The Additive Puzzle

Making sense of unexplained mood/behaviour and health problems

Having noticed that certain foods seemed to trigger mood swings and challenging behaviour in her nine-year-old foster son, Judy Bowers began eliminating certain additives from his diet by trial and error. The process transformed his life – and her family's. More than ten years of research lead to the identification of four key food additives to avoid. But most important has been the discovery of the 'cocktail effect' – or what happens to some people when they eat food combining two or more additives. This issue hasn't been investigated to the same extent as research looking into the effects of the additives on their own - hence the puzzle! Since her discovery Judy Bowers has been quietly sharing her knowledge of additives with other parents and carers through her work as a foster carer, shared-lives carer and co-running a toddler group. She uses the same friendly approach in The Additive Puzzle, which outlines the main four additives and how to avoid them, as well as giving tips on how to feed fussy eaters and how to support children as their behaviour improves. The emails and case studies included in the book are testament to Judy Bowers' determination to improve the lives of others. She doesn't claim to have all the answers, but now wants to share her evidence and knowledge with a wider audience.