Diary of putting my family on the RAPH diet

[tigerlilly905]

He said there is new evidence to suggest that wheat causes something like cell membranes in the gut to become porous and can lead to leaky gut, and that no humans really agree with wheat, we all  only "tolerate" it to varying degrees. Great.  Some times too much information is just no good.

This is exactly the thought on the GAPS program as well... and the thought is with this leaky gut, the toxins can cause neurotoxicity and all sorts of neurological disorders such as add, adhd, depression, bipolar, ect ect ect... It's scary stuff. Lots of hugs sweets!

ETA - this is the article/video that first opened my eyes to the leaky gut issues and abnormal gut flora faced in babies/children http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/31/dr-natasha-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps-nutritional-program.aspx?e_cid=20110731_SNL_Art_1  It just blew my mind, especially knowing that poor Ds2 is having so much tummy troubles... I guess it just motivates me to keep moving forward in this journey for the sake of his health.

[hrk]

Interesting about the gluten.  Does it mention if sprouted wheat is easier to digest?  I know I read that in Nourishing Traditions.  

As far as the testing, I am not sure what to suggest, Rebecca.  I know a mom who did it for her son and referred me to the second nd we saw.  She said she saw results with her son from a behavioral issue stand point.    

I went to that nd for a visit.  In the visit, the nd suggested I do the allergy testing for my acne (in addition to doing other testing totalling $1200).  I had said that I had thought I had some similar testing done, but the nd had said she could only use her "own" tests to make a diagnosis, ect.  I brought the info to my dr, who said that a lot of it I had been done already (some hormone testing, etc).  I just didn't feel right about it.  I didn't like that the nd that I saw was also completely sarcastic about general mainstream medicine.  The mainstream drs I see like my reg dr are not opposed to the alternative medicine industry.  I tend to be pretty open and ask for their opinion (because I really like my dr and H's dr despite it taking a long time to build a decent relationship with her ;-).  I think it should be ok to follow up with your reg dr, if it is a dr who's opinion you would value.  Read about the validity/reliability of those tests before you make a decision to drop that much money, though.     

I know this is a bit off topic, but...to follow up on my acne; I read a ton about skin care trying to figure out my son's skin issues.  I fixed the acne issue myself.    Avoiding certain foods would have done nothing for it.  And the last dermatologist I saw over a year ago suggested using accutane or a combo of antibiotics/creams.  I liked the dr, but wasn't particularily happy with those options.  I have an apt to go back there soon (over a year later) with clear skin.   First time since I was probably 14.  

[huntersmummyinoz]

thanks for the hugs, apparently worst is over now rash has broken out, will clear in a couple of days. spoke to paed and decided to leave cow's milk in til appt on thurs and discuss from there. i can see that we'll prob have to stop and try again in a few weeks as i think it's ok, but have a question mark over it IYKWIM.

OMG elo!! 5-6yo!! i had thought 2yo for meds for kingston and 3yo for sals, but realistically he is sooooo sensitive to sals that it could well be longer. what brand butter do you use? had been using nuttelex up til now but figure he'll be fine on butter since has yoghurt and cheese now, but realised our regular butter has preservatives in it

want to hurry up and get this cow's milk done so we can do proprionates, colours, sulphites, etc. dont imagine that he will every consume these on a regular basis but i want to know how careful i need be or not when at other people's houses, eating out, etc.

[hrk]

Kirry, hugs for the dairy.  I hope it is fine the second time around (if you have to go a second).  Our organic butter has organic sweet cream and lactic acid.  Is the lactic acid a no?

[EloysH]

I buy the hard blocks of organic butter and keep in a butter procelain container on bench top so it is nice and soft all the time.  The one at ALDI - own brand is the cheapest, the one at Woolies "Harmonie" is double the price!   I am happy to pay the extra for the organic butter for all the nutritional benefits.

[hrk]

:-)  I keep our butter on the counter to keep it soft as well.  My mil always says that her mom did the same (but she doesn't) because they had a neighbor that always commented on the dusty butter, lol.  I just put a cover over it on the counter to keep the peace.  :-)

[sherry lynn]

I keep mine on the counter as well. I have a cute little cover dish thing for it.

Kirry I never thought about this:

so we can do proprionates, colours, sulphites, etc. dont imagine that he will every consume these on a regular basis but i want to know how careful i need be or not when at other people's houses, eating out, etc.

Uggggg...... I think I don't want to think about it really, does that make sense? Lyle already came home from his first day of school telling me that he had gold fish at school. Sigh.... he so can't have gold fish. And then I was trying to feed him lunch for school (he goes at 11:30) and he said.. "no, I eat at school." So I said, really, "what's Ms. Beth going to make you?" Bacon he replies. Sigh. I guess I am going to have to have a talk with the teacher. I was all geared up to do it, but then chickened out.

Kirry, Is your little guy feeling better now?

Rebecca, I just recently heard of the Gaps diet. Funny that you mentioned it here. I was telling a friend about RPAH and she said, oh I have a neighbor who does GAPS. So I looked it up. I wish you some success with doing that.

[hrk]

I sympathize with you Sher.  I cringed as the slps at the college were feeding him pre packaged cookies and dorritos.  They have snack at prek every day; a different family is supposed to supply it for the whole class every day.  The teacher said I could pack one for H, but of course he has to be the different one EVERY day.  I will have no idea what snack is exactly.  If I knew, I could plan certain days to bring something.  SIGH.  I am still deciding what to do.  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[EloysH]

Rebecca,  I read that link and that sounds very very interesting and completely plausible.  There is alot to be said for abnormal gut flora and also fermented foods, I am really on a steam train in that area of diet and nutirition at the moment. We soka all our grains before eating now so they are fermented, I feel this is soooo important for preserviing our gut.  And i am coming to understand that the modern diet is really lacking in many areas and not good for people at all.   I think fthe anseer for us as a family is incorporating failsafe eating with wholefoods eating.  Failesafe diet alone is too "white" and does it emphasise the need for whole foods or fermented foods.   
  I am about to embark on a 4 week anti-candida program (for l
ong term gut issues) and it makes we wonder if Kai  has inherited my crap flora has set him on this path of food sensitivity and compromised digestion and immunity.      anyway we are about to get his stools analysed for gut flora so lets see what it brings!

[hrk]

Interesting Eloys!  I would say we are kind of a blend of failsafe and whole foods.  I think the more you read, the more you tweak and tune up what you are eating.  There is always something to learn!  Curious to hear how the stool testing goes.  I know you have used probiotics.  Is that not enough to keep things heading in the right direction?  Do you feel that failsafe is too white meaning by color or by grains?  What grains are you fermenting?  Sounds interesting.

I would say that what you put on your skin can be equally concerning in comparison to what you are eating, as well.  Perhaps others outside the US have a lot less to worry about than us in the US.  I have read "The Body Toxic" and "Toxic Beauty".  It suggests that what you apply to your skin doesn't go through your liver, while what you eat does.  One of your basic natural defenses is completely bypassed with your beauty products, soap, shampoo, deoderant, shaving products, perfumes, etc.  What goes on, goes in; your skin is so permeable.  If you live in the US and want to check out the safety of your skincare products for you or your children, go to http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ .  I know that skin deep isn't perfect by any stretch, but it is the best we have in the US.  Most chemicals are allowed untested in our products, rather than the industry having to prove they are safe before putting them in products.  People have the illusion that if it is on the market, it is has been reviewed and marked safe by the fda; very not true.  Drugs have a different scrutiny than cosmentics.  It really makes me cringe to picture moms and babies being slathered up in these products. 

Enough about that, and sorry to be off topic.  Prior to reading a lot about skincare, I think that I focused primarily on the food/health connection; now I see that I really need to look a bit more broadly.  No more mention of that here.  :-)  I just want to make sure moms here are equally atuned to what goes on you and your little bubba's skin.  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[EloysH]

Jean, ugh!  Another thing to think about but thank you so much for raising the part about skin. How important!  That has been far off the radar for me, only recently I switched to organic skin products, but know knows if everything in them is safe!  And also  I am a hair dyer from way back.

I mean "white" as in refined high GI grains and white tasteless veges     It is not meant to be a health diet of sorts anywa,y it is a diet specifically to test food chemical intolerance.  So it is the way it is for very important reasons, I don't want to take that away from the diet.   

The stool testing covers anaerobic bactieria and yeasts, even though he has been taking probiotics apparantly it doesn't fix all the imbalances,  Like if you are low in something, just puts good stuff into the gut. And also it can't get rid of yeast over growth. 

For the grains one example is oats. I soak whole oats overnight with one tablespoon of yoghurt and rinse in the morning before cooking. That way they are soaked and fermented before cooking. I get all my info from Jude Blereaus Whole foods for children and also Sally Falons cookbook and reference "Nourishing Traditions".

[tigerlilly905]

I get all my info from Jude Blereaus Whole foods for children and also Sally Falons cookbook and reference "Nourishing Traditions".

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I ordered it when I ordered the GAPS book actually. I've been making chicken soup stock with organic chicken bones like it's going out of style (and freezing extra for Ds2 when the time comes to introduce solids)

I would agree about the "white" aspect of Failsafe, that part does throw me off a little. But I agree w/ what you are saying Eloise, it's done for a specific reason to rule out the chemical sensitivities.

The thing I find contradictory in the GAPS diet to the Failsafe plan, is that the theory in GAPS is that all the "white" stuff (grains, refined sugars ect) feed the bad bacteria which is what's causing the holes in the gut (or leaky gut).  And it's those holes that allow food proteins, chemicals ect. to pass freely into the bloodstream causing actual intolerences/sensitivities, kwim?

So we've decided to ditch all the grains and the sugars. (as per the GAPS plan) in the hopes to heal the gut. Replacing the bad stuff with the good I guess you could say.  We are all taking good quality probiotics and I have some homemade Sauerkraut fermenting as we speak.  I've also started making my own yogurt w/ goats milk for Ds1 and DH. It's a little runnier then "commercial" brands, but oh so healthy, and mixes very well with fruit.

I know it's kinda off topic for this thread, but I'm learning so much through this process, and I agree with what you say Jean, you have to tweak the plans to find what works best for your family. I'm still very thankful I have knowledge of RPAH diet so I can be more aware of the chemical sensitivities incase I find those cropping up along the way.

I'm on the skin database quite a bit! That's a great link!

I think the stool testing is a great step forward Eloise. I'm going to keep plugging along on GAPS for a bit, but would like to do a stool testing for Ds2 down the road to see if we've "cleansed" his little gut. Its a little pricey here - about $300, but worth it, IMO.

Also Eloise, ikwym about wondering if you gave your babies the "bad" flora. The ONLY difference between my 2 pregnancies was that with Ds2 I had to go on anti-virals for a short time (against what I wanted to do, but I really had no choice...) I never had to with Ds1. Anyways, knowing what I know now, I wonder if I damaged the good flora and Ds2 got quite a bit of the bad - thus creating the issues we are experiencing now Well, I can't change it now but either way, I'm glad I'm now becoming educated about all of this so we can take steps forward.

I'm noticing huge strides in Ds2's health (yay!!).

Oh, and I can eat eggs again - another yay!! Passed that challenge!!

ETA: If anyone was interested, here's the basics of what we are following. Again, different from RPAH, so off topic, but it could be helpful to combine theories... http://www.gutandpsychologysyndrome.com/gaps-diet/

[sherry lynn]

The ONLY difference between my 2 pregnancies was that with Ds2 I had to go on anti-virals for a short time (against what I wanted to do, but I really had no choice...) I never had to with Ds1. Anyways, knowing what

Hmmmmm..... This is exactly true here as well!!!! I actually had to do two. While pregnant with DS2. Although. I actually think DS1 is more sensitive to foods than DS2. But, I think his are more hidden reactions and oooohhhh so much harder to "test" regulate ect...

Elo - do you give those grains to DS1, is he ok with them since they have the yogurt over night, does it mostly wash away so it doesn't matter?

I need to get these new books. But... I still haven't started the food chaining book

Jean - that's so funny that your brought up all the skin stuff. It all went out the window when we embarked on this diet. So I think it IS VERY relevant to this link. I think people just skip that part of the ED because it's pretty hard to deal with. I mean.... seriously these deodorants don't work in the south. Any good recommendations there. When I go in public I "cheat".

It's so funny. You know, Chris is in the sun all day. So switching sunscreens has been very very important for him. And Blue lizard can not be found anywhere because it was mentioned on Good Morning America. So he is using Badger. Which does not completely dissolve in the skin. He came home the other day with a "ghost" looking face. He said does it look embarrassing. I just said no. What could I say. He can't keep using what he was using before. We'll have to order some blue lizard in December when people won't be thinking about it

[EloysH]

Hey Sherry,

With regard to the sokaing in yoghurt,  I just wash it off and cook for Kai.

Too funny about the white sunscreen, how could anyone take him seriously at work then 

I found the skin stuff too hard too and didn't bother when on the ED.  I really try not to use anything on the kids skin except zincoxide ointment for nappy rash if I have to or else paw paw cream for chaffed lips. I rarely wash their hair or use soap on them...   just water 

How are you going with the challenges so far?  Anything conclusive - pass  / fail?

[hrk]

Sher, we are using the Badger sunscreen, too.  :-)  California Baby also gives a white glow.  Let me know what you think of the sunscreen you have on the way.  

I tend to do what you do, avoid deodorant when possible.  I do still have the book Toxic Beauty here.  It discusses five lab tested deodorants that have no detectable levels of phthlates (p. 163): Certain Dri Antiperspirant Roll-on, Dove Powder Antiperspirant, Lady Speed Stick Soft, Secret Antiperspirant and deodorant Platinum Protection, and Soft and Dri Antiperspirant Deodorant Clear Gel.  For any of the products I mentioned, check them out on the EWG's cosmetic database.  If the formulas have changed since the research date in 2002, you can do a custom listing for the product somewhere, and it will recalculate the safety rating.  As for their effectiveness, I can't speak to that.  I have only used my old Degree deodorant about three times this summer.  We are lucky the temps are only in about the 80's or 90's for the most part.  And being out early and late makes it so much more bearable.  

Phthalates/parabens are hormone disrupters, and some studies are showing the presence of methylparaben in breast cancer tumors.  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jat.957/abstract  I could't find the whole article when I quickly looked.  But there are quite a number of articles that pop up as well if you google.  I remember hearing a speaker disregard this on npr (national public radio in the US), so a long time ago I figured it was safe.  Now I am just avoiding it and not taking chances with the one body I've got.  ;-)  So, finding salicylate free products is half the battle (for those who are sensitive) and finding safe products is another.  And the book also notes that aluminum chloride is a concerning ingredient, as well.  It is hard to balance the hygiene routine I would prefer (shampoos/deoderants/make up/etc) and the one I think I should follow due to the lack of proven consumer safety. 

Going to take a peek at that link, Rebecca.  Thanks!   And I am going to see if our library has those cook books, Eloys.  :-)

I fixed a bunch of misspelling.  I guess I was in a hurry to wake H this afternoon.  Where did the spell checker go???  :-)