Food/Eating

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Changing Henry to a gluten/dairy diet made a massive difference and we believe was a huge contributor to his progress.

We did go down the biomedical route for about three years however it got to be virtually impossible as Henry was so rigid and controlling about what he ate and drank. Even though it was really difficult to maintain because of his inflexibility it definitely helped him and we went maize/soya/refined sugar free for quite a while. Today we are really careful what Henry has and although we have relaxed a little on the maize and soya and sugar front we do still make sure that this is kept to a minimum. We still stick to the gluten and dairy free, we still think it is extremely important for him.

Changing your child’s diet and trying to introduce new foods is a huge undertaking but it is also a really empowering and exciting one!

These are just a few things that I have learnt that might help:

• You have to be ready yourself to do it. By this i mean feel really ready. You may know that it is the right thing to do but you do have to feel physically and emotionally strong enough to tackle it as it will take a lot of your resolve. So pick a time that is better for you. Christmas or the school holidays for example probably arent the best time.
• Changing your childs diet goes hand in hand with changing your attitude and beliefs. If you feel sorry for your child that they can’t have these foods that are not actually good for them your child will know!
• See it as a wonderful chance to truly help your child.
• Henry hardly ate anything and I know that there is a fear that children with restricted diets will not eat anything if you change their diet. The truth is that if our children are craving food and sticking for one thing it really will not be very good for them and they will eat something else but you will have to be strong. I think Henry lasted about 3 days before he ate something on the new diet. I did do it cold turkey which in hindsight may not have been the best way, but the important thing here is going back to attitude. If you are strong in your resolve it will make it a lot easier for you both!
• When you first change the diet, i think it is really important that you keep offering the food and have it around the house. I probably did not do this enough, or do it enough. Food is still a big issue for us even though now I think Henry’s diet is fab but it is still not like a normal diet or even a picky child!!
• Only putting one tiny piece on their plate, if they will let you.
• Adding things very slowly, eg veggies or veggie juice to food or drinks. So many times I’ve got excited and added too much and then Henry noticed and has never had it again since!
• Desensitising around food is also really helpful. We used a book called ‘Mange Tout’ recommeded by another sonrise mom and this gives you great ideas for playing with food and making children more interested in food and more relaxed around it. Activities included things like playing bowls with oranges, painting with celery sticks etc.

 

This is a huge area and this is just a little snippet, please feel free to contact me if I can help in any other way.