Foodie Friday: Why We’ve Decided to Clean Out the Cabinets

We’ve been eating cleaner for months, but now we’re really ready to kick it into high gear with really clean eating. Over the next month, we’ll be cleaning out the pantry to get rid of processed flour and dyes, and replacing the products we ditch with whole grain, dye-free alternatives.

We’ve been moving in a healthier direction for months — Daddy-in-Training and I have lost over 60 lbs combined since we started using Herbalife products in April. As you saw from our meal plan, most of our food is pretty healthy.

But since we moved here in December, the kids have been sick nonstop. Every time something goes around, they get it. Which makes no sense because we all eat healthy and wash our hands and take vitamins and supplements that naturally boost the immune system. We get enough sleep. We drink enough water. We avoid sick people. We do pretty much everything right, and still it doesn’t matter.

The boys’ pediatrician does that thing where he sighs and puts on an earnest and reassuring face and tells me that it’s normal for kids at this age to get sick a lot and for twins to pass it back and forth a lot. I will buy that to some extent. But this has been ridiculous. Ear infections, respiratory infections, stomach bugs — all occurring more frequently, hitting harder, and lasting longer than the same illnesses in their little friends. And then Jesse and I get sick. And then, despite the fact that we’re eating well and staying active and every other thing we’re supposed to do we are constantly “under the weather.” It gets old.

All this time, I had been chalking it up to allergies just from having moved into a new environment, but that just didn’t seem right to me as an explanation for the kids. Something else has been going on. It all started when we moved, but I didn’t think it was the house. And I didn’t think it was environmental allergies. And it didn’t occur to me until recently that they started getting sick and have been sickest match up directly with dietary changes: Introducing solids for all meals and snacks, introducing milk in place of formula or breast milk, visiting relatives who give them lots of cookies and crackers, starting daycare where they provide snacks that are things we don’t typically serve at home. Every major illness can be tied back to a dietary shift.

Finally, FINALLY, I had the good sense to talk to Heather (Princess Mommy) about it, and turns out her gut was telling her the same thing my gut was telling me: it’s the food. I think the boys may have an underlying sensitivity to gluten that is causing them to be in a constant state of inflammation, so their bodies are so busy fighting on the inside that they can’t fight off stuff that comes in from the outside. And also, it’s causing ear infections.

The pediatrician seems to think I’m nuts. “A food allergy wouldn’t do that.” But there is a HUGE body of anecdotal evidence tying hidden gluten intolerance to health issues ranging from IBS to eczema to seizures to constant infections to inappropriately aggressive and defiant behavior to autism.

Interestingly enough, I have had personal experience with this before. We had a dog for many years who had serious skin problems, behavioral issues, and chronic ear infections. Through working with an alternative vet, we discovered that he had food allergies. When we eliminated his allergens, his skin cleared up, his ear infections went away, and his behavior improved dramatically. Any time he got into something he wasn’t supposed to have — white flour, peanuts, chicken, turkey, soy, oats, carrots — he immediately got horrendous dandruff and an ear infection. Every time. EVERY TIME. I realize that dogs and people are not the same, but in this situation, I think the connection has the potential to cross the species barrier. It’s just too close to not apply.

Though he was clearly humoring me, the doc ordered a basic allergy panel for the boys and we got the results this week. Nothing particularly remarkable, but I’m still convinced that I’m on to something so we’re going to run with it. This is one of those things where experimenting with a “treatment” has absolutely zero potential for harm, so we’re going to proceed under the hypothesis that processed flour is a contributor and see what happens when we reduce and ultimately eliminate it from our family’s diet.

I predict the following, any one of which I contend will support my hypothesis and all of which I contend will prove it:

• The mysterious patch of scaly skin that appeared on Miles’ head in December and will not go away no matter what we do will disappear.
• Miles’ constipation will go away and his distended abdomen will go down.
• Emmett will stop getting double ear infections and Miles will stop getting single ear infections. These incidents will reduce from approximately 1 per month to no more than 1 per year.
• Neither child will get a stomach bug lasting more than 48 hours or more frequently than quarterly.
• Colds will drop to once per season or less and will last no more than a week.

With all of these issues, our household is in a constant state of damage control. The skin, constipation, and sniffles are pretty much constant; the others occur in rotation, with occasional fun stuff like pink eye coming home from school just for fun. I predict a significant reduction in these specific issues, which I believe are tied to the diet.

I’ll be reporting back on Fridays with the results of this experiment. Wish us luck!

This post is a continuation of a weekly-ish feature at Amateur Parenting: Foodie Friday. In each installment, we’ll give you new ideas for feeding yourself and your family, from making baby food for your little ones to cooking meals that mom, dad, and your big and little kids will enjoy. Want to request a post on a specific meal or feeding issue? Contact us with your idea!