Switching back to a regular menu - I think I forgot how to do it!

[MomToTwoBoys]

DH and I have been discussing the gluten free menu that we've had in place since August. While we have seen some marked improvements in DS11's behavior, we're not certain if that's something dealing with the diet or other means. This other means includes a change in medication dosage and puberty.

So we've decided to go back to a normal diet for now. But guess what? I think I forgot how to cook.

We'd still like to stay away from a lot of processed foods and a dairy restriction would be in place. So I guess I'm not really going back to a normal menu because of the stipulations I put in place. But you know what? I miss "normal" meals: manicotti and salad with french bread, baked beefy cheesy mac, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, perogies and moose sausage with onions and sour creme, etc.

Some gluten free meals will still be made because well, we absolutely love some of them. However, those meals are reserved more for when we have more disposable income.

I do love the gluten free menu, but I think we may have passed that fancy a while back.

[MomsaBasketCase]

We went gluten free for a while due to son's adhd/bi-polar...He was calmer but when we did a trial period on a regular menu, we didn't notice any difference.

We have noticed over the years that he reacts badly to red dye #40 and is sensitive to other food additives, processed foods and colouring. Sugar also sends him into what he calls, "The jitters". There is a marked difference when he has these ingredients.

I found that with a diet of whole foods; getting everything as close to the source as possible, made a large difference in his behavior. The rest was controlled by medication and vitamin/mineral supplements.

I don't blame you for wanting to go back to a regular diet. I know it's difficult to switch back but with a little planning, you will do well. Stick to true ingredients, eliminate sugar and additives and I think you'll be fine.

Also, if you find your son is sensitive to dye, check the medication ingredients. My son's lithium had red dye in it. Don't ask me why but we switched to another company (pharmacies do that) that made his medication without red dye.

Good luck with the new menu!

[MomToTwoBoys]

It's funny that you bring up the sensitivity issue because this was the other half of the conversation. We chatted about the diet briefly with his teacher and she agrees that a lot of it might be sensitivity.

This last weekend, we had gluten foods. We had A&W for lunch and pizza the night before. He was just fine all weekend long. We also had McDonalds on Wednesday and well, the next day was a completely normal day for him.

I love cooking with whole foods more than anything else. I think we're going to continue to stay away from white flour and eat with rice flour because we did find it makes things taste a lot more pure. Whole baked chicken and meatloaf in the crockpot have been pretty good for us, as well as "oven fried chicken" and baked cheeseburgers using cornmeal instead of bread crumbs have been staples for us.

I also noticed that if he eats refined sugar, he gets harder to handle. I could use brown sugar in just about everything and he's been the same kid.

We went gluten free for a while due to son's adhd/bi-polar...He was calmer but when we did a trial period on a regular menu, we didn't notice any difference.

We have noticed over the years that he reacts badly to red dye #40 and is sensitive to other food additives, processed foods and colouring. Sugar also sends him into what he calls, "The jitters". There is a marked difference when he has these ingredients.

I found that with a diet of whole foods; getting everything as close to the source as possible, made a large difference in his behavior. The rest was controlled by medication and vitamin/mineral supplements.

I don't blame you for wanting to go back to a regular diet. I know it's difficult to switch back but with a little planning, you will do well. Stick to true ingredients, eliminate sugar and additives and I think you'll be fine.

Also, if you find your son is sensitive to dye, check the medication ingredients. My son's lithium had red dye in it. Don't ask me why but we switched to another company (pharmacies do that) that made his medication without red dye.

Good luck with the new menu!

[MomToTwoBoys]

We've given the non-GF diet three days and it's not looking so good. DS is having excitability issues and isn't sleeping through the night. I'm wondering if that has to do with the fruit flavoured snacks that I've been giving him. Would certain dyes cause excitability and loudness?

He's overly loud and screaming more than usual. It's not like pain screaming, but it's imitation screaming. Either way, it's so annoying.

His inability to sleep through the night is also back. Last night, he screamed like someone was trying to kill him and then he slammed the door at 2:30am. He was up from 2:30am until well, now.

I think we're going to go back and try some more side dishes that kept us going for such a long time.

[IntlMom]

I'm glad you're watching close and are able to make determinations based on your observations.

It's hard, I know.....really, I do!

[MomToTwoBoys]

As I was laying next to Matthew to get him to calm down before bed, I realized that there were certain things introduced back into his diet that may be causing a lot of the issues.

I found that colour has tartrazine in it, which is a coal-tar derivative. Yuck! The colour additive has been known to cause sleep disturbances and excitability, along with irritability in children.

So I figure that we can continue with this diet and I'll make a diary. I'll note what he's eating at what time frame and any reactions that go with it. I'd rather stay with a normal menu plan but remove anything that may be causing his symptoms.

[IntlMom]

As I was laying next to Matthew to get him to calm down before bed, I realized that there were certain things introduced back into his diet that may be causing a lot of the issues.

I found that colour has tartrazine in it, which is a coal-tar derivative. Yuck! The colour additive has been known to cause sleep disturbances and excitability, along with irritability in children.

So I figure that we can continue with this diet and I'll make a diary. I'll note what he's eating at what time frame and any reactions that go with it. I'd rather stay with a normal menu plan but remove anything that may be causing his symptoms.

Way to be an awesome mom!!!!!!

[NewLeaf]

Mttb, you are an awesome Mom. Hang in there, especially on the sleepless nights. It can get stressful, but thank goodness we have ea. other to "talk" to. I am keeping you in my prayers.