But in 2008 when she was facing a household of three excitable young boys aged two to six, that is exactly what happened.

"When he was younger, my middle son Liam would make a lot of silly noises, he was very defiant, and would often break into tears for no reason - he was like an emotional yo-yo," Ms Morris said.

Sensing her frustration, a friend lent Ms Morris a book, Fed Up by Sue Dengate, which outlined a diet based on eliminating certain additives.

"I'm a bit of a sceptic about these things, but with the help of my friends who happened to be a nutritionist, dietitian and psychologist, we did eight weeks of an elimination diet and the results for all three of my children were just incredible," she said.

"Our family life became 10-20 per cent calmer - and with three boys that's a lot."

The elimination diet - which works by completely removing then reintroducing certain food groups - found Liam was intolerant to chemicals called glutamates, which include MSG, artificial additives 621 and 635 and naturally occurring yeast extract which is contained in Vegemite and stock cubes.

Ms Dengate and her food scientist husband Howard have provided information about additives and their effects on health and behaviour through their Food Information Network for nearly 30 years.

Keen to share her newfound knowledge about additives with other parents, Ms Morris has organised Ms Dengate to visit Wollongong as part of her annual roadshow.

Ms Dengate will speak about how food and additives can affect children's behaviour at 7pm on Monday at Keiraville Public School. For more information contact Rowena Morris on 0410 653 717 or visit www.fedup.com.au.