Seth and Cameron had appointments with our holistic chiropractor yesterday. Both boys got good adjustments and Momma got answers to some questions. In my last Family Friday post I gave some symptoms that I had been seeing in Seth that could indicate a undiagnosed gluten allergy. Our doctor agreed with me, after feeling Seth’s belly and intestines, and when I recounted his symptoms, there is a lot of inflammation in my little man’s body, not just his lymphnodes but his whole digestive system is very inflamed.
What does inflammation have to do with anything? Well, did you know that heart disease, cancer and five other diseases can be linked directly to inflammation? These are things I don’t want any of my children to go through.
{This is Seth showing me his sad face, when he starts hearing he can’t some of his favorites anymore I think it is going to be a little more sad.}
So, in this New Year, here are the ways we will be addressing the inflammation.
*eliminating gluten- I am gluten free for my thyroid health, gluten is known to aggravate Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and other autoimmune diseases, however Seth has been eating gluten since the age of eighteen months.
*eliminating the remaining non-gluten grains- I have already noticed Seth was sensitive to fresh corn/corn meal so corn won’t be to hard. We now have incentive to completely eliminate corn syrup from our diet. However, the other grains that are staples in gluten free baking such as: millet, oatmeal, rice, sorghum, and teff, will be a little harder to eliminate.
*eliminating soy
*eliminating peanuts- I am choosing to eliminate this because it is one of the top food allergens. If you are dealing with inflammation in your gut, your intestinal lining can weaken and allow particles of food and other matter into the bloodstream. This then makes it easier for food allergies to develop, because of this we’ll get rid of it for three months and then see what happens when we reintroduce it.
*reduce sugar consumption- we are already watching sugar intake, so I don’t think this will be to hard.
*reducing eggs- eggs are another food known to cause inflammation and I know Cameron has a sensitivity, so as we have been the past six months, we will continue to limit them and when we do eat them we will only use the yolks, which Cameron seems to be okay with.
Wow! That seems like a lot!! Honestly, at this moment, I am very overwhelmed with this all. Which is why we have decided to wait to start until after Christmas. I’m hoping to have a little time to research our eating options, look for recipes, order some things that we can eat and have an enjoyable Christmas with family without having to worry about every bite that is going into Seth’s mouth.
We can’t leave Cameron out of Family Friday, so I thought you might like pictures of his “first” bath. Now don’t worry, he has been bathed, but ever since he came home from the hospital he has taken showers with Daddy.
As you can see, he was not a big fan. 🙂
Are you making any dietary or lifestyle changes in the new year? Do you have goals you would like to accomplish? I would love to hear about them!
I love that you’re taking your kids to a holistic chiropractor. It’s so important to pay attention to how kids react to different foods. Yay for you Mama!
Thanks! 🙂 My mom has always been into health and alternative medicine so I’ve learned a lot from her. 🙂
Hippocrates stated, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” I alleviated all symptoms of a terminal illness following that principle. Later, it was gone completely. Inflammation is enemy #1 in our bodies for sure. Mind, body and spirit in balance is the key to healthfulness.
Your little man is adorable! It sounds to me that you are on the right track. Have a blessed weekend!
That is a great quote and since most of your immune system is in your gut it is very true. I would love to hear your story!!
That last part is hysterical. He was definitely not impressed with the bath experience. As to the first part, it’s hard work to watch a child’s diet. They can feel like they’re losing out on the “fun” foods. I don’t envy you.
Good luck.
Thank you! We will probably try to stick around home the first couple of weeks as we get used to things. I’m thinking there may be some tears on his part that will need much patience on mine.
I’ll pray for you. That is a lot to eliminate all at one time. I had to eliminate dairy for a while, and that was hard enough!
Thanks, Tammy! Yeah, dairy is hard. I’m definitely going to need to start doing some research and meal planning is going to be a must. I’ll have to add that to my goals. 🙂
Not sure if that comment went through. I always feel guilty what I feed the kids and not knoowing what is too healthy or not healthy enough. Its stressful!
I know!! There is so much information out there to eat certain things or not eat certain things. The thing that I like about this change is the science behind the things that cause inflammation. Once we get his inflammation under control we can start adding things back in to see what we need to avoid and what he can handle.
Poor baby. I can only imagine how he feels. My youngest has an egg allergy. Its was a lot worse when she was born that she needed an EpiPen. Though it’s gotten better, she breaks out really bad all over when she eats it. She gives the sad face too when she can’t have them. We (as a family) are working on the gluten free foods too but for health and prevention.
Sounds like you’ll have a healthier family in 2014! And I just want to be healthier, too! More fruits and veggies, less caffeine are my major points.
I hope so! A good thing about this will be all the extra fruits and vegi’s we don’t normally get. I don’t think we do to bad, but there is always room for improvement. Caffeine…. I love my coffee. 🙂
I love that you are taking them to a chiropractor as well! You have a lot of food restrictions, You will be able to make it! Check out a lot of great recipe books on Amazon and Pinterest.
Hi Rebekah,
My hat is off to you for trying to make so many healthy changes, all at once no less! I hope you find good results and get Seth feeling 100%. I have a hard time getting my toddler to eat something, anything from all the major food groups every day. So, I can empathize with you on getting your little guy to make changes.
Aren’t chiropractors awesome!
Visiting from Family Fridays.
Thanks for coming by!! I know the first couple of weeks will be pretty difficult, we will probably stick around home until we can get used to things.
I normally do have more energy to change meal plans in the new year. We have a nice diabetic cook book. Good luck with all the food changes. I am sure they will help.
Thanks! I’m nervous and excited at the same at the same time. It will be a challenge at first, which I like, but I’m still a little nervous that maybe it won’t help…Does your cookbook have lots o low sugar recipes?
When I hear more fruits and veggies I think what a great opportunity to teach kids about gardening or garden ‘shares’ at local farms. I know, a little off topic but it may make dietary changes a lot more fun for the kids (and you) if they can help plan a garden or visit a local place that offers ‘shares’. It’s work but so many ways to save.. canning, freezing, dried fruits. My husband thankfully brought his great gardening knowledge to our relationship and I’ve had a blast making pickles, breads, sauces, etc..
As for bath time, maybe a brother bath, but a few tears never hurt anyone, I’m sure he was full of smiles moments later 🙂
Good thoughts, Kim! We do have a garden, during the summer months of course :), and Seth loves to help. He likes to pick beans and peas and eat them right there. I’m thinking one of the keys to success these next couple of months will be letting Seth help me make his food, he always seems more inclined to try things that way.
And yes, Cameron was a happy boy once he got out of the bath. 🙂
Special dietary needs are difficult for anybody, but they are especially hard when it comes to your children. I had to always plan for school parties and birthday parties and make special treats for Rory… it wasn’t always easy… for her or me. Good luck to you. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
I will definitely be making meal and snack plans. I need to start thinking now of easy things we can take with us when we go out.
6 children in our big house are gluten free start from 2013. The result is really different. They will be more easily cured rather than before. It is hard, but we have been used too. Make a replacement for wheat flour. We have the composition of rice flour:corn flour:corn starch=70:15:15.
Thank you for your flour sub recipe, I will definitely have to find something to replace flour for him. The first three months we have to be completely grain free, but we can use quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth flours as they are not actually grains but seeds. We can use arrowroot,tapioca and potato starch. I may try your proportions with these flours and see what happens.
I hate it that he is suffering with that! I pray that you guys are able to find out what works for him and you guys. I am making personal goals of weight loss,exercise and spending more time with GOD. I am glad you guys are inspiring me to make more personal goals.
Those are all great goals Alicia!! I hope you are able to meet all of your goals this year. I’m hoping to start having some of my goals soon in future blog posts!
The sad is face is really sad and I feel very sorry for him. Unfortunately, for a while it seems that the stress is yours in figuring this all out and finding some recipes to substitute his favorite foods…I know it’s easier today than even ten years ago, though. And the photo of your little one with his first bath is priceless! Hang in there.
Thanks Bonnie!! 🙂 It will be tough but I hoping we see big changes in the inflammation area,hoping it will go away completely.
That is a lot of diet to eliminate and I hope piece by piece you can figure out what makes the little guy feel better. I have autoimmune arthritis and I have not tried eliminating gluten yet. I am wondering if I have a thryoid problem, they found a nodule on my thyroid a couple months ago but ultrasound showed nothing to worry about. I can feel the lump though in my throat more now though and it’s starting to worry me. Hope the new year brings you success with the new diet and more answers!
Thank you! I’m hoping it will go smoothly, I know the first couple of weeks will be tough, and there will be a lot to learn for everyone involved in our lives,about what we will be eating and why. I noticed that you have RA when I visited your blog earlier. I am sure there is a lot of research out there, but have you looked into the autoimmune/thyroid connection? I have had nodules on my thyroid, but have been able to with a GF and dairy free diet eliminate those. I also take a iodine supplement and a herbal supplement that really help keep things under control.
I’m guessing it will be hard for him, since he is already used to a lot of foods. I hope it goes well. I have had my allergy to all dairy products since I was born so I never really got to taste any of those delicious things, so I never knew what I was missing out on. Somehow it made it easier to deal with, because hey, how many people now of day’s have their mothers bake a cake completely from scratch? Good luck with the diatary restrictions (and the baths!)
Thanks!! We have been trying to ease into this new diet the last couple of weeks, so I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that it won’t be to bad,but he has already asked for things a couple of times today that he can’t have right now. My hope is that we will be able to lower the inflammation and then figure out what is triggering it. Eventually he may be able to eat many of these foods again.