Food intolerance? TMI?

[Amatullah0]

I don't know if this even goes here, if it doesn't, please move it

I have two things on my mind right now, the first might be TMI, as it relates to mine and DS's excrement There are certain foods that, when we eat them, I notice that they come out pretty whole. I.e. whole wheat bread causes ds's(and my) stool to be very much like breadcrubs, as if the bran(and much of the rest of the rest of it) doesn't digest at all. same type of thing happens with watermelon(any type of melon, really, i think, as in the skin doesn't digest at all). and as would be expected, things like raisins, dried blueberries, etc(as if the skin wasn't digested, so the meat inside of them is still there(whats the point of even feeding it to him then?) and we've noticed this with almonds too, probably because he doesn't actually chew them up all the way, we haven't fed him any other non-ground up nuts, so can't comment on other nuts.

so my second question is, should we avoid these foods then? It doesn't seem as though there is much nutritional benefit to these foods if they aren't being digested ? is there harm in continuing to consume them?


and is this really a food intolerance, or is it normal?

[JaneS]

Not normal exactly, but for him his carb digesting enzymes are still not fully that of an adult. Some of what you are seeing is fairly normal for a 15 month old. Does he have other digestive symptoms and is his stool normal, dark brown, not overly smelly, otherwise? I would concentrate on cooked fruits and veggies, eggs, dairy, fats and meat/fish barring any allergies/intolerances you might uncover. A food journal might help.

However, there are ways that grains and nuts were traditionally prepared to enable the anti digestive properties to be neutralized that are no longer done in this modern world of processed food:

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-fea...ur-grains.html

That being said, it seems like your experience is out of the norm. A reduction in stomach acid can play a role for you. Nutritional deficiencies. Food allergies and/or intolerances.

Digestive enzymes www.enzymestuff.com and probiotics have helped us heal a great deal but sometimes we just had to cut food out. Yes, if you are not digesting your food you are not getting the nutrients plain and simple.

Also, one food, say wheat, soy or dairy, can be causing inflammation, and then causing a bunch of other foods not to be digested well.... so it's possible melon is totally fine but the main culprit is something else.

[mamafish9]

I'd also try supplementing zinc and sublingual B12, both of which can cause low stomach acid if you have a deficiency (and if you're not digesting properly, a deficiency is easy to have, it's a vicious circle).

[Amatullah0]

Originally Posted by JaneS

Not normal exactly, but for him his carb digesting enzymes are still not fully that of an adult. Some of what you are seeing is fairly normal for a 15 month old. Does he have other digestive symptoms and is his stool normal, dark brown, not overly smelly, otherwise? I would concentrate on cooked fruits and veggies, eggs, dairy, fats and meat/fish barring any allergies/intolerances you might uncover. A food journal might help.

However, there are ways that grains and nuts were traditionally prepared to enable the anti digestive properties to be neutralized that are no longer done in this modern world of processed food:

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-fea...ur-grains.html

That being said, it seems like your experience is out of the norm. A reduction in stomach acid can play a role for you. Nutritional deficiencies. Food allergies and/or intolerances.

Digestive enzymes www.enzymestuff.com and probiotics have helped us heal a great deal but sometimes we just had to cut food out. Yes, if you are not digesting your food you are not getting the nutrients plain and simple.

Also, one food, say wheat, soy or dairy, can be causing inflammation, and then causing a bunch of other foods not to be digested well.... so it's possible melon is totally fine but the main culprit is something else.

Does wheat=gluten?

I'm pretty sure that the wheat is a problem for him(and me), we rarely ever eat yeast bread(yesterday was the first time in more than a month)(i.e. whole-wheat loaf bread) but we do eat white naan or sometimes whole wheat naan, and I don't really notice anything after he eats the naan. but with the yeast bread, his stool falls apart(into grainy breadcrumbs) as soon as it hits the toilet water, and this type of diaper is a nightmare to use wipes with(I usually use water to wash him after he poops). but this might be because the yeast bread is really grainy. the naan is more refined, so maybe its just not as noticeable. I will keep my eye out for that!

I also notice this graineyness when he eats cake. so maybe it is the wheat. It could possibly be dairy, but he has had that and shown no problems. specifically butter and cheese, but also in ice cream. as for straight cows milk, i can't really tell, because he has it so rarely, usually just a sip or two from my glass a couple times a week at most.

I do feel like it is outside of the realm of normal 15mo digestion, because (this type of) bread, as well as melon(especially watermelon) causes the same problems in DS as they do in me. so i'm thinking he may have gotten it from me.
I try not to eat watermelon anymore, because the yummy taste isn't worth the stomache ache for me, but maybe thats cause i eat too much if DH insists on buying it, and cutting it up, and eating it, i will have a piece(or 20 ) but make sure to only feed ds the tiniest of pieces, because i do see it in his diaper the next day(or in a few hours)

i'm gonna take a look at those sites now

[JaneS]

Yes wheat has gluten.

Actually melon could be yeast related too, it can be very high in molds. That is a common intolerance and is thought to be related to yeast overgrowth in gut flora.

[Amatullah0]

I know that wheat has a very high percentage of gluten, but what i meant to write was, is gluten allergy worth looking in to? (its crossed my mind before, mainly because it seems to be so common)

you are saying that melon can be high in mold? even if the melon is fresh, as in, we are eating it as DH is cutting it?

but, then again, theres no yeast in cake. and ds has these kinds of symptoms from cake too, particularly store bought cake....