Friday, January 7, 2011

diet update

Anne, speaking to Claire about the gum they were chewing: "Mine has artificial colors in it, and so does yours. Mine isn't good for me."

Claire: "And neither is mine." But they chew it very happily.

Over the Christmas break we reintroduced gluten into Claire's diet. For the first few days, everything seemed fine, but toward the end of the week, Claire's stomach was pretty bloated. Her behavior seemed less stable, which might have been the gluten, but was probably just the less routine nature of the holidays.

So now Claire's back off gluten, her stomach looks better, and I'm just going to have to resign myself to a gluten-free lifestyle and fend off insanity as best I can. I don't know why gluten makes her bloated--her bowel movements were normal, and she never complained of a stomach ache...I wish we had a good DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) doctor around here, but we don't, so we'll muddle through as best we can on our own.

We haven't reintroduced dairy, and probably never will, because we know it makes her constipated, regardless of how much fiber she eats. I am letting her have soy, and I'm letting her chew gum, hence the dialogue about artificial colors above. If you know of an all natural chewing gum that kids would like, let me know.

She's still on her supplement regimen: a HUGE thanks to Scott J. for the fish oil and probiotics he donates to the cause.

8 comments:

LL said...

"mine has artificial colors in it" I LOVE that your kids are so informed on such things.
Gluten free seems like a hard diet to deal with daily, but I'm seeing more and more gluten free products in the store.

Cathy said...

Have you tried Udi's bread or bagels, they are pretty good. It's a no milk, gluten, and soy product. You may have doubts or I just haven't had gluten for so long that it just seems yummy to me. Another little gem I just found: http://www.eleanorsbakeshop.com/
Their cupcakes were so amazing I had tears in my eyes.
I'm not sure if you have found a noodle that you like, but my favorite is Tinkyada. It has great texture and flavor.

Charlotte said...

Cathy, you're gluten-free?! How come?

We have not tried Udi's--I didn't realize they were dairy and soy free. Thanks so much for the tips!

Cathy said...

I've had celiacs for about 2 years. The first 6 months are a struggle, but I find it fairly easy now. I didn't have to contend with dairy and soy free, so my mere gluten problem isn't so bad.

Charlotte said...

Cathy, I'm sorry you have celiacs, but am glad you're not miserable. If you don't mind my asking, what were your symptoms? What tests were done to confirm celiacs? You can email me if you want: charlotte_henderson at yahoo dot com

monica said...

I meant to tell you that you can get spry brand chewing gum on vitacost.com. we've enjoyed it.

You are a Ninja Mom at this diet stuff - HIIIII YA! You rock as a Mom Charlotte. I wonder how close to death my children would come if I had THOSE firey hoops to do a "backflip with a half twist" through??? You ought to be a registered dietitian.

Unknown said...

Just tried to email you at the email posted, is it still correct?

Cathy said...

Sorry I was logged in under Andrew's account.