Children

The events of last Friday in Newtown, Connecticut have affected me, just as I'm sure they have most of you:

shock, disbelief, anger, fear, anguish.  It is unfathomable that something like this could happen, let alone did.  I have a 5 and an 8 year old.  They go go a school with a layout very, very similar to the online photos of Sandy Hook.  My kindergartner is in that room right across the hall from the office. 

It is, as I said, beyond my comprehension that such an evil could happen in such a "safe" place in such a "safe" community.  But, I guess that's just it.  Our schools, our busses, our airports, our malls, our movie theaters, and on and on AREN'T as safe as we'd like them to be.  I'm not here to discuss gun control or legislation.  I'm not here to voice my opinion on "gun free zones," although I am slowly formulating what my idea of a solution might include.  I'm just here to say this:

Mental illness is real.  And it's hard.  It doesn't happen only to "bad" people.  It just happens to people.  Children, adults, religious and non.  In this human experience, you don't get to pick your own trials, or the trials of your own children.  I read an article shortly after the shooting, for which I will post the link below.  It is brave, insightful, and right on target.  If anything is sure to make a difference, to stop, or stem the flow of these horrific tragedies, surely it is accessible, affordable mental health that doesn't come with a scarlet letter.  

http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2012/12/thinking-unthinkable.html

Bread!

Man might not be able to live on bread alone, but in our family we have been finding it somewhat lonesome to live without bread at all.  I've tried a few recipes so far, without success, which is why I haven't mentioned them here.  But, last night we had a breakthrough!  I made a recipe that I adapted from here (a blog-new to me-that I'm loving!) and it really turned out great.  It tastes nothing like wheat bread and nothing like Gluten Free bread.  It's nutty, and tastes somewhat like corn, although it has none of that in it either.  I stood there over the bowl with the guar gum measured out (the whole Tablespoon!) thinking, this can't be right.  But it was.  We had toast for breakfast!  It was definitely right!

Coconut Flour Bread

2/3 cup coconut Flour

1 cup sorghum Flour

1 cup +1 tsp tapioca flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tablespoon + 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum if you need to avoid corn)-I used guar

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground chia seeds

1-2 Tbsp ground flax seeds

  

1/3 cup applesauce

4 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon vinegar-white or apple cider

2 ¼  cups non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk)

A couple Tablespoons water, if needed

Preheat oven to 350° F and grease 2 medium loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine dry ingredients and use paddle or whisk to stir them until they are fully combined. 

Combine milk with vinegar and let sit for a few minutes.  Then add applesauce and whisk to combine.  Quickly add melted coconut oil and quickly pour into mixer, which you have turned onto low with that third hand you have that wasn’t already busy ;)  Turn mixer to medium and mix until combined.  The batter will be very thick, but if it is dry and crumbling, add water and mix until combined. 

Divide between loaf pans.  This made two short loaves in medium loaf pans.  You could also do 1 large loaf in a large loaf pan.   I am going to try to scale it for a 2 loaf recipe next time I make it. 

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until crust has formed, and loaf feels springy when touched on top.  Check with a toothpick inserted into center of loaf.  If it comes out clean, take loaf out and cool on a cooling rack.  

Enjoy bread again!  Yum!

Eliminate!

It's time to pare it down, people!  Today is the first day of the elimination diet.  We've been pretty strict the last two weeks about sticking to the anti-inflammatory diet, but now IT'S TIME!  The sooner we start this, the sooner it will be over and we will know (I seriously hope!) what H's food allergies really and truly are.  I am predicting: Wheat, Dairy, Soy, Peanuts, and Almonds.  I am hoping that it turns out he is not allergic to dairy.  Oh, how I miss cheese and cream!  I could give up milk easily-even in recipes, but cream and I are having a harder time separating!

For the next 6 weeks or so, here are the do's and don'ts.  They are almost identical to those found in Is My Child's Brain Starving, although we have a few additional restrictions.

NO Foods:

• Dairy 
• milk, cheese, ice cream, cream cheese, etc. 
• Casein, lactose, whey
• Wheat 
• Durham, semolina, whole wheat, white bread, wheat bread, pasta, flour, Kamut
• Gluten 
• all of the above under wheat and also: rye, barley, cross-contaminated oats, gliaden
• Corn  
• I would need the rest of my natural life to list all the possible ways corn is used in food.  Chances are if you don't know what an ingredient is, it's dervied from corn (or wheat or soy). Here are a few that surprised me: baking powder, xanthum gum, millet-related to corn, stevia that has been formulated to be cup-for cup for baking.
• Yeast 
• commercial or natural
• Eggs 
• all parts of the egg, also lactalbumin
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Although not technically a requirement, we are very suspicious that H. is allergic to almonds and are choosing to avoid tree nuts as a precaution.
• Soy 
• non-fermented soy products-although I have not been able to find a fermented one that doesn't contain wheat yet.
• Chocolate
• Citrus 
• oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits
• Strawberries
• Sugar 
• all refined sugar (sucrose)
• honey-for now
• molasses
• Our goal here is to consume as little added sweetener as humanely possible
• Oils
• Trans Fats
• Vegetable Oils
• Margarine
• Fried Foods
• Beverages
• Coffee
• Alcohol
• Sugary drinks including juices
• Water is the preferred beverage
• Food additives
• colors, flavors, preservatives
• including: nitrates, BHA, BHT, aspartame, MSG

YES Foods:

• Grains
• Rice: preferrably brown
• Amaranth
• Quionoa
• Oats
• Teff
• Buckwheat
• Vegetables
• All are OK.  No restrictions!
• Protein
• Meat
• all types OK, except those that have been processed including cold cuts and hot dogs
• Poultry
• Fish
• Beans/Legumes
• all are OK except soy and peanuts
• Seeds
• Roasted first
• Oils/Fats
• Coconut Oil to be used when heating
• Olive Oil to be used when cold (like dressings)
• Sweeteners
• Pure Stevia
• liquid or powder
• Very small amounts of pure maple syrup
• Beverages
• Water should be 1st choice
• Herbal teas
• Rice or coconut milk, unsweetened
• Spices/Condiments
• salt, pepper
• All herbs and blends that do not include citrus
• Vanilla extract

A Quick Summary

I haven't had the time to give a full background of what I have read on the connection between leaky gut syndrome, ADHD and ezcema.  I previously linked to the book Is Your Child's Brain Starving?  which gives a good lay-people explanation of all of it.  I wanted to just share an excerpt from the conclusion of Part I of the book:
"Sub-optimal brain function is often associated with disturbances in the structure, function and microscopic ecology of the gastrointestinal tract.  Leaky gut syndrome is a common condition resulting from chronic irritation of or poor nutritional support for, the normally leakproof lining of the small intestine.  When the small intestine becomes leaky, large partially digested food particles and byproducts of microorganisms passively leak through the intestine, putting a great deal of stress upon the immune system and liver.  The result can be a variety of symptoms including food intolerances  malaise, poor concentration, irritability  fatigue, and muscle pain."  (p. 105)

So, our goal with the food changes we are making is to remove all the foods that are a possible allergen/irritant.  When those foods are removed and wholesome foods are consumed, the gut will heal-slowly.  It will take about a month, but at that point we should be seeing an improvement not only in his skin symptoms, but also in his focus and impulse control.  His body should then be absorbing the nutrients needed to fuel the part of the brain that controls attention and impulse.  At that point, we can begin adding foods back in one at a time to see which actually cause a reaction.  If the gut is no longer leaking, there should be far fewer foods that get through to his immune system (don't imagine whole chunks of food-try to think of it as partially digested proteins, instead.)  Those are the foods he may be reacting to now even though he is not "allergic" to them.  We should see a decrease in his "food allergies" along with their related symptoms (ezcema), and we should know which few foods he truly shouldn't eat.

I am not a doctor, medical professional or anything of the kind.  This blog is intended to share our experiences about allergies, food, ADHD and ezcema.  If what we have to say helps you, then great.  But, we are doing all this under a physician's care, and so should you.  You should also read all labels and research your own food choices carefully.  Food allergies and anaphylaxis are not something to toy around with.  They are definitely not something to experiment with yourself.  Be safe: read labels, know your food, and consult a physician.

Beating the Skeptics

When we shared with our family what our "new diet" was going to be like, I could tell they were skeptical.  They know how much we love food.  They also know the reputation that gluten-free (and here I would also add "allergen free") cooking can often have: it's yucky.  We talked about this a few days ago when I confessed my brownie botch  up.  To be honest, I am still working on beating my own skepticism one meal at a time.

So far, we have had mostly success.  We've had family over twice now since beginning the food restrictions and both times they have been impressed.  After dinner last night-pasta primavera with salmon-I asked for my brother's honest feedback and he gave a very enthused, "this won't be so bad after all" response.Beat

Today, I ran across this article in The New York Times and I thought, "YES!" that is how I want it to be.  I will continue to seek out tasty food and focus on making what we CAN eat really rock. FYI I found the article from Lexie's Kitchen, which is also a good resource (her blog is here).

New Vegetable of the Week: Brussels Sprouts

So, I mentioned before that we are on the "anti-inflammatory" diet right now.  It's not quite the same as the full-blown elimination diet, but very close.  There are many vegetables on the list of foods that help decrease inflammation in the body, and we are encouraged to eat those as much as we can.

So, we've decided to eat a new vegetable, or a old favorite prepared in a new way at least once each week.  So, why not start out with a challenge?  Brussels Sprouts?  Challenge accepted!

We went to a friends' house for dinner a while ago and she did a pan of roasted vegetables that included brussels sprouts.  Not sure if my kiddos actually ate any that night, but I enjoyed them.  I did not hold out high hopes for my kiddos loving them, but I have been craving cabbage lately and they sounded good (brussels sprouts are part of cabbage families-the babies if you will).

MUCH to my surprise, our daughter thought they were the best part of the meal.  This is a girl who didn't eat anything green for several years and chooses her food "likes" very carefully.  Our son also had seconds.  A success!  Next time I'll take some photos along the way.  Here is an example of the finished product:

Here's our version:

Ingredients:
3-4 cups brussels sprouts-as fresh as possible
2 Tbsp coconut oil*
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425° F.  Clean and halve brussels sprouts and toss them in a medium bowl.  Melt coconut oil and drizzle over sprouts.  Toss to coat.  Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper and toss again. Put sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until they begin to color, about 10-15 minutes.  Yum!

*Right now, our oil options include coconut for heated applications and olive oil for cold applications.  I would have used olive oil if that were allowed!

Some New Books

Nothing--and I mean nothing--gets an English major more excited than a new, good book.  Today I got two that I hope are both winners.  The first is:

I've heard good recommendations for this book from a few chefs we work with.  I'm excited to try it.  If I can make tasty waffles (see cover) then the whole family will be glad!

This second book is my new Bible.  I have read the first 30 or so pages so far (I actually always sit down and read new cookbooks from the beginning-I'm funky like that-and this one proves to be worth it's weight in gold!  I am already so very grateful for what Colette Martin had to go through and all her experimenting so that I don't have to!  

To be honest, I like to cook, but I LOVE to bake.  I'm trying to keep up a straight face for the kids, but this change in baking ingredients is really hitting me hard.  I make a mean croissant (amongst other favorite pastries) and I'm just not sure that's really possible allergen-free.  Hello, BUTTER! Not to mention the wheat!  I feel like finding 3-meal-a-day food we can eat is honestly not that hard.  I'm limited in our sauce and flavoring ingredients, but meat, vegetables and fruits are all still available to us.  What's not available are all my favorite grains that go in my flour mixes.  Neither is our whole wheat bread that I've been making now for at least 9 years.  I'm pretty sure I'm still in shock or denial or just completely inexperienced, because I'm actually feeling very...motivated (excited isn't really the right word).  I honestly want to stay up all night baking and baking until I find something that tastes good!  We have so far made pancakes from a boxed mix from the store, just to test out some different flour flavors, pumpkin muffins with coconut flour and some brownies.  I tried the brownies last night and they were...YUCKY!  I used brown rice syrup as the sweetener, which works in granola bars, but in these just tasted like flour with rice syrup poured over it.  It was gross!  Our daughter (usually the picky one) actually liked them-go figure-but the rest of us politely declined seconds, even though our first was just a small trial size.  Colette Martin promises somewhere in those first 30 pages that you really can  make yummy, allergen-free, chocolate baked goods.  Watch out, Colette, here I come with my spatula and mixer!

The Pantry Purge

We decided it would be MUCH easier if all the foods we can't eat are just not around to tempt us while we are doing this.  We got rid of almost all of our food (I kept my "no, no" grains, but put them out of sight until we know for sure what H is allergic to) and then I spent approximately 6 hours and LOTS of money at the grocery store replacing it with acceptable alternatives.  My brother was the recipient of much snack food!

Why Are We Doing This?

Well, essentially we are doing this because of this book.  It was recommended to us by a family therapist who thinks that some of the behavioral issues that H is having are caused, at least in part, by his diet and food allergies.

We have known for several years that H has food allergies.  At the time he was tested, they told us it was possible that the blood test wasn't 100% accurate and with him being allergic to so many of the top 8 allergens (they are wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish--He was originally tested for all but fish and came back allergic to wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts and also corn-maybe tree nuts too, I honestly can't remember) there was "no way" we could reasonably avoid them all--and that he probably wasn't truly allergic to all of them and that he would most likely outgrow the allergies.  They also said allergies were like a cup--the more exposure you had to more allergens, the more likely your cup would be to run over.  So, the conclusion was we would do a rotating diet of eliminating one food per week and change the food each week.  This was AFTER we did the 2 week elimination diet, which did absolutely NOTHING for his eczema.  We couldn't tell which foods gave him a "reaction" because his "reactions" never went away on the elimination diet.

Honestly, I lost stamina and we let him eat what he wanted and scratch when he was rashy.  Well, clearly that is a non-coping technique and it's become clear that we need to do something more pro-active.  He is having a really hard time with impulse control, and his eczema, rather than improving as he gets older, is only getting worse.   Both of these point to something wrong inside  his poor rashy body.

The theory behind the research in Is Your Child's Brain Starving is that people with food allergies that consume the food they are allergic to develop leaky gut syndrome.  In a very simple way, that means that partially digested proteins and other food "parts" are allowed to enter the bloodstream and body before they are ready to be used by the body.  The immune system sees these "foreign" substances and attacks them.  That's an immune response, which fits into the broad definition of an "allergy."  It also explains why he has never had an anaphalactic reaction of any kind.  He's not truly "allergic" to the foods, his body is just attacking what shouldn't be there.  There are most likely several foods he is truly allergic to, and if we can find and eliminate those, he should be able to reintroduce the other foods (after a gut-healing period) without any reaction.

We found a physician--a blessing of our unexpected move--who has treated leaky gut in ADHD kids before and we are working with him to make a real dietary change.  We are doing an "anti-inflammatory" diet right now.  This is very similar to the elimination diet except you can eat less oil varieties, but you can still eat eggs and chocolate.  We will move into the elimination diet soon.

So, what this means at home is that we have A LOT of food changes to make.  It's really been a steep learning curve so far, but we are blessed to have some great resources and people helping us out.  I feel a much deeper faith that this time we can really figure out which foods he is allergic to, and which are just being attacked by his confused immune system.  Thank goodness we can still eat beans and rice!  Much of the world subsists on the humble dish, and we count ourselves among them now!

A Purpose

I think any project of value must have a purpose.  Without a reason and without reasonable goals to reach a specified end, we do not do much of anything valuable.  In other words: We waste our time.  My purpose in creating this blog is to share what I am learning about food allergies, digestive disorders, and ADHD.  I am not a doctor, I am a mother, a wife and an avid cook.  I also have a son who has exzcema and who we believe has ADHD in some form.  We are also beginning to believe that, at least in his case, we can improve this with dietary changes.

Until very recently, I knew a little about each of these three topics, but most definitely, I had the most knowledge about allergies.  Digestive disorders and ADHD are not conditions I claim to know much about, although that is changing.  I hope that this blog will serve as a chronicle of that change as well as a record of the massive changes our family is attempting to make both in diet and in health.  What we hope most of all, is that anything we learn may also benefit others, that we may all live healthier and win the battle against allergies and all their related health problems.