E Man Food List!

Eli has done AWESOME on his Gluten and Casein Free (GFCF) diet and we've had some really good results.   I can say confidently that we have almost no more problems in relation to his sensory processing disorder.   Could he have grown out of it? Maybe.   All I know is that I finally feeling like he is uninhibited by something that was out of his control.   For those of you that are interested in this diet for various reasons, or are taking care of Eli ever (like those who are graciously up to the task when ever baby #3 comes!) I wanted to have an extensive food list of his favorite foods and the easiest go to menu refer you to.

Breakfast foods:
-Eggs and Nitrate Free (Hormel or TJ's*) Bacon.   (We make the eggs with either the bacon fat, or his dairy free Earth Balance butter)
*Tj's = Trader Joes
-Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal
-Gluten Free Cereal with Almond Milk (a popular one you can find anywhere is CHEX otherwise just look in the gluten free aisle for your favorite)
-Gluten Free pancakes (our favorite brand thus far is Namaste) just make sure you make them with Almond Milk
-T'J's Wheat and Dairy Free Frozen Waffles (these are his absolute favorite and they are only $1.99!)

Lunch/Dinner foods:
-T.j's canned chicken chili
-Hormel Natural lunch meat (his favorites are ham and salami) and gluten free crackers (his favorite is GLUTINO brand).
-Peanut butter and honey or jelly on either rice cakes or gluten free bread (his favorite is UDIS).
-Chicken Salad and Gluten Free Crackers and/or spinach  (make sure the Chicken Salad is not made with wheat...it IS dairy free.  Mayo contrary to what most people think is not a dairy product)
-Hebrew National hotdogs
-Gluten Free noodles (they are everywhere...look for brown rice or corn pasta) with Gluten free Tomato Sauce (again, just look at the label...popular brands are PREGO and BARILLO) and ground beef.
-Tacos with hard corn shell.   When using a taco seasoning either make your own without wheat or buy Old Elpaso.
-Any meat and rice or quinoa combo.   He really is not picky at all. 

Snacks:
-popcorn made with olive oil
-Almond Yogurt
-T.j.'s natural black cherry jello
-Cracker Jacks
-Potato chips (as long as they don't have seasoning)
-Tortilla chips (most are gluten free just look at the label)
-ANY of the gluten/dairy free cookies/desserts out there.
-trailmix with dried fruit
-Fruit Snacks (most are gluten free just look at the label)
- All fruit Popsicles

Fruit/Veg:
-ANY (isn't that funny?) 
-he will really eat just about any...his pallate has broadened : )  His favorites are: carrots, bell pepper, frozen peas, sugar snap peas, broccoli & green beans (cooked)...ALL fruit except pineapple (his personal preference)

Fast Food/Restaurants:
Just look up a restaurants menu before you go...there are a lot of option out there!   Our go to's are:
-Palio/Durkins/Bj's/Dominoes pizza.   Just ask for gluten free without cheese and his fave toppings are sausage and olives.
-Wendys.   He can have their chili, fries, and hamburgers (without bun...we just bring an UDI's with us)
-Chick Fil A : Grilled Nuggets kids meal with fries or fruit
-Jason's Deli: They have a FANTASTIC gluten free menu...just let him choose and remember no dairy!
-Macaroni Grill: Gluten Free pasta with red sauce


                   


 

GFCF: Update

Sorry if you were expecting something non "Gluten Free Casein Free" related, but that's kinda been the theme around here the last couple of weeks and I wanted to update how we are doing : )

E-Man: His behavior has been...worse.   He's always been silly and disruptive, but this past week his teacher (and I) described him as oppositional.   That's has never really been a problem for him.  Don't be discouraged (like me!) supposedly this is normal when kids are "addicted" to a certain type of food and coming off of it.  For those people with a food sensitivity or intolerance their body has been treating these certain foods as a drug (the amino acid chain looks similar to OPIATE!), so coming off of it is equated to coming off of drugs : )   Supposedly this will only last another week or two.   I will say that today has been a "rock star" day for him and I haven't seen him this "on" in a long time.   He is helpful, following directions and seems more comfortable in his skin. 

Helpful Products: I'm going to go ahead and list our fave products so far in case some of you will find this helpful when and if you try a GFCF diet.  First of all I have to say, THANK GOD FOR TRADER JOES!!!   They have an entire packet available in their stores and on their site that includes all of their gluten free products (and they also have started including a cute little "g" on their products).   Eli and I have had fun going on Sunday mornings (thanks to our church being on Sat nights now!) and having the store and it's employees to ourselves : )

I just have to include this pic from their site:

*Udi's Bread:  Pretty much any store carries this, but Eli hasn't missed bread because of this.  We even made french toast last weekend with the cinnamon raisin bread they have out...mmmmmmm....

*Trader Joes All Purpose Flour:  This is a brand new product they have out.   Seriously?   Need I look anywhere else?  I can use all purpose flour for....all purposes.

*Barbaras Cereal: Pretty much all of these are gluten free and delicious.   (Eli's personal fave is the peanut butter puffs)

*Rice Cakes:  I've started giving him peanut butter on rice cakes (the Udi's bread can get pricey) and thankfully he LOVES them.  His friends have even asked me to give their mom's a recipe : )

*Trader Joes Gluten Free Brownie Mix:  Again, seriously?   This way I can ensure they are casein (dairy) free too...

*Corn Chips and Potato Chips: No sacrifices need there, thankfully they aren't made with Gluten!

*Hebrew National Hotdogs:  They are blessed by a rabi, how can you go wrong?

*Trader Joes Lunch Meat: Nitrate free and uncured (which you need for both GF & CF) at the best price I've seen!

*Carmel Corn: One of his favorite treats these days.

*Meringue Cookies:  YUMMMMMMMMM!    (Although with TJ's all purpose flour I can make any kind now)

HIDDEN PRODUCTS:  Here's a list of things we were eating regularly that I had NO CLUE had gluten in them.   I always thought it was only in products made with flour....not true.

*Soy sauce (he loves it on his rice): Supposedly there is gluten free available you just have to look for it on the label.   Believe it or not the "KARIOUT" brand that comes with Chinese carry out is gluten free now :) 

*Gum: He chews this DAILY.   Gluten free brands include Wrigley, Trident and Glee

*Yogurt: We were buying Coconut Yogurt which is "Casein Free" but it still has gluten in it.  The Trader Joes Soy yogurt is gluten free AND casein free (although I am generally not a fan of soy). 

I'm sure I will find more as we go : ) 

GFCF: The Saga Continues

Gluten Free Casein Free (GFCF)

I've always been curious to see how Eli would do off gluten, but never had the motivation to try it.  After giving up dairy a year ago (for casein purposes) I didn't want to change too much at once.  His neurologist at the time also didn't see gluten as part of the problem with any of his patients.   If  you've read anything about the autism/ADHD community A LOT of parents have had success and seen a lot of results with it's removal.  

Dairy is a lot of times the first food people remove because it only takes about 3 days to notice a behavioral difference.   Gluten, however, takes 3 MONTHS!   Well with a little over 3 months before his little brother or sister is here and thus the craziness begins (including him going to Elementary School) I thought: now or never.  

Most of my information thus far has been taken from parents, blogs and this book:

I like this book because it is not too extreme, and it is also open to this not being a "cure all" for either.  It also accepts the need for occupational, physical, speech and behavioral therapies (which we've tried), as well as medication (which we have not tried) for a lot of kids with ADHD and Autism.   

Here are some statements thus far that have resonated with me: 

Symptoms of Food Sensitivities and Intolerances: (an allergy is typically and immediate response, unlike these) 

 There are a lot more symptoms, but these are the most notable (and disruptive) ones in Eli:

Skin: RED face/EARS
 

Neurologic: tics (flapping)
 *I have hesitated to show this because I don't want to embarrass him, but as you can see while it doesn't hurt him or others around him it shows that information between his brain and body isn't functioning correctly.  He only does it when he is really excited about something : ) If you look closely you can also see the red face and ears.*

Behavior/Develpment: ADHD Symptoms (decreased attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity)...school is still a problem and there are only 5 kids in his class.   His teacher, (once again...ever since he was 3), says he isn't intentionally trying to be disruptive and off task, but the reality is that he is a lot of the time.  He is a SWEET, SMART, FUN kid but the reality is he will be in school a lot of his life.   ADHD symptoms don't do well in a classroom setting and homeschooling is not on my radar : ( I also don't think he likes not being able to control what comes out of his mouth/body.  You can tell a lot of times that he regrets his actions as soon as they occur. 

Causes of Food Reactions: The Digestive Connections: 

This was always hard for me to explain/understand.   This book does a fantastic job!   I am going to copy this whole section because it is REALLY GOOD and I've never been able to find a better explanation.   

"Normally, when foods are digested in the small intestine (the upper part of the intestine), they break down into their smallest components: proteins to amino acids, fats to fatty acids, and carbohydrates to simple sugars.   Along with nutrients, these are allowed to cross the intestinal lining into the bloodstream, where they travel to other parts of the body, including the brain.  

A critical part of this healthy system is in the lining of the intestine.  This lining needs to be a good barrier so that foods cannot enter the blood until they have been fully digested.  It functions like a window screen, letting in good air but not larger items like pesky flies or harmful bugs.   When the intestinal lining is damaged, potentially harmful large food molecules can enter the bloodstream-like holes in the screen letting bugs in.   This condition is commonly referred to as a "leaky gut", since food molecules leak through the microscopic holes in the intestinal lining. 

Many children with ADHD or autism have problems with their intestinal lining.  {I took out the part about autism, because this has been ruled out for Eli...but they have an added concern of not having the correct digestive enzymes to break down food} The type of food that causes the most problems for children with ADHD or autism is protein, specifically proteins from milk, wheat and soy.  {Most proteins do their job: fish, fowl, meat, eggs, dairy, beans, nuts and grains}  

During digestion, not all of the amino-acid chains {made by proteins} are completely digested.  What results are residues of short chains of amino acids called peptides.  The peptides, however, are large and should not be absorbed unless the gut is damaged and, therefore, too permeable or leaky.  Think of amino acids like Scrabble letters.   Peptides are the "words" made from those letters.  Depending on how the letters (amino acids) are arranged, different "words" (peptide) are formed.  The body recognizes these "words".  If, however, the letter arrangement does not spell a "word", the body considers it to be foreign.  Likewise, if the intestinal lining is damaged, the body may consider the peptides that leak into the bloodstream to be foreign.  If they are not recognized because they are foreign, the body sends specialized cells to get rid of them.   When the peptides are "words" the body recognizes, the body allows them to remain.  If the "words" have receptors in the brain, they may cross the brain and send a signal.  If the signal is not one that should normally occur in the brain, there can be a short circuit in brain functioning.  This can contribute to many of the symptoms seen in children with ADHD or autism."  (p23-24, The Kid Friendly ADHD &Autism Cookbook)

I'm hoping to explain and report more as I go along, but at least now I can refer people to this blog when they are genuinely curious as to why we are not doing gluten and dairy.