Re: Hi! New; considering diet and need advice

[Guest guest]

Hi Liz...

Many of the answers to your questions will become clearer once you read the

book. That is really the most important first step. Did you know you can read

the first couple of chapters online at Amazon.com? Just search out Breaking the

Viciouc Cycle... and you can read them right there. Plus, the reviews at the

bottom of that page are numerous... so you can read many positive stories from

other families (not all with ASD children).

<<The diet seems much harder than GFCF, so I'm nervous about doing it.>>

I have never done the GFCF diet myself, so I can't compare. I did have my

daughter on the Ketogenic diet for over two years (for seizure control)... now

THAT is is difficult diet! Weighing every BITE of food and having to plan meals

with a computer program down to the very last tenth of a gram! After two years,

I wanted to throw the gram scale over a cliff! By comparison, SCD is a walk in

the park.

If you are used to a fair amount of pre-made convenience products and GF/CF

snacks that you buy.... then you may find SCD to be more challenging. We do make

almost everything from scratch. All it takes, however, is some planning.... and

batch cooking! Do remember that SCD is gluten free... by default... however

almost zero of the commercial products you used to buy would be allowed on SCD.

We just use real whole food, for the most part.

<<I'm hoping this diet will help him to be more calm, more flexible,

more even-tempered, more social, and less stimming (please!) >>

Many parents have reported improvements in these areas. Please read the " Parents

Reports " at www.pecanbread.com .

<<Currently the only things on the Intro diet that he will eat are the

gelatin or popsicles, and maybe a few bites of scrambled egg and

cooked carrots. What are others' experiences on the Intro diet with

their picky eaters? Did they give in and finally take their first

bites ever of hamburger or unbreaded chicken?>>

Do keep in mind that the intro diet is only done for two days. There are quite a

few tips for doing the intro diet on the same website (above). Read everything

you can under the " Food Preparation " link.... there is an entire section on

" Picky Eaters " there. MANY kids here started out with very self-limited

diets.... and basically not used to eating anything but starchy carbs.

<<The diet seems to allow for a lot of juice. Is this a problem for

anyone?>>

All the allowed juices are diluted at first. You certainly don't have to use

juice, if your child will drink water... though it is an easy-to-digest

carbohydrate for the intro diet. After intro, kids can begin eating fruits and

vegetables.

<< Should I stop supplements with

the Intro diet and slowly add them back in when I can find legal ones?>>

Yes... that's the best approach. There is a list of legal supps on the website,

too.... as well as lists of ingredients to look for on your labels that are

legal/illegal.

<<He also just started taking Diflucan. Should I stop that when we

start SCD?>>

Sorry, I can't answer that one.

<<However, it sounds like we may be able to use goat yogurt

with success. What are your recommendations for trying this and

when? Whole Foods sells goat yogurt. Does it need to be made from

scratch?>>

We usually recommend waiting about three months for a child who has been

completely CF. Yes, the yogurt must be made from scratch. No commercial yogurt

has been fermented for the full 24 hrs that SCD requires.

<<It sounds like most, if not all, of this food needs to be prepared

from scratch using fresh ingredients. How hard is this and how

expensive? I just need to make sure I am being realistic about being

able to do this diet successfully.>>

It is something you do have to get used to, if you've been relying on a lot of

pre-made products. Frozen vegetables are allowed... and many of us make good

use of our crockpots, and try to cook several meals worth of food at once,

freezing some for later.

How expensive? That's hard to say. I am on a very tight budget.... and I know

that some of the foods I buy for my daughter and I (I'm on SCD, too.... for

comraderie, and b/c it's easier for both of us to be able to eat the same thing)

are more expensive, but since I don't buy a lot of the other foods we used to

eat, and we never eat out anymore, I think we're probably breaking even.

Some families spend a lot more. I personally *try* to buy organic when I can

(esp butter, milk and eggs).... but don't always. Organic is not required. It

depends on what your budget was before. I buy meat in the big " family packs " ....

split it up and freeze it at home. I also tend to buy whatever meat is on sale.

<<Is restaurant food ever allowed?>>

Eating out is very challenging.... not impossible, but risky. Not recommended

for newbies. Several parents here have found ingenious ways of getting around

that hurdle... I'll let them report to you.

<<Finally, how long do most people need to stay on this diet? >>

Mrs. Gottschall recommended at least one year after all symptoms have

disappeared. She kept her daughter on SCD for seven years! For her, it was not a

sacrifice, because she knew SCD had literally saved her daughter's life.

That might really depend for you, since most symptoms you see are behavioral. I

suspect your son probably has more " gut issues " than you realise.... but it's

just not as pronounced as for some who have terrible, chronic diarrhea, etc. You

already know there is an imbalance in his gut flora.

You may need to just look at this as an open-ended thing.... it may not need to

be forever.... but on the other hand, many of us feel that it's such a healthy

way to eat, that we could imagine sticking very close to SCD indefinitely. You

also may need to set yourself a timeline.... to give the diet an honest shot. If

you commit to six months... and really give it your all.... you can decide then

if it's worth it to continue.

best wishes,

Patti, mom to Katera