While synthetic salicylates typically cause a greater negative response in the body of someone with ADHD, natural salicylates can also pose a huge problem and need to be eliminated, at least during the initial stages of the Feingold Diet. However, many people find that they are able to introduce foods containing salicylates and will be able to tolerate them after an initial period of elimination. Natural salicylates were undeniably the thing I found most fascinating about the Feingold Diet and similar diets involving eliminating salicylates, due to the fact that the banned food list contains many extremely healthy foods. Apples, berries, almonds, tomatoes and oranges are just a handful of foods that contain large levels of natural salicylates, which means they have to be removed from the diet. The idea of this can be fairly hard to wrap your head around at first look, based on the fact that these foods are typically staples of healthy eating and are usually allowed in various other diets. However, these foods typically produce a reaction in the body of a child or adult living with ADHD.
Natural salicylates are essentially a defense mechanism, protecting against insects, diseases and bacteria. They are also responsible for a lot of the anti-inflammatory properties present in such foods, which ironically leads to them being, for the most part, various staples of healthy eating. However, these natural salicylates create an allergic reaction and an immune response and lead to flare-ups of hyperactivity for those with ADHD. The Feingold Diet operates in a system of two stages. The first stage bans all forms of synthetic salicylates and acetylsalicylic acid, but also eliminates all forms of natural salicylates found in various foods. This first stage lasts anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, after which the diet opens up and certain foods can be reincorporated. The goal of the first stage is to purge the natural and synthetic salicylates from the body that have been accumulated over time. As salicylates are consumed, they accumulate and build up within the body, making it far easier to be triggered by a single instance of consumption. The parent of a child with ADHD will be acutely aware of this fact, especially after watching an explosion of hyperactivity take place immediately after consuming brightly colored candy.
Once salicylates are completely removed from the body and are able to be removed, there is a much greater chance the individual will be able to tolerate various forms of natural salicylates. However, natural salicylates will tend to produce a major reaction and cause a flare up of hyperactivity if this initial purging stage is not completed. You can think about this in the same way as looking at a reservoir that is full of water, with the water being salicylates that have built up in the body. If you add any additional water to the full reservoir, it is inevitably going to spill over, which represents an instance of hyperactivity and detrimental behavior. The first stage of the diet takes that full reservoir and opens up a drain at the bottom, effectively clearing the salicylates from the body, leaving an empty reservoir. At that point, water can be added back into the reservoir in various forms of natural foods containing salicylates and there is a good chance you aren’t going to produce an allergic reaction and immune response.
It is for this reason that we eliminate all forms of synthetic salicylates, as well as natural salicylate-containing foods at first and then reintroduce a variety of foods at a later date. However, keep in mind that every person has their own very specific biochemistry and is going to react differently to certain foods. For instance, one person may be able to tolerate apples and berries, but have a major reaction to consuming almonds. A second individual may be able to eat almonds and peppers, but have an explosion of hyperactivity after eating berries or tomatoes. The Feingold Diet follows a protocol that is fundamentally centered around a few principles, but the diet really is an exploration of one’s own biochemistry. We all have to remove synthetic forms of salicylates by permanently avoiding certain medications and all food dyes, but the actual diet is more individualistic and has looser rules that are suited to your own biochemistry.