Our first holiday with our son on a special diet was Thanksgiving. We celebrated that first major holiday at home, with our own turkey and trimmings. We have learned so much since that first holiday!
Sometimes when you have a child with autism on a special diet, the holidays almost seem to become a battle of survival for a parent. My first impulse was to simply stay home all the time and not go anywhere, but the reality is that it was something that needed to be faced and worked through. We needed to enjoy the holidays, see friends, and ultimately teach our child how to function outside the home in terms of behavior and the diet situation.
Our first holiday away from home was at Eli's grandparent's. We did quite well in terms of diet. Everyone was so understanding and supportive. I think the only deviation from the diet was the accidental Dorito that Eli got his hands on. While that was a pretty big "Oops," noways we have learned to provided substitute chips.
Questions that swarm my brain when it comes to holidays include, "What will be served at this gathering? Will people be understanding of me if I bring my child something different to eat? Will my child be understanding of having something different?" These are things that run through my head for every event at school, every birthday party, and every holiday. I have come to learn to anticipate events and I am generally becoming better prepared for them all the time.
We have found that the key to successful gatherings is lots of the communication with the host, including asking lots of annoying questions! Our hosts do not seem to mind all my probing questions about how they prepare turkey, potatoes, etc. At a recent gathering, our host even set aside potatoes and beans for us before adding the allergens in his recipe. We took some of our favorites to share, and was a great gathering.
Nowdays, we have Eli, Little Bear, and myself on the special diet. Fortunately, we have learned over the years to not only survive Thanksgiving, but also to really enjoy it with our favorite recipes. We took Roast Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries and Walnuts to our recent gathering, and they were a big hit! Thank you to Kim Wilson for that recipe and also for her Cranberry Relish. The two together are just divine, and I can't imagine us having another Thanksgiving without them. Click on the names of the recipes in this text to view them.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Halloween Candy
No Halloween post on this blog would be complete without a follow up on what we did with all the candy! I used to love candy, but now it is almost a bad word! All of it's sugar, corn syrup, dyes, hydrogenated fats, chocolate, (and the list goes on,) are detrimental to to all of the hard work we do to help our son recover.
Last year I posted about the monster box. The 'monster box' was created out of desperation. Eli had discovered what Trick-or-Treating was and wanted to go. I am happy to say that the 'monster box' was a success again this year. We added things like a Transformers activity book, Spiderman rubber stamps, a 50 cent piece, and other loose change. We were even super brave and let him have one little organic lollipop. (He really wanted to try a piece of candy this year, and we felt that providing the 'safest' one would help him not feel deprived. Our hope is that by doing things like that we can prevent rebellion when it comes to diet as he gets older.)
The pictures in the previous post were from a Halloween carnival that we went to the weekend before Halloween. On the actual day of, Little Bear was not well, and Jason was not available, so hi s sweet Aunt and Uncle took him out Trick-or-Treating. He lasted a total of about 35 minutes. Let's just say he does not have much of an attention span!
The candy I 'buy' from him when he exchanges with the 'monster box' goes in the pantry and it usually goes to his dad's lunches. Mom used to have the biggest sweet tooth in the house, but now that I am 'grown up' I have learned that my ADD is on the autism spectrum, which explains why I have many of the same food sensitivities as my son with autism. My posts on discovering our sensitivities are here and here. Nowdays I probably could not eat a 'fun size' Snickers without spending a day in bed. So not worth it....
Last year I posted about the monster box. The 'monster box' was created out of desperation. Eli had discovered what Trick-or-Treating was and wanted to go. I am happy to say that the 'monster box' was a success again this year. We added things like a Transformers activity book, Spiderman rubber stamps, a 50 cent piece, and other loose change. We were even super brave and let him have one little organic lollipop. (He really wanted to try a piece of candy this year, and we felt that providing the 'safest' one would help him not feel deprived. Our hope is that by doing things like that we can prevent rebellion when it comes to diet as he gets older.)
The pictures in the previous post were from a Halloween carnival that we went to the weekend before Halloween. On the actual day of, Little Bear was not well, and Jason was not available, so hi s sweet Aunt and Uncle took him out Trick-or-Treating. He lasted a total of about 35 minutes. Let's just say he does not have much of an attention span!
The candy I 'buy' from him when he exchanges with the 'monster box' goes in the pantry and it usually goes to his dad's lunches. Mom used to have the biggest sweet tooth in the house, but now that I am 'grown up' I have learned that my ADD is on the autism spectrum, which explains why I have many of the same food sensitivities as my son with autism. My posts on discovering our sensitivities are here and here. Nowdays I probably could not eat a 'fun size' Snickers without spending a day in bed. So not worth it....
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Halloween
Monday, October 29, 2012
Cunsumer Report on Arsenic
Some very discouraging news has reached me through a fellow mother with a mission. There is now a consumer report that tells us that there is a level of arsenic in rice products that cannot be ignored.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
This report goes so far as to warn that rice milk is not suitable for babies or toddlers. When I took my son off of cow milk, guess what I gave him? You guessed it. When he had a Toxic Element Profile done years ago, we were shocked to see that he did have a touch of arsenic in his system. Now we know where it came from.
My family currently lives on rice. I have been feeding my family quite large amounts of brown rice in the form of stir fries and pasta for years, because it is the most affordable whole grain we could eat that is not contaminated with gluten. I am at a loss. There are other whole grains that are gluten, corn, and soy free. They are more expensive. They would require me to re-learn how to cook... again.
My current plan for this moment is to "Keep Calm and Carry On," and not "Freak Out and Scream." I find it more productive.
For starts, we are currently doing all we can to support our son's methylation cycle, which is our natural system for cleansing the body from toxins. He gets magnesium, folic acid, and B6 everyday, in addition to a slew of other good things. We will at some point do another Toxic Element Profile. It is unfortunately an expense not covered by insurance, but if we find heavy metals, his doctor can oversee a round of chelation therapy to help extract them from his body. We can test his brother, too. (On a side note, his brother has thankfully been drinking almond milk.) I will also at some point ease us into eating more of the expensive, corn free, soy free, and gluten free grains, and less rice. Some lemon doTERRA essential oil in our daily regimen will probably be cleansing as well.
The report mentions that there are producers that plan on doing testing and such, but really, the problem is not really the rice.Ultimately, this issue is a problem that engulfs us all, rice eater or no. When the water we drink and that our food is grown in is poisoning us, it is a global environmental issue. It is about our world and how we care for it. The more toxic our world becomes, the closer the level will come to our toxin tip, and the more health issues we will face. Autism has increased to 1 in 88. Imagine their toxin tip levels, which are lower than the general populous, and imagine what issues we will face if this all continues.
I'll keep telling myself that 'Freak Out and Scream' is not productive....
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm
This report goes so far as to warn that rice milk is not suitable for babies or toddlers. When I took my son off of cow milk, guess what I gave him? You guessed it. When he had a Toxic Element Profile done years ago, we were shocked to see that he did have a touch of arsenic in his system. Now we know where it came from.
My family currently lives on rice. I have been feeding my family quite large amounts of brown rice in the form of stir fries and pasta for years, because it is the most affordable whole grain we could eat that is not contaminated with gluten. I am at a loss. There are other whole grains that are gluten, corn, and soy free. They are more expensive. They would require me to re-learn how to cook... again.
My current plan for this moment is to "Keep Calm and Carry On," and not "Freak Out and Scream." I find it more productive.
For starts, we are currently doing all we can to support our son's methylation cycle, which is our natural system for cleansing the body from toxins. He gets magnesium, folic acid, and B6 everyday, in addition to a slew of other good things. We will at some point do another Toxic Element Profile. It is unfortunately an expense not covered by insurance, but if we find heavy metals, his doctor can oversee a round of chelation therapy to help extract them from his body. We can test his brother, too. (On a side note, his brother has thankfully been drinking almond milk.) I will also at some point ease us into eating more of the expensive, corn free, soy free, and gluten free grains, and less rice. Some lemon doTERRA essential oil in our daily regimen will probably be cleansing as well.
The report mentions that there are producers that plan on doing testing and such, but really, the problem is not really the rice.Ultimately, this issue is a problem that engulfs us all, rice eater or no. When the water we drink and that our food is grown in is poisoning us, it is a global environmental issue. It is about our world and how we care for it. The more toxic our world becomes, the closer the level will come to our toxin tip, and the more health issues we will face. Autism has increased to 1 in 88. Imagine their toxin tip levels, which are lower than the general populous, and imagine what issues we will face if this all continues.
I'll keep telling myself that 'Freak Out and Scream' is not productive....
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Autism Therapist and Vitamin B-12
I have been working on my resume lately. Here is what filled in part of it along with my education and jobs:
As to "administering supplements," that has been an adventure in itself over the last few years. The most recent being a change up in the way that we give B12. We decided that because so often the injections would be a failure, (he would roll over and such in his sleep,) that we would have to give them to him while he is awake. It was rocky at first, but along with a meaningful reward chart, and the numbing cream in tow, he adjusted to it rather quickly. Now B12 is much more regular, and that means more good days! It has been quite an adjustment, but very worth it.
Autism Advocate, Independent, August
2008- Present
○
Implementation
of the DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) biochemical intervention program
○
Creating
behavior plans and charts that are visually engaging and meaningful to student
○
Administering
supplement regimen, including oral and injected, and keeping supplies current
○
Developing
appropriate meal plans and recipes free of gluten, casein, corn, sugar, dyes,
preservatives
○
Engage
autistic children in ABA therapy (2009-2010) and art projects (2010-2011) in a
classroom setting
○
Blogging
on autism topics, resulting in raising awareness of biochemical intervention
(2007-Present)
As to "administering supplements," that has been an adventure in itself over the last few years. The most recent being a change up in the way that we give B12. We decided that because so often the injections would be a failure, (he would roll over and such in his sleep,) that we would have to give them to him while he is awake. It was rocky at first, but along with a meaningful reward chart, and the numbing cream in tow, he adjusted to it rather quickly. Now B12 is much more regular, and that means more good days! It has been quite an adjustment, but very worth it.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Leftover Surprise
On a diet like ours, where there is lots of cooking from scratch, there is also alot of reinvented leftovers. It is almost mandatory to know how to remake leftovers to serve again the next day. Sometimes my "leftover surprise" is just ok, but this one was a raving success.
Last night I was not well, so I made something super simple. It was brown spaghetti with some marinara stirred in, and a side of peas. That was it, but it was easly and settled nicely.
Every morning Eli insists on pancakes with sunflower seed butter. He is pretty ridged in his routine when it comes to this. I am usually ok with this because it is a cheap way to eat gluten free, dairy free breakfast. This morning though, I was ready to shake up the routine alittle bit. I made the leftover pasta into frittatas. I saw it in an italian cookbook once. Eli loved it. My husband, who does not eat a special diet, (but who is always a good sport about eating it at home,) really enjoyed it as well.
I beat a medium egg in a bowl, added sliced green onion and added about a cup of the marinara gluten free pasta for each frittata. This I stirred together and fried up just like a pancake with some salt and pepper. Here are some fritattas I found on the web. These recipes are likely NOT special diet friendly, (although the last one may be!) It was fun finding them and being inspired.
http://honestfare.com/leftover-spaghetti-frittata/
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D8123BF931A35751C0A9639C8B63
http://onehungrymama.com/2011/05/recipe-kitchen-aid-leftover-spaghetti-chard-frittata/
http://valuskitchen.com/tag/how-to-use-leftover-pasta/
http://www.i-hate-cooking-recipes.com/leftover-spaghetti-frittata.html
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2012/05/gluten-free-pasta-frittata-with-kale.html
Last night I was not well, so I made something super simple. It was brown spaghetti with some marinara stirred in, and a side of peas. That was it, but it was easly and settled nicely.
Every morning Eli insists on pancakes with sunflower seed butter. He is pretty ridged in his routine when it comes to this. I am usually ok with this because it is a cheap way to eat gluten free, dairy free breakfast. This morning though, I was ready to shake up the routine alittle bit. I made the leftover pasta into frittatas. I saw it in an italian cookbook once. Eli loved it. My husband, who does not eat a special diet, (but who is always a good sport about eating it at home,) really enjoyed it as well.
I beat a medium egg in a bowl, added sliced green onion and added about a cup of the marinara gluten free pasta for each frittata. This I stirred together and fried up just like a pancake with some salt and pepper. Here are some fritattas I found on the web. These recipes are likely NOT special diet friendly, (although the last one may be!) It was fun finding them and being inspired.
http://honestfare.com/leftover-spaghetti-frittata/
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D8123BF931A35751C0A9639C8B63
http://onehungrymama.com/2011/05/recipe-kitchen-aid-leftover-spaghetti-chard-frittata/
http://valuskitchen.com/tag/how-to-use-leftover-pasta/
http://www.i-hate-cooking-recipes.com/leftover-spaghetti-frittata.html
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2012/05/gluten-free-pasta-frittata-with-kale.html
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Surprising Summer Findings
As mentioned in this post, Eli did summer school. As it was winding down to the last few days, I was talking with his student teacher and mentioned my son has autism. She told me that she was wondering what his official diagnosis was, because the student teachers are apparently not allowed to see the actual IEP's. I was surprised to hear that. I told her he was diagnosed as moderate, classic autism at the age of 2 and 1/2. Obviously he does not meet that diagnosis any longer, but I have not had him re-evaluated. I told her, "Nowdays he is much more like a severely ADHD child with speech issues." Even I didn't know I was going to say that as I said it, it was true all the same. I really surprised myself! It has really sunk in how true that is as I have been thinking about it in the weeks since. On one hand, I want to cheer! It is such a miracle that has occurred right under our noses. At the same time though, we are already doing everything I think that a parent of a child with severe ADHD would do on this medically healing path we are on.
Last week was Eli's first week of his swim lessons since we moved to our new town. I have been very surprised how well he has handled it. He does have some sporadic, excited behavior that is not appropriate. But for the most part, he does what he should, he is not timid, and he is not defiant. His behavior overall last week just got better and better as swimming lessons progressed. (The improvement occurred in the pool and at home.) The only downside has been the allergy bumps on his upper arm from the chemicals in the water. We have only four more days left this week, which is too bad. Perhaps I will need to drive him farther and pay out-of-city rates to take him to an indoor pool, as this outdoor city pool in our town will not be offering any more sessions. I think we may have found what our son needs to make more progress. It really does make sense to me. With his slightly disfunctioning nervous system, the water pressing on him at all sides feels good to him and helps him relax. ("Oh, now I can feel my arms better, so I can control them more.") After all, Michael Phelps was once an ADHD kid taking swimming lessons, so he would stay out of trouble! Perhaps swimming just clicks for kids with autism/ADHD.
I had such plans for doing speech at home, and I have not gotten myself to adhere to a program the whole summer! It is terrible because he needs it so much. At the same time though, with his improved behavior with the swimming lessons, I have been able to do more correcting in our everyday conversation. He has been more willing to "say it again" and repeat after me when he needs to correct something. He has not been getting mad or defiant like he has before. If I can get this to continue, it will be like speech lessons everyday at our house and things will improve rapidly, I think.
Through all of this, Little Bear has gotten to be one mobile baby. His is crawling and climbing everywhere, with a smile on his happy face!
Last week was Eli's first week of his swim lessons since we moved to our new town. I have been very surprised how well he has handled it. He does have some sporadic, excited behavior that is not appropriate. But for the most part, he does what he should, he is not timid, and he is not defiant. His behavior overall last week just got better and better as swimming lessons progressed. (The improvement occurred in the pool and at home.) The only downside has been the allergy bumps on his upper arm from the chemicals in the water. We have only four more days left this week, which is too bad. Perhaps I will need to drive him farther and pay out-of-city rates to take him to an indoor pool, as this outdoor city pool in our town will not be offering any more sessions. I think we may have found what our son needs to make more progress. It really does make sense to me. With his slightly disfunctioning nervous system, the water pressing on him at all sides feels good to him and helps him relax. ("Oh, now I can feel my arms better, so I can control them more.") After all, Michael Phelps was once an ADHD kid taking swimming lessons, so he would stay out of trouble! Perhaps swimming just clicks for kids with autism/ADHD.
I had such plans for doing speech at home, and I have not gotten myself to adhere to a program the whole summer! It is terrible because he needs it so much. At the same time though, with his improved behavior with the swimming lessons, I have been able to do more correcting in our everyday conversation. He has been more willing to "say it again" and repeat after me when he needs to correct something. He has not been getting mad or defiant like he has before. If I can get this to continue, it will be like speech lessons everyday at our house and things will improve rapidly, I think.
Through all of this, Little Bear has gotten to be one mobile baby. His is crawling and climbing everywhere, with a smile on his happy face!
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