More On Zachary's Diet

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In this section, I'll be adding new things I do that are not mentioned in the first book.

The Critical Role Of Water... Nature's Natural Chelator...

Posted May 2005

Water - Our most important nutrient - and perhaps our most important chelator... THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WATER YOU DRINK!

We had been drinking distilled water because we live in an area that has a very high iron content in the water.   It appears "distilled" water is considered "dead water" and that ionized water may be much better for you.

http://www.waternutrition.com/

 

More food choices

Posted May 2005

Zachary is finally showing a desire to eat different foods.   I found cf/gf/soy free/ organic fruit bars which he loves... made by ReNew Life (800-830-4778).     They are kind of expensive, but so are other snacks and this one is certainly one I would consider among the healthiest for him.

Zachary is also eating nuts now... peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc.   Brazil nuts are high in selenium (best natural source of selenium... something children with autism appear to be low on and something believed to be helpful for metal detoxification... selenium supplements, according to some on parent discussion boards do not appear to be the way to go... too much selenium can also be a problem though... so... just a couple of brazil nuts a day is what I plan on giving him... ) 

He is also eating baked potato wedges (high in B6) and vegetable soups of all kinds (homemade - quash, carrot, potato, etc.... no preservatives... organic as much as possible.. these still have to be pureed or he won't eat them).

Getting Zachary to eat rice spaghetti again As a result of our "small setback" (see Chapter 15), Zachary refused to eat rice noodles for quite a while.   I found that if I put just one teaspoon of gluten free catchup (available from Gluten Pantry), that he ate them just fine.  The catchup has a distinct vinegar taste and so I never put more than one teaspoon for a huge bowl of noodles.   Update:  He is now eating these fine again... decided to go with organic catchup by Muir Glen (available in health food stores).
"Chicken Juice" They say that chicken broth has something in it that helps us get over
colds/flu.... so, what I do is cook chicken in a roasting pan - I just
put the breast or other parts in there - I use chicken that HAS BONES
and SKIN - then I just add about 1/2 inch of water (nothing else), stick
it in the oven and cook it until done. My little
guy eats the chicken meat AND then drinks the chicken bouillon too.... I
give him about ONE CUP of it in a cup with a little sea salt and organic
black pepper. He loves it...I give it to him warm. It is actually
one of his favorite drinks... I call it "chicken juice"... and some
times, when I'm asking if he wants "Orange juice or rice milk", he'll
respond, "no, chicken juice".... LOL. He drinks this about one a week
and just LOVES IT!... and I know it helps keep him healthy. Just
thought I'd post for other parents in case you wanted to try it.   :o)
01-21-02

(zinc and yeast control)

I decided to put Zachary on a zinc supplement and give him a product called "yeast control" (to help with recurring yeast infections).  I get both through Kirkman Labs.  
02-05-02

(zinc ok... yeast control still a problem...comment on borage oil... cutting back on dairy free chocolate!)

I can get Zachary to take the zinc (in a big cup of water that he drinks with a straw or in very diluted orange juice just before bed) ...but, the yeast control is still a problem.   He refuses to take it.  I think the taste is still too strong and I find it very hard to hide.  If anyone has a suggestion, I'd love to hear it!   Also, I noticed that Zachary's back had a lot of little "bumps" on it...his skin was very dry.   I had run out of borage oil at about the same time (for about a week).   I started giving him the oil again, and now his skin is clearing up, so it looks like that might have been the problem...but, I don't know for sure.  Although I did not give Zachary a lot of chocolate, I've decided to go completely without it for a while... I recently noticed his face was red after I had given him some.   I know chocolate is a problem for many kids.
02-17-02 I put Zachary on digestive enzymes from http://www.houstonni.com/.   He seems to be doing well on them.   I have started reading info on site called http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enzymesandautism/  and a lot of parents are saying that they can start to reintroduce normal foods to their kids after using these enzymes a while (see Journal for more on this).   Also, someone pointed out to me that BORAGE oil only has Omega-6 and 9...that Omega-3 comes from fish oil/flax seed oil.  So, guess I'll have to consider the flax seed again.  I know Barlean's Organic Oils offers a mix of both flax and borage...will probably go with that.  The digestive enzymes do seem to help Zachary's eye contact.  I have noticed it is much better since he is taking them (something many parents with children on enzymes have also noticed).   I will make sure Zachary is on enzymes at least  5 months or so before even attempting to reintroduce casein and gluten foods.  I'm also thinking about giving him Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)...many parents say that helps tremendously in yeast control.  It tastes strong so you need to hide it in juice (2 or 3 drops).   Here is a link for those who are interested in trying this/learning more - may be much cheaper than cranberry extract and probably just as good at controlling yeast:   http://www.nutriteam.com/index2.html.   Anyone who has a heart condition should speak with their doctor prior to taking GSE!!! (I once had someone tell me GSE can have serious consequences for heart patients).
03-01-02 I gave Zachary GSE for first time yesterday...2 drops in diluted juice.  He took it fine.   I ended up finding this at a local health food store (GNC).  It cost me $11.00 for 2 oz bottle...should last a while!
03-03-02 Read on enzymes and autism thread that probiotics (i.e., acidophilus) should not be given at same time as enzymes...just wanted to mention that.   Suggested that enzymes be given before the meal...probiotics after.  Also mentioned that fluoridated water can also negate enzyme effectiveness, as can chlorine (swimming pool - water absorbed through the skin).
04-04-02 I bought Zachary a bike today (with training wheels).   Within two hours, he was riding it like a pro...and going much faster than I would have expected for a first time on a bike.   Still a problem with braking though...LOL.  He is doing well.   I plan on putting him on enzymes to help with breakdown of phenols too in the next week or so...new product from Houston Nutraceuticals, Inc.http://www.houstonni.com/.  Zachary's eye contact and overall disposition are excellent.   He is "answering" my questions a lot more now too...pretty well with one or two word answers, but definitely signs of conversation.   He is also getting "sneaky"... knowing when he is doing "something he shouldn't be" (like playing with his sister's stuff) and now trying to "hide" the evidence.   Too funny!
07-15-02 I took Zachary off the TMG.  He had been on it for just over 2 years.  This is the product Kirkman Labs recommended to help trigger speech development.   Here is the really interesting thing... Zachary has only been off TMG for 3 days and during that time, I've noticed much much better ability to converse.   Is it possible that TMG helps with initial speech development but that after a time it actually hinders speech dealing with conversation?   I have no way of knowing.   I haven't seen any studies looking into this issue.  This is simply something I have observed in the last couple of days... something others have noticed as well.    I'm very puzzled by this.  Nothing else has changed in Zachary's diet in over 3 months.    Zachary knew many many words... but conversation just wasn't coming...now, it is coming fast... just since I've removed the TMG.    He is also less hyper than he used to be.   This is all very interesting and exciting.    :o) 
08-07-02 Well, since Zachary has been on enzyme for about 5 months now, I figured it was time to do a "first test"... so, today, I gave him a huge chunk of cheddar cheese to see how he would react... NO REACTION whatsoever... no red ears, no red cheeks, no abnormal behavior... nothing!  I'm thrilled.   I gave Zachary 2 enzymes (peptizyde) just prior to giving him the cheese.   I will continue to monitor him closely and will only reintroduce other milk products very very slowly... perhaps spreading them apart by weeks rather than days... but, this first test with cheese and enzymes has been very very exciting to say the least. :o)   I decided to start with casein because it takes 3 days for it to leave the body... gluten can take up to a year.
08-08-02 I noticed Zachary had dark circles again today... could be due to cheese from yesterday... so, I'll be watching that carefully.
   

 

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