Feingold Diet

The Feingold diet was developed by Benjamin Feingold in 1973. It is an "elimination diet." This means users are told to remove foods containing artificial colors or flavors and chemicals called salicylates. Promoters of this diet believe that such ingredients may cause various disorders in children.

The Feingold diet was originally used for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. It is also used for asthma, ear infections, bed-wetting, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support any of these uses.

The Feingold diet was originally designed based on the theory that artificial colors and flavors and aspirin-like chemicals in foods (salicylates) cause hyperactivity or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. This theory has now been expanded to include a long list of other conditions such as asthma, infections, seizures, and many others linked to these food ingredients.

The Feingold diet is an elimination diet. It instructs users to remove foods containing artificial colors or flavors and salicylates. The first step is to eliminate all foods containing these ingredients. If improvement occurs after these foods are eliminated, then some restricted foods can be reintroduced in moderation.

Some testimonials and quasi-experimental evidence suggest that introducing these foods and additives cause symptoms of ADHD. However, higher quality research shows that the foods and additives do not cause symptoms of ADHD.

There isn't enough reliable information to know if the Feingold diet is safe or what the side effects might be, especially when used long-term. But, so far, there are no known safety concerns.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

The appropriate or safe use of Feingold diet depends on several factors. Be sure to seek and follow relevant directions from your physician or other healthcare professional before using this diet.

ADHD Diet, Dieta Feingold, Feingold, Food Elimination Diet, Hyperactivity Diet, Régime Feingold, Régime de Feingold, Régime contre l'Hyperactivité.

Natural Medicines disclaims any responsibility related to medical consequences of using any medical product. Effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this monograph is accurate at the time it was published. Consumers and medical professionals who consult this monograph are cautioned that any medical or product related decision is the sole responsibility of the consumer and/or the health care professional. A legal License Agreement sets limitations on downloading, storing, or printing content from this Database. Except for any possible exceptions written into your License Agreement, no reproduction of this monograph or any content from this Database is permitted without written permission from the publisher. Unlawful to download, store, or distribute content from this site.

For the latest comprehensive data on this and every other natural medicine, health professionals should consult the Professional Version of the Natural Medicines. It is fully referenced and updated daily.

© Copyright 1995-2021. Therapeutic Research Faculty, publishers of Natural Medicines, Prescriber's Letter, and Pharmacist's Letter. All rights reserved.