help!! elimination diet?

[shmeans]

Here's the quick version. My nine month old is chronically constipated since intro of solids. Also he has had the dark circles under his eyes. started around 5months maybe. ( I also have these and have had since childhood) He seems to get a lot of gas. Otherwise happy and seemingly healthy. He is on lactulose from ped. and friendly bacteria from holistic CRNP. I think i need to try elimination diet, but i am so confused with combination of my diet and his. Also, from reading the posts it seems like dairy and wheat are in lots of things! And what about soy! i drink soy milk-eat peanut butter. have cut out dairy or thought i was until i came here. I thought it was just chz, milk, yogurt. ALso cut out dairy in baked goods? Help. See my previous post--Chronic Constipation for more on my baby's saga. Can anyone refer me to a website or book to get started on some elimination diet. I have do something for this no-pooping baby. Thanks.

[kimmie-pooh]

I am currently reading Is This Your Child by Doris Rapp, MD. It was recommended by someone here on MDC (can't remember who -- sorry!).

I started reading it yesterday and couldn't put it down. My son gets irritable, has temper tantrums, wets his bed, his speech is off, is hyperactive, and has red ears/cheeks. He also had a lot of ear infections when he was a baby. I didn't link his diet with any of this stuff until recently, and after reading this book, I'm pretty much convinced it's his diet. We are going to start the elimination diet tomorrow.

The book was at my library.

[Panserbjorne]

I just experienced deja vu! Read a couple of threads up, I don't know how to link you. It's called "dairy food allergy-nurse" no help I think. She wrote almost the same thing as you did!

[Panserbjorne]

Nope that wasn't it, now I have to find which one i was, drat!

[Panserbjorne]

I'm going for a record here! Okay, if your nursing there is no difference between your diets. Elimination is tough but not terrible. You should absolutely start eliminating dairy and gluten (yes they are in alot) and taking some steps to heal his gut. Probiotics (specifically acidophilus), L glutamine and quercetin is where I would start. Enzymes may help you as well. Once of my favorite books on the subject of allergies and gut health is Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Conditions It is a great read-you can also take a look at the website www.enzymestuff.com There's some great info on bacterial overgrowth and food allergies. To make myself clear-you have to eliminate all problematic proteins so that means in baking as well. Legumes can be tough too. I wouldn't be eating peanuts if I were you and I would probably find an alternative to soy-for now. The reality is as long as he's been reactive he is developing more sensitivities. Once the gut lining becomes damaged and proteins are passing through, more and more continue to enter the bloodstream. Once they do the body recognizes them as foreign objects and attacks them. You do this by forming antibodies. Once that has happened you are now allergic and will continue reacting to that food as long as the gut lining is permeable. It's totally reversible. I'm exhausted and am going to stop writing because i'm not feeling coherent. Let me know if I can help.