Re: Day 8 into Diet....Some Problems!!! HELP!!! HELP!!!

December 1, 2006

,

There may be a couple of different things going on here... but first, the

muffin dilemma. Any time a kid is limiting themselves to a particular food, and

wanting a lot of that and nothing BUT that, I am suspicious.

I don't think he's been on the diet long enough to have completely had all the

bad guys down there die-off and leave his body. I think it's quite probably that

there's some down there.... and that they are going to *try* to " make do " with

whatever they can get.

I am glad you've started the SCDophilus.... he really needs that to keep yeast

from taking over as bacterial colonies die off.... BUT, it is possible that the

probiotic has triggered some die-off, so that's kind of clouding the picture.

Some of the " devil child " behavior and the black tar stool and gas *could* be

from die-off. Did he have any die-off in the very first few days? I'm actually

encouraged when there are color changes in the stool.... yucky green and black

junk.... or stringy mucousy stuff.... all could be yeast and/or bacterial

die-off.

Are you doing epsom salts baths? Activated charcoal? Those may help.

Now.... there's another issue, though. I think you could potentially have

troubles stemming from the almond butter and/or the cashew butter. Elaine always

said cashews are the starchiest of all the nuts and she did not want to see

beginners using them..... and even more advanced SCDers, she preferred to see

cashews or cashew butter used sparingly.

Almond butter *could* be the culprit causing the red cheeks. You said he " looks "

like he has a fever.... but does he actually have one? Of course, fever can

come with die-off.... but I'm thinking the almonds could be it if his cheeks are

just red, but no real fever. It's possibly the salicylates ..... many kids that

are new to the diet don't do well with almonds. That doesn't mean it's an

out-and-out allergy.... but he may be sensitive, and he's getting a LOT of it,

so... not a good thing.

Take note of the name of our list... and the website... " Pecanbread " was the

choice for this very reason. Pecans are generally better tolerated. You'd have

to make your own pecan butter but it's not hard....just whir in food processer

and add just enough oil to get the buttery consistency you need (I use sunflower

oil). It works really well for baked goods.

Another couple of nut butters that might be a better choices (and you can

likely find them on the shelf at a health food store) would be hazelnut or

macadamia.

I would also recommend that you switch your squash..... from acorn to butternut

squash. I think acorn is starchier and more fibrous. Butternut has a very smooth

texture and is wonderful in baked goods. I think it would be easier on the gut.

I am also hoping you might be able to slllllooooowwwwwllly cut the amount of

honey that's going into the muffins. Just ever so slowly use a tiny bit less and

try to wean him from the need for the sweetness. You might try using pearsauce

in place of the honey and apple cider.

I would also suggest trying to " sneak " a very small amount of chicken into these

muffins. Cook chicken breast (I boil... or poach them)... cool completely in the

fridge. Cut across the grain of the meat, with a VERY sharp knife, into very

thin slices...... then you can puree some of it (start with a TINY amount....

increase it so slowly that he can't notice) into the squash before you mix it up

into the muffin batter. Done this way, the chicken is practically tasteless.

The secret to the catsup is to use a large diameter skillet...... and as you

cook the tomato juice down, you have a very shallow amount, with a large surface

area exposed. Yes, it can make a mess all over your stove, but what can I say?

This way, it takes a LOT less time to cook down. No, there isn't a legal

tomato paste... but I'm pretty sure you will find this method to work out.

<<Also, is there a list with legal " brnad " names of

things like this. I have got to buy some pre-made things, or I will

never make it cooking on this diet.>>

I can only suggest that you check out Digestive Wellness and possibly order a

few products from them. I'm not sure of their web address.... but you could

Google it. I have never ordered from them.

I'm sorry you're feeling so overwhelmed and chained to the kitchen! Believe me,

a lot of us know EXACTLY what you mean. It gets better.... I promise!

December 4, 2006

We use this as our generic sauce. We eat it raw, but you might be able to cook

it. It ends up pretty thick, so it can be used for dipping.

1 cup fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup home dehydrated tomatoes (soak in a bit of water to rehydrate a little)

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

3/4 tsp. minced jalapeno (we usually leave this out)

4 fresh basil leaves

1/2 c. medjool dates, pitted (or you can substitute a couple of tablespoons

honey)

1 tsp. sea salt

Put all in food processor and process until well blended. We love it served on

zucchini noodles.

I realize all of this is not stage 1 food, but it is pureed completely, so it

might not cause problems. Maybe ask a moderator.

Day 8 into Diet....Some Problems!!! HELP!!! HELP!!!

Ok, I am having some problems all the way around. We started out

great, and did the intro diet for about 3 days, which we got the

first formed stool for Ben in two years on day 3, which was awesome

to see! Well, after about day 4, he won't eat the " burgers "

or " patties " of any kind, where in the first few days, he couldn't

get enough! Ugh, he just makes this face and starts screaming for

muffins! I started making this " muffin " on day 5, and that is all he

wants now. I spent long hours in the kitchen trying to figure out how

to make an SCD muffin with NUT BUTTER and NO EGGS, not flour, and

finally hit it! I used cashew butter (then almond butter too) with

baked acorn squash, a little apple cider (legal), baking soda, and

honey. They are actually pretty great. I was planning to wait on

introducing the nut butters a bit, but got a bit desperate since he

is not eating much now and can't have dairy, cheese, yogurts,

etc....which DOES make this diet extremely difficult I might add!

ugh!

So, since yesterday he has gone from nice, formed stools to this very

dark brown/black tar type stool, and has HORRIBLE non-stop gas that

started this afternoon! He still looks like he has a mild fever quite

a bit, and red cheeks, and still won't wear his clothes. His behavior

is irratic, with some good, then turns into the devil child briefly,

then back again. Here is what he ate yesterday and today:

YESTERDAY:

Breakfast - 7 Almond Butter Muffins (as described above) - first day

on the almond variety. Yes, 7! He just wanted more and more, and was

actually ASKING me for " more muffins, please! " (a FIRST!) Apple cider

& water. Tried Just Blueberry juice, but he would not drink it. He

only wants the apple cider at all meals..is that bad?

Lunch - Cooked Chicken Patty w/garlic and sea salt. Steamed, peeled

Pears. Would not touch either one. Apple cider & water.

Dinner - Ground turkey w/carrots in blender, pan fried in sunflower

oil as a patty. Would not touch this either. I gave in and he had

more muffins, about 6 more of the almond muffins. Apple cider &

water.

TODAY:

Breakfast: 6 Almond Butter Muffins. Apple cider & water.

Lunch : Ground Beef Patty w/sea salt. Would not touch this. Did not

offer him anything else. Apple cider & water.

Dinner: Ground turkey w/carrots in blender, pan fried in sunflower

oil as a patty. Would not touch this either. I gave in and he had

more muffins, about 4 more of the almond muffins.

I did start him on the Scidophilis supplement a couple days ago with

about 1/3cap in the AM. So, could it be that? Or the almond butter?

Or the massive amount of muffins? LOL. :-) Is that horrible, even if

they are made of squash and nut butters? He did test allergic on a

skin test 1.5yrs ago to almonds, but tested negative on the IgG and

IgE tests for them. He is allergic to peanuts and mildly to walnuts,

but other nuts seemed ok. We still haven't done the nut flours yet.

This diet is so difficultof you can't have eggs or dairy. It's

horrible to cook around those things. :-( What am I supposed to feed

this child? I tried to make the ketchup from the BTVC book TWICE and

only got a thin liquid. It never thickened, so is there a LEGAL

canned tomato paste that I could use, and just add some honey? That

would make things a lot easier, and THIS kid used to eat ANYTHING

with ketchup on it! Also, is there a list with legal " brnad " names of

things like this. I have got to buy some pre-made things, or I will

never make it cooking on this diet. As it is now, I NEVER actually

leave the kitchen, and my family life (3yr and 18mo little ones, and

a neglected husband!) are suffering b/c of it! I have NO time for

anything else! I need more ideas about how to feed this

child....please help me!!!!

Thanks much -

;-))))

December 4, 2006

What if you stopped making the muffins? You said he ate the intro diet for

three days, so he was eating, right? If there are no muffins around, maybe he

would go back to eating other foods.