healing the gut -- april - Page 4

[newcastlemama]

Greencat--Can you tell me how you make the nut milk yogurt? I have a dehydrator BTW that I make dairy yogurt for my family with. Thanks, Jen

[crazycat]

Hi again everyone,

I have another question, this time on my 2-yo DS. He recently underwent blood and stool testing for bacteria, parasites, and celiac disease. He has been having mucus filled stools for 4-5 weeks now. He is dairy intolerant but no other obvious allergies or intolerances. All the tests have come back normal to this point - just waiting on a couple of more stool cultures. I have started him on probiotics.

The celiac testing was both for the stools and because he has tested anemic in the past, and he is quite small - when he was younger he was in the 75th percentile for height/weight and he has gradually dropped down to about the 10th. He does not look malnourished, just petite and no belly fat at all, but does look healthy otherwise to me, just maybe a little pale, which could be from our lack of outside time due to the weather. He also has pretty significant asthma, for which he takes daily steroid nebulizer treatments.

The stools are not normalizing. So far no other suggestions from our ped - when I asked the nurse what they thought since everything looks good so far she just said she didn't know.

Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanks!!

[greencat]

Jen: I think nut milk yogurt is also a great alternative to go-yo. This is an instruction I wrote for my husband, just incase I am not able to cook for my son. So, if anything is not clear, ask me questions, please.

In the dehydrator, you may want to keep the cooking thermometer in the milk while culturing. Use mine as a guide: You will find your way to make it in the best way that works for you. SCD web site has their instruction, but it never worked for me. You may want to check it out, to get the better understanding.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Nut Milk Yogurt

It is best to use utensils that were in the dishwasher, or boil for 10min.

1.5L Pyrex cooking pot and a lid
A large, cotton dish cloth
Stainless cooking spoon
Cooking thermometer
1/8t. measuring spoon
Timer
Blender
Ice

2/3 C Sliced, Blanched Almond
2/3 C Cashew nuts
4C filtered water
Optional few Pine nuts
1/8sp Pro-Gurt

Have a dish cloth over a Pyrex cooking pot
Put nuts and water in a blender for 8min. to make nut milk.
Pour the nut milk in the pot, over the dish cloth.
Gently squeeze all the milk as you twist the top--Throw the nuts out

Put the cooking thermometer in the pot, and heat the milk with medium-high heat.
Slowly boil the nut milk to the boiling point as you stair often with the spoon.

Take the pot out of the heat as soon as it reaches the boiling point. Do not let it burn. Keep the cooking thermometer and the spoon in the pot (until you are ready to put the pot in the oven.)

Let it cool to reach 64-77F. Keep the lid on while you cool it. You may do this with ice water in the sink to shorten the time of cooling. Stir before you read the temperature.

Set the oven temperature at 105F (Slightly lower than the goat milk.)

When cooked milk is in the appropriate temperature, take the Pro-Gurt out of the refrigerator, and sprinkle 1/8spoon of it. Then, gently stir. Do not mix too much where live culture does not like to be disturbed: The yogurt will not sit well.

Cover the pot with Saran Wrap. Write the time you put the cooked milk in the oven on the Saran Wrap. Incubate without disturbing the milk for 8hours.

After the incubation, cool it in the refrigerator over night (without disturbing.)

[SAmama]

JaneS, I want to thank you for replying to my questions about what you did to heal (in the March thread, I am too lazy to dig for that now and try to quote it). We were out of town for quite a while and it has taken me a few days to catch up with this thread again.
We are very, very sure that DD's eczema is influenced by polution to some extent. Every time we leave the city (which is very poluted) she does better. Still has eczema and obviously reacts to foods, but not nearly as bad. Thankfully we are moving to the countryside within a month or so and I think the clean air will give her immune system a bit of a break and maybe a chance to heal more. We are also doing different things diet wise. While we were out of town I gave up on the TED. And dd looked better than when I was on it. I just did more veggies and added some yak (and I am cooking with animal fat now, whatever I have from bone broth. It is actually very yummy). Now I am going to do a rotation diet and if that doesn't work, then the SCD. With moving and not having the book yet it will be easier to do a rotation diet. We are also in the process of changing our diets to more NT foods, which, with the rotation diet will be enough for now. Our enzymes also arrived and probiotics will hopefully be here soon.
I have to say that I feel SO much better with more food than on the TED. More energy, emotionally more stable and sleeping better. And dd has been sleeping better as well. It is also better to think about working towards healing rather than just avoidance. For the first time in months I feel hopeful.
Thank you ladies for all your info. I don't post much, but I learn a lot from just reading.

[PapayaVagina]

I'm so disappointed. I've been on TED x1 week now and have been anxiously awaiting dd to have a poopy diaper to see if there has been any change. She had a HUGE diaper this morning = huge reaction diaper that was just as bad if not worse than what she usually has :

[Cello]

Originally Posted by formerluddite

we eat quinoa, too, but less often, because the kids haven't taken to it. i make tabouli with it. any recipe suggestions?

I will have to try your trick with the millet.

Honestly, I used it as I would use rice. I grew up on rice, so anything I make for him, I have just learned to substitute the quinoa instead of rice, and he eats it. He seems to like the quinoa, dill, lima bean, and ground meat mixture that I make. But again, my palate is not what I find in most American diets.

[Cello]

Question for everyone

Unless I am misunderstanding, most of you have had yucky poop/eczema problems, right?

Has anyone had issues where the poop looked bad, but there has never been eczema, and the child was not fussy/cranky all the time to indicate that there was an issue?

[Cello]

Originally Posted by greencat

Illegal food lists are here:

http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.i...llegal_a-c.htm

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the SCD diet: how can a banana be on the diet? It is such a high sugar food. DS does not tollerate is bananas, no matter how ripe they, which makes sense to me.

[bluets]

Originally Posted by Cello

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the SCD diet: how can a banana be on the diet? It is such a high sugar food. DS does not tollerate is bananas, no matter how ripe they, which makes sense to me.

could it be a real allergy? those who are allergic to latex also have cross-reactions to other things. see http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/b...y?OpenDocument

[Cello]

Originally Posted by PapayaVagina

I'm so disappointed. I've been on TED x1 week now and have been anxiously awaiting dd to have a poopy diaper to see if there has been any change. She had a HUGE diaper this morning = huge reaction diaper that was just as bad if not worse than what she usually has :

I'm so sorry for you. Hugggs. If you read through some of the older posts, you will see some moms had the same experience, with TED not helping out, but making some reactions even more visible. I did TED with my ds, and it did nothing for us short of adding more stress to our lives. I think I posted this before, but I just gave it time and it cleared up on its own, since it was the gentian violet IMHO that started the whole mess.

I am doing a rotation diet right now for my DH(Thanks 2 JaneS , cut out all grains(and I mean ALL), starches, etc -- and it is helping. It was so so so so hard to get him to not eat carbs with every meal for a week, but once he was how much better the eczemas was, he is actually pushing for it more
Rotation diets are not easy by any means, and we do not follow it hard and fast, but it is doable with a bit of planning.

[Cello]

Originally Posted by bluets

could it be a real allergy? those who are allergic to latex also have cross-reactions to other things. see http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/b...y?OpenDocument

Of all the solids we have introduced(and stupidly it was one of the first ones we did), it is the only food he does not tolerate, even in a small amount. He becomes so constipated that he is miserable for several days. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we don't find other cross-reactions.

[viking]

sorry to jump in like this without reading all posts first.

i am trying to heal my gut.
i have started to:
eat some commercial probiotics
doing my first sprouts these days
make all food from scratch
eat raw vegetables and fruit
get my first delievery of ecological frutis and vegs in a couple of days

my plan is to go on a rawfood diet for as long time as it takes to heal my gut.
i suspect my symptoms to worsen before i get better.
my energylevel is very low and i feel like crap, and i dont feel like i prepared enough to do a detox properly. so i propone.

in the meanwhile i try to figure out exactly was is wrong with me. today one of my symptoms are really bad, worse then in months. and im desperate to understand what is going on.

my health-history is long as a novel, so i dont see how i could share it in few and informative words.

i've got a picture of this specific symptom tho, and my questions is simply:
is it ok if i post url to an image, so you can have a look and tell me if you have ever seen it before or if you get any thoughts out of it at all?

(i do meet with doctors frequently so they are aware of this. they just dont know what it is, and focus on other problems. ct and ultrasound has been done on good days when the symptom is not present. so doctors look at me strangely, and i have to do further research myself)



(im sorry my posts always get so long even when im just trying to ask a simple question ... : )

[PapayaVagina]

Originally Posted by Cello

Unless I am misunderstanding, most of you have had yucky poop/eczema problems, right?

Has anyone had issues where the poop looked bad, but there has never been eczema, and the child was not fussy/cranky all the time to indicate that there was an issue?

Dd only had fussy/cranky stuff with wheat but I cut that out 4 months ago and since then she has only had the bad poop problem.

[PapayaVagina]

Originally Posted by Cello

I'm so sorry for you. Hugggs. If you read through some of the older posts, you will see some moms had the same experience, with TED not helping out, but making some reactions even more visible. I did TED with my ds, and it did nothing for us short of adding more stress to our lives. I think I posted this before, but I just gave it time and it cleared up on its own, since it was the gentian violet IMHO that started the whole mess.

I am doing a rotation diet right now for my DH(Thanks 2 JaneS , cut out all grains(and I mean ALL), starches, etc -- and it is helping. It was so so so so hard to get him to not eat carbs with every meal for a week, but once he was how much better the eczemas was, he is actually pushing for it more
Rotation diets are not easy by any means, and we do not follow it hard and fast, but it is doable with a bit of planning.

Do you remember which month those posts are in? There are so many that I get overwhelmed!

There have been times when I've thought about just letting it go and just staying with the no wheat but I do worry about the long-term damage that could cause her. I would really love for everything to take a turn for the better before we start thinking about starting her on solids.

I think that the most time I'm going to give TED is a month (if I make it that far because it is making me crazy). We are also planning a trip to a naturopath and a craniosacral adjustment so maybe those will also provide some insight.

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by Cello

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the SCD diet: how can a banana be on the diet? It is such a high sugar food. DS does not tollerate is bananas, no matter how ripe they, which makes sense to me.

The SCD eliminates starches, not sugars per se. Pretty much all fruits are legal, and honey is, too. Bananas are supposed to be constipating, although I'm not sure why.

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by Cello

Unless I am misunderstanding, most of you have had yucky poop/eczema problems, right?

Has anyone had issues where the poop looked bad, but there has never been eczema, and the child was not fussy/cranky all the time to indicate that there was an issue?

My DD had both poop issues and eczema, but she's always been a happy, mellow baby.

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by viking

sorry to jump in like this without reading all posts first.

i am trying to heal my gut.
i have started to:
eat some commercial probiotics
doing my first sprouts these days
make all food from scratch
eat raw vegetables and fruit
get my first delievery of ecological frutis and vegs in a couple of days

my plan is to go on a rawfood diet for as long time as it takes to heal my gut.
i suspect my symptoms to worsen before i get better.
my energylevel is very low and i feel like crap, and i dont feel like i prepared enough to do a detox properly. so i propone.

in the meanwhile i try to figure out exactly was is wrong with me. today one of my symptoms are really bad, worse then in months. and im desperate to understand what is going on.

my health-history is long as a novel, so i dont see how i could share it in few and informative words.

i've got a picture of this specific symptom tho, and my questions is simply:
is it ok if i post url to an image, so you can have a look and tell me if you have ever seen it before or if you get any thoughts out of it at all?

(i do meet with doctors frequently so they are aware of this. they just dont know what it is, and focus on other problems. ct and ultrasound has been done on good days when the symptom is not present. so doctors look at me strangely, and i have to do further research myself)



(im sorry my posts always get so long even when im just trying to ask a simple question ... : )

You can post a URL...what are your symptoms? IMHO a raw food diet is going to be pretty hard on a damaged gut as raw foods aren't particularly easy to digest, especially sprouts. Meats and fats are actually the easiest foods to digest, and then well-cooked fruits and veggies (some veggies, anyway), and then well-cooked soaked grains. Cooking from scratch and taking probiotics (or even better in most cases, probiotic foods like kefir or sauerkraut) are good steps to take.

[viking]

Originally Posted by caedmyn

You can post a URL...what are your symptoms? IMHO a raw food diet is going to be pretty hard on a damaged gut as raw foods aren't particularly easy to digest, especially sprouts. Meats and fats are actually the easiest foods to digest, and then well-cooked fruits and veggies (some veggies, anyway), and then well-cooked soaked grains. Cooking from scratch and taking probiotics (or even better in most cases, probiotic foods like kefir or sauerkraut) are good steps to take.

my chronic everyday-symptoms:
-fatigued - very low energy level
-feeling unwell
-often bloat after meals
-gassy
-loose bowel movements
-bowels roaring, gurgling, twisting(? feels like), cramping(? feels like). feeling of big pockets of air moving around. or feeling filled with water that ripples.
-when i lay on the side it feels and sounds like it trickles. it does not like it.
-react almost to all foods. have not found any concistensy.
-sometimes heavy pulse in stomach.
-greyish coated tounge (better now that i started swishing mouth with oliveoil and brushing with water only)
plus plus


my diet:
-fruits like apple, orange, banana, grapes, kiwi, pear (raw. the concept of cooking fruit is new and strange to me)
-vegetables like carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, bell pepper, tomato, squash, lettuce, cucumber, onions, garlic, chili, celeryroot, leek. raw and cooked.
-wholemeal bread, rice, potatoes, pasta
-dairy like butter, cheese, yoghurt, milk, creme fraiche
-seafood like mackarel, trout, salmon, cod, prawns, crabs, mussel
-pork, chicken and beef
-oliveoil, rapeseedoil, soy sauce


from time to time my symptoms worsen.
like yesterday and today:
feverish
dazed and dizzy
very vey uncomfortable abdomen. varies from feeling like starving, to being too full. more painful gut movement and noises then usual.
bowel movement actually quite fine
headache
no apetite at all
and ... under my left ribs - a kinda chronic bump of uknown origins swells beyond its 'normal' size (click for picture). (i am not as thin as it looks, i am 'sucking my stomach in' to emphasize the bump).

my symptoms worsen as it swells. or the other way around. i dont know.
then suddenly it reaches a peak
and everything returns back to my stable 'normal' everyday-symptoms.


i am feeling very contaminated and out of balance. my theory the last couple of years is that something is disturbing my digestsystem and my energydrain may come from internal battles going on between immunsystem and toxins/viruses.

(ive been sick for 10+years. western medicine have no clue, and are starting to admit they actually may have caused this.)




any thoughts?

[caedmyn]

viking--you might try eliminating grains and potatoes for a starter, as they can all be hard to digest and cause IBS-type symptoms. Whole grains are particularly difficult to digest but I've been having problems with white rice and potatoes as well. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet might be something for you to look at. www.pecanbread.com www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info
www.breakingtheviciouscycle.com

[JaneS]

Whoa Viking... dr's have no idea about the bump? How awful! have you had an ultrasound or something on it? What do you think caused your problems? My causes were multiple antibx including 2 weeks of Cipro, and lots of amalgam fillings.

Have you tried digestive enzymes? With and between meals. See Yeast/Bacteria section and other sections at www.enzymestuff.com