the junkiest ones!


The diet itself is no more difficult than any other dietary change, requiring close attention until you are used to it.

However, this is actually the question parents using the Feingold Diet are asked most often. Here are some of their answers about what HARD is:

Hard is...

• Seeing my bright, creative child struggle daily to learn because he cannot concentrate.

• Getting the phone call to pick my child up from school because he is out of control.

• Being left out of family gatherings because of the behavior of my child.

• Waiting for over seven years for my little boy to crawl up into my lap and say, "I love you, Mommy."

• Not being able to ease her pain when she "just can't stop crying."

• Changing sheets in the middle of the night.

• Having a child who has no friends, and who is not invited to birthday parties.

• Loving my child, but not liking him.

• Having to put a helmet on her to keep her from injuring her head when she throws herself down in a fit of rage.

• Going through multiple child care providers and schools because no one can deal with my child.

• Albuterol treatments at 3:00 am.

When these problems go away because we pay attention to the brands of food we buy, or even make our own birthday cake (and there are acceptable mixes!), then life becomes much less hard!

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