Elimination diet and my 5dd

Rachel

10 Mar 2007, at 5:43pm

My 5dd seems to have food sensitivities. Sugar makes her mean and I
think she reacts to dairy(allergies). Does anyone have experience with
the elimination diet? I've heard of it but don't know much about it.
And the biggest question, how would I implement that wrt her choice of
food. She is a very picky eater, different textures annoy her and no
foods mixed, unless it's chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks :)

I'm really searching for anything that can help her. She does not
sleep well and never has, has had allergies since 4 months old, had
her tonsils and adenoids removed(yikes, I would not do that now). She
was exclusively breast fed till 11 months old and her(and my since I
was breast feeding)diet during the first two years was pretty good so
the allergies are a real mystery.

Anyhow, any thoughts?

Rachel

plaidpanties666

11 Mar 2007, at 10:06am

--- In [email protected], "Rachel" <radle12000@...>
wrote:

>
> My 5dd seems to have food sensitivities. Sugar makes her mean and I
> think she reacts to dairy(allergies). Does anyone have experience

with

> the elimination diet? I've heard of it but don't know much about

it.

Are you keeping a journal? That's a really good idea so you can look
at changes in food and behavior with a little more objectivity -
don't just notice foods, but other factors, sleep, people, your own
mood. Talk with her about all of this - does she *feel* a
difference? Keep track of good, mellow, happy times, too and see if
there's a pattern there - maybe she needs *more* of something.

I'd examine the sugar issue more closely - corn syrup is a more
likely culprit, as are dyes.

> And the biggest question, how would I implement that wrt her

choice of

> food. She is a very picky eater, different textures annoy her and

> foods mixed, unless it's chocolate ice cream with chocolate

chunks :)

I'd look to add things that are good for her to eat *before* trying
to eliminate anything. Start by giving more opions, not less. That
will give you more things to compare and talk about, too - I notice
you seem grouchy when you eat xyz, but not when you eat this other
brand - do you notice a difference?

---Meredith (Mo 5, Ray 13)

Katharine Wise

11 Mar 2007, at 3:22pm

We did a dairy elimination diet in Dec and Jan, finally concluded it wasn't our culprit and gradually reintroduced. My 7yo's anger and aggression were bad enough at the time that my 10yo was more than willing to try the diet. My younger two, 7 and then almost 4, objected but I have to admit I over-ruled it given the intensity of the situation. (Seriously, I had a couple times when I thought I'd have to call 911.) However, I made sure to have lots of special foods -- things I wouldn't normally get, often because of cost (I just decided that at the moment, trying the diet was more important than money). And we rid the whole house of dairy so it just wasn't available as a choice.

Incidentally, what has seemed to help tremendously in our situation (unless things were just improving drastically for other reasons) was mega-doses of DHA (500mg).

Katharine

----- Original Message ----
From: Rachel <radle12000@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2007 5:43:41 PM
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Elimination diet and my 5dd

My 5dd seems to have food sensitivities. Sugar makes her mean and I

think she reacts to dairy(allergies) . Does anyone have experience with

the elimination diet? I've heard of it but don't know much about it.

And the biggest question, how would I implement that wrt her choice of

food. She is a very picky eater, different textures annoy her and no

foods mixed, unless it's chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks :)

I'm really searching for anything that can help her. She does not

sleep well and never has, has had allergies since 4 months old, had

her tonsils and adenoids removed(yikes, I would not do that now). She

was exclusively breast fed till 11 months old and her(and my since I

was breast feeding)diet during the first two years was pretty good so

the allergies are a real mystery.

Anyhow, any thoughts?

Rachel



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Rachel

11 Mar 2007, at 4:09pm

Hi Meredith
Thank you for responding.

> Are you keeping a journal? That's a really good idea so you can look
> at changes in food and behavior with a little more objectivity -
> don't just notice foods, but other factors, sleep, people, your own
> mood. Talk with her about all of this - does she *feel* a
> difference? Keep track of good, mellow, happy times, too and see if
> there's a pattern there - maybe she needs *more* of something.

I have not kept a journal but I will start right now.

> I'd examine the sugar issue more closely - corn syrup is a more
> likely culprit, as are dyes.

I have noticed that when she eats homemade "goodies" she doesn't seem
to react as strongly.

> I'd look to add things that are good for her to eat *before* trying
> to eliminate anything. Start by giving more opions, not less.

Ideas please?

>That will give you more things to compare and talk about, too - I notice
> you seem grouchy when you eat xyz, but not when you eat this other
> brand - do you notice a difference?
> ---Meredith (Mo 5, Ray 13)

I have done this to some extent but I guess there are probably not
enough options. She gets VERY MAD when I say anything like "you seem
grouchy" or "you seem tired" but not followed with asking her how she
does feel.

RU is very new for me and I still feel like a fish out of water but I
know in my heart it is the best for us. Before starting to deschool I
regulated what was in the house to a certain extent because of how
Sophia reacted and just limited those options for her. Of course I
still sneaked what I wanted to eat-I have a weight and eating
issues-how awful is that? Hmmmmm, do you think there is more to this
issue(read very sarcastically)? I almost freeze up, actually i do
freeze up when it comes to choosing what food our home will have in
it, then I freeze up again when it comes to making a meal for fear
that I made the "wrong" choices according to one expert or another.
HEEEELP!!

Sorry that went a bit off topic, I do think I have some thinking to do.

Rachel

P.S. I don't know if I am trimming the posts correctly, this is the
first group I have ever posted to. Also I have a difficult time
opening up to people so please bear with me.

Rachel

11 Mar 2007, at 4:13pm

Hi Katherine, Thank you for responding.

> Incidentally, what has seemed to help tremendously in our situation

(unless things were just improving drastically for other reasons) was
mega-doses of DHA (500mg).

What is DHA??

Rachel

Katharine Wise

11 Mar 2007, at 5:54pm

What is DHA??

Rachel

One kind of Omega-3. It's what formula manufacturers added in a few years ago so that, in the words of one (need I say, mistaken) grandmother I heard of recently, "It's just as good as breastmilk now." Sorry:-)

Hmmm... makes me realize that if DHA indeed helps my 7yo, it fits my theory that somehow weaning was related to my son's increased aggression. The aggression toward his younger brother started (or at least increased substantially and turned to biting instead of hitting) shortly after my middle son weaned. Of course, my youngest being 2.5 and also biting at the time was undoubtedly also a factor.

Katharine

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Rachel

11 Mar 2007, at 11:45pm

--- In [email protected], Katharine Wise
<katharinewise@...> wrote:

>
>
>
> What is DHA??
>
>
>
> Rachel
>
>
> One kind of Omega-3. It's what formula manufacturers added in a few

years ago so that, in the words of one (need I say, mistaken)
grandmother I heard of recently, "It's just as good as breastmilk
now." Sorry:-)

>
> Hmmm... makes me realize that if DHA indeed helps my 7yo, it fits my

theory that somehow weaning was related to my son's increased
aggression. The aggression toward his younger brother started (or at
least increased substantially and turned to biting instead of hitting)
shortly after my middle son weaned. Of course, my youngest being 2.5
and also biting at the time was undoubtedly also a factor.

>
> Katharine

Nothing is as good as breast-milk. I feel a little silly not knowing
about DHA but Sophia never had any formula and was an on demand very
extended nurser. How did you know about it possibly helping with the
aggression?

Rachel

>
>
>

____________________________________________________________________________________

> Looking for earth-friendly autos?
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> http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/
>
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>

Melissa

12 Mar 2007, at 12:32am

Our daughter reacts QUITE strongly to corn syrup, fortunately for us our friend and
therapist noticed before we did, we could not quite make the connections.

We started paying very close attention to labels, and just spend one day in the store
finding all the snack foods and basics that were free of corn (She reacts to all corn, BTW)
Corn syrup is insidious, for example, nearly all storebought breads have corn syrup in
them, nearly all cereals have corn of some type. Condiments, ice cream, chips and
crackers, we had to do our research and find alternatives. We feel so fortunate lately to
find that Newman's Own oreos are corn free! Woohoo.

So find the snacks that are corn free, and start buying those. Offer them alongside of fresh
fruit and veggies, cheez-its, goldfish, homemade fries and chips, sugar free popsicles and
ice cream, etc. One you start bringing in acceptable replacements, it'll be alot easier to
point out that oreo's make us feel bad, but newman o's are really good and don't. Does
that make sense? We even made our own marshmallows last week, which was (messy) fun.

Melissa

--- In [email protected], "Rachel" <radle12000@...> wrote:
> > I'd examine the sugar issue more closely - corn syrup is a more
> > likely culprit, as are dyes.
>
> I have noticed that when she eats homemade "goodies" she doesn't seem
> to react as strongly.
>
> > I'd look to add things that are good for her to eat *before* trying
> > to eliminate anything. Start by giving more opions, not less.
>
> Ideas please?

Danielle Conger

12 Mar 2007, at 8:54am

Melissa wrote:

>
> Condiments, ice cream, chips and
> crackers, we had to do our research and find alternatives. We feel so
> fortunate lately to
> find that Newman's Own oreos are corn free! Woohoo.
>

Just fyi--Newman's does use corn syrup and corn products even in its
organic line, so we steer clear of them on a regular basis. Nature's
Path makes a good oreo cookie, and the Whole Foods 365 brand is pretty
good too, and much cheaper.

> 1.
>
>
> 2. *Do Newman's Own Organics cookies contain corn or corn by-products?*
> Corn syrup is present in all the Fig Newmans. Corn starch is
> added to the powdered sugar used in the creme filling of our
> Newman-O's. Our Champion Chip Cookies are made with corn syrup
> solids as well. There is no corn or corn byproducts in any of
> the ABC cookies except in our Wheat Free/Dairy Free ABC
> Chocolate Cookies, although other products containing these
> ingredients are manufactured in our plants.
>

from: http://www.newmansownorganics.com/faq.php#Q_50

--
~~Danielle
Emily (9), Julia (8), Sam (6)
http://www.organiclearning.blogspot.com

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Connections: ezine of unschooling and mindful parenting
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Katharine Wise

13 Mar 2007, at 4:53pm

Rachel,

I think I first knew of someone on another list who thought her son might be bipolar and had read that it was good for that. But what really led to my trying it was a book called The LCP Solution intended for ADHD. I just saw an article about it online a few days ago too; not sure how I came across that but I could look -- I'm assuming it was not on this list. I don't remember if the book addressed aggression or if it was putting two and two together -- aggression can be characteristic of ADHD, DHA helps ADHD, so maybe it will help with the aggression too. I do think my son's frustrations (which sometimes end in aggression) are often triggered by distractibility and difficulty focusing. Both of my older boys also have very dry skin around their hands and ankles which is also an indication that they may benefit from the fish oil.

Katharine

Nothing is as good as breast-milk. I feel a little silly not knowing

about DHA but Sophia never had any formula and was an on demand very

extended nurser. How did you know about it possibly helping with the

aggression?

Rachel

____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for earth-friendly autos?
Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center.
http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/

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Krisula Moyer

15 Mar 2007, at 1:37pm

>>>>snip<<<<<

Rachel asked:
What is DHA??

Katherine replied:
One kind of Omega-3. It's what formula manufacturers added in a few years
ago so that, in the words of one (need I say, mistaken) grandmother I heard
of recently, "It's just as good as breastmilk now." Sorry:-)

Hmmm... makes me realize that if DHA indeed helps my 7yo, it fits my theory
that somehow weaning was related to my son's increased aggression. The
aggression toward his younger brother started (or at least increased
substantially and turned to biting instead of hitting) shortly after my
middle son weaned. Of course, my youngest being 2.5 and also biting at the
time was undoubtedly also a factor.
<<<<
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
The problem for figuring it all out though, is that when you add DHA (or
other omega 3's like in fish or linseed) you are also adding extra protein
usually and always more fat (a good kind) and so it would be worth the
trouble to notice if he improves generally after adding protein (or fat) to
the diet. Also, there is the issue of placebo because you are trying
something new and standing back and watching carefully to see if it had an
effect. You may also be speaking more calmly b/c you are engaged in
attending to the result of your experiment. KWIM? Does speaking more calmly
help? That would be good to know.

I think Meredith's comment was good about looking at lots of things <<<don't
just notice foods, but other factors, sleep, people, your own
mood. Talk with her about all of this - does she *feel* a difference? Keep
track of good, mellow, happy times, too and see if there's a pattern there -
maybe she needs *more* of something.<<<

And also someone said to bring in more food choices before you start
eliminating anything. That is helpful. You may be able to stave off the
feeling of deprivation if there are new and different choices around instead
of fewer.
Good luck,
Krisula

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Katharine Wise

16 Mar 2007, at 8:16am

The problem for figuring it all out though, is that when you add DHA (or

other omega 3's like in fish or linseed) you are also adding extra protein

usually and always more fat (a good kind) and so it would be worth the

trouble to notice if he improves generally after adding protein (or fat) to

the diet. Also, there is the issue of placebo because you are trying

something new and standing back and watching carefully to see if it had an

effect. You may also be speaking more calmly b/c you are engaged in

attending to the result of your experiment. KWIM? Does speaking more calmly

help? That would be good to know.

Me: I doubt I'm adding any significant amount of protein since I'm giving him the gel tabs not the fish itself; protein info is not listed on the bottle. Certainly this is anecdotal and not a double-blind study and a placebo effect is possible. (Although frankly I don't care if it's "real" or placebo if it results in a more peaceful life!) However, I've tried other things in the past and not seen the kind of improvement I saw after we started the fish oil. Plus, I actually wasn't watching for improvement then. On the contrary, I suddenly thought one day, "Wow! He's been doing really, really well for the past couple weeks. I wonder why?" And then, trying to figure out if anything was different, I remembered the fish oil. I hadn't expected any improvement due to it that quickly, although I had read that some people see a difference in a week or so while others need several months.

All of that said, however, this past week has not been so great. Hard to say if this is a case of two steps forward, one step back. Or if the good weeks were just a fluke (I hope not!).

Katharine

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