Guest guest Posted July 30, 2001 Report Share Posted July 30, 2001 Hi Anne, Yes, we started this diet last January with our son Graham, who was 6 and a half at the time and in regular first grade at our local elementary school. He never was a big eater to begin with, so the changes really didn't affect him that much. He has accepted everything new, except GFCF bread and he eats very little meat (never did before, either I might add). Graham knows exactly what he is and is not allowed to eat and has religiously followed *the rule* which is never eat anything without checking with mom first. At school, he just doesn't eat anything I didn't send or wasn't preapproved. His teachers, therapists, etc. have been great about it and Graham handles it remarkably well. It amazes everyone when he turns down an M and M and says " I can't eat that. " We are thrilled with his progress on the diet, so I urge to stick to it. BTW, check out the recipe archives for Elena's great pancakes...this is the one we use. Graham gobbles them up, they freeze and reheat nicely....they do cook slowly and are very thick. Personally, I double the liquid (Darifree) to make them a little thinner. Graham loves them, though. Good Luck! Fondly, J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 30, 2001 Report Share Posted July 30, 2001 Hi Anne, and welcome! Getting the kids to accept new foods is always tricky, especially when they are supposed to substitute for a much loved food. We have been GFCF for over two years, and at first my son would not touch most of the " replacement " foods. The taste and texture just didn't match what he was used to. But now he eats many things he previously wouldn't touch. My best advice is not to try to introduce the substitutes for a month or two, until she has kind of forgotten what the original tasted like. It will mean a more restricted diet for a while, but just for now, present her with the GFCF foods that are already in her diet. Stick with rice, potatoes, and corn based foods. For beverages, do water, juices and even sodas for the time being. Along with whatever meats, nuts, eggs, fruits and veggies she already likes. After a few weeks gradually introduce the new foods. My son took to the GFCF store-bought cookies and crackers pretty quickly; also the Tofutti ice cream and cheeses; breads and pancakes took more " forgetting " time to become acceptable, and also lots of trial and error on my part to find edible recipes. He will now drink rice milk in his cereal, but still wants chocolate in it for a beverage. He happily drinks water, and we have cut way back on the juices and no soda anymore except for a treat when we're out. Good luck- it's do-able - and worth it! in FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 31, 2001 Report Share Posted July 31, 2001 Dear Anne, Your experience sounds pretty much like what we went through the first week. We are nearly finished our third week on the diet. The first week was very hard. My son turned up his nose at everything. I felt very worried - wondering how I would get him to eat, and it was discouraging throwing so much food into the bin. I was in tears one day after a whole meal of meatballs went to the dog (I used rice crumbs as fillers and they refused to eat them). But by the second week he started accepting new foods, and now some of these 'new' foods have become normal to him. Keep trying with things. I found sometimes the second or third time he tried something it became acceptable. At first I tried to imitate his usual foods but stopped doing that as I found that he expected them to taste the same, which they didn't. So now I make it similar but change it in some way - eg presentation. I also started preparing him for change eg this is a new bread, it is not going to taste just the same as what you are used to, but give it a try. I found that once I started doing this it helped and he was more willing to try new things. I think for us some of the initial difficulty is the autistics resistance to change, not that the food was unacceptable, but they just like things the same. I keep trying new recipes, and finding new treats. I actually find the foods quite delicious so I have put myself onto the diet - I want to see if it helps my allergies (asthma, sinusitis, excema and fibromyalgia). My son's improvement has been rapid and very noticeable. He did not experience any regression with the AS although he did experience a real flare up in the Tourette's, which is now settling again. Regards, Marita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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