Diet

[Guest MissySA]

Can anyone tell me more about an elimination diet?

 

my son is 10, cocaine exposed, foster care, been with us since age 3.

During the first few years he couldnt sit still and keep his hands off other kids in class. long story short, he took ritalin for 2 years, but then the impulse control seemed to get better, other behaviors followed suit,,, so we took him off. He is now 10, and we are seeing some behaviors that we are questioning might still be the ADHD, but he has just developed coping mechanisms. Id like to run his personality traits by you , and see what you think. We have an appt on the 28th, and all this time I was planning to put him back on his ritalin, but after reading the post About elimination diet I m wondering whether that is the right choice. I dont want to medicate if I dont HAVE to...

 

He is Anxious, still wets, has trouble sleeping, cant Remember anything short term, cant formulate a plan (ie: there is a science project due in 2 weeks, these are the steps I need to take to get it done) he' s gifted and has been in ELP since K. Hes what I call a "whiner" he finds it necessary to tell me about every ache and pain in his body, he is extremely sensative to temperatures. physically as well as with food...it has to be tepid, cant be cold, cant be hot. He likes extremely sugary food and extremely salty food, ketchup, ranch, to the excessive. Always drinks milk. Loves milk. a good student. has become increasingly manipulative. (if you need examples :-) Im good for a few.. Sometimes he reminds me of a slimy salesguy...twisting you and taking advantage of your weaknesses.) he doesnt COMPLETE things very well. he'll do something, but only half way...he puts forth very little effort, even into things he loves. (football, reading) . He requires almost constant supervision in regard to completing a task. Toothbrushing, showering, homework, chores, ect. If I didnt do it, he wouldnt do any self care/hygiene..

 

I hope I wasnt overly wordy... Im just praying this is as easy as changing diet, How wonderful would that be,,?

 

thank you in advance...

Missy

[Guest]

Welcome to the forums Missy :)

 

I am currently researching Autism (Asperger's mostly) and SPD's. I was going to ask some questions on here about the elimination diets but you beat me to it. I did check out The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet but since I had several other books going, I did not get around to it and just flipped through it a bit. Now, I am at a point where I would like to explore these options and would love to hear some feedback from others also. I am giving you a bump so that I can find out too ;).

[Misty]

Hi Missy.. I hate to say this, but your son sounds exactly like one of my daughters with Asperger's.. Is he obsessive about certain topics and does he have trouble keeping friends? How is he with nonverbal stuff.. like reading body language, social cues, and math? Some Aspies excel at math, but most really have a lot of trouble with it. They tend to excel in all things verbal.. Lots of reading. My oldest daughter's dream is to grow up and live in the house that's right across the street from our library.. :lol: That way she can spend every waking hour at the library..

 

As for the elimination diet.. It does sound like he could benefit from this.. The fact that he is a picky eater and craves the milk so much.. That is a big red flag. The sugar cravings also sometimes have to do with a compromised gut.. There could be a candida/yeast issue, which is causing the cravings.

 

As for the salt cravings.. This could be a long shot and may not be his issue.. But sometimes that can point to an adrenal issue.. Like adrenal fatigue or Addison's.. Does he have a lot of anxiety or irrational fears?

 

My advice would be to go slowly with the elimination trial.. With kids who are so picky and crave things so much.. It can be hard to take away so many foods at once. I would drop the dairy first and let him deal with that shock for about a month. Watch for improved behaviors in that time.. Get ALL casein (milk protein) out of the diet during that month.. Read labels. If his behavior improves (usually within a week or two with dairy), then you know you're on the right track.. The next step will be to do a gluten-free trial as he remains dairy free. Do a gluten-free trial for a minimum of 3 months.. And NO cheating.. One little slip of gluten and you have to start all over again with the elimination trial.. This is because it takes a long time to stop reacting to gluten and even longer to get it completely out of the system (like 8 months). But most people will see an improvement within 3 months if they are going to see an improvement. Some people see an improvement in the first week. It just depends on the kid. Also, keep in mind there is a learning curve with going gluten free.. You can't really consider yourself gluten free until you've been at it for about a month.. Just when you think you're doing good, you discover those french fries he's been eating have gluten.. Or that spice you've been using.. Or whatever.. It's in everything.. Even lunch meat.. So there definitely is a learning curve.. It takes a while to figure it out and master it.

 

I would also start him on probiotics to help improve gut health and get the yeast under control. Fish oil would be another good thing to start him on.

 

If you see improvements with all of this after 3 months, then you know that this is your son's issue - compromised gut health and food sensitivities.

 

Things that improved for us after going gluten and dairy free:

 

Headaches GONE

OCD nearly gone

Stimming GONE

Obsessions improved

rigidity/stubborness improved

Bedwetting GONE

Encopresis GONE

Anxiety nearly gone

Tantrums GONE

Aggression GONE

Whining - okay, that one is still here, LOL

Food cravings GONE

Auditory processing improved

Overall processing speed improved

Working memory improved

Attention/focus improved

hyperactivity GONE

 

And for me - chronic muscle/joint pain is gone.. headaches are gone, skin rashes are gone, "brain fog" is gone, anxiety is gone.

 

A couple of books I like are The Autism & ADHD Diet.. And also the cookbook that was mentioned in the above post.. I love that book... TONS of recipes! Good luck and don't hesitate to contact me privately if you have questions.

Edited November 18, 2011 by Misty

[Guest]

Misty, a couple of quick questions! When someones follows the elimination diets, they usually cut everything like you mentioned, or is it possible that you only need to eliminate one of them (depending on the child/ family). After following the diet, are these foods never re-introduced to the family's diet? Also, do you find that the needs for carbohydrates, calcium etc. are fully met with this diet or is supplementation needed and is supplementation along with the diet enough to cover the body's needs? Sorry, I am full of questions these days ;)!

 

ETA: Thank you for posting!

[Misty]

When someones follows the elimination diets, they usually cut everything like you mentioned, or is it possible that you only need to eliminate one of them (depending on the child/ family).

 

It is possible to only need to be free of one.. The point of the elimination diet is to figure out which one needs to be eliminated long term. You could go back on dairy before trying gluten free if that makes sense to you.. But for us, dairy free was my new heaven as far as behavior in my 8yr old.. so we stuck with the dairy free while we did gluten free and still saw even more positive results. It wasn't until a year later when she had a gluten infraction (2 donette donuts!) and completely and totally regressed into a child we had never met before (even worse than she was before starting diet).. This is when we knew, without a doubt, that gluten was bad for her.

 

After following the diet, are these foods never re-introduced to the family's diet?

 

This totally depends on the kid.. If you have a leaky gut (google leaky gut) situation going on that you are trying to heal, but you don't necessarily have Celiac disease, then some people can eventually go back on gluten along with digestive enzymes. If you have full blown Celiac disease or a significant gluten intolerance, then you will want to remain gluten free for life.

 

One of my daughters only had to be dairy free for about a year.. Then she went back on small amounts of dairy with no problems.. She has to be gluten free for life though. Another daughter still has to remain 100% dairy free, gluten free, and soy free even after two years on diet. She will most likely be gluten free for life.

 

Also, do you find that the needs for carbohydrates, calcium etc. are fully met with this diet or is supplementation needed and is supplementation along with the diet enough to cover the body's needs?

 

This also depends on the kid.. Some kids eat a variety of foods containing calcium.. We do supplement with a Cal/Mag supplement, but most dairy alternatives have calcium. As for gluten, A multi-vitamin will cover most everything that is missing (niacin, etc.). You can get complex carbs from other grains (rice, quinoa, amaranth) and legumes, starchy veggies (potatoes, corn, etc.) and you can get fiber from greens. You might also want to supplement with B vitamins. We do B12 and P-5-P, which is an activated form of B6. Great stuff for ADHD.

Edited November 18, 2011 by Misty

[Guest]

Thank you Misty :)! Your post really helped answer some of my initial questions. After I finish the books I currently have going, I want to get the cookbook from our library again and give it a serious look. My library does not carry Silberberg's book :(! I will see if I can get it through ILL, and if not, I may have to consider buying it. We'll see how it goes!

[Walking-Iris]

This is great info---I have a very selective eater and I have thought about going gluten free---but worry about what he will eat. I will say that we see a lot of improvement when he has his daily supplements---omegas, bcomplex, enzymes, probiotics.

 

He craves goldfish, granola bars, cheerios and peanut butter and spaghetti. Eats stuff like that like a maniac. He doesn't want to go anywhere near dairy though---just the thought of milk or cheese drives him up the wall.

 

 

I have wondered if he would benefit from the diet change since he craves gluten and avoids dairy like the plague.

 

I've got a ds4 who tries to eat cheese and drink milk like it's going out of style. He isn't dx with anything and I'm confident he's nt but I do notice some more crazy 4 year old type behavior after he eats.

[Misty]

This is great info---I have a very selective eater and I have thought about going gluten free---but worry about what he will eat.

 

I know what you mean.. This is the hard part.. My now 8yr old daughter was down to eating just Ritz crackers and milk before we went GFCF. Sometimes the Ritz crackers would have peanut butter on them. She craved the crackers and the milk so badly.. She asked for them constantly. Taking the only things she would eat away from her was very scary for me. But I had to do something drastic. I think we ended up eating nothing but french fries and GF cookies those first two weeks! It was tough. But the cravings went away and then she began to eat LOTS of other foods. Today, she eats a very good diet. What happens is the peptides from gluten and casein bind with opiate receptors in the brain and mimic an opiate response. The peptides from gluten and casein are called gluteomorphin and caseomorphin. Researchers have found these peptides in the urine of children with autism AND people with Schizophrenia, which indicates they can't break them down like normal people do. Additionally, some people with autism don't have the enzyme DPP-IV in their digestive tract, which is what helps to digest the gluten and casein. The inability to break down these peptides leads to abnormal accumulation in the blood and brain, which leads to adverse effects in brain chemistry. So this is why 1) some kids with autism have the cravings for gluten and casein, and 2) why the GFCF diet works for so many kids.

 

He craves goldfish, granola bars, cheerios and peanut butter and spaghetti. Eats stuff like that like a maniac. He doesn't want to go anywhere near dairy though---just the thought of milk or cheese drives him up the wall.

 

That's interesting that your son doesn't like milk. But it does sound like he's craving the gluten.

 

And just a side note.. One of my Aspies did not have the food cravings.. She ate a normal diet of a variety of food.. but she had daily headaches, encopresis, and was too thin. We found that she has Celiac disease. So not all kids on the spectrum will have the food cravings and the opiate response. It's usually the more hyperactive, aggressive, out-of-control ones. If they are limiting what they eat to just gluten and dairy, that is a huge clue that they have a peptide issue. Great Plains Labs has a peptides urine test http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com . They also have food sensitivity testing.. You would want the IgG blood serum food allergy test which tests for 93 different foods. This is the test that showed us what my kids were reacting to and we found it to be very accurate. Gluten, casein, and soy were off-the-charts high for my 3rd daughter. A high number would be a 5 and she scored between 10-12 for all of these foods. My older two girls can have soy without problems and soy did not show up on their test results (just gluten and casein). Soy makes my 3rd daughter aggressive, wet the bed, dark circles under her eyes, and hyperactive. When she is free of gluten, casein, and soy for long periods of time, I have absolutely no problems out of her. She still has Asperger's, but all of the extra issues aren't there.. The aggression, hyperactivity, constant stimming, OCD, screaming, tantrums, etc.

 

There are other places that do food sensitivity testing.. Alletess is one of them.. http://www.foodallergy.com . They are cheaper than Great Plains, BUT Great Plains accepts some insurances so check with them first. We are military and have military insurance (Tricare). Our insurance paid every penny of IgG testing and several other tests through Great Plains (ordered by our doctor). You can also test for gluten at Enterolab and a few other places. Just keep in mind that you have to be on gluten (and casein, if testing for that) during the time that most of these tests are done.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Edited November 19, 2011 by Misty

[Walking-Iris]

Thank you so much for that info. :) I'm going to save this post and look into the testing. Do you have to stay gluten free always or do people find that their child can eventually eat a regular diet?

[Guest]

Misty, I find everything you post so informative! I am interested in natural approaches, like change in diet and supplements. I noticed in another thread that you mentioned that you use supplements. I did not want to jump into that thread also (I think I am becoming very annoying:tongue_smilie:), so I thought I would ask here, since supplements and diet usually go together ;). Would you mind sharing what types of supplements you use?

[Misty]

Do you have to stay gluten free always or do people find that their child can eventually eat a regular diet?

 

This will depend on the kid. If you are dealing with Celiac disease or other gluten intolerance, then gluten free for life is your only option. If you just have gut dysbiosis (leaky gut) that you are trying to heal by going gluten free, then you may be able to tolerate gluten again someday with enzymes. We like TriEnza.. It has DPP-IV.. http://www.houston-enzymes.com/store/product.php?c=1&p=4 . We only take it when we eat out (just in case of cross contamination of gluten) or if I let them have a little dairy, like at birthday parties, etc. But we never intentionally eat gluten. Many people do okay with just taking enzymes each day instead of going on the GFCF diet.. My kids were quite severe though (including Celiac) so I wasn't okay with that for us. We had to do the diet. However, one of my daughters (and my son) can now tolerate dairy.. But we still don't keep milk in the house. My oldest daughter and my 3rd daughter still cannot have dairy even after two years on diet. Anyway, some families will do the diet for a year or so and then just go to enzymes.. It depends on the kid, how severe the situation is, and how old the child is (a younger child will improve faster).

 

Another good Enzyme would be Enzymetica Digest Gold.

[Misty]

Would you mind sharing what types of supplements you use?

 

Not all my kids take all of these.. Generally it's just my oldest daughter and my 3rd daughter who have to take the most supplements. They are the ones who have the OCD, attention issues, impulse control issues, motor tics, and gut issues the most.

 

5HTP (precursor for neurotransmitter serotonin production)

 

Tyrosine (precursor for neurotransmitter dopamine production)

 

Probiotic (for gut health/candida elimination)

 

Cod Liver Oil

 

Digestive enzymes

 

P-5-P (b6) (this is just as effective as Ritalin in some kids.. Also a co-factor for 5HTP & Tyrosine).. Given in the evening. Needs magnesium & zinc to be effective. Some P-5-P's come with magnesium in it.. We use this Kirkman product.. http://kirkmanlabs.com/ProductKirkman/211/1/Product%20Details/

 

B12 (brain vitamin. Given at noon because it can contribute to sleep issues)

 

Multi-vitamin

 

Grapefruit Seed Extract (to help with candida elimination)

 

Vitamin D3 (especially important during the winter months!)

 

Biotin (co-factor for 5HTP & Tyrosine.. Also good for treating candida)

 

Calcium/Magnesium (because we are dairy free. Given at bedtime because the magnesium has a relaxing effect).

 

Melatonin for the ones who have trouble with sleep.

 

We also eat very low sugar (I use coconut sugar.. works just like sugar, but doesn't feed candida. Stevia is another good sugar alternative). Low sugar is important for gut health. The gut can't heal if yeast is overfed and thriving. Yeast thrives on sugar and starches. We also do not eat any dyes, preservatives, etc. except for occasional treats (birthdays, holidays). We also eat mostly organic when we can, but it took us a while to get to that point. Organic meats and dairy are especially very important!!

 

I like to share this link about why kids have so many food allergies these days..

 

And for more about gut health and autism, watch Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride here..

. She is a neurologist and a nutritionist with a son who used to have autism, but he is now recovered. She is the creator of the GAPS diet. GAPS stands for Gut & Psychology Syndrome. This diet is different from the GFCF diet and I think probably better. But we haven't done it. It's important to note that a lot of neurotransmitter (seratonin and dopamine) production happens in the gut.. when gut health is compromised, the brain is compromised. This is where the 5-HTP and Tyrosine comes in. These are temporary measures until the gut is functioning again properly. The diet helps to heal the gut, but you must also treat for yeast/candida to restore gut health completely. Edited November 20, 2011 by Misty

[Tokyomarie]

We also eat very low sugar (I use coconut sugar.. works just like sugar, but doesn't feed candida. Stevia is another good sugar alternative). Low sugar is important for gut health. The gut can't heal if yeast is overfed and thriving. Yeast thrives on sugar and starches.

 

Coconut sugar- that's a new one for me. How does it taste? I tried stevia but it has such a horrid aftertaste that I would rather take my food or drink without any sweetener. I've been really, really bad about sugar lately & do need to get back on the wagon of limiting how much I eat. Trying to at least use raw honey rather than white sugar, but I'm still getting just too much.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Tokyomarie

[Misty]

Coconut sugar- that's a new one for me. How does it taste? I tried stevia but it has such a horrid aftertaste that I would rather take my food or drink without any sweetener. I've been really, really bad about sugar lately & do need to get back on the wagon of limiting how much I eat. Trying to at least use raw honey rather than white sugar, but I'm still getting just too much.

 

I can't stand stevia either!:D The coconut sugar is fantastic though. I highly recommend it.

[rafiki]

.

[Guest]

Thank you Misty :)! I'll be looking into all the info you have provided here. The concentration issues was what originally got me started looking into all this, and I would definitely prefer using supplements.

[Guest MissySA]

OK Misty, Im headed for the grocery store today. Making my list now. We are going to give "NO dairy" a try this week. as Well as Processed Bread, chips, cookies, ect. . . I am nervous, but the kids have agreed to all give it a try..the spouse basically thinks the internet is the devil, and you cant believe the stuff you read... :glare: BUT Im the one feeding them...

 

What do you do for "crunch"? are there "safe" crackers or chips to have with a sandwich?

 

I should push red meat??

 

 

Thank you thank you thank you

[Walking-Iris]

yes--please do spam us with websites with any and all information about this. Do we just avoid anything that is wheat or whole grain?

[peacefully]

.

[Misty]

the spouse basically thinks the internet is the devil, and you cant believe the stuff you read... :glare: BUT Im the one feeding them...

 

HA! Well, he's right.. You can't believe everything on the internet.. Once your kiddos improve, he will come around.

 

What do you do for "crunch"? are there "safe" crackers or chips to have with a sandwich?

 

When we need chips, we eat Lays plain potato chips. They say gluten-free on the back. It's just potatoes fried in palm oil and salt. We also like the organic corn chips at Target. They are nicely priced, organic, AND they have a ziplock top!! I love them! They don't say gluten free on the bag, but I eat them and do not have any reactions.. And I always know if I eat gluten because my hands will break out in a rash within an hour of eating it. Chex cereals are now gluten free (most of them). You would be surprised how much stuff is gluten free these days.

 

I should push red meat??

 

Not necessarily. We barely eat any red meat here. I usually make tacos and such with ground turkey and I add some blackstrap molasses to the meat to get some iron in.

[Misty]

yes--please do spam us with websites with any and all information about this. Do we just avoid anything that is wheat or whole grain?

 

http://www.tacanow.org/tag/gfcf/ is the place to start! :)

 

Whole grain is fine as long as it's not wheat, barley, or rye! Rice, amaranth, quinoa, millet.. Those are all acceptable grains. Most oats are contaminated with gluten at the farm. So if you are going to do oats, look for gluten-free oats. I use Bob's Red Mill brand for oats.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Misty

[Misty]

I'm interested too! Our family is about to embark on the GAPS diet.

 

Ooooohhh.. GAPS.. Now that is the way to go.. I'm jealous! I would totally do GAPS if I thought my kids could handle a bone broth.. I think my 14yr old and my 8yr old would implode if I put any sort of broth before them. :D

[peacefully]

.

[Tiramisu]

Oh yes, my children are imploding now as we speak. :001_huh:

 

That's the reason why we are ramping up slowly. While my kids aren't quite as self-limiting about food as some folks have described, we are dealing with food allergies/sensitivities/intolerances here and some pretty picky palates. We've been limiting (but not completely eliminating) grains, dairy and sugar, while introducing lots of soups, fermented vegetables and juices. We'll be dairy-free after Thanksgiving until we re-introduce yogurt and kefir a few months later. In January we will be eliminating just about everything :rolleyes:. The first stage still allows for boiled meats and vegetables, so it's not *just* bone broth (thank goodness).

 

To the OP, there are several protocols for elimination diets. If you are interested in GAPS, there is a GAPS diet yahoo group, Natasha Campbell-McBride's website, and several blogs that focus on this diet. The anecdotal stories from people who have done the diet are especially inspiring. Several stories sound similar to the description that you wrote about your son.

 

The only way I could manage GAPS is to move into your house, Kel, and have you do it for me, the planning, the shopping, etc. :D

 

Dairy-free lasted only long enough for us to clearly see dd has a lactose problem. On the other hand, I never thought I could cut out gluten, and I've done it but only managed it for myself. I still don't know if there's a difference. Yes, my energy is higher but I'm more keyed up, not relaxed. The thing that's kept me off gluten is the weird dizziness and headaches I had for the week after cutting it, which makes me wonder what it must have been doing to my system and if it's an addictive substance.

[peacefully]

.

[Tiramisu]

Come on down, Kelli! You'll love it here. We've got all the bone broth you could want! :lol:

 

I'm actually looking forward to eliminating all our choices, you know? My meal planning will be getting a whole lot simpler! :001_huh: (<-- that's me, trying to look on the bright side).

 

Woo-hoo! Bone broth party! :party:

Now I've really got to look up how to make bone broth and see if there's more to it than boiling up bones.

[Guest]

Honestly, I have not noticed any food allergies in our family, but yah never know! My goal (I think :tongue_smilie:) is to start with Probiotics and Omega-3 and see how that goes. Then I will look into the diets after that, depending on the results.

[Misty]

Honestly, I have not noticed any food allergies in our family, but yah never know! My goal (I think :tongue_smilie:) is to start with Probiotics and Omega-3 and see how that goes. Then I will look into the diets after that, depending on the results.

 

We don't have any food allergies either.. Not the immediate onset, anaphylactic type. Well, except for my oldest daughter.. she breaks out in hives if she eats blueberries..But that's it! Immediate onset allergies call on IgE antibodies.

 

These are food sensitivities and intolerances we are dealing with. IgG antibodies. They are what you call cyclic or delayed onset allergies. This means it can take 2 days or more to see a reaction. And the reaction can be anything from behavioral to eczema to inflammation (muscles, etc.) to headaches, etc. It's a good idea to keep a food diary.

 

We also have the Celiac disease, which is autoimmune. I think all the antibodies are called out when I eat gluten because all sorts of crazy happens to me after eating it.. :lol: Including a burning, itchy rash on my right hand within 1 hour. Two days later I start with headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, anxiety, etc. I end up in bed for days because of my headaches and muscle pain (mostly my shoulders, neck, and back). I can't stand it. I don't get GI issues except for constipation/irregularity.. But one of my daughters gets bad diarrhea from gluten. Everyone reacts differently.

 

Keep in mind that you can be sensitive to gluten without having Celiac disease.

[Tiramisu]

We don't have any food allergies either.. Not the immediate onset, anaphylactic type. Well, except for my oldest daughter.. she breaks out in hives if she eats blueberries..But that's it! Immediate onset allergies call on IgE antibodies.

 

These are food sensitivities and intolerances we are dealing with. IgG antibodies. They are what you call cyclic or delayed onset allergies. This means it can take 2 days or more to see a reaction. And the reaction can be anything from behavioral to eczema to inflammation (muscles, etc.) to headaches, etc. It's a good idea to keep a food diary.

 

We also have the Celiac disease, which is autoimmune. I think all the antibodies are called out when I eat gluten because all sorts of crazy happens to me after eating it.. :lol: Including a burning, itchy rash on my right hand within 1 hour. Two days later I start with headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, anxiety, etc. I end up in bed for days because of my headaches and muscle pain (mostly my shoulders, neck, and back). I can't stand it. I don't get GI issues except for constipation/irregularity.. But one of my daughters gets bad diarrhea from gluten. Everyone reacts differently.

 

Keep in mind that you can be sensitive to gluten without having Celiac disease.

 

I got allergy tested recently, and the only thing that showed up was dust mites. I attribute this, in part, to homeschooling. I don't have enough time to do the kind of cleaning to throroughly remove the dust and dust mite debris so I've probably been overexposed the last few years.:glare:

 

I ABSOLUTELY KNOW I react anytime our cat comes near me and have intense seasonal reactions. When neither cat allergy nor anything environmental showed up on the testing, I just couldn't believe it. I don't know what I have if they are not technically "allergies" but it's something.

 

I think the same could happen with food when a person doesn't respond to the IgE tests but still has sensitivities that are severe enough to affect their daily lives. I feel for those people and the lack of understanding they must face.

[Guest]

We don't have any food allergies either.. Not the immediate onset, anaphylactic type. Well, except for my oldest daughter.. she breaks out in hives if she eats blueberries..But that's it! Immediate onset allergies call on IgE antibodies.

 

These are food sensitivities and intolerances we are dealing with. IgG antibodies. They are what you call cyclic or delayed onset allergies. This means it can take 2 days or more to see a reaction. And the reaction can be anything from behavioral to eczema to inflammation (muscles, etc.) to headaches, etc. It's a good idea to keep a food diary.

 

We also have the Celiac disease, which is autoimmune. I think all the antibodies are called out when I eat gluten because all sorts of crazy happens to me after eating it.. :lol: Including a burning, itchy rash on my right hand within 1 hour. Two days later I start with headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, anxiety, etc. I end up in bed for days because of my headaches and muscle pain (mostly my shoulders, neck, and back). I can't stand it. I don't get GI issues except for constipation/irregularity.. But one of my daughters gets bad diarrhea from gluten. Everyone reacts differently.

 

Keep in mind that you can be sensitive to gluten without having Celiac disease.

 

Thank you Misty! Actually, I should have explained that, while I don't have the knowledge you have, I have spent a bit of time on certain diet related concerns. When Adrian was a baby, I started him on whole grains, when he was about a year old. Same with Malcolm. Our diet mainly consists of whole wheat (I rarely use white flour) and I have not seen any reactions (food intolerance). At the time, I did hear about Celiac and did research it a bit but we seemed fine with it. Like I said though, my knowledge is limited, so I do need to research the reactions a bit more. The same goes with milk. I do suffer from migraines but those are genetic, and it has been confirmed by a doctor. Candida, yes, I have had an issue with. It is why I avoid antibiotics and I don't know if either one of my boys has it. This is why I want to look into Probiotics. We do not have bloating issues or rashes. I am what you would call an obsessive mom :tongue_smilie:, so I usually pay pretty close attention to things like that. Again though, I am far from being an expert, so this is why I want to look into this :).

[Walking-Iris]

I don't think anyone in my family necessarily has food issues either. But i do have a ds on the spectrum and I hope that researching gluten free further it may help him with a lot of his challenges etc. It has anecdotally (is that a word?) helped so many others.

 

My ds does seem to crave particular foods and is very limiting so that makes me suspect. I bought a lot of gluten free snacks today---my plan is to get him at least willing to eat something else before I take away his faves---I'm terrified he'll just stop eating. He has gone on hunger strikes before with a house full of good food---but no Cheerios or Goldfish. :glare:

[Misty]

I do suffer from migraines but those are genetic, and it has been confirmed by a doctor.

 

Confirmed genetic by a doctor? How do they do that? (geniunely curious). I used to think a lot of things in my family was just genetics (OCD, ADHD, prone to pain, headaches, being thin, etc.) until we all found out we had a gluten issue in our family. So it's actually the gluten intolerance that was genetic.. Not the conditions that it caused (in our case).

[Guest]

Confirmed genetic by a doctor? How do they do that? (geniunely curious). I used to think a lot of things in my family was just genetics (OCD, ADHD, prone to pain, headaches, being thin, etc.) until we all found out we had a gluten issue in our family. So it's actually the gluten intolerance that was genetic.. Not the conditions that it caused (in our case).

 

They ran tests at the time. I get them from my mother (the only one in my family) and before her, it skipped a generation. She gets them from her grandmother. My mother has been taken off dairy and it never helped the migraines. I followed Atkins when Adrian was about 2 when I hadn't lost all my pregnancy weight. At the time, I lost all the weight but not the migraines. I do not get them all the time, even though my diet is pretty specific. I also didn't get them at all when I was pregnant with Adrian, and I ate whole wheat pasta, bread, etc. and drank lots of milk. To point out, our diet includes a lot of fruit too. I think my last post may have given the wrong impression that we only eat wheat products :lol:. I mentioned the whole wheat because of the gluten. I did not mean to give the impression that it is the main part of our diet, if that was the impression I gave. Our diet consists of quite a few veggies also, and I would include more if I could get them down Adrian's throat more :tongue_smilie:. So far there are only specific veggies I am able to get him to eat but I am still working on it. He does eat about two cups of fruit daily though, and my little guy so far is a little easier with the veggies and loves fruit too.