Diet

No I'm not talking about eating crazy to get skinny. In fact I am the most anti-diet person you can talk to- I believe in eating healthy and always staying active . I'm talking about diet as in the food we put in our mouth. Our habitual eating and the way it effects our emotions, mood, digestion, and of course our bodies.

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THERE IS POOP TALK to come. If you are afraid of POOP talk EXIT THIS BLOG POST NOW----

This week I set my foot down and decided OK it's time to potty train. We picked out some awesome lightening mcqueen undies, got hyped about becoming a big boy, and began the popular 3 day potty training method. The first day went pretty well actually, only a couple accidents and he realized when it was time to go and went. Awesome.

We stuck to diapers at night and naptime because that is something I am just not ready to tackle quite yet. Then it got me thinking. For the past 1.5 years, really since around his first birthday, our little Mr. Pants has always had horrible.. well.. pants. He maybe has a couple solid poops each month , the rest being horrible horrible messy diapers. Diapers that we have just gotten use to changing, but are still really awful. The past month or so it has gotten to the point where he wakes up almost every single morning and he has to shower it is so bad, I have been washing and changing sheets daily- trying to spare the gorry details here.

It got me thinking, GOOD lord. WHAT if this happens without a diaper on? I can deal with shampooing spots for pee, I can deal with accidents. But if this horrible-ness were to get anywhere else- that would be a nightmare. Then it got me to thinking, wait this isn't normal. Even though I have told his pediatricians about it and they think it's fine, it is NOT normal to have only a couple solid poops a month. We really need to get to the bottom- honestly no pun intended- of this situation. WHAT is going on with his digestion that is causing this?

I have tried reducing dairy, removing milk, removing fruit and juices, eating earlier dinner, you name it I have tried it with hardly any changes. As I sat here researching( I mean googling) - horrible toddler diapers- I finally found something that I was shocked hadn't come to mind earlier. The EVIL gluten.

Celiacs disease and other gluten intolerances are not news here. Many of our friends have problems with gluten making it pretty aware of what the diet consists of. Wheat -rye-barley are the obvious culprits. The biggest problem is all of the hidden places food manufacturers hide this nasty stuff. It can be  found in everything from chicken broth to shredded cheese as fillers , preservatives, etc.

So I thought about his average diet-

breakfast- Either Waffle, Pancakes, Toast, oatmeal or a bagel

Snacks- Crackers, Granola bars, Fruit, Cheerios

Lunch- Sandwich of some sort ( two pieces of bread of course) with fruit

Dinner- Vegetables, protein of some kind, and almost ALWAYS a variation of pasta.

HOLY CRAP! All this kid eats is wheat. Considering I am a self proclaimed carb-o-holic it really shouldn't be a surprise. But also considering I have had digestion problems for YEARS including having my gallbladder removed 4 years ago, the idea of myself having a problem digesting those mountains of gluten never came up.

Not only did my findings point to the obvious diaper problems, it is also known to cause hyperactivity, cloudiness, and other behavioral issues in children. Many parents state that their children would be their loving happy self one day and a completely different child the next... DING DING DING! Light bulbs flashing everywhere. In fact I found this blog post that just hit too close to home
http://joyfulchoices.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/joyful-family-gluten-intolerance-in-kids/

Before jumping to the doctor and running through the circus of appointments and testing that is bound to come, I am trying a week Gluten Free. It can't hurt anything and it may give us some answers to a few battles that my son and I have both been losing at for years. If not, O WELL . We will just continue searching for what can be the cause of the HORRIBLENESS we wake up to each morning.

So yesterday was Day 1. Let me tell you- after a long run with the boys in the morning, and a full busy day... I had more energy after their bedtime than ever. This morning we didn't have sheets to clean or a necessary shower, and it was a happy tantrum free morning. It could be a coincidence, but I am very hopeful.

As anyone with celiacs or a gluten intolerance will tell you, eating gluten free is not easy. Fortunately we cook most meals at home, and our grocery stores here are filled with plenty of organic gluten free options. Many meals we eat actually are already GF which is awesome. I have already found great substitutions like corn tortillas  for sandwich " bread" and rice as a staple instead of pastas. The amount of recipes online are ENDLESS and pinterest- of course- makes it all a breeze.

Maybe I am just coming out of the gluten " fog" they call it but I am pretty excited about this new adventure and hoping that it brings GREAT things to our family. Inlcuding-but not limited to- the restarting of potty training without the fear of the horrible-ness.

Hope everyone is having a happy week!