Vanilla Coconut Cookies

Since we have been having so much trouble getting my autistic son to eat anything but gluten/sugar filled foods, we had to stop him cold-turkey.  I learned that if we were giving into his cravings, he wouldn't eat anything else.  Stopping, so far, has been good.  He is gradually introducing different foods back into his diet.

Because we stopped, we also had to get his teachers to stop.  They regularly reward him with goldfish crackers, animal cookies, M&M's etc.  The only problem with this is that the teachers do like to have edible rewards when the child behaves appropriately, or does something good.  The teachers asked me to send in something my son could eat.

So, I went Pinterest surfing and found a bunch of great SCD cookie recipes. They're amazingly simple and quick....which got me to thinking "why didn't I look into this sooner!?!?!?"

I digress....

Having all of the ingredients, I pulled a Vanilla Coconut Cookie recipe from Ramble On.

4 eggs

1/2 cup honey (I used Huckleberry honey because I had it on hand)

1/2 cup solid coconut oil (I melted mine a little)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the eggs, honey, and coconut oil in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on med speed until well combined.

Add the lemon juice and vanilla, lower the mixing speed to low. 

Combine the baking soda, coconut flour and sea salt in a small bowl and whisk together well. 

Add the dry ingredients slowly to your wet ingredients keeping the mixer on low.

Scoop your cookies (little more than a tbsp in capacity) on to your prepared baking sheet.  They will not spread, so what you put down is how they're going to cook and come out. (I made mine pretty small since they were going to be used as little treats at school).

Bake for 12-15 minutes 

I baked mine for 12 minutes, which is when the tips and bottoms started turning a darker brown.  They're very soft when you first get them out, so let them sit a few minutes to harden.

The texture of the cookie was VERY soft and fluffy...no crunch to it at all (I like that).

As far as taste goes, they're very mild, not really sweet....so I worried these were not going to work as a "treat" at school.  Thankfully, the teacher said they worked like a charm.  

I will be trying out additional recipes in the coming days/weeks so he doesn't get bored with the same old treat all the time.

Grain Free Flours

After spending more time in the kitchen, I've found that I'm a little more creative than I thought.  I'm also lazy, which means that I have a tendency to omit, substitute or add things to a recipe.  Too many times have I done this and later thought....."I should have just followed the original recipe."

Since I know nothing about grain free flours, but have recently started cooking with them, I wanted to learn more about them.  They're expensive....and I don't want to omit, substitute or add things that are going to completely ruin a recipe and cause me to throw out a couple cups of these flours.

It seems that the SCDers are regularly using Almond Meal, Almond Flour and Coconut Flour.  I have also seen flax being used.  Here are a couple great articles/blogs about these grain free flours:

Against All Grains - Almond Flour 

Nourished Kitchen - Coconut Flour

Avocado Tuna Salad Lettuce Wrap

Since starting the SCD diet, tuna has been my "go-to" item for a quick snack or meal. An SCD follower needs to look out for tuna that contains only fish, water, and sea salt.  The conventional tuna in the store typically contains soy, which is genetically modified if it's not organic.

I've recently purchased some Wild Planet Wild Skip Jack Tuna, in bulk, on amazon for $.44/oz.  These links list some other options. 
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Looking around on Pinterest, I found a couple of recipe ideas that I was interested in, so I determined my base ingredients and then figured out what my add-ins would be based on what was available or what I felt like at the time.

Base Ingredients:
1 pouch/can of tuna
1 avocado
1 Tbsp SCD Yogurt
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 Lettuce Leaves

Possible Add Ins:
Fresh cilantro (5-finger pinch)
Honey
Crushed pineapple
Chopped grapes


Mix everything together until you get a creamy mixture.
Spoon onto lettuce leaves
Wrap and enjoy.


The only bad thing about this recipe is that I always want more!!

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo (modified)

Having half of a spaghetti squash leftover, I wanted to make something quick/different with it, so I checked out some Pinterest ideas and came up with an Alfredo recipe via SCDFoodie.  Due to not having/wanting all of the ingredients, I modified and came up with something that I thought was pretty good.

Ingredients:
1/2 cooked Spaghetti squash
1 cooked and chopped chicken breast
1/2 TBSP butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup SCD yogurt (I used plain Coconut Milk Yogurt)
1/4 cup Sharp shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt


Preheat over to 350
Mix everything together until creamy
Put in baking dish and top with additional cheddar cheese
Bake 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted

Some may consider this bland, but it had just the right amount of flavor to me.  You can always add onion, or additional cheeses to pep it up.

Chicken/Acorn Squash Muffins

I've been trying a lot of recipe's the past couple of days, so I have leftovers.  I didn't want them to go to waste, but instead of just eating them as leftovers, I wanted to put them to use in other ways.

I found this recipe on Spark Recipes, and thought it was perfect.  Muffins that call for cooked chicken breast and 1/2 cooked acorn squash.  No flour.  I had both of the main ingredients in my fridge, so I thought I'd give it a try. 

Ingredients:

1 cooked chicken breast

1/2 cooked, peeled and deseeded acorn squash 

1 Tbsp coconut oil 

2 eggs 

1 tsp cinnamon 

2 tsp vanilla  

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 cup honey

Pre-heat oven to 350

Mix ingredients in a processor.

Put into well greased muffin pan or paper liners, about half full. (I would suggest paper liners)

Cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown and the muffins pop back up when you depress them with your finger.  Eat warm!

Makes 6-8 muffins.

This recipe could definitely use some tweaks, perhaps add fruit to it like in a mincemeat pie.  It's not garbage worthy (unless you eat it cold), but it's not great either.  It's healthy, good for the digestive system and was a decent way to put leftovers to use, but I'm sure I won't make it again.  My husband didn't like it and I didn't even attempt giving it to my toddlers, thus I'll be eating them as little protein type snacks to finish them off.

 

Kale Chips

Since being on the diet, I have definitely been craving salty snacks.  I also want to have something on-hand for the Superbowl, so I've been on the lookout for easy/SCD legal options.  With that, I perused my local health food store and found Rythmn Superfoods Kale Chips.  I read an article about the nutritive values of "greens" recently and decided to give them a try. 

I purchased the Kool Ranch version and was very pleasantly surprised with the crunchiness and flavor.  I could have finished the 2 oz bag in one sitting very easily.

Being somewhat pricey, I figured there had to be a way to make them, and sure enough....other SCDers are way ahead of me.  

You can either buy large leafed kale at your local grocer or you can find it in bag form near the pre-packaged salads, which come washed, cut up, and ready to eat

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Salt (or other SCD legal seasoning - pepper, onion powder etc)
**Onion powders tend to have starch added as anti-caking agents, but the Frontier brand does not.  You may also make your own onion powder from dehydrating fresh onion and grinding them yourself.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If using fresh leaves, wash kale and pat dry with paper towel, or let air dry.
Rip kale leaves off thick stems.
Put pieces into a large bowl.
Toss with olive oil and seasoning.  Be careful not to put too much seasoning. The leaves shrink, which condenses the seasoning and makes it over-powering.

If using the bagged version, just take a handful or two of kale greens
Toss with olive oil and seasoning (you REALLY don't need as much as you may think)

Put the greens on a flat baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the edges start to turn brown. Once they turn brown, quickly remove them from the oven, as they burn easily. Also you may want to flip the greens about half way through to make sure both sides get crispy.

This will be a regular item in my house!

Spaghetti squash with pesto shrimp

I modified this recipe from a fellow blogger; Real Food Freaks

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash (I only needed half, since I was making 2 servings)
• 1 big handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil
• 1  lb. shrimp

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Cut squash in half length wise (need a big sharp knife), remove the seeds, and place face down in a large baking dish.  Fill the dish with water about halfway.
2.  Bake for about 40 minutes.  Squash should be slightly under cooked.

While the squash is cooking, make the pesto.  Throw the following into your food processor and process until smooth.

• 1 big handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

4.  When the squash is done (and cool enough to handle), use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti” strands and set aside. 
5.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter (or coconut oil) over medium heat and add 1 clove of minced garlic.
6.  Add shrimp and cook through.
7.  Finally, add the squash and the pesto.  Stir until well combined and heated all the way through.  Adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.

Garnish with some basil, chopped tomatoes, or parmesan cheese

Game Day Burger - Hawaiian style

The Superbowl is coming up and I've been fretting about what I'm going to be able to eat.  I love game day food and snacks, so I've been wanting to find substitutes.  We always have burgers or hot dogs as a main course, so here is what I've found for my substitute burger.

Hawaiian Portobello Turkey Burger

Topping Ingredients: Pineapple Guacamole Recipe
1 ripe avocado
1/8 onion, finely diced
1/8 cup cilantro finely chopped
1/4 cup pineapple
juice of 1/4 a lime
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the avocado in half, remove seed and scoop into a bowl. Use a fork to roughly mash the avocado and add the onion, cilantro, pineapple, and lime juice. Stir to mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bun and Burger Ingredients:
Portobello Mushrooms (2 for full burger)
2 cups ground turkey
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs

Heat oil in a pan. Form turkey mixture into patties and cook until golden on each side.
Wash and de-stem the mushrooms.
Wipe clean with a  paper towel, rub with olive oil and bake at 375 until done (30 mins).

Add turkey burger to portobello bun
Top with guacamole topping

Snack Bars

Believe it or not, there are some commercially made products on the market that an SCDer can eat.  People have gone through great label reading measures, including contacting manufacturers to create a list.  These SCD safe lists are the most comprehensive that I've found. 

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SCD official List

With that being said, I was happy to see a snack bar on the list; the Larabar.

Having a special needs child, a 2 year old, a 3 month old and working full time, I could live off of snack bars.  Unfortunately, these little things are expensive.

The great part about the SCD diet is that it's simple...as are the products that we can eat.  Knowing that, a lot of SCDers have made their own Larabar like concoctions.  There are a bunch of recipe's out there to make your own!!

I took this ratio breakdown from a fellow Blogger and plan on trying it out.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nuts
  
• Almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.
• 1 cup sweet dried fruit
• Dates, raisins, figs, prunes, etc. 
• 1 cup filling (optional)
  
• Dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried apricot, dried pineapple, cranberries, dried mango, dried coconut, dairy free chocolate chips, coffee beans, shredded carrot, etc.  
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp flavoring (optional)
  
•  Cacao, vanilla, cinnamon, citrus zest and juice, ginger, mint, cloves, coconut oil.

Directions:
Soak the dried fruit in warm water for 5-10 minutes.
Gather remaining ingredients and pour into a food processor.
Drain the fruit and add to the food processor.  Process for 30 – 60 seconds or until the mixture sticks together when pinched with your fingers.
Pour into a loaf pan and press firmly into bars with a spatula.
Chill for 10 minutes and then cut into 6 bars.  Store refrigerated for up to two weeks.

If you're in a hurry, you can shape the dough into balls instead.  Store refrigerated for up to two weeks.
If your bars seem too dry, you can add up to 2 tbsp of warm water as needed.  Alternately, if your bars come out too wet, simply throw them in the dehydrator for a while until they firm up a bit.


Here are some bloggers with great larabar recipe's:

Chocolate Covered Katie (I tried/liked the Thin Mint recipe)
Living Crunchy 
DAMY Health 
I Eat Neat 
Real Food Real Deals 

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed potatoes always makes a great side dish, but potatoes are illegal on the SCD diet, due to the starch.  Other SCD dieters use cauliflower, so I took this recipe off the internet. 

1 cauliflower should make 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

Instructions:
Cut cauliflower into 4 parts or smaller
Steam cauliflower for 8-10 minutes (until tender)
Mash cauliflower to desired consistency
Mix in 4 tablespoons butter and seasoning to taste

This wouldn't be something I'd regularly make if I were on a normal diet, but it makes a good substitute.

My husband hates cauliflower, so it's not for him.  And, my kids wouldn't eat it either.  I plan on checking out other "mix ins" to see if I can get it to where my kids will eat it.  1 cup of cheese is optional.  Unprocessed cheddar is allowed on the SCD diet, but my particular diet is dairy free, so I didn't try that.

Acorn Squash

I've always been a little afraid of squash.  There are several different kinds and I know nothing about them.  But, I'm learning that I can buy an unfamiliar item at the store, pop it's name into GOOGLE, type SCD behind it and voila....I have a recipe.

Here is a website giving more information on squash and their differences.

I bought an Acorn squash yesterday, which is a winter squash, and decided to give it a try tonight.  I took a recipe from a fellow blogger, called Kim's SCD Recipes.  She has pictures.

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash (cut into 1/2s)
2 cubes butter
dash nutmeg
dash cinnamon
honey to taste
dash basil

1. Preheat oven to 350f.
2. Cut squash in 1/2. Place in casserole dish
3. Coat inside of squash with a layer of butter.
4. Sprinkle spices and drizzle with honey.
5. put 1/4 inch of water in casserole dish (keeps skin from burning, skin is not edible)
6. Place in oven for 40-45 minutes until tender

I raised an eyebrow when seeing the dash of basil, but was pleasantly surprised at the flavor created.

Flourless pancakes

Not being very adept in the kitchen, I was surprised to learn that you can make pancakes without flour.  I was skeptical when I read the recipe on the intro page of the SCD diet, but thought I'd give it a try.

Ingredients:
1 mashed banana
2 eggs

Mix together and cook like a pancake

I was surprised at both the taste and texture.  They're a little more floppy than a regular pancake, but they actually look like pancakes and are quite tasty.  I didn't even feel the need to sweeten it with syrup.

Other SCD intro recipe's can be found here.

Autism and the SCD Diet

A lot of parents with autistic children have tried the GFCFSF (Gluten free, Casein free, Soy free) diet with little/no results, thus they give up.  A strict diet is hard to maintain in a world where processed food is so much more convenient.  Especially for families that are already stressed and low on time.

But, the latest research supports SCD as the best diet for Autism.  Pamela Ferro, a Nurse in Private Practice, and a parent of an autistic child states:  "Children with Autism who are implementing SCD are demonstrating remarkable improvements in bowel function, language, eye contact, self-stimulatory behavior, anxiety, and mood."  She has treated well over 300 children with ASD utilizing biomedical approaches in her clinic.

Research shows that fungi and bacteria in the GI tract cause gastrointestinal and neurological problems. Studies also indicate that starches and certain sugars feed these fungi and bacteria. SCD eliminates those foods to starve/kill-off the harmful fungi and bacteria.

Many autistic children have yeast overgrowth in their gut, which lives/feeds on sugar or simple carbohydrates.  More information can be found on this TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) website.

Out of the 25 symptoms listed for yeast overgrowth, we are seeing 14 of them in our 4 year old son:

• Inappropriate laughter
• “Foggyness”
• Inattention
• Hyperactivity
• Anger, aggression
• Increased self-stimulatory behavior
• High-pitched squealing
• Increased sensory defensiveness
• Climbing/jumping off things
• Sugar cravings
• Confusion
• Inability to potty train, or loss of this skill
• Self-limiting Foods
• Plateauing in skills 

While we intend on having our son tested soon for allergies (blood test) and yeast overgrowth (stool test), I suspect that he NEEDS to be on this diet.  He is currently only eating hamburger/hotdog buns, crackers and finely shredded cheese.  The survival of yeast depends upon sugar. The yeast can actually initiate a craving for sugar or starch, thus the self-limiting of certain foods.  The habitual use of sugar for short-lived bursts of energy can also perpetuate sugar cravings.  In addition, if we are allergic or intolerant to a food, that intolerance may come along with an uncontrollable desire to eat that food. That is especially true of foods that create either a stimulating or sedating effect when we eat them.

More information on the SCD diet and autism can be found at www.pecanbread.com.  The website provides scientific based research, as well as tips and recipe's to get started on the diet.

Based on the "starting out" recipe's, you will need the following ingredients, all of which can be purchased at Target or Walmart.

KNOX unflavored gelatine

100% grape juice in a jar/bottle

Broth

Eggs, eggs, eggs and more eggs

Apples

Bananas

Avocado

Chicken (whole and ground)

Squash
Carrots
Coconut oil
Parchment Paper

Avocado Pineapple Smoothie

Because I'm currently dealing with inflammation from my UC, I decided to put a soothing smoothie together.  I tried to use ingredients that will reduce inflammation and aid in digestion.

Avocado helps to keep inflammation under control.  It provides oleic acid which helps the digestive tract absorb nutrients.  

Pineapple has bromelain in it, which is an anti-inflammatory.  Some may not be able to tolerate it because of the sugar content (fructose intolerant). 

Flax seed is said to aid with inflammation and has been used to treat UC.

Barley Grass lowers the amount of inflammatory chemicals in the bowel, balances the water content of bowel content and increases the amount of friendly bacteria in the bowels.

Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties and aids in digestion.

Mango is said to combat poor acidity and poor digestion, but may be intolerable to those who are fructose intolerant.


Avocado and Pineapple Smoothie
Ingredients
1 avocado (skin and pit removed)
1/2 cup almond or coconut yogurt (I used Mango from SO Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt)
1 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup of water (or more or less depending on how thick you like it)
2 Tbsp Flax meal
2 tsp Barley Grass
honey (adjust amount to your sweetness preference)
vanilla extract (1/4 tsp or so)
cinnamon or cardamon (optional)

Combine ingredients in a blender. Blend to combine.
I crush about 5 or 6 ice cubes in my blender and then add the ingredients.

Sandwich Bread

Using the same recipe as the pizza dough, I made sandwich bread.

1/2 cup almond flour
1 egg white
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Spread thin in greased pan
Put in a cold oven, heat to 300
Bake for 10 minutes

The texture and taste were great, but it was not soft enough to bend in the form of a wrap, which was my initial goal.  Perhaps leaving the yolk of the egg would make it a little softer and more pliable.

I mashed up an avocado, added some lime juice and spread it over the bread as my spread.  I also sauteed some yellow, red, green peppers and some zucchini for my filler.

Unfortunately, this dough may not be good for my sensitive system as I'm seeing setbacks in my UC healing process. Hopefully just too much, too soon, as I really like this option.

**Update**
I tried leaving the yolk in the dough, which did make it a little softer, BUT the taste of the yolk took over the almond flavor.  I didn't like it as much and will continue to leave the yolk out.  Oh, plus it made the bread yellow, which just looked sort of odd.

Pizza

It's football season, and what better way to watch the game than with pizza?  My husband wanted to order something, gluten free of course.  We have a few options around (Dominoes, Mellow Mushroom, Buckhead Pizza Co), but I didn't want to spend the large amount of money they charge.  I decided to look up SCD pizza ideas.  The first one I came to was John's Pizza.  It looked amazingly simple, which is a HUGE plus.  I read some of the reviews and people enjoyed it, even gave me a tip about the egg white, which worked like a charm.

Being that tomatoes are a little acidic, I didn't want to chance tomato sauce with my sensitive system.  I've used avocado spread on sandwiches before so I searched for an avocado pizza topping recipe, which I found here.


Crust: (GAPS and SCD legal)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 egg white
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce:
1 small, ripe avocado; peeled, pitted, diced
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 tbsp of fresh lime juice

Toppings:
Cheese (I used Mozzarella, which is not SCD legal)
Diced green pepper
Slices of zucchini
Any SCD legal meat (I used mini pepperoni's which is not SCD legal)

1. In a bowl, mix the crust ingredients together.

2. Oil a pan with olive oil, add the dough ball, press with hands forming to the shape of a small pizza crust.  Don't worry if its not as big as the pan.

3. Put in cold oven and heat to 350 (this alows the crust to set up and brown a bit. By the time the oven heats up, the crust should be crisp and ready for the toppings.)

4. Remove from oven, add toppings (The combinations are endless), return to oven and bake 10 minutes.

Here is a website telling you which cheeses are SCD legal, and which are not.

This website tells you which foods are legal on the GAPS diet.

Barley Grass

Researching supplements to heal the gut, I came across an article about sources of fuel for the cells lining your intestinal tract.  It mentioned that L-Glutamine has been seen to help ulcerative colitis in animal models, but not human models.  They believe that L-Glutamine may be beneficial in the small intestine, but that the large intestine (colon) use different sources.

Ulcerative colitis only affects the colon.  Since oral doses of L-Glutamine are rapidly absorbed by the small intestine, it's unlikely that any of it would make it to the colon, thus being ineffective.  Instead, they believe that the colon prefers a short-chain fatty acid called n-butyrate.

I found that n-butyrate is in Barley Grass, which has been studied as an adjunct therapy for Ulcerative Colitis.  Online forums for UC sufferers stated that Barley Grass did help with the bleeding, but also increased their number of bowel movements by about 1 per day.

So, I went to my local health food store and purchased a 2.8oz bottle of Barley Grass Juice Powder for around $13.

I first tried it (2 tsp) in an 8oz glass of cold water, as instructed.  It was not tasty.  I had to choke it down.  In the future, I will be sure to add it to a juice or smoothie of some sort.

Other instructions state that this should be taken on an empty stomach (20 minutes before, or 2 hours after a meal).

Right now, I plan to take it every other day.  The 2.8oz bottles contains 13 servings, so that should be a good trial month.

Staples of the diet

While I am sorry that so many people have to deal with Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease, I am SO thankful that people have dealt with it before me and are detailing their information and diet journey's via social media.  I don't know what I would do without all of the support from these folks.  Thank GOD for electronics also!

With that, my journey is going to be somewhat "copycat." I am not adventurous or creative in the kitchen.  I've always told my husband that if it weren't for him, I'd be living off of sandwiches and cereal.  It's not that I necessarily dislike cooking.  It takes longer than the aforementioned items, but I'm just not good at it.  I truly screw most things up and my husband regularly comes in and says "what did you burn this time?"

So, with this diet, I am going to have to venture out of my comfort zone.  I am going to have to learn how to cook, how to use spices, and I'm going to have to learn a lot about new foods.  Typically, if I look at a recipe with something I'm not familiar with, my eyes glaze over and I move to the next thing.

There is not one diet plan that I can stick to due to my situation, so I am having to customize all 3 of the main "grass roots" diet plans to suit my needs and the foods that I can eat.  I am currently hoarding recipe's on my Pinterest Board, which I will try out...and note how good/bad they are...and if I made any changes to them.

So far, I've found that my new Diet Staples are as follows:

Cauliflower (can be made into bread, rice, or substituted for chicken wings, potatoes etc).
Almond Flour
Coconut Flour
White Beans - Not advised, but can be made into bread/wraps.  What are white beans?
Eggs (preferably just the whites)

Fruits: avocados, bananas, cooked apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, seedless grapes, tomatoes and soft melons.

Plain, cultured yogurts (preferably dairy free)

Fish; salmon, tuna and mackerel are some of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acid.

Supplements: Probiotics, Barley Juice (Barley seeds to grow), Fermentation Items

Drink:

Increase water

Broth

Strained cream and vegetable soups
almond milk

Eliminate:
Wheat and other grains

Chocolate, sugared candy

Beans - Here is a link explaining why beans and legumes should be eliminated.
Cabbage and broccoli
raw fruit juices and fruits
popcorn
caffeine, and carbonated beverages.

High Fat/processed foods – mayo, alfredo sauce, peanut butter

Avoid eating whole seeds, including tiny fruit seeds (those found in berries).  This includes those found in the fruit itself, as well as in smoothies, jams, and yogurts made with real fruit.

Alcohol

Onion

Linoleic acid; safflower oil, walnuts, olive oil, egg yolks, wheat germ oil, lard, coconut oil, and sesame seed oil

Dried fruits, berries, figs, plums, rhubarb, coconut and crabapples.
Soy
Dairy
Rice (possibly)

During Flare: Soft foods

hot cereals: oatmeal (if tolerated), puffed rice, hominy grits, farina

gelatins

eggs

boiled baked and mashed potatoes

brown rice (porridge)

GF noodles

steamed vegetables

cooked vegetables such as asparagus, carrots, beets, eggplant, spinach, squash and pumpkin.

Lean Meat in ground form—like in meatballs, meat sauce, or meatloaf

The Beginning of This Journey

My husband and I, both being athletes, have always considered ourselves to be very healthy.  We exercised, ate our proteins, fruits, veggies, grains etc.  Unfortunately, over the past year, my thoughts have started to change about that.  Each individual of my growing family seems to suffer different ailments due to the things we eat.

I am currently a mother of 3 beautiful children below the age of 6.  I work full time during the day and my husband works part time in the evenings.  We have a busy and stressful lifestyle that doesn't leave a lot of time for exercise and eating right.

My Story:
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in the fall of 2011.  This was absolutely shocking to me.  As I mentioned, I've always been healthy and active, and no one in my family suffers from anything like this.  It's a very serious disease affecting the colon (lower intestine).  I did a bunch of research on it and saw that a lot of people controlled their colitis with diet.  The diets named were Specific Carbohydrate, GAPS, and Paleo.  After reviewing those, I was not ready to commit.  I would have to eliminate soooo many of the foods that I regularly eat and I just didn't have the mental motivation to research food and start over.  So, I started taking my prescribed medication of Lialda, and my symptoms went away.  I was in, what they called, remission.

If anyone knows me, I am not one to rely on medication for my every little pain/ailment.  I dislike going to the doctor, and I really dislike taking medication.  I prefer holistic methods of healing.  The fact that Lialda was a newer drug and had only been tested over a 16 week period of drug trials REALLY concerned me.  I know that drugs can defeat symptoms of one ailment but truly harm the body in other ways, causing additional issues.  But, I felt defeated.  My diagnosis was too serious for an alternative. I either take the drug, or I die slowly until they determine they have to remove my colon.

At the beginning of 2013, I began to experience a "flare" from my ulcerative colitis, which means I was experiencing uncomfortable symptoms even though I was still taking my medication.  When this happens, GI doctors typically prescribe a steroid (Prednisone) to reduce inflammation and induce remission again.  Steroids are horrible on the body and should be avoided when pregnant or nursing.  I had a 2 month old at the time.  With that, I started researching methods to induce remission naturally, through diet. I came back to the SCD, GAPS and PALEO diets.

In addition, I started looking into Lialda again and found possible long term side effects that concerned me.  It can cause issues with the kidney, liver, heart and pancreas.  Of course, all concern me, but the fact that it could cause kidney problems was serious.  My dad currently has Type II diabetes, developed in his late 40's.  Knowing the possibility that I could already have weak kidneys, I don't want to exacerbate the issue.

All that being said, I have decided to commit to a healthier diet and lifestyle.  My life depends on it.

My 5 year old son's story:

I ate organic, exercised and used all organic products when carrying my son.  He was born naturally, without any complications at nearly 9 lbs.  He was the epitome of health, developing normally, never having an ear infection or even being sick until he was about 18 months old.  This is when we started noticing a language delay and some sensory issues.  By 3 years old, he started speech therapy and early Pre-K to get him caught up.   We also started him on a gluten free diet, having learned that a gluten allergy can have a major impact on developmental abilities. At the time, he was addicted to PBJ sandwiches.  Unfortunately, this only resulted in a gluten reduced diet.  Behavioral issues persisted and many got worse as he aged.  At 4 years old, in the fall of 2012, my son was officially diagnosed with autism.

Currently, there is no known cause or cure for autism.  Along with various therapies (Occupational, Speech, Physical, ABA etc) some parents are finding symptom relief in specialized diets and supplements.

Through research, I have learned that the gut has a major impact on our brain and behavior.  Take for example how badly alcohol can impair your vision, your memory, your speech, your balance etc. Without a healthy gut, which is extremely complex, it would seem that one can not have healthy brain function.

We started biomedical treatment just before the age of 5 because my son was absolutely tanking.  With special needs preschool and private therapy, we were getting nowhere.  I felt like it was a waste of everyone's time.  My son couldn't focus, was sensitive to all kinds of sensory stimuli, we couldn't take him anywhere, he eloped, he fought and screamed, was becoming destructive (destroying classroom and our home), hitting other children, started self injuring when overstimulated and had reduced his diet to hamburger buns, cheese and goldfish crackers. He was also sick a lot.

I had had enough.  This was not the sweet, calm, healthy baby with a big appetite and extremely varied diet that I knew. 

Cold turkey, we started the gluten free diet.  This was before even seeing a biomed doctor.  Things got worse before they got better because my son was NOT happy about that.  It was very difficult for his teachers at school.  But, literally, at day 14 of the GF diet, my son was "there."  I will never forget the day that he got off the bus and actually looked at me.  That week, he said "bye" to his bus driver, and said "thank you" to his bus aide. 

We ran several tests found multiple allergies, the biggest being yeast, almonds, walnuts and egg yolk.  Going GF has been the big wow for us.  Dairy doesn't seem to affect behavior that I can tell, but all 3 of my children get eczema from it...so I know it's not good for them.  Other dietary changes based on allergies and sensitivities have also helped because I know that my son's body is in a constant state of inflammation, which was GREATLY reducing his immune system.  This spoke to why he was sick all the time. 

In addition to dietary changes, we started GcMAF shots, which is something the body makes naturally to boost the immune system.  My son has been ill only a couple of times since February and each cold only lasted 1-3 days.

My son is talking in sentences (mix of scripted and spontaneous), answering yes/no questions, able to play catch, and playing with his sister.  He isn't running off, he is able to focus in all of his therapies...so we're getting more out of them.  His therapists could not believe the turn around.

For this reason, I am committed to a healthier diet and lifestyle for my son.  His chances for an independent future absolutely rely upon it.

In addition:
-My husband has either a gluten intolerance or a gluten allergy.  Upon eating anything gluten or drinking a beer, he becomes very tired and spends the next several hours trying to clear his throat of phlegm; a mucous build up reacting to the allergen.

-My 2 year old daughter develops eczema on her fanny and has diarrhea after consuming a decent amount of dairy.  She was addicted to yogurt.  We have moved to alternative forms of dairy, but I believe carageenan may be causing diarrhea as well.

-My youngest develops horrible eczema all over his body when he has any dairy from a cow.  He also reacts to eggs.  I have decided not to introduce him to any grains until the age of 2, as there is evidence that babies do not have the appropriate enzymes in their digestive system to digest grains.

My family needs to be healed from the inside-out.  This is our journey.