GAPS/SCD mamas - Page 6

[leila1213]

Grain-Free Pancakes! I can't wait to try them:

http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com/...-pancakes.html

Grain Free Pancakes
adapted from EverythingFreeEating

Blend together in the Vitamix:

3 eggs plus enough whites to equal 1 cup (or just 1 cup, total. I'm always looking for ways to use up my egg whites,and I think the extra whites contribute to the fluffiness)
1/2 cup milk (goat, cow, or coconut; we use goat)
2 Tablespoons of Honey or Agave Nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp stevia liquid

Mix together separately:

1/2 tsp guar gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut flour

Add dry ingredients to vitamix and blend until smooth. Pour onto prepared griddle...

Our local HFS is having a grand re-opening sale this weekend, so I'm taking the opportunity to buy the stuff I need for the intro diet. Wish me luck!

[hummingmom]

Just wanted to mention that guar gum and stevia aren't SCD legal, according to the food lists at http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ .
I don't know if they're allowed on GAPS, but I would be surprised if the guar gum were okay. It has a particularly bad reputation for causing digestive distress in sensitive people.

I'm also a little confused about what you mean by the "intro diet." Are you going to start over and do the actual GAPS intro for everyone? Or are you just going to put yourself straight on the full food list, the way you did with your DD? If it's the latter, you might want to check out the link newcastlemama posted, especially this page.

"If you have decided to go straight into the Full GAPS Diet, keep in mind that about 85% of everything your patient eats daily should be made out of meats, fish, eggs, fermented dairy and vegetables (some well-cooked, some fermented and some raw). Baking and fruit should be kept out of the diet for a few weeks, and then be limited to snacks between meals and should not replace the main meals. Homemade meat stock, soups, stews and natural fats are not optional – they should be your patient’s staples."

Sorry if this makes me the bearer of bad tidings, but NCM doesn't seem to allow for a "pancake version" of the diet.

[leila1213]

Yeah, it was kind of 2 separate things. I realize the pancakes aren't completely legal; I was more doing them for DH and thought others could decide if they wanted to do them or not, modify, etc. Sorry if that was confusing.

As fas the intro, I was going to make the food for the real intro diet (stock, soup, etc) for myself and see if I could get DD on board in the process. But it might take me till Monday (or later) to get organized enough to actually start.

I do appreciate the new links that have been provided, as a lot of that (proportions of different foods, etc.) were not really clear in the book.

[hummingmom]

Okay, that makes sense! I figured you were probably planning to do the real intro, as you were talking about getting off the sugars and starches. I hope it goes smoothly.

Originally Posted by momofmine

I would like to have a test done for DS1. I took him to the chiro this week, and she did this muscle testing that showed he has parasite issues, and she recommended these Standard Process supplements, garlic and wormwood. The wormwood had some other things in it too like black walnut hulls and cloves. They were very expensive, and the wormwood has SCD-illegals in it. There's part of me that is very skeptical about using anti-parasite herbs. But then I wonder, what if he really needs this? I have always kind of wondered about parasites. He has such a huge appetite, is never full, yet he is super skinny and his fabulous weight gain has plateaued.

Is the SP supplement Zymex II? That's supposed to be very effective, and it's technically SCD legal (as it's basically just concentrated fig juice and almond skins), but I've found it's too strong for me. It causes the same sort of symptoms that I get on the SCD intro, only worse: joint pains, swollen glands, slight feverishness, etc. Maybe it's killing off some nasties that need to be eliminated, but even so, I'm not sure it's a good thing to put my body under that kind of toxic load. It's also possible that the nut skins themselves are causing some kind of bad reaction.

That said, I don't think it's at all dangerous, as it works by "digesting" the critters instead of poisoning them. It was especially designed to be safe even for small children and pregnant women. I don't know of any other anti-parasite herbs or medications that I'd be comfortable giving to my children, especially if we had some doubt as to whether or not the parasites actually existed.

IIRC, for very small children, you're supposed to just give half a capsule. I went down to about 1/4 of a capsule for myself, and was still reacting. Maybe I can try to make a homeopathic version.

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by hummingmom

I'm also a little confused about what you mean by the "intro diet." Are you going to start over and do the actual GAPS intro for everyone? Or are you just going to put yourself straight on the full food list, the way you did with your DD? If it's the latter, you might want to check out the link newcastlemama posted, especially this page.

"If you have decided to go straight into the Full GAPS Diet, keep in mind that about 85% of everything your patient eats daily should be made out of meats, fish, eggs, fermented dairy and vegetables (some well-cooked, some fermented and some raw). Baking and fruit should be kept out of the diet for a few weeks, and then be limited to snacks between meals and should not replace the main meals. Homemade meat stock, soups, stews and natural fats are not optional – they should be your patient’s staples."

I know this wasn't aimed at me but it makes me feel a little stressed/depressed. DS1 won't eat any fermented anything. He won't eat or drink soup or broth of ANY kind, or meat, unless it's specifically some kind of processed lunch meat (which we obviously don't eat anymore). He used to eat burgers and the last few weeks he refuses saying he "only eats them with cheese". : He eats tons of peanut butter, bananas, and avocado. Oh and honey mized in with everything. : This is NOT my ideal for him AT ALL it's just much better than how he was eating before. When we try to get him to eat a healthier GAPS diet he just starves himself-- literally. Just refuses to eat and starts to get sick from it until I feel I have to compromise on what I feed him for his safety.

It's so stressful. I guess you'd have to say we're not doing a real GAPS diet, more of an SCD diet-- but even for SCD he's probably eating too much honey and nuts . . .

Oh, and for me, I haven't been following the GAPS diet properly, either. I haven't made soup the whole time. I am SO busy with the newborn and whipping up the boys' strange concoctions all the time and trying to keep this place clean and homeschooling my 4yo. So I haven't been eating any bone broth or fermented anything. Arrgh. It'll get a little easier though, I know . . . .

[dogmom327]

Subbing.

Looks like DS and I are headed this direction. I've had candida for years and have made numerous half-hearted attempts to fix the issue but with no success. Since I'm 30 weeks pregnant and have had a raging yeast infection for two months, I need to do something a bit drastic. Obviously giving birth with an active yeast infection is a horrible idea. DS has had numerous problems his whole life which we just figured out is related to his gut (I should have known and I feel really guilty about it). He was constantly spitting up as an infant, still has cradle cap (he's 22 mo), has very messy diapers (like he's breastfed but my milk dried up two months ago) and up until we took him off cow dairy three weeks ago, didn't sleep for any significant length of time, wouldn't nap consistently, etc. I thought we were doing good eating at least whole foods and trying to be TF. We've had him off gluten this week and that seems to be helping too.

Two quick questions:
--What about dairy/milk kefir? The SCD site says it's essentially not a great idea but honestly I'm not understanding why. Kefir is better in terms of probiotics and I would be making it from grains using raw milk with no additives. I'd much rather do kefir than a ton of probiotic capsules if for cost than nothing else.
--Anyone use water kefir? I'm guessing not but it pains me to give it up. It keeps me regular.

Sigh. This is not how I wanted to spend the last part of my pregnancy but given that I'm already about to have a baby with gut issues and I have a child with them, I feel like I have little choice. At least this seems less restrictive than the official candida diets I've done in the past.

[dogmom327]

Has anyone bought almond flour from either of these places?

http://buyalmondflour.com/

http://www.lucyskitchenshop.com/flour.html

I am looking for something I can truly use for baking. I've heard from several people that many brands aren't fine enough and muffins, etc. end up crumbly (Bob's Red Mill for instance). I wish I could just buy from Bob's because it's down the road from me. Oh well.

[LionTigerBear]

I am wondering if DS' pickiness could be due to a specific vitamin deficiency-- I wonder if there is some specific supplement I could give him to increase his appetite and willingness to eat more things?

Okay, I did a quick google search to see which deficiencies can suppress appetite-- vitamin C (but I'm already supplementing him with this) vitamin B12 (cobalamin), B5 (pantothenate), and biotin (B7).

It wouldn't surprise me if he is deficient in these, but I don't know how I would get him to take a B-complex supplement . . .

baby crying gtg.

[hummingmom]

LTB, I'm sorry you're having such a rough time. I didn't mean to make you feel bad! It sounds as if this is new information from NCM, or at least it wasn't very clear before.

I can see how it could be hard to persist with the soup, if you have the sort of child who really digs in his heels. But I would definitely recommend making a batch, even if only as a tonic for yourself. With a new baby, I'm sure you could use an extra boost.

FWIW, there's no upper limit to sweets on the SCD intro. Many kids have done very well while eating quite a lot of fully ripe bananas, grape jello, sweet apple cider, and honey. In theory, it's all supposed to be digested and absorbed right away, so it shouldn't feed the bad guys. Some parents of children with behavior issues do choose to restrict sweets, but it might be worth trying without this restriction, to see if it works. (In the SCD thread in N & GE, I mentioned that some of Dr. Haas's original patients ate over a dozen bananas a day.)

Nuts are pretty much the only thing you have to watch out for. It's best to stay away from them entirely for several weeks, then be very cautious. Pecanbread has some nut-free recipes for pancakes, etc. The chicken pancakes (served with applesauce) were actually a big hit with my children, though I was kind of weirded out by making them. I felt like I was frying globs of Gerber baby food, LOL.

I do think there's something to the nutritional deficiency theory. My very picky 5-year-old started eating a wider variety of foods after just a short time on the SCD, and that was with a lot of sweet stuff. She sort of reached a plateau, though, and I ended up taking her off the diet for now, as she wasn't gaining weight. I've heard that B-vitamins and zinc are often involved in appetite problems -- and that would make sense, as some of the B's are in short supply on this type of diet -- but supplementing with the Freeda SCD legal vitamins doesn't seem to have helped. (Speaking of which, I just crush the tablets and mix them with honey or homemade jam. My kids have never objected to that.)

I've been trying for months to find a daily food-based B-vitamin supplement that's okay for the diet. We used to use nutritional yeast, but that's not allowed due to the polysaccharides. And the Standard Process B-complex has oat flour and other illegals. Right now, I'm just trying to add bits of liver into everything. Liver chip cookies, anyone?

[hummingmom]

Originally Posted by dogmom327

Has anyone bought almond flour from either of these places?

http://buyalmondflour.com/

http://www.lucyskitchenshop.com/flour.html

I am looking for something I can truly use for baking. I've heard from several people that many brands aren't fine enough and muffins, etc. end up crumbly (Bob's Red Mill for instance). I wish I could just buy from Bob's because it's down the road from me. Oh well.

I've bought the almond flour (and other nut flours) from Digestive Wellness. They're excellent quality, very finely ground.

I think Lucy's Kitchen Shop might use the same supplier, but I'm not sure.

[nicolelynn]

Does anyone know why canned coconut milk is not allowed? The brand I get is organic with NO additives. It has 0 carbs and 0 sugar. And it is coconut so it is useful for killing off my candida. So I don't get it.

In other news, I am back on GAPS (from a traditional anti-candida diet which included GF grains) as I researched the parasite I have and many sources says it thrives on grains. Also, I added eggs, ghee and butter back into my diet (YUM)! I never reacted to them in the first place, and the more I researched the IgG blood test I got I realized it wasn't reliable. Listening to my body is the way to go, and I feel GOOD on those foods, not worse.

Now, I just don't know when I'll be able to do the intro diet which I know I really need to do. It is already 105 every day and eating nothing but hot soup for days is impossible right now. I guess I'll just build myself up through the full diet for several months until it cools off and then do the intro. I have cut out fruit, nuts and legumes for the time being until my symptoms are under control.

[saratc]

Originally Posted by nicolelynn

Does anyone know why canned coconut milk is not allowed? The brand I get is organic with NO additives. It has 0 carbs and 0 sugar. And it is coconut so it is useful for killing off my candida. So I don't get it.

I believe it's because just about all brands contain guar gum or other additives. What brand did you find that has no additives?

[nicolelynn]

Natural Value brand

[janinemh]

Originally Posted by nicolelynn

Does anyone know why canned coconut milk is not allowed? The brand I get is organic with NO additives. It has 0 carbs and 0 sugar. And it is coconut so it is useful for killing off my candida. So I don't get it..

I think it is also just a general prohibition on industrial canned foods. Most cans are lined with plastic these days and usually the kind of plastic that leaches stuff into food (sorry, can't remember the name of the stuff but its what most baby bottles are made of and nalgene bottles and has been in the news somewhat frequently in recent years).

Anyway, i still use canned coconut milk but only occasionally.

[leila1213]

Originally Posted by janinemh

i think it is also just a general prohibition on industrial canned foods. Most cans are lined with plastic these days and usually the kind of plastic that leaches stuff into food (sorry, can't remember the name of the stuff but its what most baby bottles are made of and nalgene bottles and has been in the news somewhat frequently in recent years).

bpa?

[janinemh]

Originally Posted by leila1213

bpa?

yup thats it.

[seventy]

Hi all.
Me and my little family are slowly transitioning into the GAPS diet. I don't think i'm going to do the intro yet as i'm nursing my son... But i'm considering possibly putting just him on the intro down the road.

We're already gluten free. Brown rice and millet are the only grains we use - for cracker/bready things. I'm transitioning this to pecan (soaked/dehydrated) crackers. I was using flax for the nut crackers, but i see flax isn't allowed and we don't do eggs often b/c there's some sensitivities... I imagine pecans and coconut oil could work? I may try this in the morning. Any other suggestions?
We are dairy free for the most part (except i consume raw goat cheese.) We already do daily bone broth and fermented codliveroil. I consume veggie ferments (my son likes the taste of them but they are never digested so i've stopped offering.) I've offered just the kraut juice but he's been uninterested.. i'm gonna keep trying

hmm, what else?
We don't do any processed sugary foods. I eat lots of apples and blueberries. My son will have some apple on occasion but doesn't eat other fruits... B/c of yeast/sensitivity issues.

I'm a bit intimidated by the diet... especially the $$ aspect. I imagine our already steep grocery bill will grow and grow from including more meats and eliminating beans/grains.

Anybody have any frugal GAPS/SCD tips?

We're doing the diet for mostly yeast related issues (i think.) DS has yeast issues that come and go. Started with thrush at a week old. He has food sensitivities through my bm and on his own (citrus, gluten, buckwheat, corn, cow dairy, soy and perhaps others???) His stool are formed, but weird (sometimes float, strange odors, and very often have a whole lot of undigested foods.) He was FTT for a while, but he has recently made a nice jump! And the big piece that really cemented my decision to start a diet of this magnitude is the fact that he is speech diordered... looks like apraxia.
My issues appear to have grown out of the pregnancy. I'm now gluten intolerant, and sensitive to most grains, even if properly soaked. I'm almost always bloated and get headaches after I eat most meals. I'm low energy, moody and have blood sugar issues.
Oh, and I now have yeasty nipples.

Ok this post is getting a little too long.
just wanted to intoduce myself.
I'll be back.

[leila1213]

Welcome, seventy! I am working on making this a frugal way to eat as well, and found this page helpful:

http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com/...rain-free.html

Bottom line: Remember that when eating grain-free, you're avoiding lots of "filler" calories which you didn't need anyway. Grain-free meals can be very nutrient dense, so while you may be spending a little bit more money on some ingredients, you're also eating less, which saves money!!!

[LionTigerBear]

So I am starting the boys on the intro diet. Big inhale . . .

DS1 (4.5) has already been sick in bed all morning.

We had a chiropractic appointment today but had to cancel since DS is sicker than I expected this time. It only reinforces to me that he really needed this. His symptoms were starting to get bad again and he had self-limited down to only one food.

So we are doing nothing but soup and water today, although I doubt he will want any soup yet. I will try to update as we go.

[LionTigerBear]

http://gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html

This has been really helpful to me.

BTW, chicken bone broth soup is fairly frugal.