Body Image and Self Esteem

As a parent I try so hard to instill self confidence and positive self esteem in my child, while at the same time avoiding arrogance.  I worry though about the effects of food allergies on his body image.  Food is the center of his universe, along with toys, of course.  But at the tender age of 4 3/4, it's apparent how much food means to him and how much I control his world.  He would so love to have a happy meal with chicken nuggets, which often leads to discussions about wisely choosing good fuel for his body and eating treats in moderation.  I can't expect him to comprehend this or that these discussions will diminish his cravings any.  I just wish I didn't have to come across as so over-bearing when it comes to food because I'm afraid of the long-term consequences.  If he was a girl I think the stakes would be even higher, as I can see how focusing so much on food could lay the foundation for eating disorders.

When I was a child my mother never let me have candy.  Nothing to do with food allergies, she was just watching out for my overall health.  Then one day I decided to take it upon myself, and at the age of five I was caught stuffing bags of jelly beans in my coat while my mom was grocery shopping.  It was an embarrassing situation for everyone, but I wanted candy DAMMIT!

I just want to avoid him feeling negative about food.  Food should be enjoyable.  The problem is that food has been a major safety issue and I know every ingredient that goes into his body.  I hate it.  I know we've come a long way and he's eating more foods, which I am  SO thankful for, but it's a slow process. And knowing what I now know, how can I ever let him eat "food" that contains anti-foaming agents?  The problem with being persistent is that once you learn the truth it's really hard to stick your head back in the sand.  *sigh*

Do you know what's in shredded cheese?

I made a rookie mistake the other day and learned the hard way that all cheese may not be cheese.  The string cheese that my son has been eating without issue is made from milk, enzymes, and salt.  However, the shredded cheese that I foolishly fed him consists of milk, enzymes, salt, potato starch, cellulose powder, calcium sulfate, and natamycin.  Turns out natamycin is an antibiotic used to treat fungal infections, and in the case of cheese it's to prevent mold.  Apparently it's also a medication for use in the eyes, and the possible side effects include:  Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue.)  Fortunately, it was just the hives and itching that my son experienced which were cleared up with a benedryl.  It's just so unbelievable all the crap added to food.  There's just not an eloquent way to put it.  We NAET treated for this "cheese", not because I want to continue feeding it to him but because it will be almost impossible to avoid at some point. I can see how this will be an uphill battle with a food as simple as pizza.  Each place will have it's own unique ingredients, with it's own additives added in. Why can't cheese just be cheese?!

One Step Back, 2 GIANT Steps Forward

And when I say GIANT, I mean G-I-A-N-T!  We're talking pizza.  Real pizza with real cheese with real crust and real sauce and pepperoni!  Yes, he finally got to have his pizza, and boy did he LOVE it.  He was sure to point out how the crust was so much better than the ones I've been making for him, and he's absolutely right!  It's not his birthday yet, but we since we've treated for yeast, gluten, wheat, cheese, milk, pork, and tomatoes we decided to do a trial run in case any further treatments are needed.  He ate a giant piece, and wanted more but we convinced him to save it for another dinner. He's had it two days in a row for dinner, and will again this weekend at a family party.  So far, so good!

The one step back was due to an unexpected allergic reaction over the weekend to a cracker that had some tamari soy powder in it.  It was really scary for about an hour as he started saying his lips were tingling and then small hives appeared across his forehead and his eyes and eyebrows turned bright red.  Fortunately a benedryl and ice packs took care of it within an hour.  Really brought back old memories of how things use to be everyday, sure does get the adrenaline going.  We're going to treat for the cracker and soy sauce at the same time.  He was rechecked for soybeans and soy mix, which he was fine to, but there seems to be something else lingering.

Cheese, Milk, and Grains Update

Continuing on with our NAET treatments, the kiddo treated for cheese on Monday and milk today.  He can't wait to try "cow milk" as he always refers to it.  We saw our main practitioner today for the first time in about 5 treatment, as there are two doctors in the office.  I asked her if we could revisit grains to check for individual grains because I knew he had been weak on buckwheat from past testing.  She proceeded to test for every grain vial imaginable, including things like spelt, amaranth, sprouted wheat, buckwheat, different rices, different corns, millet, barley, sorghum, and others that I can't remember.  Surprisingly my kid was strong to all of them, I honestly couldn't believe it.  As she was testing him using me as a surrogate I could tell my arm was very strong and she applied the same amount of pressure each time.  Then she tried milk, and I literally had no control over my arm.  Not only did it go completely weak, but I was use to her pressure from the grain testing and my arm went flailing into my pubic bone and about knocked the wind out of me.  I just started laughing because it's so weird!  And mind you, I'm not a weakling either--I've been working on doing pull ups lately and have conquered 6 in a row =)

Anyways, the good news is that we seem to be past grains.  My kid even ate some corn muffins made with wheat and egg today, as he's been doing well with the pretzels and oyster crackers.  I can't wait to make him a sandwich made from real bread or wraps.  I still have a list of about 30 items that he needs to be checked for, and once we're through all of those we can treat for nuts.  Because he's been anaphylactic to them in the past, we need to treat them last.  Basically get his immune system in tip-top shape first, then deal with the biggest trouble makers.