Switching to a more TF diet

[2lilsweetfoxes]

We are in the process of switching from a SAD/vegetarian diet to a more TF diet, as our interpretation (my son and I are gluten-intolerant and we are removing casein from our diet after the new year), using mostly whole, unprocessed foods. However, right now, my son will only eat: chips, taco meat, ice cream, popcorn, apples, cookies, a small selection of cold cereals and very little else. So two questions: is it possible to do TF GFCF? and how do I get my son to eat better-for-him foods? Just putting them in front or offering results in him laughing and running away, if not a tantrum and they remain untouched. He'd probably happily starve himself first. I know to "just don't have it to offer", but I feel like a bad mom if I don't have something I know he'll eat available.

[Magelet]

how about having available healthy versions of those things? popcorn to pop in coconut oil and serve with coconut oil or ghee and salt? homemade taco meat with homemade spices? apples are good. homemade ice-cream (if you have an ice cream maker, its pretty easy) without sugar, use a little honey or let the cream be sweet enough (coconut cream in the new year?)

honestly, it sounds to me like a part of it is sugar. a lot of those foods, if purchased commercial have a lot of sugar in them. so weaning off sugar may help.

and also perhaps insisting that everything you have for dinner be tried at least 1-2 bites before he can decide he doesn't like it, and have some already made, reheated taco meat and apples or whichever.

[velcromom]

Check out www.tfrecipes.com, it's all about GFCF TF! They have a menu mailer too that is really helpful, and a forum where you can ask questions.

I know my kids both went thru a toddler phase where they were clearly focused on carbs/sugars. I stopped buying cereals because of it, the carbs were displacing other more nutritious foods & throwing their diet out of balance. They do get over it, really! They will ignore the food, throw tantrums, etc. for a couple of weeks but just ride it out, once they get over that carb craving problem, they'll be willing to eat other foods.

For now, I'd just stop buying the cereal and chips, and work on converting your son's favorites to TF versions like the pp said.

[FairyRae]

It's 100% possible, and I think many of us who've come to this forum have done so BECAUSE we had food intolerance issues, and TF is helping us to heal from some of that.

My son and I are gluten, dairy, corn and soy free, and *were* vegetarian b/4 coming to TF. My story is here (some great recommendations there that might help you as well, which is why I'm posting it!)

I've found that finding substitutions for all the foods my ds (and I) ate b/4, as Maglet mentioned, has been the key to making this switch. We eat coconut milk ice cream (you'll find coconut is the most amazing dairy replacement--works great in mashed potatoes, in smoothies, pudding, pies, etc...) You can make taco meat w/ spices and grass fed ground meat and eat it in brown rice or corn tortillas (food for life actually carries sprouted corn tortillas! Talk about TF--if we could do corn, I'd totally get those for ds!) You can also make chips in the oven or fry them w/ coconut oil or lard (use a mandoline slicer--it is key to getting really evenly cooked, crisp chips!)

I make cookies and cakes and bread and all sorts of stuff, just using different ingredients. I want to second the Cooking Traditional Foods Forum (tfrecipes.com) and also http://elanaspantry.com Amazing almond flour and coconut flour baked goods...Also, http://healthyindulgences.blogspot.com/ has amazing recipes too. There are a LOT more--google nourishing gourmet, nourishing days...there are so many amazing TF blogs out there that are also gf, and often cf. You can sub coconut oil for butter in many recipes, and coconut milk for milk or cream...

Sorry I'm on the run--but good luck!