No Gluten- No Cry

Welcome to the July Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let’s Talk About Food

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about their struggles and successes with healthy eating. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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No Gluten- No Cry

This is a subject I should love.

Food.  I mean, come on- my name out here is “kitchenwitch” you’d expect me to love talking about food.  Food and I have a tricky history.  For a long time I was a BAD COOK.  The huz was a sweetheart, but there were times when the dinners I cooked were actually inedible.  I would burn things- all the time.  You know that joke about the dinner bell being the fire alarm?  In our house that is a true story.  Chicken nuggets and french fries, frozen pizza, and microwave dinners were the norm.  I found fresh vegetables intimidating- unless they were in basic salad form (and I’m talking basic.  Spinach was exotic and kale was something my vovo put in soup.  It is only in the last five years or so that I’ve been able to take interest, and later pride, in the food I feed my family.

When I was twenty-four, my second child was born- Patrick.  He was not a happy baby. He cried, constantly.  I was breastfeeding, and he would have to eat every hour, around the clock.  He was slow to put on weight.  He fussed and cried and spat up more than any baby I had ever known.  When he began eating food he would throw up ALL THE TIME and he had horrible rashes.  He screamed and cried.  He was the temper-tantrum king.  He never wanted to be held or cuddled.  He fought me with every single ounce of his little being.  It was so sad, but I didn’t understand how to help him.  I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what.

When he was two, Willow was born.  At her first baby check up, I mentioned to the doctor (a new doctor) that I was concerned about Patrick- I made a joke about how foul his bowel movements were and that he had NEVER had a solid one yet.  Our old doctor didn’t seem concerned, but I was really worried.  The doctor suggested that he might have an allergy and he put Patrick on an elimination diet- no gluten, soy, eggs, nuts, dairy.

I had never heard of food allergies (no one in my family has ever had one) so it had never occurred to me that this might be the problem.  Within days we saw a change.  Patrick became calm.  He was sweet and happy.  I can still remember the first day he HUGGED me.  He had never done that before and I was so happy I burst into tears.  By the end of the summer he was a completely different child.  I think his poor tummy finally had a chance to settle and heal.

We slowly began to add back foods, one by one, and I kept a food journal for him.  Through trial and error we discovered that he doesn’t have a full blown allergy, but is sensitive to most foods on the no-no list.  As long as we keep his diet well-balanced and incorporate a lot of whole fresh foods, he does just fine.  This experience forced me to learn to make better meals and snacks for my family.

I’m glad it all worked out- he is ok now, and enjoys what I cook for him and his brother and sisters, but I feel bad when I think of that poor little baby.  I work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen again.  I spend quite a bit of time planning our weekly menus, trying to walk the line between well-balanced meals made with healthy, fresh foods and our limited budget.  We eat a ton of vegetables and beans- we have been slowly dropping meat from our diet and we are veggie about five days a week now.  We love the farmer’s market and I enjoy finding new things to make for my family.

The littles have fabulous appetites and every one of them is blessed with an adventurous palate- so they love to try new and interesting foods.  I’m so happy that they know dinner doesn’t have to come from a box.

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated July 13 with all the carnival links.)

• Welcome to Two — All About Food — In case you hadn’t heard, there is a conspiracy afoot from the two year olds of the world. Shana at Tales of Minor Interest stumbled onto their newsletter!
• Four Seasons of Eating Locally — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction has pointers for what fresh produce can be found year-round. (@MBJunction)
• Happy Families Can Have More Than One Diet — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has figured out a way for her family to live happily as vegans and vegetarians with relatives who eat meat. (@DebChitwood)
• My Own Omnivore’s Dilemma — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante prioritizes responsible consumer choices for her family.
• No Gluten — No Cry — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma learned to cook balanced meals when her son’s food sensitivities prompted a diet overhaul. (@kitchenwitch)
• Try, Try Again — Stefanie at very very fine has become an enthusiastic consumer of locally grown food.
• CSA — Week 1 — Casey at What Love Is wants her children to know where their food comes from, so she joined a friendly CSA. (@CBerbs)
• Food: Parenting or Homemaking? — Michelle at The Parent Vortex sees food as part of a parent’s nurturing role. (@TheParentVortex)
• 5 Tips to Help Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits — If you struggle with healthy eating, helping your child develop healthy habits might be a challenge. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips that will help your kids learn to make good food choices. (@CodeNameMama)
• Family Food: Seeking Balance Between Healthy, Sustainable & Affordable — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings has a whole list of ideas for how she can improve her family’s eating, both now and into the future. (@sunfrog)
• Whole Foods in, Wholesome Feelings Out — Jessica at This is Worthwhile has turned her back on the processed, preservative-ridden food of her childhood. (@tisworthwhile)
• When to Splurge on Organic (and When It Is Okay to Skip It) — Becoming Mamas tell you what foods to prioritize when buying pricier organic food, and where you can find it cheaper. (@becomingmamas)
• A Locavore’s Family Meal — Acacia at Be Present Mama tells a story in pictures of her family taking a trip to the local organic farmers market and then preparing a summer meal together with their bounty.
• Eat Your Food, or Else — Why should we not bribe a child to eat? TwinToddlersDad from Littlestomaks (Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition) explains. (@TwinToddlersDad)
• Food, Glorious Food! — Luschka at Diary of a First Child describes three easy ways her family has started eating healthier. (@diaryfirstchild)
• Celebrating Food — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog believes in food as medicine and thinks it’s worth paying more to keep healthy. (@myzerowaste)
• Oil and Yogurt — What have you been motivated to do with the current oil spill crisis? midnightfeedings has started making her own yogurt. (@midnightfeeding)
• Growth-Spurt Soup (AKA “Beannut Stew”) — BeanMa has a special stew to help her baby through growth spurts that keep her up all night. (@thebeanma)
• Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom)
• Feeding a Family of Six — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children gives helpful tips for feeding a family of six.
• Starting Solids at 6 Months — Did your doctor recommend that you give your baby cereal? Sheryl at Little Snowflakes discusses how whole foods are so much healthier (and more delicious) than traditional cereal. (@sheryljesin)
• Am I What I Eat? — Andrea!!! at Ella-Bean & Co. has figured out a way to avoid grocery stores nearly altogether.
• Are We Setting Our Kids Up To Fail? — Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias found that cutting out the junk also transformed her sons’ behavior problems.
• Changing your family’s way of eating — Lauren at Hobo Mama has techniques you can try to move your family gradually toward a healthier diet. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Real Food — What kinds of fake foods do you eat? And why?! Lisa C. at My World Edenwild talks about why she chooses real food.
• A Snackaholic’s Food Battle — Julie at Simple Life wants to stop snacking and get into the old ways of cooking from scratch and raising her own food. (@homemakerjulie)
• Food, Not Fight — Summer at Finding Summer doesn’t want her kids to grow up like her husband: hating everything green. (@summerm)
• How Do You Eat When You Are out of Town? — Cassie at There’s a Pickle In My Life wants some tips on how to eat healthy when you are out of town.
• Carnival of Natural Parenting: Food! — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker hopes that by serving her children healthy, balanced meals, they will become accustomed to making good food choices. (@sybilryan)
• There’s No Food Like Home’s — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing revels in the Bajan food of her upbringing. (@BlkWmnDoBF)
• This Mom’s Food Journey — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment made a journey from not paying attention to food to growing her own.
• Who Knew Eating Was So Hard? — The challenges involved in changing to healthier eating habits take on a whole new dimension when you have a child who has difficulties eating. kadiera at Our Little Acorn shares her own experiences. (@kadiera)
• Loving Food — Starr at Earth Mama truly believes food is her family’s medicine and is willing to spend days preparing it the traditional way.
• Food Mindfulness — Danielle at born.in.japan details how her family spends money on each category of food. (@borninjp)
• Food for Little People — Zoey at Good Goog wants to bless her daughter with happy traditions built around good food. (@zoeyspeak)
• Eat Like a Baby — Have you been told that you should not equate food with love? Kate Wicker at Momopoly shows us why that’s not necessarily true. (@Momopoly)
• Food — Deb at Science@Home tries to teach her children three rules to help them eat a healthy diet. (@ScienceMum)
• Healthy Eating Lactose-Free — MamanADroit gives us tips on how to eat healthy if you are lactose intolerant (or just don’t want cow milk). (@MamanADroit)