Re: Enzymes and Diet Advice Needed

[Guest guest]

> I have had my 20 yr old son on the gfcf diet since the beginning of

> June. We started enzymes a couple weeks later. The problem is,

that

> he is still extremely picky about what he eats and will go without

> eating instead of eating the foods I fix for him. I have found very

> few things he will eat and believe me, I've tried several different

> things. We have seen virtually no change from the diet what-so-ever

> but after 2 2/12 months I really didn't expect to see many if any

> changes. The biggest problems is that my already too thin kid is

> getting thinner.

> I do not plan on discontinuing the enzymes, but if I discontinue the

> diet I fear that any improvements that have taken place internally

> will be reversed.

> Any advise or information would be appreciated.

My son took about 3 months before I saw improvement from gfcf, and he

was age 4 at the time, much more gluten intolerant. So because your

son is older, I would recommend you keep up the gluten-free part, even

with enzymes, if you are concerned about reversing internal

improvements.

If you want to challenge the enzymes without reversing internal gains,

you can try milk/casein, because it does leave the body in 3-4 days so

you will be able to remove it again if you see a problem, and it won't

take long to reverse the challenge effects. If your son would eat

" regular " bread, you can try giving him just one slice and see if you

see a regression, altho this can also backfire because then he might

refuse other foods again until you give him regular bread again.

For a very picky eater that does not widen his food selection, I would

recommend letting him eat whatever he wants and however much he

wants [that is gfcf], and try to give him high-fat foods like potato

chips if he will eat them, to gain weight. If he knows you won't go

ballistic on him for eating whatever he wants, but you do put

something else that looks good on his plate also, eventually he might

try the new item because you never seem upset when he refuses it.

Also, because he is age 20, it may be that he has 20 years of foods

making him feel sick, and that would be a very hard lesson to

un-learn, which is why he may still be picky even after 2-1/2 months.

Do you give him any supplements? Sometimes those can help, other

times they can make things worse. Also, if you list the foods your

son will eat, maybe we can give you ideas on how to make them

higher-calorie.

[Guest guest]

Which enzymes are you giving at what dose? Some parents find they

have to increase the dose to see improvements. Also, how are you

giving the enzymes; in liquid or food, or in capsule form 30 minutes

ahead?

Dana's food suggestions sound great. Are your son's self-imposed

restrictions due to texture? That information could help us come up

with ideas.

> > I have had my 20 yr old son on the gfcf diet since the beginning

of

> > June. We started enzymes a couple weeks later. The problem is,

> that

> > he is still extremely picky about what he eats and will go

without

> > eating instead of eating the foods I fix for him. I have found

very

> > few things he will eat and believe me, I've tried several

different

> > things. We have seen virtually no change from the diet what-so-

ever

> > but after 2 2/12 months I really didn't expect to see many if any

> > changes. The biggest problems is that my already too thin kid is

> > getting thinner.

> > I do not plan on discontinuing the enzymes, but if I discontinue

the

> > diet I fear that any improvements that have taken place

internally

> > will be reversed.

> > Any advise or information would be appreciated.

>

> My son took about 3 months before I saw improvement from gfcf, and

he

> was age 4 at the time, much more gluten intolerant. So because

your

> son is older, I would recommend you keep up the gluten-free part,

even

> with enzymes, if you are concerned about reversing internal

> improvements.

>

> If you want to challenge the enzymes without reversing internal

gains,

> you can try milk/casein, because it does leave the body in 3-4 days

so

> you will be able to remove it again if you see a problem, and it

won't

> take long to reverse the challenge effects. If your son would eat

> " regular " bread, you can try giving him just one slice and see if

you

> see a regression, altho this can also backfire because then he

might

> refuse other foods again until you give him regular bread again.

>

> For a very picky eater that does not widen his food selection, I

would

> recommend letting him eat whatever he wants and however much he

> wants [that is gfcf], and try to give him high-fat foods like

potato

> chips if he will eat them, to gain weight. If he knows you won't

go

> ballistic on him for eating whatever he wants, but you do put

> something else that looks good on his plate also, eventually he

might

> try the new item because you never seem upset when he refuses it.

> Also, because he is age 20, it may be that he has 20 years of foods

> making him feel sick, and that would be a very hard lesson to

> un-learn, which is why he may still be picky even after 2-1/2

months.

>

> Do you give him any supplements? Sometimes those can help, other

> times they can make things worse. Also, if you list the foods your

> son will eat, maybe we can give you ideas on how to make them

> higher-calorie.

[Guest guest]

I had been giving him EnzymAid and EnzymAid Complete until a few days

ago when I switched to the Houton products. Right now I'm giving him

1 of each 30 minutes before a meal.

As far as texture goes, I really don't think he has those issues.

Today I made gfcf tuna salad and put them on rice crackers. It was a

battle, but once I got him to taste it, he ate about 3 cracker/tuna

sandwiches. He also likes the Tofutti Sour Supreme on baked potatoes

and mixed with spicy refried beans on tortilla chips.

What's really frustrating is that he'll seem really interested in

trying something, but once I fix it, he gets this grossed-out look on

his face and won't eat. He has also, on many occassion, ate a gfcf

meal and the next time I fix it, I get the grossed-out look again and

away he goes.

> > > I have had my 20 yr old son on the gfcf diet since the

beginning

> of

> > > June. We started enzymes a couple weeks later. The problem

is,

> > that

> > > he is still extremely picky about what he eats and will go

> without

> > > eating instead of eating the foods I fix for him. I have found

> very

> > > few things he will eat and believe me, I've tried several

> different

> > > things. We have seen virtually no change from the diet what-so-

> ever

> > > but after 2 2/12 months I really didn't expect to see many if

any

> > > changes. The biggest problems is that my already too thin kid

is

> > > getting thinner.

> > > I do not plan on discontinuing the enzymes, but if I

discontinue

> the

> > > diet I fear that any improvements that have taken place

> internally

> > > will be reversed.

> > > Any advise or information would be appreciated.

> >

> > My son took about 3 months before I saw improvement from gfcf,

and

> he

> > was age 4 at the time, much more gluten intolerant. So because

> your

> > son is older, I would recommend you keep up the gluten-free part,

> even

> > with enzymes, if you are concerned about reversing internal

> > improvements.

> >

> > If you want to challenge the enzymes without reversing internal

> gains,

> > you can try milk/casein, because it does leave the body in 3-4

days

> so

> > you will be able to remove it again if you see a problem, and it

> won't

> > take long to reverse the challenge effects. If your son would

eat

> > " regular " bread, you can try giving him just one slice and see if

> you

> > see a regression, altho this can also backfire because then he

> might

> > refuse other foods again until you give him regular bread again.

> >

> > For a very picky eater that does not widen his food selection, I

> would

> > recommend letting him eat whatever he wants and however much he

> > wants [that is gfcf], and try to give him high-fat foods like

> potato

> > chips if he will eat them, to gain weight. If he knows you won't

> go

> > ballistic on him for eating whatever he wants, but you do put

> > something else that looks good on his plate also, eventually he

> might

> > try the new item because you never seem upset when he refuses

it.

> > Also, because he is age 20, it may be that he has 20 years of

foods

> > making him feel sick, and that would be a very hard lesson to

> > un-learn, which is why he may still be picky even after 2-1/2

> months.

> >

> > Do you give him any supplements? Sometimes those can help, other

> > times they can make things worse. Also, if you list the foods

your

> > son will eat, maybe we can give you ideas on how to make them

> > higher-calorie.

[Guest guest]

My original plan was to keep him on the diet for six months to a

year, especially with his age. I still plan on doing that, but it's

getting very frustrating and scary.

As far as trying to give him milk, I'm not sure I would get much

benefit from that as I'm not sure that I've seen much in the way of

improvements as it is. My other fear is that the one things the diet

may be helping is his seizure activity and I really don't want to

experiment with the possibility of him having more seizures.

As far as supplements go, he's taking magnesium and calcium. I also

have Hypoallerginic SNT on hand, but have been afraid to try it after

reading that some kids have a not so great reaction to it. I ordered

some folic acid from Kirkmans and bought some zinc today. Any other

suggestions regarding supplements would be welcome.

The one thing I can say is that this has been an eye-opening

experience for me. There is so much more to learn that it is over-

whelming.

> > I have had my 20 yr old son on the gfcf diet since the beginning

of

> > June. We started enzymes a couple weeks later. The problem is,

> that

> > he is still extremely picky about what he eats and will go

without

> > eating instead of eating the foods I fix for him. I have found

very

> > few things he will eat and believe me, I've tried several

different

> > things. We have seen virtually no change from the diet what-so-

ever

> > but after 2 2/12 months I really didn't expect to see many if any

> > changes. The biggest problems is that my already too thin kid is

> > getting thinner.

> > I do not plan on discontinuing the enzymes, but if I discontinue

the

> > diet I fear that any improvements that have taken place

internally

> > will be reversed.

> > Any advise or information would be appreciated.

>

> My son took about 3 months before I saw improvement from gfcf, and

he

> was age 4 at the time, much more gluten intolerant. So because

your

> son is older, I would recommend you keep up the gluten-free part,

even

> with enzymes, if you are concerned about reversing internal

> improvements.

>

> If you want to challenge the enzymes without reversing internal

gains,

> you can try milk/casein, because it does leave the body in 3-4 days

so

> you will be able to remove it again if you see a problem, and it

won't

> take long to reverse the challenge effects. If your son would eat

> " regular " bread, you can try giving him just one slice and see if

you

> see a regression, altho this can also backfire because then he

might

> refuse other foods again until you give him regular bread again.

>

> For a very picky eater that does not widen his food selection, I

would

> recommend letting him eat whatever he wants and however much he

> wants [that is gfcf], and try to give him high-fat foods like

potato

> chips if he will eat them, to gain weight. If he knows you won't

go

> ballistic on him for eating whatever he wants, but you do put

> something else that looks good on his plate also, eventually he

might

> try the new item because you never seem upset when he refuses it.

> Also, because he is age 20, it may be that he has 20 years of foods

> making him feel sick, and that would be a very hard lesson to

> un-learn, which is why he may still be picky even after 2-1/2

months.

>

> Do you give him any supplements? Sometimes those can help, other

> times they can make things worse. Also, if you list the foods your

> son will eat, maybe we can give you ideas on how to make them

> higher-calorie.

[Guest guest]

We have had parents report that the HNI enzymes resulted in increased

appetite. I hope that is the case for your son, although it may take

a few weeks for you to see it. You had some good responses about

feeding on here, too and I hope they help. Let us know how your son

responds to the enzymes and if you see any problems.

> > Which enzymes are you giving at what dose? Some parents find

they

> > have to increase the dose to see improvements. Also, how are you

> > giving the enzymes; in liquid or food, or in capsule form 30

> minutes

> > ahead?

> >

> > Dana's food suggestions sound great. Are your son's self-imposed

> > restrictions due to texture? That information could help us come

> up

> > with ideas.

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

First, I want to say that getting a 20 yr old on the diet is an

applaudable undertaking from my point of view. Good Going!

We tried the EnzymAid and 2 others and they were not nearly as

effective for us as the Houston ones - so there might be a difference

in brand or formulation. My younger King of the Picky-Eaters Club was

on Peptizyde for a good two weeks straight when all of sudden (that

is why I remember it was 2 weeks) he became ravenous and started

wanting more, more, MORE! He acted like he just discovered FOOD. So,

maybe you will see something after a couple weeks. My son continues

to eat 1/3 more than before and has added 5 pounds this summer (he

needed it). He is far less picky as well and eats in a reasonable 15-

20 minutes instead of 60-90 minutes.

Some ideas for keeping his interest. Can he help choose and prepare

the food? Often this technique is recommended for younger kids, but

it may help. This works about half the time with mine if I have them

help prepare or cook it. Or maybe if he got a special plate, spoon,

cup or something. I read where one mom got a cheap piece of stemware

and would mix all the supplements in it so it would be " special " for

the child to drink from. Would going out to a special place to eat be

meaningful to him? Sometime I just pack the stuff and we go outside,

in the basement or go to the library. Or to eat at a restaurant. I

admit some of this may not work for an older adult child, but maybe

you will get a brainstorm. Keep us posted.

.

[Guest guest]

I hope the Houton enzymes will do something for him. From everything

I've been reading, more seem to have better luck with them over the

Kirkman products.

Also, thanks for the encouragement. I hope that my son decides to

really start eating soon. I managed to get a bowl of Krispie Rice

cereal down him this morning, but he wasn't very happy about it.

As far as picking out his own food, he does that for the most part.

The problem is, about 85% of the time he won't eat it after he's

picked it out and I've fixed it. At this point I'm on the search for

something that works and hopefully the new enzymes will have a more

positive effect for us.

One other thing I had noticed was that he was sleeping a lot during

the day. After I started him on magnesium he became happier and more

alert during the day, but now that I've increased the dosage he's

back to sleeping more during the day. I've read just about

everything that's been posted about magnesium but didn't remember

reading that it caused sleepiness. Do you or anyone else happen to

know if there is a problem giving it to him in the evening? Should I

be breaking it up throughout the day? Any ideas?

> First, I want to say that getting a 20 yr old on the diet is an

> applaudable undertaking from my point of view. Good Going!

>

> We tried the EnzymAid and 2 others and they were not nearly as

> effective for us as the Houston ones - so there might be a

difference

> in brand or formulation. My younger King of the Picky-Eaters Club

was

> on Peptizyde for a good two weeks straight when all of sudden (that

> is why I remember it was 2 weeks) he became ravenous and started

> wanting more, more, MORE! He acted like he just discovered FOOD.

So,

> maybe you will see something after a couple weeks. My son continues

> to eat 1/3 more than before and has added 5 pounds this summer (he

> needed it). He is far less picky as well and eats in a reasonable

15-

> 20 minutes instead of 60-90 minutes.

>

> Some ideas for keeping his interest. Can he help choose and prepare

> the food? Often this technique is recommended for younger kids, but

> it may help. This works about half the time with mine if I have

them

> help prepare or cook it. Or maybe if he got a special plate, spoon,

> cup or something. I read where one mom got a cheap piece of

stemware

> and would mix all the supplements in it so it would be " special "

for

> the child to drink from. Would going out to a special place to eat

be

> meaningful to him? Sometime I just pack the stuff and we go

outside,

> in the basement or go to the library. Or to eat at a restaurant. I

> admit some of this may not work for an older adult child, but maybe

> you will get a brainstorm. Keep us posted.

>

> .

[Guest guest]

Deb, Hi, I'm new to the Board..

I have a 4yr old son (Sid) I give him 2 tabs Calcium/Magnesium at

bfst & 2 tabs at night (Sometimes we forget these)

But I remember my Dr. saying it was best to space it out that way..

Prolly for the reasons your expierencing-- Too sleepy during day--

Plus they can use the quiet nerves at night..

Helen

>>>>>>

One other thing I had noticed was that he was sleeping a lot during

the day. After I started him on magnesium he became happier and more

alert during the day, but now that I've increased the dosage he's

back to sleeping more during the day. I've read just about

everything that's been posted about magnesium but didn't remember

reading that it caused sleepiness. Do you or anyone else happen to

know if there is a problem giving it to him in the evening? Should I

be breaking it up throughout the day? Any ideas?

>>>>>>>