Of Milk and Mason Jars: My Journey to Real Food
Gaps Update
Well, the past 2 weeks have been a total paradigm shift for me and my cooking, but since I posted a few weeks ago that I felt “God was leading us to Gaps” I have felt totally confirmed in that! It’s so hard to believe that I was so blind to what I needed to be doing for my family for so long. I’m not going to be hard on myself, but gerr. I think it was the lazy factor that kept me from delving into this sooner. It’s not an easy diet.
A quote from _Breaking the Viscious Cycle_by Elaine Gottschall:
“The strictness of this diet cannot be overemphasized nor should the difficulty
of adhering to it be minimized. Faithful observance requires intelligence and
vigilance on the part of those taking care of the individual or on the part of
the person who cooks for himself or herself. It is surprising how many times a
child will manage, despite the best supervision, to get hold of forbidden food.
It is equally surprising how may parents will decide, despite all warnings, that
“just a taste” of ice cream, cookie, or candy will do no harm. Such
infringements will seriously delay recovery and it is unwise to underake this
regimen unless you are willing to follow it with fanatical adherence.” Consider an infringement the ‘miracle grow’ of pathogenic gut bacteria.
This couldn’t be more true for us! I know people around me must think I’m crazy for what I’m putting my daughter through. I can’t even let her eat and apple right now! But I’ve totally noticed that when we keep to the diet, things are good, and if we slip up (like last week I gave her a banana) and all hell broke loose; literally!
My family have been such troopers. And they haven’t exactly been deprived. We’ve been feasting on delicious soups and roasts and tons of fresh veggies sauteed in butter and coconut oil.
It was so sweet to see how excited my two kids were that they could eat unlimited “zucchini chips”. I made these using my dehydrator and I marinated the zukes with a fresh herb vinaigrette I’d made from thyme, rosemary, and chives growing in my garden. I got this awesome Herb N Serve
for my birthday which I used to make the marinade! Anyway, after baking the chips in the oven until crispy, I transferred them into my dehydrator
overnight and they totally satisfied my children’s need for something “crispy and crunchy”. It was great to have something “snacky” again, since I’ve pulled back on nuts for the time being.
Kirsten’s digestive system just needs time to heal. There are days when she’s really low on energy and just wants to drink lots of water. I think this is because her body needs to flush out the yeast that are dying. Other days she just wants to eat and eat and eat…actually, this is most days. I need to be prepared basically at any time of day (including 5 am!) to feed her something nourishing. Her blood sugar is still so erratic and I just know that I need to feed her when she’s hungry.
My husband and I often remark that she still has the metabolism of a newborn and needs to “eat on demand”. Some of the other things that have been a hit during the “phase one” of Gaps diet are:
* Hard boiled eggs (very portable too)
* My sunflower seed crakers
* Coconut Macaroons
* Zucchini chips from this book
* Soup, any and every kind
One thing is for certain, though. One little “indulgence” of extra sugar (even “good” sugar) has serious consequences. I can feel them myself, and it becomes very obvious for Kirsten as well. Hopefully all who know us will understand that I’m not trying to be a food nazi or control freak; I’m just wanting to do what’s best for my daughter’s health.
Menu Plan Monday
B: Eggs w/ cortido/salsa
L: Egg-lemon soup. l/o roast beef and salad
D: Chicken and coconut flour dumplings ( from l/o roast chicken)
Tuesday: Make breakfast sausage
L: l/o chicken and dumplings
D: braised lamb and green beens
Wednesday: Make muffins , defrost roe
L: Salmon cakes w/sauteed veggies
D: Roe soup with cucumber-tomato-onion salad
Thursday: Mourn the loss of my twenties?
L: Lunch w/ a f riend
D:Dinner @ church
Friday:
L: Purple Vegetable soup and leftovers
D: Out with friends
L: Reception at my sister’s house
D: Hotdogs, sauerkraut, sauteed veggies
Sunday:
Aaaah. After two weeks, I’m finally back online! There were a couple of snaffoos in the process of getting back online, but here we are.
Here’s a quick summary of what’s been on my mind:
My Daughter’s Health: We have been dealing with unexplained “tummy aches” after eating. The naturopath says it’s a yeast overgrowth (she has many other symptoms of this) and we’re working on repairing a leaky gut. She had lots of factors working against her since birth. Antibiotics were given in high doses right after birth (it’s a long story, but believe me, I was the mom who was NEVER going to consent to giving my child abiox!!!) which damaged her gut (but probably saved her from sepsis!)
Additionally, she had a kidney reflux condidtion which required her to take profilactic antibiotics every day for a year!!! This set the stage for yeast to dominate in her gut because all or most of the beneficial probiotics where killed and never able to recover from the daily use of abiox. Enter my ignorance about food at the time, and I was feeding my daughter grains and fruits (healthy, of course!) thinking I was doing her well. Don’t forget the canned formula devoid of enzymes. Thankfully, I only had to supplement the formula due to a low milk supply. I think the fact that I’ve nursed her for 3 and a half years has been a saving grace.
Thankfully, we had the gluten exit stage left recently, and now per the doctor’s directives, we are to also send cow milk products, all sugars (including fruit) and starches, on their merry way.
Well,herein lies my challenge. It’s hard enough to feed a preschooler gluten free. But grain free? So those great rice noodles are now a no-no? Fruit? Sigh!!!
Luckily, she has been SUCH a trooper as we’ve fazed out some of the food she loves. She was addicted to cheddar cheese,and thankfully she hasn’t asked for it. She’s happily transitioned to raw goat milk (to be like her brother) and we mix it with L-Glutamine, chromium, and probiotics. I think the goat milk does hurt her tummy a little, though, so we’ll see if that’s a problem!
And we haven’t gone cold turkey. We’ve reduced rice to about twice a week. When the cashier at TJ’s gave her a sucker for finding the monkey, I let her have 6 licks. She happily obliged and I didn’t hear about it again. I let her have bananas and peaches occaisionally….it’s hard.
What do you feed an already picky toddler when you can’t give her starches, sugar, cow protein, or grains?
That’s the million-dollar question, folks. I need ideas and inspiration, especially for brown bag meals. Any input would be much appreciated.
This week’s shaping up to be a busy one, so I’m going to rely on my meal plans to keep my head above water. Look for this week’s menu on Monday.
Also, I have a new Weight Loss Wednesday report to share, as well as an exciting Thrifty Thursday concept to share, if time allows!
It’s good to be back! I’ve got a lot of catching up to do!
Bieler Broth: A simple detox remedy
“Dr. Henry Bieler, the author of Food Is Your Best Medicine, in over 50 years of
practice proved that high levels of toxicity in the body was very often the root
cause of most common diseases and ailments. This includes conditions such as the
common cold, flus, hayfever allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome,
fibromyalgia, food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, digestive disorders,
skin conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine headaches and others.
fibromyalgia diet, constipation diet, diarrhea diet, adrenal
fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, diet, irritable bowel syndrome…”
4 med. squash (zukes, yellow or summer)
1 lb. string beans, ends removed
2 sticks celery
2 bunches parsley, stems removed
fresh herbs, such as thyme or tarragon, tied together with a string. (optional)
fresh whey, not powdered!! (optional)
“Henry Bieler recommended this broth for fasting, for energy, and overall health. He felt that this combination of vegetables was ideal for restoring acid-alkaline and sodium-potassium balance to organs and glands, especially the adrenal glands. Bieler brother is highly recommended for those under stress or suffering from stress-related conditions.
Place water, vegetables, and optional herbs in pot. Bring to a boil, skim, lower heat and simmer, covered for about 1/2 hour. Remove herbs. Eat as is or blend.
