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 Veteran
Posts: 142
 
| Hello :)
I would love to hear about the how a paleo or grain free diet has helped you. I am working towards going grain free for my son and I, and am looking to find some friends who are doing the same. I'm having a really hard time getting support from family (even hubby) on this. They seem to think we are going to become malnourished somehow (we are both thin-normal right now)
Right now we are close to wheat free with him (for about 2 weeks) but hubby and other people keep giving him things like pizza or a cookie thinking its just one it wont hurt him seems like every 2-3 days  Its making me feel like my efforts/research/money spent on expensive foods are in vain. Hes still been eating some oatmeal and brown rice, but working on finding replacements for those now.
Here's what we would like to help and wondering if any of you had any of these things improve on this diet.
Me 36 year old
-Cold sores in nose
-hypoglycemia
-No apparent digestive issues
-fatige after eating (not every meal, but sometimes even after healthy/small ones very random)
-mild-moderate adrenal fatigue (likely causing the hypoglycemia)
-brain fog (improving)
-starting to notice achy hands (mostly when cold)
-hay fever, and getting and starting to get slightly itchy skin/face with my epoxy I use every day (for last 7 years, I use gloves but usually end up still getting some on skin/some perfume allergies - headache
My son (8 years old)
-ADHD (his teaches have mentioned maybe looking at asbergers too, but I dont really think that)
-oppositional defiant disorder
-constipation (havent noticed too many other digestive issues)
- Craves carbs, wants to eat nonstop and possible hypoglycemia (we have been working on this for a couple weeks now changing diet)
He is very social and friendly but also bossy and doesnt really have any friends
most likely has candida overgrowth
Other family members
SIL - fibromialgia, anxiety
Mom - mild food allergies (rice and a couple others) , mild lactose intolerance, anxiety, depression (medicated and doing well) Airborne allergies/some perfumes/hay fever
MIL - restless leg syndrom
daughter 4 - excema related to milk, she still eats cheese and doesnt usually have rashes but considering taking her off all dairy. Her skin gets itchy if she has much milk.
I would also love to have some tested recipes for grain free things like, pizza crust, breads, muffins. and cookies. (we do best with just meat and veggies since son doesnt like food "touching" or casserole type dishes). I've gone to a lot of paleo sites and have been collecting them on pinterest, but it seems like I have to make 3 or 4 of the same in order to find a good one and its so time consuming and the flours are expensive!
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  Ms. Potato Head
Posts: 9162
 
Location: BFE, Idaho | I went to a very low gluten diet(not grain free just wheat free), I have none at home, but sometimes end up with it when we are eating out. I am just very, very careful, it all started with my daughters dog being intolerant, then I started reading.
I sleep better, wake up easier and happier, my moods are way on the happy side now, and I am loosing weight in all the right areas now. I also do not crave sugars of any kind.
I do not eat bread, but I do buy gluten free tortilla wraps, and also use oats for cereal, both steel cut and organic regular cut.
As far as cooking you can buy gluten free flours for your pizza crusts and cookies. You can also use rice flour. I buy the gluten free to make the dog his biscits. And daughter cookies.
I do not like the taste of flax but we do ad hemp seeds to everything that we use oats with. Also sprinkled on our non flavored yougart.
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Veteran
Posts: 296
| Things like pizza can be made inexpensively with a cauliflower crust - it does involve cheese, but it's grain free. I have found a few good recipes for it on Pinterest, it's become a regular thing in my house! I was forced to quit gluten due to being celiac, and have yet to heal up (that's a whole different issue), but it typically can help with a lot of the issues you have listed. Most people get relief pretty quickly if they are 100% GF. I've found the best way to buy "flour" such as almond flour is to get it where it's sold in bulk - it's cheaper that way. I have also found some decent sized bags for cheap at Costco (recently purchased coconut flour, only used it once so far for cupcakes but they were AMAZING). It's a HUGE adjustment, and I hope you can get your hubby on board, because that will make it a lot easier for you. Luckily I live alone, because with the exception of my Mom who has seen my struggles, no one else gets how food can affect my life! | |
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Member
Posts: 26
| Getting tested for food sensitivities and celiac disease could help you get a better idea of which direction to take your diet. I've been living gluten free going on 5 years and it has made a huge difference in my life. The biggest thing is to see the doctor before cutting gluten and other grains out of your diet. If you eliminate the problem foods too early it can be difficult to get a correct diagnosis.
So many of the problems you listed have been experienced by myself or other celiacs that I know. These things can clear up with a carefully managed diet if you are celiac. If you have decent insurance it is worth getting checked out, especially if there is any auto immune disease in the family.
Eliminating food from your diet sucks. It is a huge test of will power. It can also be hard to get friends and family on board. I have a good friend who is a nurse who I still have to explain myself to her. One would think she would get it. Hang in there, it does get easier.
There is a European " bread" called Soca made with bean flour which is very good. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-socca-a-naturally-gluten-free-... | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 642
Location: SD | Well, I am no help as far as what to eat, but I will tell you our story.
Last year, my son was "labeled" as ADD (no dr's dont call it that any more but his teacher did) and aggressive towards others. Being a teacher and knowing my son the best, I did some further research. You can find links between most things that bother humans with gluten sensitivity. We went cold turkey. His teacher was AMAZED at his change. She asked me if I took him to the dr and got him on meds. Yes we did take him to his dr, but he was mortified that ADD/ADHD was mentioned by his teacher. Our dr suggested we eliminate gluten/dairy/soda/blue dyes in anthing/and other stuff. We did and he is a happy boy. There was another symptom that I will PM you on.
Go for it! Make the change... it is not all that hard to do. You can go out to many pizza joints around here (SD) and get gluten free pizza... tastes almost the same if not better. | |
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 Leggs
Posts: 4680
Location: lexington KY | I have been paleo for almost a year and it was a great decision for me. There are people on here who will say there is no scientific proof that gluten allergies exist, they like to go on and on about it. However I know what works for my body, allergic or not. I had stomach issues for a long time, bloating and just felt swollen until I stopped eating grains. I would also have an allergy attack after every meal. My friends got to where they expected it, because as soon as I got done eating I would sneeze my head off. That doesnt happen much anymore now that I dont eat grains. I also lost all the fluff and feel amazing. I also work out and run a lot and my hips always bothered me, which they say grains can causes inflammation. That went away, when I went Paleo. The only time I have grains is when I have a gluten free beer. I make my own pizza from things like almond flour, coconut flour, etc. Once you get a routine down pat it really isnt that hard and you start to crave the healthy things. I will have tortialla chips every now and then, but lately I have replaced those with sweet potato chips. The thing about the Paleo lifestyle you cant just wing it, you have to pepare each week and know what you need in your house. I love going to the grocery now, it takes about 10 minutes you just stay on the outside of the grocery store, meat, veggies and fruits. Makes life pretty simple. My sister and I did this togther and still love this lifestyle. You can see the before and after pics here : http://ontherodeoroad.com/?s=paleo+before | |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Re: hypoglycemia
That is very likely causing your son's apparent oppositional and attention related problems. My now 9 year old was diagnosed with post-prandial reactive hypoglycemia last summer (low blood sugar after eating: he spikes, acts crazy, crashes, gets depressed and combative and irrational.) It has been a journey and and it took some time, but I feel like I have my kid back. We are not grain free, and actually, when I tried low carb with him, he had no energy. We had to find a balance that worked and it took time and a lot of experimentation. Everyone is different, so you truly have to figure out the best diet plan for each individual.
The form your carbs are in matters very much. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Refined grain and sugar is the devil for hypoglycemia. We studied the glycemic index on foods a lot when figuring out what to eat. I try to give him carbs that naturally come with a good balance of protein and fiber, and adding healthy (ie real) fats is helpful as well. He can have most fruits (we avoid pineapple) or whole grain bread or old fashioned oatmeal and such in limited amounts, but must have protein and fat to go with it. Quinoa and brown rice are awesome. I can make him cookies using old fashioned oats, quinoa flakes, raw honey, butter, and an egg with a few blueberries and/or semi-sweet chocolate chips and he handles it fine. It took some time to get his body back in balance so that he can cheat a little that way without messing himself up. We had to be much stricter in the beginning. Feel free to pm me if you want to talk more about what we have learned and done. My son also has sensory processing disorder and is a super-taster to boot, so feeding his picky butt has been a nightmare at times, but we have survived the worst of it, I think. I hope. He's also a freakin little genius when it comes to picking locks/disassembling doorknobs/figuring out codes. I have to change the code on the pantry door weekly. LOL
BTW, he had a seizure and quit breathing when he was 3. Looking back, with what I know now, I believe he had a severe hypoglycemic episode that day brought on by a combination of what he had eaten, and the medication I gave him. So I think this went on for a long time before coming to a head last summer, after he basically went on a food strike and was eating nothing by carbs. The worse out of whack his sugar got, the more he craved carbs. The more carbs he ate, the more out of whack his sugar became.
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Veteran
Posts: 142
| Thanks everyone! Sending PM's :) | |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| I have been grain free for 2 years. I work out alot and my knees would always be sore. I attributed it to being 53. After going grain free, I noticed my knees no longer get sore. Grains, sugars, etc cause internal inflamation on your joints and organs. I wear a heart rate monitor, my resting heart rate is usually around 53. If I have indulged in cake or a sugary treat, the next morning my heart rate will be in the high 60's. That junk is hard on your body, it has to work much harder to process it. I do indulge on birthdays etc, but the rest of the time I eat healthy. It is much easier to do than I ever thought it would be. Once I personally realized how much harm the junk was doing to me, it was easy to stay away from it. We do not eat any processed foods.
Edited by rodeomom3 2014-05-12 3:49 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | I am not completely grain free. However, I am gluten free due being diagnosed with celiac's disease a few months back. So far the hardest thing is breakfast for me because I love my breakfast carbs (scones or muffins). I can't offer any suggestions about recipes as I am still figuring this out still. What I can share is that I have noticed that my taste buds have changed towards more whole foods and more for the spice flavors. Not spicey, just more of a taste than a bland taste of the grains. I don't know if that makes any sense. And I have lost weight in all the right places and more than the weight but I've shrank. My waist, thighs and belly is smaller. I didn't become GF by choice, but after I did I feel 10x better. I had the brain fog, always tired, digestive issues, weight gain, inability to focus, pain in my joints and bones. This post makes me feel good about seeing how many other people are grain free for GF and for the lengths of time too. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 142
| rodeomom3 - 2014-05-12 2:00 PM I have been grain free for 2 years. I work out alot and my kneww would always be sore. I attributed it to being 53. After going grain free, I noticed my knees no longer get sore. Grains, sugars, etc cause internal inflamation on your joints and organs. I wear a heart rate monitor, my resting hear rate is usually around 53. If I have indulged in cake or a sugary treat, the next morning my heart rate will be in the high 60's. That junk is hard on your body, it has to work much harder to process it. I do indulge on birthdays etc, but the rest of the time I eat healthy. It is much easier to do than I ever thought it would be. Once I personally realized how much harm the junk was doing to me, it was easy to stay away from it. We do not eat any processed foods.
I was thinking I might just do like %90 percent grain free for me, but for my son we will probably need to go full on because of the ADHD to see if it helps. I would love to still have a Sushi roll or maybe some popcorn though when hes not around, I just dont think its fair for him to have to not eat something when the rest of us all are, its bad enough with dad and his junk food around lol. He gave him a pringles chip yesterday, I told him not to, then read the label and sure enough wheat starch grrr!. | |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Three 4 Luck - 2014-05-12 1:48 PM Re: hypoglycemia
That is very likely causing your son's apparent oppositional and attention related problems. My now 9 year old was diagnosed with post-prandial reactive hypoglycemia last summer (low blood sugar after eating: he spikes, acts crazy, crashes, gets depressed and combative and irrational.) It has been a journey and and it took some time, but I feel like I have my kid back. We are not grain free, and actually, when I tried low carb with him, he had no energy. We had to find a balance that worked and it took time and a lot of experimentation. Everyone is different, so you truly have to figure out the best diet plan for each individual.
The form your carbs are in matters very much. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Refined grain and sugar is the devil for hypoglycemia. We studied the glycemic index on foods a lot when figuring out what to eat. I try to give him carbs that naturally come with a good balance of protein and fiber, and adding healthy (ie real) fats is helpful as well. He can have most fruits (we avoid pineapple) or whole grain bread or old fashioned oatmeal and such in limited amounts, but must have protein and fat to go with it. Quinoa and brown rice are awesome. I can make him cookies using old fashioned oats, quinoa flakes, raw honey, butter, and an egg with a few blueberries and/or semi-sweet chocolate chips and he handles it fine. It took some time to get his body back in balance so that he can cheat a little that way without messing himself up. We had to be much stricter in the beginning. Feel free to pm me if you want to talk more about what we have learned and done. My son also has sensory processing disorder and is a super-taster to boot, so feeding his picky butt has been a nightmare at times, but we have survived the worst of it, I think. I hope. He's also a freakin little genius when it comes to picking locks/disassembling doorknobs/figuring out codes. I have to change the code on the pantry door weekly. LOL
BTW, he had a seizure and quit breathing when he was 3. Looking back, with what I know now, I believe he had a severe hypoglycemic episode that day brought on by a combination of what he had eaten, and the medication I gave him. So I think this went on for a long time before coming to a head last summer, after he basically went on a food strike and was eating nothing by carbs. The worse out of whack his sugar got, the more he craved carbs. The more carbs he ate, the more out of whack his sugar became.
This sounds like my nephew. Interesting. | |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | Google can offer u tons of recipes to help you, also a AWESOME cookbook is Against All Grain | |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | after you do some reading and research you will learn that it is all or none. no 90% is going to work. we went cold turkey and have no regrets except should have done it sooner. the book the paleo approach is great and her blog and facebook page are great too. just google the paleo mom. also google. leaky gut paleo and both the paleo ,mom and robb wolfe have grewt articles on it | |
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Blessed
Location: Here | The fb page just eat real food is also great. look at this receipe
http://swisspaleo.ch/chocolate-fudge-coconut-bars/ | |
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Veteran
Posts: 142
| polorunner - 2014-05-12 1:44 PM I have been paleo for almost a year and it was a great decision for me. There are people on here who will say there is no scientific proof that gluten allergies exist, they like to go on and on about it. However I know what works for my body, allergic or not. I had stomach issues for a long time, bloating and just felt swollen until I stopped eating grains. I would also have an allergy attack after every meal. My friends got to where they expected it, because as soon as I got done eating I would sneeze my head off. That doesnt happen much anymore now that I dont eat grains. I also lost all the fluff and feel amazing. I also work out and run a lot and my hips always bothered me, which they say grains can causes inflammation. That went away, when I went Paleo. The only time I have grains is when I have a gluten free beer. I make my own pizza from things like almond flour, coconut flour, etc. Once you get a routine down pat it really isnt that hard and you start to crave the healthy things. I will have tortialla chips every now and then, but lately I have replaced those with sweet potato chips. The thing about the Paleo lifestyle you cant just wing it, you have to pepare each week and know what you need in your house. I love going to the grocery now, it takes about 10 minutes you just stay on the outside of the grocery store, meat, veggies and fruits. Makes life pretty simple. My sister and I did this togther and still love this lifestyle. You can see the before and after pics here : http://ontherodeoroad.com/?s=paleo+before
OH interesting, the sneezing part! One of my friends does this and also has a lot of other symptoms that I could see being related to gluten sensitivity, I will have to tell her about this!
I'm still really conflicted about demonizing all grains, Frankenwheat definitely, oatmeal we can live without, but rice I am still up in the air about especially since Japanese people are the healthiest in the world. I've watched all the videos I can find on Gluten intolerance/celiac and such and just cant make up my mind.
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Leggs
Posts: 4680
Location: lexington KY | angel123 - 2014-05-12 10:05 PM polorunner - 2014-05-12 1:44 PM I have been paleo for almost a year and it was a great decision for me. There are people on here who will say there is no scientific proof that gluten allergies exist, they like to go on and on about it. However I know what works for my body, allergic or not. I had stomach issues for a long time, bloating and just felt swollen until I stopped eating grains. I would also have an allergy attack after every meal. My friends got to where they expected it, because as soon as I got done eating I would sneeze my head off. That doesnt happen much anymore now that I dont eat grains. I also lost all the fluff and feel amazing. I also work out and run a lot and my hips always bothered me, which they say grains can causes inflammation. That went away, when I went Paleo. The only time I have grains is when I have a gluten free beer. I make my own pizza from things like almond flour, coconut flour, etc. Once you get a routine down pat it really isnt that hard and you start to crave the healthy things. I will have tortialla chips every now and then, but lately I have replaced those with sweet potato chips. The thing about the Paleo lifestyle you cant just wing it, you have to pepare each week and know what you need in your house. I love going to the grocery now, it takes about 10 minutes you just stay on the outside of the grocery store, meat, veggies and fruits. Makes life pretty simple. My sister and I did this togther and still love this lifestyle. You can see the before and after pics here : http://ontherodeoroad.com/?s=paleo+before
I'm still really conflicted about demonizing all grains, Frankenwheat definitely, oatmeal we can live without, but rice I am still up in the air about especially since Japanese people are the healthiest in the world. I've watched all the videos I can find on Gluten intolerance/celiac and such and just cant make up my mind.
I understand your issues, Sushi is one of my favorite foods. For the longest time I would just order sashimi and was fine. Every now and then I will have sushi or a roll, I mean a little rice to me isnt the end of the world. However I just dont go over the top with it. I also pay attention to how I feel after I eat it. I do think you have to go cold turkey for 30-45 days to begin to see how your body responds. I didnt splurge for over 4 months. Even when hauling I always take my own foods and when we grill out, have no bread or grains or anything. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Three 4 Luck - 2014-05-12 1:48 PM
Re: hypoglycemia
Everyone is different, so you truly have to figure out the best diet plan for each individual.
You sound like an awesome mom. I'm super impressed with your ability to figure things out for you and your son, following a rather rare path - especially that the diet that you guys have figured out isn't written in stone. He's lucky to have you! 
I so very much agree that everyone is different. We don't eat Paleo or grain free, but we do grow much of our own food and eat whole/from scratch mostly (better when I'm not 10 months pregnant, lol). Each of my children have had different tolerances to different foods, vaccinations, environmental exposures, etc. and we change things based on their reactions. It's amazing the little things that can and do make a difference. | |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | The first change for me was I quit snoring and quit having sleep apnea. Then the weight loss followed. | |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | Nevertooold - 2014-05-13 4:40 PM The first change for me was I quit snoring and quit having sleep apnea. Then the weight loss followed.
I saw you the other day at the gas station... You look great!  | |
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