jen3kids Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 My dd with the GI issues and who had to come home from university earlier this year is doing much better, but she is eating the same foods pretty much everyday and I'm concerned she'll develop sensitivities to them. I've looked up some rotational diets online, but dd's 'safe foods' are so limited that we're having trouble figuring out a meal plan. I want her involved because she's 18.5 and needs to take control of this. She prepares her own foods everyday and is taking all her meds and supplements, so that is a big step forward. Currently she eats... green smoothie - the only way she can eat greens (she hates them cooked or as a salad) chicken salmon white fish - cod, haddock raw carrots and cukes steamed green beans eggs almond milk coconut oil maca lattes peppermint tea hot lemon water She must be dairy, gluten and sugar free. She's grain-free too, but I don't know that she has to be - she kind of OD'd on rice and GF oatmeal and breads while at university and she's reluctant to add those back in. She cannot add a whole bunch of new foods at one time, but all meats seem to be safe for her, so it is easier to change out her protein each day than the veggies. Ideally, she should add one new food every 4 days, but where to start? Any insights are appreciated. Thanks, Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Since her protein needs are covered, I would look next to vitamin needs and healthy fats. If she will eat them, I would choose fattier meat cuts- chicken thighs instead of breasts, for example. I would test olive oil as well as avocado. I'd start with low allergen fruits such as true berries. These are also the highest in vitamins. If she can have coconut oil, I'd also check coconut milk and unsweetened coconut flesh. If she is getting bored with her diet restrictions, you should also prioritize spices/herbs in your testing. When she feels ready, try rice and potatoes. Frankly, if she's getting green smoothies and unprocessed meats, her diet is healthier than probably 99% of the general population, even if her options are limited. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) Adding tomatoes and potatoes will open more meal options. Baked potato in the microwave Roasted or pan fried potatoes with any meat - french fries! Tacos with corn tortillas and salsa Spaghetti with gf noodles Tomato and egg fritata Sounds like she's taking this seriously. That's a GREAT step in the right direction. Edited March 14, 2018 by carriede Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Well while her diet is not exciting, it doesn't sound bad to me at all. I assume she chooses (likes) to eat low carb. So not sure she'd go for the carby suggestions here. I'd say branch out in terms of vegetables, but you said she isn't too crazy about too many of them. So I dunno. What about stuff made with coconut flour, flax meal, etc. (like one minute muffins, low carb pancakes, etc.)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaplank Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 This is a very helpful book that I used with my own daughter. Digestive Health with REAL Food: A Practical Guide to an Anti-Inflammatory, Nutrient Dense Diet for IBS & Other Digestive Issues https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988717204/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vPrQAbB3JQPYY 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) 20 years ago before we got into the third - and actually helpful - neuro for our twin with autism, I had him on a gluten-free, diary-free rotation diet for about six months. I recall the biggest pain was rotating the teff/quinoa/amaranth/corn/rice/kasha etc stuff so he only ate certain allowed items every four days. I joined a health food co'op to get a lot of the allowed flours etc cheaply, and baked many odd crackers etc for Joe to eat. I know there should be a lot of material on the web on how to do this, and I believe a lot more products can be bought already-made so one does not have to spend hours baking dinky brittle crackers etc. any longer. I do not know if a rotational diet would do much for your dd. I would be more concerned about her getting so bored with her current diet that she doesn't eat as much as she should. Has she sampled quinoa? Amaranth? Kasha (buckwheat grouts - actually quite good!)? BTW cooked carrots are better than raw - apparently the nutrients in carrots are more easily accessed if cooked. Edited March 14, 2018 by JFSinIL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 My dd with the GI issues and who had to come home from university earlier this year is doing much better, but she is eating the same foods pretty much everyday and I'm concerned she'll develop sensitivities to them. I've looked up some rotational diets online, but dd's 'safe foods' are so limited that we're having trouble figuring out a meal plan. I want her involved because she's 18.5 and needs to take control of this. She prepares her own foods everyday and is taking all her meds and supplements, so that is a big step forward. Currently she eats... green smoothie - the only way she can eat greens (she hates them cooked or as a salad) chicken salmon white fish - cod, haddock raw carrots and cukes steamed green beans eggs almond milk coconut oil maca lattes peppermint tea hot lemon water She must be dairy, gluten and sugar free. She's grain-free too, but I don't know that she has to be - she kind of OD'd on rice and GF oatmeal and breads while at university and she's reluctant to add those back in. She cannot add a whole bunch of new foods at one time, but all meats seem to be safe for her, so it is easier to change out her protein each day than the veggies. Ideally, she should add one new food every 4 days, but where to start? Any insights are appreciated. Thanks, Jen I think it looks like a really healthy diet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 My understanding is that you want to rotate so that her body won’t develop allergies to the foods she’s already on. I would space out the meats - ie Mon- fish, Tuesday- poultry Wednesday- red meat Thursday- pork. Friday- fish etc. She could have a different kind of smoothie every day. Or she could have Mon- smoothie. Tuesday- green beans Wednesday/ raw carrots. Thursday- raw cucumbers Friday - smoothie etc. She could add in one thing week but wait a week or two before adding in another new thing. I hope that ElizabethB chimes in. She’s on a very restrictive rotational diet. You could pm her. Have you researched low dose naltrexone? It has been a miracle for my immune issues. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 Since her protein needs are covered, I would look next to vitamin needs and healthy fats. If she will eat them, I would choose fattier meat cuts- chicken thighs instead of breasts, for example. I would test olive oil as well as avocado. I'd start with low allergen fruits such as true berries. These are also the highest in vitamins. If she can have coconut oil, I'd also check coconut milk and unsweetened coconut flesh. If she is getting bored with her diet restrictions, you should also prioritize spices/herbs in your testing. When she feels ready, try rice and potatoes. Frankly, if she's getting green smoothies and unprocessed meats, her diet is healthier than probably 99% of the general population, even if her options are limited. Interestingly, she thinks fatty meats, like chicken thighs, are disgusting - too 'slimy', although I trim them well. But that's just her fussiness coming through. She will eat them if cut up in something like my coconut chicken recipe. She loves coconut milk, but most commercial brands have thickening agents in them that bother her. The canned coconut milk from Trader Joe's is fine though, albeit very rich. She has researched herbs and seasonings and does change them up a bit when cooking her fish and chicken. Nightshades are currently a no for her, so no potatoes (but she loves them!) Adding tomatoes and potatoes will open more meal options. Baked potato in the microwave Roasted or pan fried potatoes with any meat - french fries! Tacos with corn tortillas and salsa Spaghetti with gf noodles Tomato and egg fritata Sounds like she's taking this seriously. That's a GREAT step in the right direction. I forgot to mention in my OP that she cannot have nightshades, so both potatoes and tomatoes are currently not allowed :( Well while her diet is not exciting, it doesn't sound bad to me at all. I assume she chooses (likes) to eat low carb. So not sure she'd go for the carby suggestions here. I'd say branch out in terms of vegetables, but you said she isn't too crazy about too many of them. So I dunno. What about stuff made with coconut flour, flax meal, etc. (like one minute muffins, low carb pancakes, etc.)? I'm actually trying to keep her away from carbs, even the GF ones. In the past she would eat all carbs, all the time, if given the option - white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc. And, the GF options are not particularly healthy (for her at least). She has difficulty moderating her intake of those if they're available. This is a very helpful book that I used with my own daughter. Digestive Health with REAL Food: A Practical Guide to an Anti-Inflammatory, Nutrient Dense Diet for IBS & Other Digestive Issues https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988717204/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vPrQAbB3JQPYY I'll look into it. Thank you! 20 years ago before we got into the third - and actually helpful - neuro for our twin with autism, I had him on a gluten-free, diary-free rotation diet for about six months. I recall the biggest pain was rotating the teff/quinoa/amaranth/corn/rice/kasha etc stuff so he only ate certain allowed items every four days. I joined a health food co'op to get a lot of the allowed flours etc cheaply, and baked many odd crackers etc for Joe to eat. I know there should be a lot of material on the web on how to do this, and I believe a lot more products can be bought already-made so one does not have to spend hours baking dinky brittle crackers etc. any longer. I do not know if a rotational diet would do much for your dd. I would be more concerned about her getting so bored with her current diet that she doesn't eat as much as she should. Has she sampled quinoa? Amaranth? Kasha (buckwheat grouts - actually quite good!)? BTW cooked carrots are better than raw - apparently the nutrients in carrots are more easily accessed if cooked. She will eat quinoa, but hasn't tried the others She hates cooked carrots, even ones that are slightly steamed. So fussy! I think it looks like a really healthy diet. Yes, probably the healthiest she's eaten in ages. But I'm worried about her developing sensitivities to these foods from eating them so often. My understanding is that you want to rotate so that her body won’t develop allergies to the foods she’s already on. I would space out the meats - ie Mon- fish, Tuesday- poultry Wednesday- red meat Thursday- pork. Friday- fish etc. She could have a different kind of smoothie every day. Or she could have Mon- smoothie. Tuesday- green beans Wednesday/ raw carrots. Thursday- raw cucumbers Friday - smoothie etc. She could add in one thing week but wait a week or two before adding in another new thing. I hope that ElizabethB chimes in. She’s on a very restrictive rotational diet. You could pm her. Have you researched low dose naltrexone? It has been a miracle for my immune issues. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Thank you. That's the kind of rotation I'd like to see her do, but I'm stuck on breakfast and lunches? Dinners are pretty easy, but what for the rest of the day? I guess she could continue with what she's doing - smoothie and tea for breakfast, mid morning chicken and veggies, mid afternoon chicken and veggies again. Stick another smoothie or maca latte in there.... Low dose naltrexone looks interesting. I'll mention it to her dr. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Thanks everyone. I appreciate your insights and suggestions. Dd and I talked last night and she is going to track her food and add one new food every 4-5 day to increase the variety in her diet. She ate pork last night for the first time in quite a while, so that will be her new food for now. She and are I both 99% sure that it's fine for her, but she wants to take it slowly and I don't blame her. I'm hoping she will add blueberries in next week. Her IM dr also sent us a 'smoothieolgy' chart to make is easier to change up her smoothies. She tolerates drinking the one now, but certainly doesn't love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 One suggestion I liked when we did a rotational diet is to start the new day at dinner time. So you would have dinner, breakfast, lunch, and then start new foods at dinner. That way you can have leftovers for lunch the next day and eat something different for dinner. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 This is a very helpful book that I used with my own daughter. Digestive Health with REAL Food: A Practical Guide to an Anti-Inflammatory, Nutrient Dense Diet for IBS & Other Digestive Issues https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988717204/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vPrQAbB3JQPYY Oh my gosh! I have only read the "My Story", and haven't actually started Chapter 1 yet. It describes my daughter's journey (hell?) nearly perfectly, same parasite and same foods she feels best eating; I cannot wait to show it to her. I think I have found my reading material for our upcoming snow day! Thank you so much. I really hope this book helps her! Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaplank Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Oh my gosh! I have only read the "My Story", and haven't actually started Chapter 1 yet. It describes my daughter's journey (hell?) nearly perfectly, same parasite and same foods she feels best eating; I cannot wait to show it to her. I think I have found my reading material for our upcoming snow day! Thank you so much. I really hope this book helps her! Jen Oh, I'm so glad!! I really hope it offers your daughter the help and healing she needs. My own daughter has been on her own hellish journey so I know how ecstatic it feels to have some answers to the craziness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 Oh, I'm so glad!! I really hope it offers your daughter the help and healing she needs. My own daughter has been on her own hellish journey so I know how ecstatic it feels to have some answers to the craziness. I showed her the page and her only comment was, "Well, she still can't eat everything." :( She has had a rough couple of days after introducing some new foods last week and I know it's hard for her to see the positive when she's feeling so poorly, so I just gave her a hug. When she's feeling better, I'm hoping she'll be more excited. Hugs to your dd and I hope she is feeling better! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 I do a lot of bulk cooking and freezing with a food saver. Allocate a meat to each day, you need at least 4 different days of food to rotate. I gave up breakfast food a long time ago, just eat the same thing for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I stopped loosing foods once I went on a strict rotation diet. If you have an easy to cook or easy to go out and eat meal/food in reserve, that helps you stick to the schedule. For example, I can eat oat flour and sunbutter, but don't keep them on my rotation, they make a quick pancake if something comes up, and a portable sandwich to go. Also, citrus is highly allergenic, as are lettuce and mint, make sure to only have them once every 4 days. I became allergic to lemons and mint after having them in hot water daily as a tea/coffee alternative, and it was only a few drops of mint extract and a few drops of lemon juice. I also got allergic to deer and elk after not realizing they were in the same food family and eating one on day 2 and one on day 4, if you eat something more than every 4 days you are more likely to become allergic to it. The more days in-between the better, it is best to have 5 - 8 days of foods from completely different food families. Here is a sample rotation with those foods and a few others that might work: day 1 chicken with steamed green beans, eggs (eggs and chicken same food family, need to stay on same day), coconut oil, coconut products day 2 salmon or white fish, olive oil, raw carrots and cucumbers, any melons (melons/cucumbers same food family, need to stay on same day, as do all fish, but shrimp/lobster/crawdads are another category and could be a separate day) day 3 pork and sweet potato, palm oil, spinach or lettuce (alternate spinach/lettuce every other rotation) day 4 turkey and taro root or teff flour, both grains that are well tolerated. You get taro root at asian markets and cook like a potato but need to get all the skin off and need to cook completely. Teff flour can be found at whole foods or through amazon and makes a nice flatbread, it is a high protein, low allergenic grain. Olive oil day 5 beef and quinoa, sunflower seed oil or corn oil. I also have a portable oven that I use when traveling: https://www.amazon.com/RoadPro-12-Volt-Portable-Stove-Black/dp/B00030DLEE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1521567891&sr=8-6&keywords=oven+portable+car&dpID=417CW2Ulm2L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch I bring my own food in tupperware for travel in the local area and microwave it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Also, it is impossible to be allergic to something you have never eaten before unless it is in the same food family as something else. So, exotic things from the asian food market or strange ethnic grains are good, easy additions. Star fruit and jack fruit are examples of fruits most people do not eat that you can find at an asian food store. You need to have a good food family table, my allergist in Wisconsin gave me one. The allergy clinic in WI are really good and it may be worth traveling there, they have under the tongue food allergy drops that have helped me add back a few things in my diet. Here is the allergy clinic in WI: https://lacrosseallergy.com/why-the-la-crosse-method/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaplank Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Also, it is impossible to be allergic to something you have never eaten before unless it is in the same food family as something else. This is not true. As a mom of a daughter with FPIES, this is not the case for her or for thousands of children like her. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 This is not true. As a mom of a daughter with FPIES, this is not the case for her or for thousands of children like her. I didn’t know that, thanks for the link. That sounds scary and even worse that what normal food allergy sufferers face. :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 I do a lot of bulk cooking and freezing with a food saver. Allocate a meat to each day, you need at least 4 different days of food to rotate. I gave up breakfast food a long time ago, just eat the same thing for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I stopped loosing foods once I went on a strict rotation diet. If you have an easy to cook or easy to go out and eat meal/food in reserve, that helps you stick to the schedule. For example, I can eat oat flour and sunbutter, but don't keep them on my rotation, they make a quick pancake if something comes up, and a portable sandwich to go. Also, citrus is highly allergenic, as are lettuce and mint, make sure to only have them once every 4 days. I became allergic to lemons and mint after having them in hot water daily as a tea/coffee alternative, and it was only a few drops of mint extract and a few drops of lemon juice. I also got allergic to deer and elk after not realizing they were in the same food family and eating one on day 2 and one on day 4, if you eat something more than every 4 days you are more likely to become allergic to it. The more days in-between the better, it is best to have 5 - 8 days of foods from completely different food families. Here is a sample rotation with those foods and a few others that might work: day 1 chicken with steamed green beans, eggs (eggs and chicken same food family, need to stay on same day), coconut oil, coconut products day 2 salmon or white fish, olive oil, raw carrots and cucumbers, any melons (melons/cucumbers same food family, need to stay on same day, as do all fish, but shrimp/lobster/crawdads are another category and could be a separate day) day 3 pork and sweet potato, palm oil, spinach or lettuce (alternate spinach/lettuce every other rotation) day 4 turkey and taro root or teff flour, both grains that are well tolerated. You get taro root at asian markets and cook like a potato but need to get all the skin off and need to cook completely. Teff flour can be found at whole foods or through amazon and makes a nice flatbread, it is a high protein, low allergenic grain. Olive oil day 5 beef and quinoa, sunflower seed oil or corn oil. I also have a portable oven that I use when traveling: https://www.amazon.com/RoadPro-12-Volt-Portable-Stove-Black/dp/B00030DLEE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1521567891&sr=8-6&keywords=oven+portable+car&dpID=417CW2Ulm2L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch I bring my own food in tupperware for travel in the local area and microwave it. This is great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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