A Whole New World (Dietary Edition-1)

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts, our family made a BIG change this summer when we got Myers' diagnosis and the suggestion that he go gluten, dairy and soy free. Because Chance has Crohn's, he should have made these dietary changes a long time ago, but for whatever reason, it never really clicked for him, until a few months ago. Better late than never, right?

Before the diagnosis, Myers ate potato chips, white cheddar cheese puffs, peanut butter and jelly on "regular," glutenous bread, muffins, pancakes, French fries, some crackers, lots of fruits, baby food pouches, cookies and any chocolate cake/candy. That was about it. He used to eat meatballs and chicken nuggets, but went about a year with no meat. He's expanding his horizons, finally, but we still don't get any real veggies in him.   

For me personally, I didn't think going gluten free would be the end of the world. I mean, I lived in Italy when my friend thought he had Celiac Disease, and he survived gluten free pasta for a short time. The key word there is short, because luckily he wasn't gluten intolerant and got back on the good stuff pretty quickly. But, I knew there were alternatives, even if not as good as the "real" pastas, pizzas, breads, etc. 

I was worried for Myers, because his diet was already limited, and for me, the dairy and soy free bit was more frightening. A) I love cheese. Love it. B) I lived in China also and I LOVE dumplings, noodles, and all things coated in soy sauce. Do you have any idea how many things have soy, like have you looked at the non Asian stuff in your pantry and fridge? I thought, with all three things removed, we would literally have nothing left. I mean, fruit, meat, veggies, done (and yes-I know that's a whole foods diet and how it should be).

I was wrong about having nothing to eat. Although we removed a lot, we've found a lot too. Dinners aren't too tricky. The snack foods are the hardest. Even though most potato chips have soy, we can eat Cape Cod chips-certain flavors. We can eat some of the "veggie chips," specifically the Garden Veggie brand that is in the Pringles-like container. We can eat French fries, but not frozen ones and not from restaurants unless we are absolutely sure they are cooked in a designated fryer. Chick Fil A fries are safe, to our understanding. I did a bit of research on "safe" fast food a while back and I found this helpful article. We made A LOT of french fries at home in the air fryer after we got the diagnosis. We joked we needed a potato farm; it was all Myers would eat (outside fruit). I followed IG accounts like "Kids Eat In Color," and "Feeding Littles" for ideas. I read a book that said if all a kid eats is potatoes, it's okay. This book, "Healing the Symptoms Known as Autism," is in PDF, and I'm happy to send it to anyone interested.

Let's go back to my question about the pantry a minute. When we made the decision to do this diet, I cleared our pantry out. I filled 4 gigantic grocery totes and called my sister, mom and brother. I emptied our spice cabinet. I got rid of every soup can, cracker, pasta, etc. I emptied the fridge and freezer of dairy, gluten and soy products. Saying goodbye to all the frozen dumplings and green onion pancakes was heartbreaking. When we shop now, we read every label. I read them multiple times to make sure. Why? Myers isn't "allergic." We don't see huge changes in our own diet if we slip or cheat, but taking the time to cleanse all of that out of his diet means I want to continue with this plan until we know for sure. Will that day ever come? I don't know, honestly. Myers had allergy tests when he was young, and nothing came back as a concern, but if autistic children do better to not have gluten, dairy and soy in their diet, then we are going to stick with it. Some research says, "Eliminating gluten and casein may help to change symptoms and behaviors of autism." This was the idea behind the diet. The doctors we saw in Simpsonville, SC and Winston-Salem, NC both thought this was a great plan for us. 

I mentioned chips earlier, and fries, and well, junk food. I know what foods are "good for you" and what foods aren't. I've actually studied and researched up on the gut a good bit, but I'm human, and pretty happy with some of the not-good-for-you-foods. Every now and again, you just want the junk. Gluten free fast food (when you are in a bind) is hard to come by though. Chick Fil A has a gluten free bun, so if I ever need something fast, I get the grilled chicken sandwich with the GF bun and eat it plain...no sauce (it has soy). Of course I also get the fries, and Myers likes them too. I can get him a fruit cup and fries, and he's happy. I found out on a recent road trip that East Bay Deli has gluten free bread too, so we've eaten that once or twice. We weren't big fast food eaters to start with...well, I wasn't. Chance frequented McDonalds more than he should.

For all we can't eat, we can eat fruit, meat, veggies, and we can get creative with "pastas" and breads. I make lots of muffins and pancakes for Myers. We still have cookies and cake when we need treats. We have to be careful about seasonings and dressings, of course. Chance bought some dairy free Ranch...I'm not a fan. We have Veganaise and we've tried other brands of mayonnaise. I don't like any of those either. We have replacement soy (coconut aminos and soy free soy sauce). We have some delicious vegan butter (I'll go more into this in my next blog). We are making it. We eat. We aren't suffering. 

As a quick side note, Chance and I both went gluten, dairy, soy free in August when Myers did. To date, Chance has lost 20+ lbs and I've lost almost 20. We have found some great alternatives to our normal favorites and we have been brave in trying new things. Wait until I tell you about the liquid "mozzarella" made from Cashew milk. You won't believe me...

Although Chance has been more strict, I cheated on the diet for the first time at the end of August, when I was in New York and I HAD to go to Chinatown. I felt fine after my indulgence. I walked like 20K steps a day and was sweating out a ton, so that might have helped. I didn't cheat much, if any, again until around my birthday in September. I haven't found anything that makes me feel "gross" after eating it. Once, I ate a Chick Fil A breaded sandwich and I felt a little off. I had no issues after Thanksgiving when I most certainly cheated. I have, on occasion, felt a little bloated when I've cheated, so I'm trying to figure out what the exact culprit is. Chance finds that dairy is what really gets him. His Crohn's has "never been better," as he says. 

Even if we don't know for sure that this diet is helping Myers, we have seem HIM improve greatly. He started school and the diet right around the same time. His supplements began right around August too, and as you probably read, ABA started in October. He has made SIGNIFICANT gains in the last few months, so I don't know if it's one thing or a combination of them all, but we'll keep on this path for a while longer anyway. 

All of that being said, it has taken me forever to write this entry, so I'm calling it a night. Come back soon to read some more about our diet and what crazy, weird, delicious (and not so delicious) things we have tried. I'll share a list of my favorite brands and recipes for some of my most baked goodies too. Until then...