Son reactive to many foods

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone! This is the first message I am posting, and I hope

someone can help me. I started the dairy-free SCD diet with my 21

month old son about 3 1/2 weeks ago. He had some autistic-like

symptoms, and also chronic severe constipation (he required 7 tsp. of

Miralax per day to have one bowel movement) and eczema. His response

to the diet was dramatic. His stool changed from light-colored and

full of food to dark with no food, and we were able to reduce the

Miralax to 2 3/4 tsp. per day. His eczema disappeared, and his

autistic-like symptoms went away. The problem is that each time I try

to expand beyond the intro diet, his symptoms start coming back. I

tried pecan nut flour and it made his eczema return, and he stopped

interacting, so I removed it, and he improved again. Too much fruit

makes him unable to sleep at night, so I give him 3/day now. He eats

carrots cooked in a crockpot sometimes, but won't eat any type of

squash. I tried giving him carrot curls, and his stool turned light-

colored and full of carrots, and now he is getting more constipated

again, so I took them out. I think he needs his fruits and vegetables

fully cooked, but then he doesn't like the way they taste. I started

eggs which he had not had on the intro, and some of his eczema came

back. He is relating very well now, but also really not getting

enough calories. He eats some chicken and meat, but is really sick of

it, and often refuses to eat even though he is hungry. He often lies

on the floor with no energy (which he never did before), and asks for

cereal. The only food he is having beyond the intro is 3 cooked

fruits/ day, and mealtime has become a battle. He is sick of seeing

chicken and meat on his plate, even if it is in different forms.I am

on his diet myself because I am still nursing him, so I know how

limiting it is. I myself feel very weak and hungry even though I eat

as much meat as I can, and I am also eating squash. I'm sorry for the

length of this message, but I wanted to give as many details as I

could. Thank you in advance to anyone with ideas.

Tali, mother to 21-month old Avi, SCD 3 1/2 weeks

[Guest guest]

Hi Tali,

We have been on scd 16 weeks and we have saw some really good

improvements.I understand what you mean about your son reacting to

lots of foods,because we are very limited still.We were gfcf for 9

months prior to scd and we still have the same food intolerances as

we had then.That tells me that gfcf reduced the behaviors and got

rid of the fog,but it didn't do any healing.We eat

chicken,pears,homemade sausage,macadamia nut butter,a little honey,a

little beef,and that's it.He simply doesn't tolerate any fruit or

veggie with color.Each time I would give him something with

color,his behaviors would increase and he would have a bad attention

span.I battled with myself about him not getting any veggies,but my

goal here is to reduce autistic traits and heal him.With colored

fruits and veggies,for my son,it was not happening.He is happy and

what he can eat,he eats alot of .I am hoping that his food

intolerances will be greatly reduced after a while on scd,so that we

can enjoy ALOT more food.Maybe you could try the egg white instead

of the whole egg.Why not try macadamia nut butter,it is generally

tolerated by most people,and you can bake with it.It will give you a

little more carbs.When we began scd my son was very lethargic and

sick acting,I think that it's pretty common among beginners.Follow

your gut on this one,you can do it.Your probably seeing die-off and

that can be pretty scary,but it will end and he should get

better.Don't get me wrong,scd is supposed to have plenty of fruits

and veggies to be a well rounded diet,but every child is different

and they all have foods that they don't tolerate.Alot of trial and

error and a good food log will be your friend.We'll be here for your

questions,it's a great group!!Hope I've helped a little,you can do

it!!!!

DeAnn,mom to 3.11 asd,scd 16 weeks

[Guest guest]

Tali, have you looked into enzymes? My son sounds very much like yours,

Deb

Post me privately if you like. sdcm@...

[Guest guest]

Sheila, thanks so much for your advice. My son originally started out

well on this diet, and then regressed when I proceeded too quickly

and made mistakes. I've re-started the intro, and don't want to make

mistakes again, so I really appreciate the advice. I have a question

about how slow to go. For example, do I need to introduce the lamb

and cooked apples separately, or can I do them both the day after the

intro? I don't want to go too fast, but it can also seem very

difficult to go too slow. My son and I are on this diet together

(since I am nursing him), and we've both been feeling weak and

hungry. If I start with small amounts of something (like nut butter),

then do I have to wait until we work up to a bigger amount before I

introduce the next item, or can I introduce the next item while we

are still increasing the first? My son has never had any diarrhea --

his symptoms are severe constipation and undigested food in the

stools. The constipation has improved a lot, but he still needs a

(smaller) dose of laxative every day. I want to do the introduction

of food the right way, but I also don't want to be over-zealous and

starve my son. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks so much!

Tali

> Hi Tali,

>

> >Are broiled lamb chops or steak okay on the

> > intro, and if not, how soon can they be introduced?

>

> You can start the brolied lamb and/or steak after the intro.

>

> > Is food made in a

> > slow cooker harder to digest?

> Not necessarily. Meats can be moe tender but it depends how long

> you cooked them etc.

>

> > How long should I wait before starting

> > that (he likes his carrots slow cooked)?

>

> I have found that carrots and other vegetables don't get

very " soft "

> in the slow cooker unless cut very, very thin. At the beginning

you

> may need them a little softer you will have to just try small

amount

> to see what stage of cooking needs to be done. ie. Cooked and

> pureed, cooked till very soft, a little firmer but still cooked

etc.

> until you eventually reach raw.

>

> > Is baked chicken okay on the

> > intro, or should it be introduced later?

> The chicken is boiled (as in the soup) and the fish or beef patty

is

> broiled. At the beginning some of the oils can be irritating.

> Since you've been on the diet a while (and he doesn't have severe

> diarrhea, correct?) you can probably go with baked chicken.

>

>

> > Are chicken pancakes a

> > problem since they are fried?

>

> Again, it depends on his symptoms.

>

> > When I start introducing more foods again, I'm thinking of

> starting

> > with nut butter since it is filling. Anybody think that's a bad

> idea?

> Gradually introducing nut butter products sounds okay. Just let

his

> symptoms (or lack of) be your guide.

>

> > My DAN doctor told me to pre-soak the nuts for 24-48 hours. Does

> > anyone else do this?

>

> Elaine does not recommend it because of the possibility of

> encouraging microbial growth.

>

> > Does anybody have a recipe for eggless nut

> > butter cookies (my son prefers cookies to muffins or cakes).

> I would

> > prefer a recipe with no honey or fruit puree, as I'm not sure of

> my

> > son's reaction to fruit and honey. If I use a recipe that calls

> for

> > nut flour, how much nut butter should I substitute?

>

> There are some egg free recipes at

http://pecanbread.com/recipes.html

> Just scroll down to Egg free baked goods.

>

> Sheila UC, 20 years -- in remission after 39 mos SCD

> mom of SCD 24 mos

[Guest guest]

Hi Tali,

For example, do I need to introduce the lamb

> and cooked apples separately, or can I do them both the day after the

> intro?

Better to introduce one new thing at a time so that you can get a clear idea

if it is tolerated or not. Also with new items you don't want to go with

too much too soon in case he has a reaction. If you go with small amounts

and work up you can better control things if there is an adverse reaction.

Soone new item every three days or so (depending on your child is pretty

good). If your child still has many symptoms you might want to take even

longer increasing the amounts ,5 days or so, before introducing something

new.

I don't want to go too fast, but it can also seem very

> difficult to go too slow. My son and I are on this diet together

> (since I am nursing him), and we've both been feeling weak and

> hungry.

It sounds as if you need to eat more of the foods that are on the intro. If

you feel hungry you need to eat more. And not just more meat or more

vegetables but try to balance it out fairly equally.

If I start with small amounts of something (like nut butter),

> then do I have to wait until we work up to a bigger amount before I

> introduce the next item, or can I introduce the next item while we

> are still increasing the first?

It really depends on your child.

My son has never had any diarrhea --

> his symptoms are severe constipation and undigested food in the

> stools. The constipation has improved a lot, but he still needs a

> (smaller) dose of laxative every day. I want to do the introduction

> of food the right way, but I also don't want to be over-zealous and

> starve my son.

If constipated you might want to try adding more vegetable and some fruit

(both cooked and peeled like applesauce or pearsauce, or squash).

Please keep us updated and let us know if you run into any problems.

Sheila