Matthew Smith

An Alternative History of Hyperactivity: Food Additives and the Feingold Diet - Critical Issues in Health and Medicine Matthew Smith

In 1973 Ben Feingold created an uproar by claiming that synthetic food additives triggered hyperactivity. He contended that the epidemic should not be treated with drugs but with a food additive free diet. This explores the origins of the Feingold diet, revealing why it became so popular, and the ways in which physicians, parents, and the public made decisions about whether it was a valid treatment for hyperactivity.