BIG food changes (and short update on us)

[pixiesmommy]

I will try to hit the highlights

 

Soy- we try to avoid it because of the pseudo-estrogens, but do use it occasionally. We do make sure we only use organic due to the GMO issues.

 

Lupus- my mom is positive, but I have tested negative. I have been classified as having "Fibromyalgia" since they can't figure it out. I have a second opinion Rheum appt coming up next week for myself.

 

On diet issues- we have not done specific tests, but I will look into the Great Plains ones. We *have* done the typical scratch tests and blood tests through an allergist and those were all negative, and we did MSA testing which showed artificial ingredients. She (and I) seemed to respond well to a low-salicylate diet www.Feingold.org and we have been using those outlines for 2 years now, but know specifically that apples have been an issue. She has also had 2 celiac panels done (blood work only) and one had one positive marker, but the second more extensive one was negative all around. All of her recent post-IVIG blood work for other underlying immuno issues was normal, even the titers (which mean her vaccines really did "take.")

 

We have been grain/gluten-free, sugar-free, and light on the dairy (all local, raw, grass-fed) for a little over a week now and I feel really good. I've had one headache, but it was right after some cheese and nuts, which could have been a trigger or it may have been sinus-related since I think I'm getting a little cold. Pixie has had 2 headaches, but each after refusing protein and eating rice/potatoes. She is really adapting well to the diet and we haven't heard a single complaint!! I think she is learning her lesson and is asking to be sure she is getting enough protein these days, which is AWESOME. Her behavior is even better and we are seeing her compassion really shine towards her little sister. She has not only lost her butterfly rash, as have I, but she has also lost the dark circles under her eyes.

 

The biggest change we have seen is that she is needing about 2 hours less sleep! She is actually waking earlier on her own, refreshed and energetic, in a good mood. I'm really excited to see how much she improves in the coming weeks, as it is supposed to take at least a month to really rid yourself of the toxins from allergens/sensitivities, AND to continue in the hopes that if there really is a yeast problem that we are confronting that as well.

 

It's very exciting and I'm enjoying talking to new people and learning new ways to cook and eat too!

www.chickiepea.wordpress.com

[Guest calieigh]

Until a few weeks ago, I was sugar-free and chemical sweetener-free for almost a year. Long story short, recently, I became unbelievably dehydrated and found that water just wasn’t cutting the mustard. After a bit of research, I realized I must have had an electrolyte imbalance. Tried a Gatorade-type homemade drink that was horrible, so I succumbed to drinking Gatorade itself. I was desperate. ... ... Once the sugar was in my system, all heck broke loose. I found myself craving sugar so intensely that literally I felt like a drug addict. I would shovel cake and ice cream, or chocolate.

[mar]

We were told no corn, rice, or potatoes to the best extent we can. We are using them in moderation for sure! I know corn can harbor mold and the starches in rice and potatoes feed the yeast b/c they are essentially sugars.

 

Here is the SCD list of foods, if you are interested (though this is not exactly what we are doing, but VERY similar!)

 

http://pecanbread.com/p/legal_illegal_a-c.htm

 

Can he have nuts/seeds? We are soaking and roasting nuts/seeds(per the cookbook Nourishing Traditions) and seasoning them with various spices, or just salt and using those for snacks.

 

You can also crisp up grated cheese into "crackers" if you are on dairy, or kale, in the oven, for a crunchy snack.

 

We try to avoid puffed rice (it's been proven very toxic for animals) but we do use rice cakes occasionally- you can toast them in the oven and use spreads on them like butter, ghee, or nut-butter. Check out my blog if you haven't already! I checked out a HUGE stack of cookbooks from the library and we are modifying recipes and eating really well!

 

We are on Day 3 and already I feel better!! Pixie's face is not hot and red and I don't have the butterfly rash and "flushed" feeling I get, so something is definitely happening!!

 

Thank you for the reply!! My main question now is avoiding the puffed rice!! My son has been eating 100% organic Crispy Brown Rice Gluten Free cereal (organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, sea salt). Is this cereal the same as puffed rice??

What part of IL are you from. I am here as well?

 

Thanks again for the info you provided!! Also, when I went on the link you provided I seen all the great looking food. Are those your pictures! Wow!

 

Mar

[pixiesmommy]

Thanks! Yes, the chickiepea blog has our photos. The pecanbread site is not mine, but very informative.

 

I'm in Elgin, IL.

 

Puffed rice would include rice cereal, rice cakes, etc. Any "puffed" grain is problematic due to the way it is treated to change it to do so. This is according to the Nourishing Traditions book by Sally Fallon, which is based on the Weston A Price studies (which were about what indigenous cultures had the strongest teeth and bones and most beautiful bone structure and how that is based on what they eat.)

 

Our diet is a combo of the SCD diet, Feingold, and Nourishing Traditions. I'm also reading about eating raw, as that seems to help with some things as well. As I learn more, I will blog about that too.

 

[reactive]

I'm really sorry...this is all very new to me and I just happened upon the discussion about foods. Can someone tell me the reason why you are changing your child's eating habits. My 5 year old son just started with extreme OCD/anxiety symptoms in December after exposure to strep and he is going to start a clinical trial with Dr. T Murphy with the Rothman Center in St. Petersburg, FL in February.

 

We saw his primary care doc. yesterday and he suggested doing an elimination diet of all milk products, artificially colored foods, and foods with refined sugars. I think this stemmed from the fact that all during the visit, he was rolling on the floor, standing on his head and having difficulty focusing at all. He didn't really do this prior to December. He said it wouldn't hurt to eliminate these things from his diet to see if it would improve his behavior.

 

Is it all related???? Ugh. I just feel clueless and like I have missed or neglected things as a parent. When he was two, he received allergy tests and it came back extremely high for alterneria alternata (fruit and vegetable molds), dog dander, moderate for egg whites and walnuts, and low for wheat and milk. At the time, his doc. said there was no reason to avoid wheat and milk because he didn't seem to have a reaction to it. I've never put it all together and wondered if anyone can give me some insights based on your experiences with PANDAS. I just want to know what on earth is going on! I think I have logged about 20 instances in a one hour period that he has asked permission (I don't know why and keep telling him he doesn't have to ask) to pick his fingers, toes or rub them. Is this part of it too?

 

Thanks to anyone who can help with this!

 

Here's a bit of our history,

 

dd7 has a history of absent staring seizures, short stature, tummy and bowel trouble and behavior trouble. We started seeing a Dan! (Defeat Autism Now) doctor because she had a lot of issues seen in children with autism. The DAN! protocol includes gluten and casien free diets because many people find that behavior and physical issues will often get better. When we went gluten free, my dd's seizures went away, tummy and bowel trouble cleared up, she started growing and she was better behaved.

 

My dd8 went gluten free and her skin (itchy, eczema, etc.) cleared up 100% and she became less angry and better behaved.

 

This was all before learning about PANDAS. We also found out that they did test positive for gluten intolerance but regardless of that, it is believed that even if they did not, that gluten free can still help with a lot of this stuff.

 

Wheat for one causes inflammation in the body just by nature of the grain. Removing it can reduce inflammation and cause less pain or other symptoms that may be related to it.

 

Somehow I think that PANDAS and autism are related and following some of the protocol's for autistic children can also help our children. I'm sure others will have more info than I have but this is where we were coming from when we started gluten free.

 

Just as a side note....I since learned I'm allergic to wheat so I don't eat it any more either and my skin allergies and itchiness went completely away too.

 

Susan

It is interesting that you would say PANDAS could be related to autism. We had to have that ruled out, and had several visits with a developmental pediatrician.

[Pandamom777]

My daughter has been gluten and casein free for many, many years. It can be tough at first. You need to plan ahead -- fast food is not a good option. I think a mistake commonly made at the beginning (including us) is trying to fill the wheat void with way too much rice and corn products. Processed rice products can really raise the body's glycemic index rapidly; ditto for potatoes.

 

Because of the dramatic increase in autism, you can find a tremendous amount of cookbooks out there now for gluten-free and casein-free diets. The theory is that gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, barley and contaminated oats) and casein (the protein in dairy products) break down into peptides that can cause problems for people with leaky gut, which is a common problem for kids with autism. The peptides get into the bloodstream and have an opium-like effect on the brain. I know of children that will sneak the jug of milk out of the fridge and guzzle it down to get their fix. The change I've noticed in kids is that they are still autistic in the way they think, but the rages, meltdowns and aggressive behavior is greatly reduced.

 

Allergy testing can help pinpoint foods that kids are allergic to, but this issue is more of a sensitivity/intolerance, not an allergy that involves the immune system. I don't know of a test to see if removing these foods will help; most families I know just try it to see if it will work. Because it can be such a challenge, a lot of families remove casein first to look for changes, before taking on the challenge of a gluten-free diet.

 

My daughter has been on the Specific Carboydrate Diet for a few years now. It was designed for people with irritable bowel and Crohns disease, but has been used more and more for people with autism. It is a diet designed to reduce yeast and heal the gut. It elminates all grains, but allows honey and fruit. I know this seems contrary to elminating yeast, but the theory is that the foods that are most quickly digested will not give yeast time to feed on it. So far my daughter has done really well and no longer has a chronically distended belly and constant gas. The pecanbread site is a branch of the diet geared to autism. The main book on SCD is called Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall, and the website is breakingtheviciouscycle.info.

 

Another option I haven't heard mentioned is the Body Ecology Diet. It is also a diet used to reduce yeast in the body. They take a different approach then the SCD does, but has helped a lot of people, too. They use food combining, include some grains, use stevia and lakanto as sweeteners and use a lot of fermented foods.

 

Just my two cents...

 

Sharon

[pixiesmommy]

Thank you. That is a lot of information to digest. The yeast thing has been baffling me, obviously, since there are so many approaches that I guess I just need to find one and stick with that instead of floundering through it on my own.