Seen that list before JM, it came up when i was googling some of the additives one time, it is pretty scary.

The thing about some of the additives is they have so many names.  Aspartame can be known as E951, nutra sweet or candarel etc.  Just out of interest, those that said the fruit shoots sent their kids crazy was it the green or blue lidded versions as one contains sugar, the other aspartame and another sweetner.

I was surprised to find aspartame in ds yoghurts.  Danone peach ones.  never noticed the fat free on them before.  have switched to the rhubarb variety now.  Its strange as sugar actually failed its e number tests - anyone know why??? Google aspartame, it is scary, banned in alot of countrys but not here as they say u would need to drink 14 cans of fizzy drink a day for it to do any REAL harm, but if its in your yoghurt, ice cream etc its easily done. We dont like MSG either and generally try to avoid all the fake additives

Someone posted this link recently, which I've found useful - http://www.ukfoodguide.net/enumeric.htm

At the top right there is a link for additives which should be avoided.

They have done studies showing that sugar has no effect on children's behaviour, despite parents' insistence that it does.Children were given something that looked like sugar but wasn't sugar, their parents were told it was sugar, and all reported that their children were more manic afterwards. This is because they EXPECT them to be more manic or hyper, and so that's what they see.

I think children can go through so many moods, at the drop of a hat, it can be very easy to blame food when it could just be a co-incidence.

The one I *think* I've noticed having an effect is MSG. This is in all sorts of stuff, the one that caught me out was crisps.

I haven't found it hard to avoid artificial colours or aspartame, so I don't know if these really do have an effect or not.

I agree strongly about the Aspartame (E951, artificial sweetner). This is found in most drinks, from squash to fruit shoots type drinks to pop. And like someone else has said, those play area are pretty mental anyway!

My kids hardly have any sweets, and I always read the labels when buying soft drinks in the supermarket. There's very few that are without some kind of artificial sweetner/E numbers. I have recently found a blackcurrant squash in Asda we all love, no Aspartame. I am a true believer in everything in moderation, and a good dental routine. Our dentist told us artificial sweetners are just as bad for your teeth as sugar, aswell as being linked to hyeractivity/adhd when too much is given to a child.

One thing that sent our Connor funny was Jaffa cakes! And Chloe went berserk when she had a teeny packet of buttons out of an easter egg this year!

I still let them have choc, but not too late in the day!

I used to be terrible when i'd had orange juice when i was little. And DD's grnny gave her one of those chocolate frogs with caramel in which didn't impress me & DD was really bad tempered after. So she's under strict instructions not to have any again!!

I did read somewhere that artificial colours/preservatives etc. often get the blame when actually it is more likely down to the sugar content.  Judging by what you are saying most of you seem to be wise to that.  I'm in no way saying that there won't be  some kids who to additives.

On the lighter side of this topic, my dp when he gave up smoking decided to eat sweets instead.  On one evening he came to my house (we weren't living together yet then) after having eaten 5 bags of skittles. It was hilarious, he was like a hummingbird on speed. 

Annatto. When my ds has wotsits he is a demon. We named them little orange horns. He must only have a mild intolerance though because he can tolerate foods with small amounts of annatto in without too much influence on his behaviour.

our dd reacts to oranges fresh or otherwise she is uncontrolable after eating/ touching one! 

I once gave her a oragne jelly and she was bouncing of the walls. So i stopped her having anything orange. 

I warned the nursery that if they wanted her to try it it was ok by me but i would like to no so i can see if her behaviour altered. 

Well they were making fresh juice including using oranges one morning.  She only cut them up and not drank any but she was a child from hell all afternoon.  When i mentioned to the nursery had she drank/ eaten any of it they said no but she was cutting it up.  When i said about her behaviour that afternoon they said they didn't think she was having an reaction as she would have it there and she was fine.  Since speaking to friends we all disagree saying it probably took longer due to it seeping in through her skin!

So i have since told the nursery that i don't want her even to touch them if they do then they can have her for the whole day till she is calmer! lol.

Luckly thou dd knows she can't have them as it makes her high per. 

We have also found some chocolate can make her like this too!

we are very lucky that she don't eat much chocolate and peefers a comic!

I gave ds mini cheddars and he was bouncing off the walls, this was when they had msg in them, but thankfully they don't now...any more than 3 haribo and I'd deny he was my child..!!

Things that affect my dd-ice cream, jelly, sugar free squash (use the sugared one, it is the sweeteners in it) and sour cream for some strange reason lol!!!!!!

DS generally has a good, healthy diet but he did get a Fruitshoot off his auntie once and within a short while was hyper, and naughty - so they are now banned!  Also, cakes with coloured icing affect him - not that he has this often at all.  In the last year he has had 2 bits of other childrens birthday cake and within no time at all is hyper - so obviously all the food colourings used in the icing make him Billy Piper! 

Soft play areas are very over-stimulating for young children and I think most of them naturally get a bit hyper in one (we love 'em) so add a few colourants and sweeteners and it tips them over the edge. I avoid things like fruit shoots and sweets especially if we are in a highly stimulating environment.

Havenot had much experience as my ds has a really good diet and thankfully doesnt eat much sweets preferring fruit and yoghurt but there is alot of stuff about artificial sweetners and flavourings, colourings etc.  People often buy the no added sugar as they think it is healthier when artificial sweetners are worse.  Aspartame (E951) for example has been linked to everything from loutish behaviour to brain tumours.  It is banned from our house.  Monosodium glutamate and saccharin can be bad also.  Guess it is just trial and error to find what affects your lo.

Yep my dd has probs with some foods. She used to be really really bad with anything that had sugar in.  She is now lots better but can still be bad.  Walls ice cream after tea is a no no.  My dh is the same with some stuff, creame eggs and happy hipos used to be the worst.  I started giving dd small amounts of stuff to intoduce it to her so she could get used to it i didnt want her to be like her dad and bounce around after a creame egg at the age of 30 lol. There are somethings we wont give her yet eg fizzy drinks but we are getting there.  ITs just trial and error each child is different, when i was teaching if kids had beans for lunch they were a nightmare for afternoon.

My three year old son has had the most almighty temper tantrum in a soft play area (like the wacky warehouse) today. It came from nowhere but he was horrible. he was shouting at other kids, he ran out of the doors onto the carpark and was generally out of control screaming and shouting. Obviously i took him home, but as it is so out of character for him, i have been thinking what could have been the cause. Earlier today, he had a pack of sweets called "whatevers" which are like the old Lovehearts sweets and i'm now wonderinfg if this could have been the cause.

I just wanted to know (after prattling on) if anyone else had noticed if foods affected their childs behaviour and what foods should i look at cutting out of his diet to avoid this happening again. p.s he wasnt just naughty, he really was a monster. I dont expect children to behave, but he was out of control!