She said her daughter Caitlin, 6, who, with the rest of her family, removed additives from her diet and became more relaxed and responsive.

But it was only when Caitlin went to a birthday party and ate additive-laden food, that she noticed the difference.

“The next day, at 5am, she woke up and from that day she lacked concentration, lacked focus, lacked direction,” she said.

“She said to my husband ‘my head feels really busy’, they were the words she used to describe it ... it wasn’t until a week later she said her head wasn’t busy.”

Mrs Stewart said the effect of food additives was only revealed to her when she went to a talk featuring food intolerance expert and author Sue Dengate.

“As soon as I got home I emptied out the pantry and started to read labels,” Mrs Stewart said.

“There weren’t heaps in there, but it was in the cordial, the chocolate topping, in the chicken stock and the sprinkles we used in the ice-cream for special treats, it was also in the grated cheese.”

Mrs Stewart said in the 12 months since that talk family life had become calmer with less bickering and she didn’t have to ask her children “10 times to put their shoes on”.

Ms Dengate will give another talk tonight at the Commercial Club, Albury, from 7pm.