Author Archives: peacelovepaleo

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About peacelovepaleo

A mom of an autistic child trying to help other families adopt the Paleo diet and lifestyle

My 2012 Paleo Resolutions

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One of the things that I love about the Paleo lifestyle is that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Shortly after beginning our journey, Chad and I realized we had different tolerances and responses to different foods. There is no such thing as Perfect Paleo, and we have accepted that each person in our family is on a unique journey of listening and responding to their body’s needs appropriately. My personal journey with Paleo includes a sense of responsibility to lead my family on this endless quest for better sleep, less stress, and cleaner food.

This Christmas season we have been inundated with treats in our environment. After indulging in more than a few non-Paleo and even Paleo treats, I am reminded of where I am on my journey. Even a small amount of sugar and refined flour sends my blood sugar on a wild ride, leaves me feeling weak and shaky, and depletes the healthy energy that I need to care for my kids and run my household.

Thankfully, Jan 1 is quickly approaching, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t craving schedule, planned meals, earlier bedtimes, and cleaner foods that make our family function optimally. In addition, I’ve had a few Paleo resolutions rolling around in my head for a while that I think are reasonable and appropriate goals for us, sometime in 2012.

1. Start a Paleo blog–this is nearly checked off. While I was planning to start this blog when Charlotte entered Kindergarten, I jump started it to help others and to kick my stress management skills into gear by holding myself accountable. I hope to be honest and accepting and steer clear of preaching or judging.

2. Make more homemade bone broth & sauerkraut–this is a bit of a confession. How can I consider myself a Paleo blogger if I haven’t made these Paleo wonders that are full of healthy nourishment that help heal a leaky gut? Diane and Liz, I’ve been listening…so stay tuned for posts on these super-Paleo foods.

3. Darken our bedrooms–This has been on the list of home improvement projects since I read Robb Wolf’s book, but after listening to podcast from Underground Wellness with T.S. Wiley, I learned how sleeping in dark room facilitates melatonin and Vitamin D production, therefore positively affecting insulin, serotonin, and other key hormones that make us feel good. Charlotte’s fear of the dark has lessened significantly, so I need to grab this opportunity for better sleep and regulation with her while I can.

4. Less TV for the kids–With winter illness and icy weather running rampant in our household for the last month, TV gazing has become more prevalent for the kids as they are looking for a way to wind down after hectic schedules, heal from runny noses and sore throats, and generally stay out of mommy’s way while she runs around like a crazy person during the holidays.

Mostly importantly, I need to remember to be kind to myself and enjoy our journey. A few symptoms of dysregulation and falling off the Paleo wagon only give us more motivation to take another step toward overall wellness, as defined by us.

Back on Track

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It must be the holidays. I’m feeling pulled in a million different directions, and I seem unable to focus on the day-to-day tasks as more and more stuff to do piles in my head. I was not surprised when Charlotte had a series of meltdowns this morning. We are back in school after the Thanksgiving holiday, and her re-entry into this routine is usually shaky.

A few weeks ago at dinner she announce that she was feeling tired. While this seems like such a simple thing, Chad and I nearly high-fived each other across the table. She has taken the next step of many in the journey toward self-regulating.

That being said, when she announces her need for sleep at 9am on a Tuesday morning, other than canceling our morning plans and driving home and putting her to bed, I wasn’t sure how to help her. I struggled getting her to eat breakfast, get dressed, and attend Dana’s morning drop off assembly. By the time we got to her therapy appointment, she was done. The hand-off to the therapist did not go well. Charlotte spent quite a few minutes on the floor, seeming unable to pull herself to standing and go in for the session.

Thankfully, the ever-so-patient therapist motivated her to stand up and enter the session. Once in the therapy room (where parents do not go), I could hear her continue to sob her tired tears and plead for some item of need. Most days, I take off quickly after the hand-off for my morning walk, but today I waited in agony, stood outside the closed door, and waited until I heard the tears quiet and the session begin.

As I began my walk, my mind was flooded with a million thoughts of guilt and shame that someone else was having to deal with my child in that state and what I had done to get it to that point. All of a sudden I realized that putting myself on a guilt trip was the least healthy thing I could do for myself at that moment, and freeing myself of this guilt suddenly jolted me into reality. In addition to the added stressors around the holidays, I recognized a series of events and decisions that had occurred in my personal life over the last few weeks that have pulled my focus from my family and have forced me to regulate myself. Charlotte’s world was more upside down than it needed to be, due to my choices. I said out loud as I walked, “I am done”, and mentally released all of the excess mental baggage that I had been carrying around while I was trying keep Charlotte regulated at the same time.

It was like a switch flipped for me at that moment, and I realized that the precious amount of energy that I had to get through each day was being wasted. Instead of beating myself up for allowing Charlotte to get to a point of exhaustion and dysregulation, I promised myself that I would get my focus back on what is important and use my energy to help her get through the next few hectic weeks of off-scheduling, holidays, food temptations, and any other unexpected drama that would derail our regulated state.

I am giving myself permission to stay focused on my family when life will want to pull me away again. Nothing is more important than keeping my child comfortable and free from avoidable meltdowns.

Following my own advice–texture aversions

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I had just finished posting the information on Recommendations & Advice about knowing which textures your child has aversions to, how to carefully incorporate new foods, and the importance of understanding their likes and dislikes. I had all of this information fresh in my mind, and then….I came down with a cold.

What does that have to do with texture aversions? Well, every Monday I make my girls a hot almond and pecan cereal. (Recipe courtesy of Sarah Fragoso here: almondcereal) I use my Blendtec and grind up apples, cinnamon, nuts, and water. I make a big batch and it usually lasts the first few days of the week. Typically, I run the blender a couple of times to make sure that I grind up any large pieces of nuts or apple.

This Monday I woke up in a NyQuil induced haze and forgot to run the blender twice. This resulted in large pieces of nuts and apples in Charlotte’s cereal that I was not aware of. This must have really grossed her out because yesterday she sat in her chair and stared at her cereal for a very long time before I grog-i-l-y noticed that she wasn’t eating. By this time the cereal was cold, and she was begging me to help her eat it. I prompted her to eat it herself and reminded her that there were no big pieces. She finished it reluctantly, and I didn’t think of it again.

Until, today. When the frustration over the cereal consumed her and defiance and back talk made it’s way into the discussion about finishing her breakfast. When I finally inspected the cereal, I did notice large pieces of textures that she does not tolerate well and used it as a teachable moment to show her how to pull the pieces out of the cereal with her spoon and place them on a napkin.

But….it’s too late…next week when I make hot nut cereal I will have to run the blender twice and to take the extra time to reassure her and show her that it is, indeed, safe to eat.

Healthy Fats

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I’m going to start this post with a disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am not a scientist. I am a mom who has recognized substantial positive change in my child when altering her diet. I am attempting to take my experience and match it to some Paleo based science/research. Some of the information you read in this post may sound contrary to popular opinion. 

Why we think eating fat has benefited Charlotte:

*She has issues with her nervous system. We know that she has Sensory Modulation Disorder (SMD), which is one of the three primary diagnostic groups of Sensory Processing Disorder. She is over or under responding to sensory stimuli and often is seeking sensory stimulation. Yes.

This group may include a fearful and/or anxious pattern, negative and/or stubborn behaviors, self-absorbed behaviors that are difficult to engage or creative or actively seeking sensation [source]. Definitely. 

All of this dysregulation is going on in her nervous system and prevents her from responding appropriately to sensory input. In our world this looks like things that take a lot of effort for her….trying new food flavors and textures, following directions, getting dressed, knowing when she needs to go potty, etc, etc.

*The nervous system sends signals to cells in different parts of the body and ultimately controls the body’s functions. In addition, “the evolution of a complex nervous system has made it possible for various animal species to have advanced perception abilities such as vision, complex social interactions, rapid coordination of organ systems, and integrated processing of concurrent signals. In humans, the sophistication of the nervous system makes it possible to have language, abstract representation of concepts, transmission of culture, and many other features of human society that would not exist without the human brain.” [source] 

Essentially, her nervous system makes or breaks her comfort level in the world. How do we make it stronger, faster, better?

*Vitamin B12–is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. Vitamin B12 is found in foods that come from animals, including fish and shellfish, meat (especially liver), poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products [source]. Without even realizing it, when we began the Paleo diet and introduced more meat and less grain, we were strengthening her nervous system.

*Energy–I was recently reading a post from Mark Sisson of Marks’ Daily Apple about Mitochondria. Need a refresher of tenth grade biology class? In very simple terms…mitochondria are the power plants of a cell. They generate the chemical energy the body needs for a range of cellular processes. I was definitely intimidated by this subject matter, but I stuck with it and applied it to my observations of Charlotte’s behaviors. It makes sense to me that giving her cells fatty acids from food to use as a source of fuel for the cells, rather than glucose (sugar/carbs) would lead to more energy, increased overall alertness, ultimately leading to increased mental and physical strength and development. More specifics on all of this here.

*And the great news…I’m not alone! I found this great site on Autism Treatment talking about Ketogenic(higher fat/lower carb) diets and how they may help kids with Autism.

But wait…there’s more…

*Essential Fatty Acids–When we first started on the Paleo diet, we helped our kids kick their sugar and carb addictions with delicious fruit smoothies. We loaded up our Blendtec blender with fresh fruit, frozen strawberries and blueberries, and even got crazy and added veggies like avocado and spinach. It’s funny now to remember that Chad and I had to both stand in front of the blender and secretly add these ingredients the girls were so terrified of at the time. We also secretly added Cod Liver Oil, which is basically Omega 3 in liquid form with Essential Fatty Acids DHA and EPA. All of the other flavors of the smoothie masked any fishy taste from the oil. Again, it’s no surprise that we saw changes right after starting this regime. Omega-3s aid circulation by naturally thinning the blood, fight systemic inflammation, support brain function and ease symptoms of depression, anxiety and even ADHD [source]. Currently, we try to serve fish at home 1-2 times per week to provide these essential fats in the form of food. If we miss a week, I’ll give them a glass of orange juice (a special treat) and add a 1/2 tsp of Cod Liver Oil to each drink–and I don’t have to hide it anymore.

*The fat in animal protein has become an essential part of Charlotte’s diet. We have no qualms sending bacon with her to preschool as her snack and making sure she eats all of her skirt steak before giving her more sweet potatoes. I’m sharing this with you because I only wish I had known this sooner. See Our Story for our a detailed account of how her sleep issues shortly after birth were a clear sign that Charlotte need more fat in her diet. Conventional Wisdom has scared us away from natural fats that our ancestors have been eating for thousands of years. It’s only in recent history that we have shifted away from this powerful energy source and so many brain based issues have arisen. 

*One final note on fat–the Paleo diet recommends pastured-raised 100% grass-fed beef as the best source of animal protein and fat. Grass fed beef contains Omega 3s (discussed above) and Conjugated Linoleic Acid, which is another good for you naturally occurring fat. Grain fed beef gets a bad rap in the Paleo Community, mostly because the cattle are fed grain/soy/corn in a feed lot to fatten them for tastier consumption. It makes perfect sense that grain fed beef goes against what Paleo people strive to consume. However, it can be expensive and hard to find. As you begin your Paleo journey, you may be encouraged to learn that we have only recently been able to acquire grass-fed beef and feed it to Charlotte. All of the meat that she thrived on in our earlier Paleo days was Costco-bought, grain fed. If you are holding out for cheaper or more accessible grass-fed beef, grain fed is an acceptable substitute and did our family right for a short time.

Pick and Choose

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I’m all about saving money using meal planning, which is what prompted me to watch a Yahoo News Video entitled Feed Family for $15 a day, even though I had previously sworn of watching/reading these so-called-News-posts as a silly indulgence that were sucking up too much of my precious computer time.

Nevertheless, it was probably entertaining to watch my facial expressions as the tips for saving money on family meals unfolded. The following tips from the article caused a pleasingly surprised expression:

*Intentional Shopping–which means make a menu, make a list, stick to it. Bingo! Almost verbatim to my Recommendations and Advice.The food saving expert also states that planning ahead for shopping trips can save up to 20% on impulse or unplanned purchases. She also mentions when meal planning, consider leftovers and the nights you will not be home. Beautiful.

*Freezing in portions–I whole heartedly agree with this, especially for meat. This is also helpful dinner/meal planning and additionally for my mid day meals, which I stash a few emergency pieces of protein in a separate part of my freezer for days when there’s limited leftovers available for my lunch. Also, she mentions shopping from your freezer first before loading up at the store on meat. Yup.

*Using leftovers–the food saving expert recommends taking leftover veggies and using them in an omlete or egg scramble the next morning. I agree….except when she gets to the part about adding rice and tofu to vegetables to save money. My mouth and eyebrows are contorting in various angles as I’m wondering…where’s the beef?

At this point, anyone approaching my laptop should back away slowly because my expression displays a confused and disapproving scowl at the following advice for feeding one’s family….

*Going Vegetarian once or twice per week. Nope. This will only mess with your insulin levels and leave you hungry before bed or send you into kitchen for a late night binge on chips, crackers, ice cream or some other processed food to fill in what the healthy protein and fat should have done for you. Eat meat.

*Whole grain pasta as a cheap base for meals. Oh My. I have made it clear in previous posts how eating pasta ruined our health. The gluten and starch caused significant stress on our digestive systems, my adrenal glands, and Charlotte’s neurological development. No, thank you.

*Beans and legumes as super stars. Wow. She recommends cooking them to hydrate them. True, but  legumes contain lectins and cooking them makes them edible but still detrimental to our health. Feeding the Rotini with Legumes to my family of 4 would cause stomach upset, gas, and bloating. Misery.

My point to this post is to approach mainstream advice for feeding your family with apprehension and patience. Despite the rising numbers of individuals with diabetes and insulin resistance, celiac, and many other food based disease, this information is still being presented as the optimum way to feed our family and save money. Beware of Big Food companies that lessen the price and quality of processed food at the expense of making us sick.

Find the Yahoo video here. Or better yet, stick to healthy recipes and sound advice based on ancestral health that can be found on the sites listed in Paleo Community.

It’s a big, scary world out there…

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As Charlotte’s social behavior and sensory issues have improved, we seem to blend a little better into mainstream playgroup scene. The need for me to explain to every person within earshot of what-her-issues-are-and-how-we-are-working-on-them-so-please-don’t-judge-me-too-harshly-as-a-parent, has gone down significantly.

In fact, most people seem to enjoy Charlotte’s budding social skills and emerging confidence. She is getting very creative with what she says upon initally greeting people. Lately, she’s been informing them of what she’s doing that day (my fault–lots of visual preparation there) or who she is going to be for Halloween (Rapunzel from Tangled). I heave a sigh of relief when these interactions go well, and there’s no need to explain some odd behavior or a statement that only makes sense in the four walls of our house.

As my comfort level with her behavior increases, I’ve told fewer people about her issues and most days I forget which parents/friends/relatives I’ve given the most recent updates to.  Until….I’m smack dab in the middle of mainstream preschool issues and get caught off guard by the parent who is telling me that Charlotte’s typically developing 3 year old behavior has negatively affected their child and somehow impedes some social interaction between the youngsters.

Now….here I am out there in the open, the sensitive and caring eyes of informed parents are gone. I’m left vulnerable searching for mainstream terms to defend the way my child is handling the situation. This parent will not understand the holes in her social development and how she has new coping skills that are changing every day, and I am so proud of her just for trying to make friends with your child that nothing else really matters. I want to say all of these things as fast as I can because I am fearful of being judged as a mainstream parent…please put us back in the special needs playground where all of this is acceptable and I’m doing a great job.

Instead, I smile a big chesire cat smile, knowing so many secretive and mysterious things about my daughter that nobody else will ever understand, and I say…”They’re just learning how to make friends.”

One of those days…

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I’ve used this expression so many times when it seems the negative energy of the universe has unleashed itself upon me, and I am unable to effectively meet the endless challenge running a household and maintaining my sanity. However, today I began to think about the dynamics that make up a difficult day…or in my case, a ridiculous-lose-my-cool-and-feel-guilty-about-it-all-day kind of morning.

I must preface by saying that I often think deeply about my mistakes and missteps in life in order to improve my behavior in the future. I believe being a parent is my life’s work, and I strive for some level of perfection. My challenge is walking the thin line between reflection and obsession–but that’s another post.

After my Pilates class and some time away from the kids, I was able to reflect on the morning and this led me to the realization that as Charlotte and I continue on our journey of healing, we are going to both have off days. Sadly, recovering from sensory related issues (her) and hormonally related issues (me) means that one or both of us has to take the 2-steps-back-to-move-one-step-forward dance. When Charlotte’s dysregulation results in defiant behavior and my PMS is raging, we’re going to have issues…and well, a rough morning. Insert deep breath here. Practice self forgiveness.

My reflection has led me to new solutions and new consequences. Assuming that I have done my part to keep the morning moving (breakfast made, kids up on time), Charlotte has the responsibilty of moving herself through the proper steps of potty, breakfast, getting dressed, and using her tools of asking for help and self regulation to get her there. She craves the morning play time before assembly at Dana’s school. If she cooperates with the morning routine, she receives this reward. If she falls off the morning wagon, we drop Dana off with Charlotte in pajamas.

So after careful reflection, self forgiveness, and knowing my child’s limits and capabilities, I am able to regulate myself with a plan for tomorrow’s morning.

Celebrations and triumphs

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I think one of the best parts of being a parent is celebrating your child’s triupmhs over their challenges. Water is a soothing sensory input for Charlotte, so swimming lessons were a natural fit. As she’s gotten older and moved up the levels, she has had to work harder on listening to her teacher, waiting her turn, and using physical strength to move her body in the water. It’s an amazing feeling when the soothing input becomes an instructional tool and practice for real life. Today she graduated from holding her body in a straight glide to gliding with her kickers. I’m so happy to celebrate this achievement with her!

Welcome!

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This blog is designed to help families with special needs children achieve a Paleo lifestyle. I will include my experiences that led my family to this lifestyle, how we achieved it, and how we stick to it. My family has enjoyed a range of health benefits as a result of the Paleo diet. Our experiences range from improving my younger daughter’s Autism, my older daughter’s nasal allergies, and managing stress and adrenal issues for my husband and myself.

Our path toward health and wellness has been an exceptional exprience, and I look forward to sharing our story with you and helping your family achieve optimal health benefits.