ADHD Diet - My First Reading

While doing my initial research on the GFCF diet, I came across information on one mother's journey.  I emailed her, and she emailed me back, we exchanged a few of these and then I was at Borders and saw the book that she talked about... I had no idea who I was communicating with.  I bought the book and spent the next week or so devouring it.  I flagged pages, made notes, and talked with my husband about the information in the book.  I show my nerdy-ness with the blow picture of my book...

I tabbed these pages and still use the tabs to find information that I need.  Barrie is a great resource, beyond this book she has a website with a wealth of information.  I recommend that you check it out at --
http://www.ourjourneythruautism.com/search?q=fiber

I post the link to the page about Fiber.  There has been a lot of talk in the media about gluten free diet as a fad; celebrities and other following it to lose weight.  I have noticed many doctors speaking about it, and stating that only Celiac's need to follow a gluten free diet, that for anyone else it would be a loss of fiber.  UGH!

Naturally this had led our family members to come to us about it, with a waging finger, so we have not been able to have an educational conversation.  Trying my best to remain calm and not sound like "a know it all", I explained out plight.  Each time to no avail.  Then my father called me three nights ago about a special on the late night news; Elizabeth Hasselback was being interviewed along with a doctor.  He was the first one that listened about the other alternatives for fiber.  I told him that some of the flours we have been using, coconut flour and garfava bean flour (is that right?) have a lot of fiber.  We talked about the processing of flour and the fact that they take everything out and that is why they enrich it.  We talked about milk...

I enjoy discussions with my father.  He was raised in a simpler time, spending most of his early years in the middle of Nebraska, eating what was grown, caught, or traded from others.  He talks of the pies his grandmother made and how others loved her items at the Sale Barn in Ericson Nebraska.  We have talked about how we, as a society, are eating too many processed foods and why to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.    I think that if he could he would eat fruit, veggies, fish, and an occasional steak or dear stew. My problem is getting the rest of our family to understand how bad all those foods are that we buy and quickly prepare.

Convenience has become our number one priority.  I to must admit to being pressed for time, not thinking ahead of time, grabbing the quick sandwich.  We do try to keep these times down though, to only a few times a week (1-2).  When we prepare a meal at home we use fresh or frozen and minimally processed ingredients,  getting back to a time before meal in a box were available.  Ya, sometimes that means that we take on hour or more to prepare dinner but I wouldn't have it any other way.

We are still figuring this thing out and I'm sure we will be for another year.  We are making a little progress, and the children are starting to make changes.  They still eat candy, and we still eat out, but in the store we only go down some isles and they know there are some things we just don't need to eat. That doesn't stop them from asking... maybe soon...

Here we go again!

The past two weeks have been an ongoing discussion.  I have been talking to my 17 year old daughter and husband about why we want to go back to this full force.  We have gone through our cupboards again and seen that we have really been buying less processed foods, well trying.  They have purchased some frozen pizzas, mac'n'cheese, and waffles to make summer meals easier while I'm at work.

While mom has been on strike, trying to get everyone else to pick-up a little clue about how much she does, dad has been doing almost all of the buying groceries and cooking.  That is about to end... Mom is dropping her sign and heading in to do all the work again.  I have decided that if I want to follow this diet it has to be me that is planning the meals, buying, and cooking all the food.  Well... almost all of it anyway.  Our oldest has run her first errand to the store to get ingredients - YEAH!  I'm so liking this!!!!

I love this time of year!  We have been eating a lot of fresh fruit, melons, berries, and plums – YUM!!

We have tried a few new recipes.  As you know some things turn out well while others are edible at best.  I have a new all time favorite pancake recipe, so delicious and gluten free!  I shall post the recipe soon.

I have been trying new drinks and a few new ways of preparing foods.  Also, we are trying to come up with quick preparations to make travel easier.

The biggest thought at the moment is how to follow a special diet and not leave the children, and us, out of the joint family fun.  It seems like several times a week we are with family or friends.  How do we get them to understand that this is a serious thing and just some foo foo idea?  How do I show them it can work if we don’t stick to it?  But how do we stick to it and not be secluded, not go to dinner with everyone else?  When I find the answer I will call the news!

Reading about others problems, ideas, and solutions really has helped.  I know that we can be strong enough to follow a strict diet.  I also am confident that we could see results.  With our youngest, almost 6, starting a new medication it might be tough to see what is the reason for a change… but one set at a time!

We're Back!! Eating a bit better - Still lots of work!

We have been adjusting to life in general.  Trying hard to eliminate foods that are bad for you and finding foods that are better for you.  Hard, Hard, HARD!!!!  You would think this should be easy… to just eat better, but it is very hard!

Will, our youngest, has been working with a Developmental Pediatrician and all of us with a new Psychologist.  We are looking to medicating our third child for ADHD symptoms.  Although I am not thrilled with the idea I am proceeding to try this as well.  This makes me want to work on the diet more than ever.  I really would like to find a better way to help them instead of medication.

A note on movies:  Dad has watched Food Inc, Food Nation with Jaime Oliver, and a couple others.  He really talks about the quality of our food here in the US.  I don’t fully understand why he will stop at a fast food joint, i.e. McDonalds or Taco Bell.  He has been doing a lot better with reading labels and buying some better foods.  Processed foods are still very convenient.  At least he is thinking and talking to others…

We are trying to marry the best of healthier food, real food, and budget consciousness.  We have found that Costco has pretty good meat and they grind their own hamburger.  While asking all the meat departments we learned that all most all the grocery stores here in Omaha have big huge tubes of hamburger sent to them from the meat packing plants.  I was very embarrassed, but I guess that’s the only way that you learn.  It’s funny how the people in the food industry really believe that the food that is available is good for you.  That would be another story for a different day.

Costco has become my husband’s new store.  While I’m at work he stops in and gets fresh fruits and veggies, which are almost entirely labeled organic.  We have been eating fresh fruits and veggies with our meals; when we eat at home.

I have been trying several different recipes out.  I think I have found some great replacements for our old favorites.  I'm not sure about how copy rights work - Can I post the recipe?  As long as I post the source?

My goal this week – clean out the cupboards again.  The kids have one more week of summer school and then home for a month before school starts again.  What a perfect time to jump in full force.  Also, convince my husband that it is a good idea to switch our eating.

When Mom Is Sick

Originally written 12-10-09

I am not totally recovered but hopefully soon!  At the beginning of November we had one sick child, then another, and they got better pretty quickly.  Then Mom got sick the second week of November.  I look back and am not sure whether I had H1N1 (as per the diagnosis) or if it was just pneumonia.  Either way I was sicker than I think I have ever been.  I was unable to do almost anything, and for two of the days literally I did nothing but sit and stare at the TV or wall.  I had a terrible cough & chest pain, fever, mildly sore throat, bad aches all over,blue hands and feet, and lethargy (among others).

So what happens to the house when mom gets sick?  Hopefully dad picks up the slack.  He did in this case; he made sure that the kids were at school, did grocery shopping, feed everyone, and put the children to bed close to bed time.

What about when mom is the one preparing these special meals?  Well these meals don’t get made.  No offense to the great Dad’s (like ours) that pick up the slack and help out… but man will they ever notice how much we mom’s do?

In this case Dad was getting the groceries and making dinners, which led to the end of our special diet.  He decided to get some of the old comfort easy to find foods like: milk, white bread, regular peanut butter, chips, and treats like the Little Debbie’s.  UGH!!!  Some nights he just wanted to feed us so he picked-up some fast food on the way home.  UGH UGH!!!!!!!

Needless to say we are basically almost totally of the diet.

Update: Mom is feeling better although still suffering from Bronchitis.  After something like five doctor visits and three runs of antibiotics, with a nebulizer, and inhaler, I may be getting rid of the cough and chest congestion soon.  Dad has been better at buying things that are not laden with preservatives and artificial stuff.  He does hate to pay for and hunt for the better foods.  When it comes to his treats he still gets them and we can’t, or I can’t, keep them away from the kids or him.  Boys will be boys. 

I'm Back!!!

Over the past three months we have been really really really busy.  We have been trying to figure out what we are doing.  Really!  I started a new part-time job, and now I am starting a new full-time job; making my meal prep and make time totally off!  Discussing with family why we wanted to try the diet, and why we want to eat better.  Trying to eat without the preservatives, artificial additives, and at home has been difficult. 

I have written several posts that have been half completed, but never had the time to proof read and finalize.  I am not that great with grammar to begin with but I do try.  It was mostly my anal retentive self keeping them from being posted.  So please forgive my tardy, untimely, lax, -- well I guess it’s me that needs to forgive myself, as I feel that I have let down my own family.

We are planning, or at least I am trying to convince my husband, to start this diet full force again soon.  I have read some more and still researching what would be best for the kids and our family. 

Talk at ya soon J

Feeling Defeated

Well after our weekend of fun… we have spent the last week and a half not following our eating guidelines diligently. We have had Pizza twice, Chinese, Wendy’s, Burger King, and another place or to. Geese! But they all tasted sooooo good! Once you have goofed up a little bit does it matter if you do it again?  Then again, and again, and… Now we are back to square one. Our first month and we didn’t even finish it out.

Dad is fed up with having to find and make special foods, and he is not seeing enough of a difference. I understand his frustration. I truly do, and I also know that it takes a long time to possibly see a difference. I had begun to worry when we would see that difference. Or maybe it would be gradual and one day we just realize things had changed? Now that these children have had regular preservative and additive laden food I think I see a difference. There seems to be more sibling fighting, more upset tears, more of our youngest blow-ups and frustrations. I may be seeing more into this but I really do think that it was beginning to make a difference.

I console myself by stating that Halloween is this weekend and we decided the kids had to be able to trick-or-treat. They were going to make a deal with us and get only some of their candy (more later). They are going to be eating candy and treats so a few more days off then we will start again. But this is October, next month is November with Thanksgiving and then we have Christmas. UGHHH!!!! I think we just picked a very hard time to start thinking about this diet. It is a hard time to find replacements and make adjustments for us and those around us. How can we convince our families that we need to keep up this special way of eating if they cannot see a difference.

My husband wants to stop the diet. In fact he bought regular bread and groceries last night at the store. I was at the Dr’s (GP) office today and brought it up with him. He said that he didn’t know if it would make a difference but try it and see. He also said something to the effect of… You never know some things that we didn’t think were big nor had an impact in the past are now turning out to be big. Diets can have a large impact. But he did bring up that no one in our family has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease so he didn’t think it would be his first choice of action. And he said to make sure they stayed on a good multivitamin.

We are all taking a good multivitamin with no artificial ingredients or additives. The kids also take an Omega 3 supplement and a Calcium & Vitamin D supplement. So maybe we have a good start to this and we will take some time off. As much as I hate to think of it, maybe we are going to have to only be half on the diet till after Christmas.  No results will be seen soon!

So I sign of today… Frustrated, disappointed, and deliberating.

First Outing

We bought a new travel trailer and decided to go camping before the weather turned cold. Along with my parents, the adoring Papa Jerry and Gamma Jane, we headed to Nebraska National Forest (4 1/2 hours away) for a long weekend on October 15th. We planned meals, and thought out what we would bring. We brought frozen waffles by Van’s (which are great by the way) oatmeal, trusty cereal, and lots of eggs for breakfast. We packed lots of vegetables and fruit, and meats for each meal. We brought one loaf of bread and premixed flour with fix’ns for another loaf. We packed drinks, and rice milk, coffee, and Mimiccreme for mommy’s coffee. You have to roast marshmallows and I couldn’t find any non-high fructose corn syrup ones, so we just used the old back up. We brought some chocolate (non-milk kind) and S’moreables graham cracker substitute to make smores. Again we felt very prepared when we left home with all of our food stocked. Or so we thought.

We left the house late on Thursday night, after packing clothing and odd tidbits at the last minute. Ran a few errands and it was 8:00 before we knew it. We wanted to get on the road and still needed to eat something. We went to Burger King with my parents. Everyone wanted to get their old favorites, but nothing was acceptable on our new diet… Chicken sandwich, whopper, cheeseburger, french fries… A comment from mom ‘that’s not on our diet” and a quick look of disgust from dad… they all got their old favorites. One time, could it really hurt?

On the four and a half hour drive out there they watched a movie and fell asleep. It was not too bad for eating sake. The campsite set up nicely especially for our first time and doing it in the dark. The next few days were well… food wise… we had cross contamination from my parents regular bread, but otherwise pretty good. The behavior and the accidents were another story all together.

I cut my finger on Friday morning opening a bag of cereal. Note – put scissors in camper! A few hours later our eight year old daughter scratched her cornea. We ended up at the ER in a Broken Bow, over an hour away. Friday ended alright with a card game and snack food session for the parents. Poor kids we didn’t let them have BBQ chips or Nut Rolls. It didn’t seem too bad for them.

On Saturday we baked meatloaf and bread in the oven. Note – must bake bread in full oven!

After lunch my husband and I went for a ride on the 4-wheelers. We got lost! Four hours later, just after sun set, we made it to the campsite with gas tanks that should have run out of gas long before we made it back. That night our daughter came down with a fever and her eye was bothering her terribly.

But the worst was the ride home. We are used to getting snacks and drinks at the gas station. We had to stop twice and all the kids, including Dad, were winning that they wanted something to eat. We ended up spending $2 on a little bottle of apple juice for each child as this was the only item with no additives. Snacks? Well we ended up getting some peanuts for them, but they wanted some of Mom and Dad’s chocolate covered peanuts. Not a good situation. They were acting up something awful all the way home.

This post is not about the diet as much as it is about frustrations. It was our first adventure away from home. Sticking to the specialty foods was difficult but I consider us still in the learning phase of this diet. For me the most difficult thing was the calamity of errors or accidents or whatever you want to call them. In general things that went wrong. When you get to your wits end with all those little things you don’t have the energy to fight for anything else.  All in all not horrible for our first weekend away from home.