Summer is upon us. This is the first day that the boys don't have school and their daddy isn't home. The weekend has been full of away-from-home activities, so today they may get restless. I have some activities in mind, both at home and away, but nothing specific planned.
Today begins a new diet for the boys. (And us, since it will be easier to just have the whole family do it.) It involves a list of foods that are "Best Choices" to be strictly followed the first 4-6 weeks; a list of foods to "Eat in Moderation" that can be added in the second phase of the diet, and a list of foods to "Completely Avoid". It's not necessary to follow this diet for a lifetime, but until the body achieves a right balance of certain minerals---usually about 4-6 months. The main mineral being targeted is manganese, which is very high in processed foods and soy-based products and when too much is consumed can cause symptoms very like autism. The research was done by a naturopathic doctor in Colorado and there is a 20-some page article about it available via her website. It costs nothing to download her diet protocol, and no special foods to buy.
For us, the hardest parts will be: no grains, and no peanut butter. That eliminates two of the boys' main staples: P.B. sandwiches and chicken nuggets. You can have any meat but pork on this diet, so if I can just get them to eat non-breaded chicken! I've tried a couple ways with them but no success so far.
There's also no sugar or artificial sweeteners allowed; only honey and stevia (in the first phase). But I've already been working on eliminating that lately. Only certain fruits and vegetables are allowed. A few examples that will affect us, because of what we like: NO white potatoes allowed, but sweet potatoes are good; NO corn or beans; NO apples or apple juice(until the second phase), bananas, watermelon, grapes, or berries of any kind. But I've already found some substitues that the boys like that are on the "good list": canteloupe, plums, cherries, and cherry juice. There are more on the list, but these I have found that the boys already like.
I've been slowly moving towards this diet, but waited until school and packed lunches was over before going full-throttle. We've already found out that PJ5 likes eggs (a "Best Choice" food) really well: boiled or scrambled (if I keep it in a "pancake" form instead of piled up). So that will be a good protien replacement until I find a meat that he will eat without breading on it.
The hardest part for me, besides the bread, is no milk. Almond milk is allowed in the second phase, as well as yogurt, sour cream, and certain cheeses. I'm going to keep yogurt in the house for myself because the boys don't like it. But NO MILK? NO CHEESE??
PJ already said that on our dates we'll probably be hitting up places like Panera Bread, Ted's, Olive Garden, etc. where we'll eat lots of grains and cheese! :)
I'm also hoping to work on potty-training this summer. Over-ambitious?
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Website for diet, if you want to see it:
http://www.noharmfoundation.org/
