Healing the Gut Tribe ~ February - Page 22

[Panserbjorne]

All animal milk has lactose in it. The benefit to raw is that the enzyme needed for breaking down lactose (lactase) is intact. Wild Oats in CT carries a raw goats milk cheddar that is SCD legal. I think the brand is Alta Dena. Maybe you could see if they will ship?

Oh, and Jane, I found an online source for raw pastured butter that will ship! I'm so excited. They also do meat and fish (pastured and wild) I like the site alot. It's www.slankersgrassfedmeats.com Thanks anyway for your link.

[Annikate]

Wow do I have a lot to post today!

First, dd slept 4 and 1/2 hours last night! (Almost a record!) Her cradle cap is almost completely gone (never did go away since birth). She's left with only a very dry looking scalp. I know this diet is working.

We had an appt. with a very mainstream allergist/immunologist this morning. We are going to have her blood drawn and test that way. He said the *prick* test was more accurate, but I don't want her going through that right now.

Now some news I know you'll be interested in Jane: The lady who runs our organic co-op (and the one whose sister works for Dr. Sears) told me today that Sears recommends AGAINST vaxing (apparently he can in the State of California.) (?)

Well, she and her husband are looking into starting a Weston-Price Foundation something or another here. (I don't know much about it but I know you do Jane. ) She also is trying to get the author of Nourishing Traditions (is it Fallon?) herre to speak.

We had a quick conversation about this while she was on her cell phone so I don't know many details but immediately thought of you Jane.

BTW, all you northerners: I used to live in Albany, NY and am now in sunny and rural FL. (Maybe you could all take a vacation here to listen to this author speak!)

Oh, one more thing for firefaery: I would be interested in hearing what that intuitive of yours has to say. Why not?

[Hibou]

Well I've spent the last couple of days researching possible homeopathic remedies for ds and narrowed it down to one. I gave it to him just a little earlier, so now we will play the waiting game and hope for the best. I am really hoping that this will help and we won't have to go the route of elim. diet/SCD. Trying to avoid his trigger foods too, but at this point I don't even know forsure what they all are. I have read many case studies of homeopathy helping with allergies, so here's to hoping. Yes, I know I should see a professional homeopath, but there is no one in our surrounding area, and the last professional diagnosis we got was wrong. So, in the meantime, it can't hurt to try, right?

On a positive note, I took some sepia for my *mother-stress* about a week ago, and it not only seems to have lifted my mood, it also appears to be helping my skin. I've had awful cracked, dry, bleeding hands (especially my right hand) all winter just from constant contact with soap and water, and the very dry air here. I can't believe how much better my hands look, just over the last couple days. I wish I had a before and after pic!



ShannonCC

So here's a question I'm about ready to try some goat milk/yogurt to see if it gives me excema like cow milk does. I googled and raw milk is illegal in NJ, so basically I'll be getting store bought goat milk, yogurt or cheese. Which would be the best to try? I know SCD says to make your own, but I want to see if I can even tolerate goat milk before I go to that effort.
Also, does goat milk have lactose in it? Because I'm also lactose intolerant so . . . . . . So many things to think of

You might want to try yogurt or cheese first. Because it is cultured (sort of pre-digested) your body may tolerate it better. If you can't find raw milk yogurt, raw milk cheese may be easier to find. Also, some lactose intolerant people tolerate goat's milk better than cow's milk. Not sure exactly why. I used to have a low lactose tolerance but I was able to digest goat's milk w/o a problem.

[Pookietooth]

Wow, spam post! Anyway, Jane, could you re-post your cashew butter bread recipe over in meal planning? I didn't print it when you posted it and now I can't find it. Thanks!

[Pattyla]

My book arrived!!! And I read it today. I'm not much clearer than I was before. I'm esp confused about introducing foods etc. She keeps refering to when diahrea stops as an indicator of things. No D. here. Mostly constipation if anything (and that just since starting this darn diet). So should I be waiting for that to clear up to introduce more foods?

Also why is nut milk introduced later than nuts? That seems counter intuitive to me.

We had a yummy supper tonight. I love winter squash and I am esp loving getting to eat it regularly. I modified a baked chicken recipe that has a parmasean cheese coating and replaced the bread crumbs with ground up almonds. Worked great and tasted great too. I'll post it if anyone is interested. It was MIL's recipe and one of dh's favorites from growing up. I like it too.

Am I totally messing myself up by eating fruit all the time and using some honey? I can't eat the yougart plain, just too tart. I want to wipe this stuff out asap but I need to survive the process as well. I'm just confused...

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by Pattyla
We had a yummy supper tonight. I love winter squash and I am esp loving getting to eat it regularly. I modified a baked chicken recipe that has a parmasean cheese coating and replaced the bread crumbs with ground up almonds. Worked great and tasted great too. I'll post it if anyone is interested. It was MIL's recipe and one of dh's favorites from growing up. I like it too.

Am I totally messing myself up by eating fruit all the time and using some honey? I can't eat the yougart plain, just too tart. I want to wipe this stuff out asap but I need to survive the process as well. I'm just confused...

Post your recipe under meal planning - the title is something about SCD chefs.

I'm pretty sure you can eat all the fruit you want. Just make sure it's peeled, de-seeded and cooked. I like my yogurt like that too! It tastes like ice cream to me w/fruit and honey.

Oh, and no D here either. I think that constipation can be common when starting. It happened to me and to dd but didn't last long. Are you drinking A LOT of water?

[Hibou]

Is this what's called die-off?

Okay so I posted yesterday about taking sepia and how it was helping my skin.

I woke up this morning to discover small, dry eczema-like patches on the insides of my elbows. I haven't had this since I was maybe 12.

I joined this thread talking about ds's allergies, but I guess I'm on the path with him now. I hope I start seeing results for him too.

[Pookietooth]

Patty, in an earlier incarnation of this thread, someone (Jane?) said you can go ahead and introduce things like beans earlier if there was never any diarrhea. You could try and then see what happened, or wait a bit. Did you already have die-off, I can't remember? I still have yeasties myself, and am thinking I introduced stuff a bit too early and maybe am being a bit too heavy on the honey. Do what you feel is right for your body. We're all so different!

Just wanted to add for those who think they have celiac, that there is a non-invasive test for it, that uses stool samples, that is supposedly very accurate. You don't have to reintroduce gluten into the diet with this test, which is a major plus for many. I haven't done it myself yet, but heard about it from another mama on another board who has celiac. It's: http://www.enterolab.com/

[JaneS]

Darn server issues... lost my previous post.

Beans are not for early stages of diet. Personally I would wait to see if you can do well on raw fruit before introducing such advanced things like beans, lentils, dried fruits and whole nuts.

I'm confused about the nut milk/butter thing. Pecanbread lists them as the same in Stage 2. I don't remember the book saying anything about it.

Diarrhea or Constip. can be signs of die off, it's all individual depending on what particular microbes you are fighting. BTVC website has in Knowledge Base several Constip. links.

BTVC says if yeast is an issue to limit the honey at first to 25% of recipe.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by Hibou

Okay so I posted yesterday about taking sepia and how it was helping my skin.

I woke up this morning to discover small, dry eczema-like patches on the insides of my elbows. I haven't had this since I was maybe 12.

I joined this thread talking about ds's allergies, but I guess I'm on the path with him now. I hope I start seeing results for him too.

Maybe but I've also heard this is a sign of viral die off too. You might want to increase your vitamin A.

[ShannonCC]

I tried goat milk yogurt last night. No reactions whatsoever :

I'm still waiting on the book I ordered. I hope this works. Right now I'm just not eating any of my known triggers but now that I've cut them out I've started noticing that I have stomach aches with things that aren't on my list. The stomach aches are mild, nothing like with soy, dairy, etc, so it's hard to pin point what is causing it. Anyway, I hope this works for me. It would be nice to have a day without digestive problems yk?

[aileen]

where had this thread been all my life?

or at least the past three years?
my dd has suffered from ezcema, i think, because of a mama's leaky gut and a bad reaction to a DTaP shot (live and learn). it has been bearable most times and terrible, terrible, terrible others ("what's WRONG with your baby!?" style, heard on the bus, several times - we couldn't drive or she would scratch her sweet cheeks bloody.) we're better now, a trip to a famous chinese herbalist worked wonders, but we're slipping down some kind of yeast ridden road again, me thinks.
anyway, i lost a pregnancy recently, and have to wonder....
i'd like to start ttc but i need help getting my intestinal ducks in a row.
any book suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
also, what's SCD?
we avoid eggs, cow dairy, refined sugars. and all processed foods.
she takes probiotics and fish oil.
i take probiotics and just started trying grapefruit seed extract a few weeks ago, and am possibly seeing a die off of sorts?
anyway, i just wanted to thank you; you are all so knowledgable. and introduce myself, as i'll be hanging around gleaning all i can from you mamas

[mlleoiseau]

Originally Posted by JaneS

WOW Deborah, thanks for your story

(maybe the bone thing is because you ate healthier than before? I know my diet got WAY better in some ways on an Elim. Diet. Like Tweetybirds said, this is all so intricate sometimes we don't know the cause.)

I think enzymes would be very worth a second try in your cases... which ones did you try and for how long? It takes a while to heal a gut with them. Ditto probiotics.

I cannot believe a dentist allowed your 6 mo old to sit on your lap while drilling out mercury fillings Have you considered getting her hair tested? She has a lot of allergies for sure, that must be so hard.

Jane, I was thinking again about the dental thing and realized that dd was not with me when I had the fillings replaced. I've been back to the dentist with dd so many times since with problems with those same teeth that I forgot dd wasn't with me that once. Sometimes I think my memory just goes on vacation or something. I have spent so much money on seeking alternative care and products for dd that I don't think I can do the hair testing right now.

The digestive enzymes I tried were a prescription from a naturopath. I think they were Thorne Di-Pan. I have been thinking about doing enzymes again. It just bothers me that the enzymes recommended on the enzymestuff website are fungally derived. Still thinking about it.

And about the diet. I was definitely eating much healthier on an elimination diet. Throwing out the top allergens really limits the amount of packaged food you can find.

[mlleoiseau]

I'd like to get my intestinal ducks in a row, too. We are going to try to get pregnant after we move this summer.

So, I'm really thinking about the scd diet. Can't do the dairy, eggs or nuts, though. And I'm thinking we'd probably have to go off of it when we move until we get settled in.

So, a few questions.

Do you think the diet has to be followed exactly in the different stages to work, or could I just switch what we eat to scd legal foods? (I've gotten the book twice through interlibrary loan, and I really don't want to do it again. I guess I should just break down and buy it.)

Do I absolutely have to give up my convenience foods? Right now they are just canned tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, gerber diced baby food fruit, and the Applegate farms lunchmeat and hotdogs? I am guessing the answer is yes, but I really don't want to give them up right now.

Can you still see results with some foods and/or supplements that are illegal?

And how long would it take before you think a child would start eating the foods served to them. Right now, dd will eat meats with no problems, but will not eat any veggies at all and only sometimes eats apples, pears and peaches.

And how would I get the cod liver oil in her? Right now she only does it in oatmeal. (She doesn't drink anything but water.)

And would it be constipating for how long? I've noticed recently that dd tends to get constipated unless she has oatmeal or brown rice regularly.

I am slowly moving towards doing this. It just takes me a while to gather information and commit.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by mlleoiseau
And how long would it take before you think a child would start eating the foods served to them. Right now, dd will eat meats with no problems, but will not eat any veggies at all and only sometimes eats apples, pears and peaches.

I can't answer your other questions for certain but I can say that my dd1 is the same age as your dd (born 10/29/03) and she loves the things I make on this diet. (She is not exclusively eating SCD, but almost.) My dd loves fruits and veggies so I don't have to do it, but there are ways you can hide veggies in things like pancakes and hide fruits in smoothies etc...
These ladies have all kinds of ideas, plus there are other good support systems you can find online w/all kinds of ideas for kids. It won't be as hard as it seems right now, I promise. Maybe you can start phasing out the junky stuff with your dd right now little by little while you're getting ready to commit? Oh, and about the constipation: From what I understand, that does not happen to everyone. My dd was constipated for a few days and now everything's fine.

A little OT, but it may give you inspiration: *I* am feeling great on this diet and it is helping my dd2 without a shadow of a doubt. I will share all the positive things about it in another post or maybe a new thread. I'd like to read about others' success stories as well.

[Pattyla]

mlleoiseau- other than getting yourself used to the different things you will need to do to maintain this diet I think that the benefit you will see from doing it part way will be minimal if that and you may put out a bunch of effort and become discouraged and convinced that the diet itself won't work because doing it mostly didn't seem to make a difference. I spent months cutting back on my gluten intake. It did make it easier when I finally quit gluten because I already was less dependant on it and had some alternatives I was comfortable, but I had also mostly convinced myself that I wasn't gluten intolerant because cutting back seemed to make no difference in how I felt. Well one week after I cut it out completely I had a bad reaction to a trace ammount of gluten that was hidden in something I ate at a resturant. Clearly I had/have a gluten intolerance but nothing short of complete elimination could show that. If what she says in the book is true, you won't regret doing this diet. It isn't a life time comittment but it is a long time comittment. It is helping me be more vigelant knowing that the more careful I am now the sooner I get done (at least that is what I am telling myself). I have also promised myself a donut from the 100 year old donut shop near our house once I fully graduate from this diet. If I don't do the diet I'll never get that donut since the gluten sensitivity would be too painful to even consider it.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by aileen

or at least the past three years?
my dd has suffered from ezcema, i think, because of a mama's leaky gut and a bad reaction to a DTaP shot (live and learn). it has been bearable most times and terrible, terrible, terrible others ("what's WRONG with your baby!?" style, heard on the bus, several times - we couldn't drive or she would scratch her sweet cheeks bloody.) we're better now, a trip to a famous chinese herbalist worked wonders, but we're slipping down some kind of yeast ridden road again, me thinks.
anyway, i lost a pregnancy recently, and have to wonder....
i'd like to start ttc but i need help getting my intestinal ducks in a row.
any book suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
also, what's SCD?
we avoid eggs, cow dairy, refined sugars. and all processed foods.
she takes probiotics and fish oil.
i take probiotics and just started trying grapefruit seed extract a few weeks ago, and am possibly seeing a die off of sorts?
anyway, i just wanted to thank you; you are all so knowledgable. and introduce myself, as i'll be hanging around gleaning all i can from you mamas

Welcome Aileen!

I lost my first pregnancy too
It's really hard to know what would have been or why.

SCD is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet based on the book written by Elaine Gottschall after she healed her daughter from seizures and Crohn's disease:

See www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info the Beginner's section and Science Behind the Diet link there.

Also www.pecanbread.com is the SCD geared towards kids and ASD kids in particular.

I had yeast issues and this diet showed immediate results, the gas and bloating was gone very quickly. Our story is here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=260393

For us the eczema responded to initial diet changes and essential fatty acid supplements. Try adding some evening primrose oil too.

Stick around, hang out, read some back threads.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by mlleoiseau

Jane, I was thinking again about the dental thing and realized that dd was not with me when I had the fillings replaced. I've been back to the dentist with dd so many times since with problems with those same teeth that I forgot dd wasn't with me that once. Sometimes I think my memory just goes on vacation or something. I have spent so much money on seeking alternative care and products for dd that I don't think I can do the hair testing right now.

The digestive enzymes I tried were a prescription from a naturopath. I think they were Thorne Di-Pan. I have been thinking about doing enzymes again. It just bothers me that the enzymes recommended on the enzymestuff website are fungally derived. Still thinking about it.

Whew! Thank goodness! Yes, you can definately concentrate on other things besides the hair test, like excellent nutrition to support the immune system. I hear you, I've spent a mint on stuff in the past 2 years!

What bothers you about fungal enzymes? Karen makes a strong case for them in that they work in both upper and lower stomach as well as intestines too. Not so with animal derived enzymes.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by mlleoiseau

Do you think the diet has to be followed exactly in the different stages to work, or could I just switch what we eat to scd legal foods? (I've gotten the book twice through interlibrary loan, and I really don't want to do it again. I guess I should just break down and buy it.)

Do I absolutely have to give up my convenience foods? Right now they are just canned tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, gerber diced baby food fruit, and the Applegate farms lunchmeat and hotdogs? I am guessing the answer is yes, but I really don't want to give them up right now.

Can you still see results with some foods and/or supplements that are illegal?

And how long would it take before you think a child would start eating the foods served to them. Right now, dd will eat meats with no problems, but will not eat any veggies at all and only sometimes eats apples, pears and peaches.

And how would I get the cod liver oil in her? Right now she only does it in oatmeal. (She doesn't drink anything but water.)

The "official" stages only apply to certain items: beans, lentils, coconut, whole nuts, dried fruit for ex. Pecanbread stages are just suggestions based on parent input as what their kids tolerated during early parts of diet.

Yeah, you gotta give up convenience foods! I was just reading on the Yahoo group that it's a common practice to add sugar to tomatoes b/c the acid levels have to be stable to can. It's just not worth the trouble to grind nuts, make your own bread, etc. etc. etc. and waste your time on hidden sugar that will keep you from healing. Reactions do occur from tiny amounts of things, I've seen it, and so have others. And having a reaction means one step back in your healing.

There are hot dogs coming that will be legal, I forget the brand.

What about trying cod liver oil in a syringe? If you shoot it to the side of the cheek towards back of mouth you can bypass the tongue.

I can't speak to kids that are picky eaters, my DS eats pretty much anything.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by Annikate

A little OT, but it may give you inspiration: *I* am feeling great on this diet and it is helping my dd2 without a shadow of a doubt. I will share all the positive things about it in another post or maybe a new thread. I'd like to read about others' success stories as well.

wheee! this is awesome!