Gluten Free Diet and Behavior Problems
I spend my days teaching people how to achieve vibrant health, reverse disease, balance their hormones, sharpen their minds and raise healthy kids on a nutrient dense, whole, unprocessed fresh organic food…preferably gluten-free diet. I’ve raised my kids on whole foods since birth and as a result they have experienced amazing health and strength.
You can imagine my shock and horror at the news I heard about my younger son, soon to be 13 years old.
Over the last few weeks we’ve been getting calls and emails from several of his teachers about his behavior. It seems that he’s been having trouble focusing and has been goofing around with a couple of buddies. We’ve talked to him, tried to figure out if there’s something upsetting him, blamed puberty and hormones and suspected a gluten exposure.
Yesterday his teacher called again and I asked if she’d seen him eating anything he wasn’t supposed to have, like gluten, dairy or sugar. She seemed surprised that we kept him away from those foods. I was surprised that she was surprised because we’d met with the cafeteria and alerted those in charge of his dietary restrictions.
What a shock to get a call from him today saying that his teacher saw him with pizza on his cafeteria tray and told him to throw it away and call home!
In further investigating with the cafeteria, we were informed that he’s been buying chips, cookies and pizza for over a month…in spite of the fact that we’d had them register his dietary restrictions in their computer program…and they have perfectly acceptable vegan alternatives…beans, brown rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, veggie burgers!
It’s frustrating and embarrassing!
The good news is the time frame during which he’ been eating pizza almost exactly lines up with the time frame for the behavior problems! Even his older bother has been complaining about his behavior over the last month!
Before we put him on a gluten free diet, Kevin was what I would call oppositional. Very defiant. Hard to get him to sit still and listen to what we needed him to do. After removing gluten, he became noticeably calmer and more present – more mature.
So now he’s taking the stand “It’s my body. I can do what I want.” SO NOW what?
We told him when he’s out on his own and paying his own bills, that’s true, but our money goes towards good healthy foods not junk food pizza! Plus we need to help him be successful at school and food is a big part of it!
Our older son, now 17, was always such a dream about food…still is…so we never even imagined we’d have a challenge with Kevin!
I guess he’s going to have to be a student in our June “Kids in the Kitchen Class” and meet other kids his age working on a whole foods diet.
I believe we are challenged with what we most need to learn. Perhaps I am on the verge of breakthrough strategies for motivating kids to eat healthy food.
Sad part about this whole thing is I make the BEST pizza and all the kids I’ve fed it to love it! Why not my kid? Hopefully he’s satisfied his curiosity and when he gets back on his regular diet, he’ll notice such a profound difference he’ll be hooked! A mom can only hope!
We’ve canceled his lunch account and he’ll be bringing his lunch again. Kids his age hate that, yet it seems the only way. He lost the privilege.
I’d love to hear stories from other moms and am also open to advice!!!! Teach the teacher!
Please comment below.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: behavior, behavior problems, food, food and drink, gluten foods, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, health, healthy food, junk food, kids, nutrition, pizza, raising healthy kids, Raw Foods, raw foods diet, raw vegan, reverse disease, veganism, Vibrant Health, wheat gluten
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Vibrant Health
Raw Food Recipes for Gluten Free Diet and Healthy Holidays
Eating a gluten free diet and making raw foods recipes during the holidays need not be difficult. You especially need not feel deprived.
Here’s one of my favorite raw food recipes for gluten free gingerbread cookies, taken from my book Healthy Holiday Traditions. Before I switched to a gluten free diet, high raw foods and greens, I would bake gingerbread cookies and have lots of fun shaping them into people of various sizes and shapes.
This recipe results in raw vegan gluten free cookies that taste even better than the baked kinds.
I’ve given you two versions to try. If you have a food dehydrator, I recommend you try the first recipe. They come out warm and fragrant. If you don’t have a dehydrator yet, the freezer cookies are great too. I’ve even included a recipe for a creamy frosting to top the cookies with and decorate as you choose.
Additional gluten free raw foods recipes for healthy holidays are in our new book “Dessert: Making it Rich Without Oil”, Sweets for the Holidays online videos and Healthy Holiday Traditions e-book. All are available for immediate download.
Enjoy and have a happy, healthy holiday.
Gingerbread Cookies – Dehydrated
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almonds, soaked overnight and rinsed
- 1 cup walnuts, soaked overnight and rinsed
- 1/4 cup raw date paste (see recipe below)
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2/3 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/3 teaspoons cloves
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 – 1 cup shredded coconut
Directions:
- Combine almonds, walnuts, and date paste with salt and spices in food processor until well combined.
- Knead the coconut a little at a time into dough. Use between ½ and 1 cup – as much as it takes to result in a rollable dough.
- Roll or press dough onto paraflex sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired sizes of gingerbread people.
- Dehydrate at 105 degrees for a few hours until the cookies are firm enough to remove to mesh sheets.
- Flip onto mesh sheets and dehydrate for another 8 hours or to desired texture.
- Make a variety of colored frostings and apply using pastry bag and various tips.
- You can also decorate cookies with dried fruits, nuts, seeds, or coconut.
Variations:
- Eliminate spices and use raw cacao powder to make chocolate cookies.
- Use a variety of cookie cutter sizes and shapes.
- Form cookies into rounds instead of using cookie cutters.
- Shape cookies by putting dough into a cookie press.
Gingerbread Cookies – Freezer VersionIngredients:
Directions:
|
Creamy Cookie Frosting
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts (or half and half)
- 1/3 cup water, or coconut water
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup date paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy.
- If too thick, add just a tad more liquid
- Use dehydrated fruit powders and spirulina to pigment the frosting.
Date Paste
Many recipes that use liquid sweetener can be made with date paste instead. It’s easy to make and keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week, if not longer.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- ½ cup water
Directions:
Blend ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.
Alternative:
Soak the dates in water for 20 minutes. Then blend the dates and the soak water in a food processor until smooth. You may need to add a little more water.
Tags: dehydrator, Gluten Free Diet, gluten free foods, Gluten Free recipes, healthy holiday recipes, raw diet, raw food diet, raw food holiday recipes, raw food recipes, raw vegan
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Healthy Holiday, Holiday Recipes, Living Foods, Raw and Living Foods, Raw Foods, Vegan Diet
The Truth About Sugar: It’s Not as Sweet as You Think
If you’ve read my articles before, you know that I’m not a fan of sugar. I’ve talked at length about it’s role in cancer, heart disease, infectious illness, diabetes and many other serious illnesses. While I’m appalled at how much sugar is in the foods that line the grocer’s shelves, tempting unsuspecting consumers with their beautiful trappings, what bothers me the most is the fact that sugar is added to dishes in vegetarian and natural foods restaurants, it sneaks into everything from cucumber salad to bread in many health food stores, and it appears in recipes in so-called health books.
What gives? Aren’t the dangers of sugar well known already? Why do people continue to eat the white powder that’s almost as addicting as cocaine and costs us billions of dollars in doctor and hospital bills?
I listened to a very informative recording called “The Truth about Sugar” by Dr. Tel Oren (http://www.thetruthaboutyourfood.com/ ). This is one in a series of talks.
I’ll be listening and writing as the week goes on. One very important point he made about sugar is that I don’t think is common knowledge is that when you eat aspartame, or other non caloric sweeteners, it triggers an insulin response which can cause food cravings and a hypoglycemic rebound.
He also had some interesting comments about agave as an alternative sweetener…and it wasn’t favorable. I adjusted the 3 recipes in my Thanksgiving Feast e-book to make agave optional and use dates as an alternative. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow.
Love and Health,
Dr. Ritamarie
www.FreshnFunLiving.com/Thanksgiving
Tags: Living Foods, raw Thanksgiving recipes, raw vegan, sugar, sugar dangers, sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian
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