It's Been a Year

Wow ! I find it so ironic to actually begin blogging again on the same date i last posted my thoughts. So many things had taken place. But the most significant of all was having my 3rd child. It is so amazing how changes in life comes to us. It surprises you sometimes. Life indeed didn't come planned. Even if it is, it doesn't happen exaclty the way you drafted it.

Thinking Yeast Free

It's been a year since I started contemplating on this diet but sadly, I dont have the guts to even start the process. I feel bad for being a devil to myself, for being a conscience who doesnt want to be heard. I just bought two books about the diet that Im about to start this summer. At this time Im reading as much as I could and hoping that before summer kicks, I'll have the courage to do this with God's guidance.

The End of this Road for GFCF

It has been over a month since I put an end on GFCF diet. It hurts to
let go of it because I have worked really hard to make this diet a
routine for our family. From searching the net for the right books to
read to shopping around town for health food stores and learning the
basics of this diet. Bottomline is I didn't see a significant effect
on my son. Though it helped alot on him cutting off on sugarry foods.
We learned alot from this diet and now even if we are off the hook, I
still have the values instilled in my mind. I will always remember to
choose organics for all the items I buy though it's a bit expensive.
Thank you for all the support we got from TACA. We're always a
follower. Though he's not on the diet anymore, we are looking into
another kind of biomedical treatment which I'm not ready to start on
with him. Maybe in a month, I'll have something new to post or share.

Sent from my iPhone

It's Back In The Market

How many times did I go to WF and TJ to check this product out! I'm so
delightful to see this on the shelves of WF. Finally after awhile it's
back with not only 1 but 3 flavors. Yes, it's the Glee gum (gfcf) all
natural sugar free! Love it!

Cheatday Sunday

I can't imagine how long my son hasn't been eating bagel and cream cheese. T'was today when I finally messed up with his diet and allowed him to eat what's forbidden, gluten & milk! I don't know what the effect will be but I'm ready to deal with it since I'm the guilty one. He has been very uneasy this past couple of days and I dont't know why. (must be the full moon) Anyway, he's been asking over & over that he wanted to go to Walmart to buy another set of Marvel action figures not to mention we just bought a new Hob Goblin last Friday in Hollywood. Don't know about that but he was really persistent to go there. Finally, after we went out to eat breakfast and buy some pair of shoes for mom, we went straight to the final destination, WAlmart. I'd have to say he was behaving very good right before we went and patiently waiting while we shop in the store. He was able to get what he wanted. After that, he was super behave at home. He was saying appropriate words without being prompted. He even said hi to his dad when he saw him came in. He wasn't doing solitary play when he was at McDonald's instead he followed and playe with his sister.

Sent from my iPhone

Candida Albicans

What Foods Should Be Avoided?

Candida Albicans are a form of yeast that is normally found in the lower bowel, the vagina and the skin. (see below) In healthy individuals the presence of candida albicans is considered a normal part of the intestinal flora - the community of bacterial organisms that live in the lower digestive tract.

Candida Albicans comprise most cases of yeast infection in the United States.

yeast infections are a very common cause of disease and discomfort, especially among women.

Pathogenicity among yeasts is extremely variable-- the most virulent is Candida albicans.

Many yeasts are normal flora inhabitants of humans. Many Blastomycetes (yeasts and yeastlike fungi) constitute a resident population regularly part of the skin, surfaces, buccal mucosa, intestinal tract and vagina mucosa. When the normal flora of these areas is disrupted, often Candida albicans or other yeasts can become a problem as they take advantage of reduced competition

Candida Albicans is a yeast overgrowth. Yeast is found in all manufactured citric acid and in most fruits; in vinegar, which is made of fermented wines, and in ciders from such fruits as grapes, pears, apples, and some herbs. Vinegar is used as a preservative for mustard, catsup, olives, mayonaise, many dressings, pickles, horseradish, spices, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and dried fruits. Canned or frozen fruit juices contain yeast, only hand-squeezed and fresh juices are yeast-free. Fruit and fruit products that are canned commercially have a higher yeast content than those that are canned at home. Melons (especially cantalopes) and oranges are loaded with mold and yeast on the outside skins. Fruit should be eeled, not cut into, because in the motion of cutting through the skin with a knife, the meat of the fruit is contaminated. Mushrooms and cheeses of all kinds contain or actually are specific types of molds or yeasts; for instance, Roquefort cheese contains the mold Penicillium Roqueforti. Other yeast-containing milk products are buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, ice creams, powdered milks and milk itself.

Complete Relief from Yeast Infection in HOURS. Safe, 100% Natural and Drug Free.

12 Hour Cure For Yeast Infection

In order to eliminate Candida Albicans, one must eliminate all yeast containg foods.

Tea, pepper, coffee, coffee substitutes, many spices and tobacco acquire molds or yeast in their drying processes. Left-overs from a previous meal should be frozen for future use, as they will become mold-containing within 24 hours. Brown spots on any food are yeasts and molds that have begun their job of breaking down that foods nutrients for their own survival. Vitamins, such as the B-comples thiamine, niacin and riboflavin are usually yeast-grown, although it is possible to obtain them with a brown rice base. Yeast-free antibiotics such as penicillin mycin drugs, tetracylines, linococin and chloromycetin are derived from mold cultures.

Malt is used as a flavoring and coloring agent, it is the major ingredient of beer, ale and malt liquors, as well as some non-alcoholic products. Malt is a sprouted grain, easily fermented, and produces the enzyme diastase, important in the development of grain liquors. Most dry cereals contain malt or malt extract - Grape Nuts is exceptionally high in malt content

Other foods that encourage Candida Albicans are baked goods, breads, biscuits and pancake mixes, soda crackers and any other foods requiring the use of baker's yeast. Ice cream, candy, malted milk drinks and soda fountain drinks contain sugar yeast.

Some Simple Suggestions to elminate Candida Albicans

Avoid any food you're allergic to for a month or two, then, because food allergy is 'like a fire that dies down', cautiously try eating a food troublemaker again. If it doesn't trigger your symptoms, eat it occasionally, but no more often than every 4 to 7 days.

Include more vegetables in your diet - vegetables of all kinds, even some you don't usually eat.

Bake, broil or steam your vegetables. You can use herbs, fresh or dried, to season them (if you aren't unusually sensitive to molds).

Lean meats and fish are OK. Yet, you don't need to eat them every day and certainly not every meal.

Eggs are OK if you aren't allergic to them. However, eating them once or twice a week is enough.

Grain products, including oatmeal, oat bran, whole wheat, shredded wheat, brown rice, rice cakes, barley and millet are nutritious foods. They contain fiber and lots of trace minerals. Include them in your diet if you aren't allergic to them.

Become familiar with and use the grain alternatives, amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat. You can find these products in almost any health food store.

Avoid sugar and foods that contain simple carbohydrates, including corn syrup, white flour, white rice and honey.

How about dairy products? Many people, including those with CRC (candida related complex) are bothered by intolerances and allergies to milk - especially whole milk. (It also contains lots of undesirable saturated fat) So use dairy products with caution. However, sugar-free fruit-free yogurt is generally well tolerated, even by some people who are sensitive to other milk products. Home-prepared yogurt (using yogurt starter) is especially good because it contains more friendly yeast-fighting lactobacilli.

How about fruits? Along with other specialists, I've found that fruits often trigger symptoms in patients with CRC. So I usually tell my patients to avoid fruits for the first three weeks, until they improve. Then begin eating them on a trial basis - cautiously.

How about yeast-containing foods? Many people with CRC develop symptoms when they eat raised breads, moldy cheeses, drink beer or canned fruit juices (such juices are loaded with yeast). Moreover, some highly sensitive people may react to small amounts of yeast in salad dressings or left-overs. Still others develop symptoms when they drink coffee or tea.

In discussing fermented and aged products, juices and other beverages, yeast authority Sidney M. Baker commented, "Everyone is different. Individual tolerances for coffee, tea, cheeses, juices, and alcohol have to be determined on a trial and error basis by each person.

He also stated that freshly squeezed juices stored for a day or two in the refrigerator don't usually cause problems and that some people can consume "high 100 proof alcohol beverages with fewer problems than if they consumed beers or wines."

What can you drink?

I especially recommend bottled or filtered water. Here's why: it contains fewer chemical contaminants. For a hot beverage, add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice. Herb teas are also well tolerated - if you aren't highly sensitive to yeast and molds.

How about coffee and regular tea? Some people with CRC tolerate them, while others do not. If you're sensitive to yeast, you'll have to experiment. And even if yeasty foods and beverages don't bother you, eating or drinking the same substances every day often causes problems.

How about artificial sweeteners? Many people with CRC tolerate them in limited amounts. You can try them and see if they agree.

As long as your immune system is healthy and strongly functioning, Candida albicans growth is regulated and kept under control.

Candida Albicans Definition

.. as exerpted (and edited) from the Candida Albicans page of Wikipedia

Candida albicans is a diploid sexual fungus, and a causal agent of opportunistic oral and vaginal infections in humans. Systemic fungal infections (fungemias) have emerged as important causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients.

Candida albicans is among the many organisms that live in the human mouth and gastrointestinal tract. Under normal circumstances, Candida albicans lives in 80% of the human population with no harmful effects, although overgrowth results in candidiasis. To infect host tissue, the usual unicellular yeast-like form of Candida albicans reacts to environmental cues and switches into an invasive, multicellular filamentous form.

Sent from my iPhone

Recycled Chicken

My Very Own Mac & Cheese

I don't know anyone who uses these ingredients to make gfcg mac & cheese. I discovered this by accident while I was trying on different things to come up with a good tasting MC. Luckily this combination worked out well for my son. He liked it alot like the regular ones. Nothing beats this! I'm just so happy I discovered an addition to my gfcf pantry.

GFCF Yeast Free Sliced Bread

Here's what I can say about this bread, it's nothing different to a regular bread when it comes to taste. I have tried different combinations of flour until I finally hit the right formula! It's not sticky or dry and it's just the perfect pair. I used Arrowhead Mills GF Baking Mix and Tapioca flour. Let me just tell you that tapioca really makes the bread taste good and smells good! I used the recipe from Special Diet for Special Kids Two. The best part of it all is it's yeast free!

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Another Round of AIT (Auditory Integration Training)

My kids just recently graduated from AIT ( Auditory Integration Training) training last MAY 2009. It was the second time for my son and first time for my daughter. Though my daughter is a typical child, I decided to put her on this training to improve her listening skills and to maybe atleast make her more patient.

I did notice such improvement on her after the training. Though she still becomes impatient sometimes, it has improved her well-being. Her sitter noticed a change in her as well. While on the other hand my son continues to progress, I can't wait for six months to come to see what difference does it make on him.

Back to MB12 Shots

I just resumed giving a dose of MB12 shot with my son today after a month of not being on it. It's because I couldn't figure out where the changes are coming from. And to my surprise, I realized GFCF is finally working. Of course with AIT on the side and some supplements he's having. For sure, with AIT, his sensitivity to sounds went away especially with firetruck/ambulance siren and the noise from crowded places. It might have also helped him in his speech but my instinct tells me it's gotta to be the diet he's in. But I realized it's the combination of both. Everyone who knows him noticed his speech has improved as well as his eye contact. Yey!

Surfers Healing

View this:

http://espn.go.com/withoutsports/index.html

I wanted to try Surfer's Healing Camp for my son during the summer however they are already full for 2009.I know for sure that he is going to love this. I called the number and they said they were already full and that they will be open for next year's registration on April 2010. Got to save the date!

Trade Joe's Chicken Breakfast Sausage (uncooked)

I happened to pick this out at the shelf in search of what I previously bought. Good buy and juicy good tasting sausage. My son loves them. Easy to prepare. I love it because all the ingredients are organically grown, gfcf and no artificial flavor/ingredients.

GFCF but Nevertheless, Good!

Since I tried different chips from health food store including Lundberg Rice Chips, chips have never tasted so healthy and so good!! From time to time, I get to eat Doritos on my break but my taste bud can tell that this isn't satisfying for me. Well! I have gone from those regular chips we buy at the grocery store to this lines of healthy chips and I must tell you that not all healthy chips aren't good! You just have to keep trying different brands. For our family, some of our favorites are Lundberg Rice Chips, Pita Chips (not GFCF) and Food Should Taste Good brand.

What Happens When Diet is Infracted?

This is according to my experience..

When my son eats something prohibited from the diet, instead of getting flushed out like other foods, it leaks out into the bloodstream. Within 24-48 hours, it reaches the brain. Then the problems occur. He gets hyperactive and keeps making noises, he gets jumpy, even harder to focus, and tends to have less patient and gets frustrated easily. He seems to recall things that upsets him a minute ago which starts a whole new tantrum. And again and again..it's been researched to cause inflammation in the brain preventing the neurotransmitters to interact, perform, semd/receive messages and grow.

Why Go GFCF?

The theory is that many if not all autistic children have a damaged intestine/gut. The damage may be there from birth but more likely comes from some immunological injury like a bad reaction to an immunization. (keep in mind this is mostly theory). Autistic children seem to have weaker immune systems, and a lot seem to have digestive problems.

This "leaky gut" allows some food proteins to pass through into the bloodstream only partially digested, particularly the gluten from wheat/oats/rye/barley, and the casein from milk and other dairy products. These partially digested proteins form peptides which have an opiate-like affect (opioids is another term for them). They can bind to the receptors and cause harmful effects in the brain just like a regular opiate. Opiates can either cause or magnify autistic symptoms. The opiates are a type of narcotic. There are receptors in the brain that they bind with to reduce pain and induce pleasure, but they also have harmful side effects. An example of an opiate is morphine or heroin. Until it can be figured out how to heal the "leaky guts", many parents are putting their children on the gluten free/casein free diets .

If you look at the available medical literature, there are at least three highly reputable sources for the benefits of removing certain dietary items (gluten and casein) from the diet of children with autism. In the studies of Cade*, Reichelt* and Shattock*, approximately 80% of autistics are significantly improved (not synonymous with cured) by the STRICT removal of gluten and casein. A 100% gluten and casein free diet. Sorry, but 99% free doesn't count. This means no: milk products, wheat, barley, oats, spelt or rye flours. (It is tough to do because most autistic children are fully addicted to the stuff - but there is enough emperic data and clinical observation to justify the one year trial). It has been found to take up to one year to remove all the caseomorphine and glaidomorphine from the body. This is because of the blood reproduction and ability to breakdown and rid body of it.

Observe behavior during the wash out. Be aware that many family members and well intentioned friends or teachers have the idea that "just a little won't hurt". This is wrong and there is good data to support why this is true, but if you really want to know if this is what is making your child autistic, then you must really police this.

Speech Therapy on the Run

Finally, after months long of waiting for summer to touch down in L.A., my son will be attending summer Speech Therapy twice a week for 2 hours until school resume on September. It was just timing that I called the therapy agency that told me I have until August 31st to use the services and the date I picked which started on June 22nd will end exactly on August 28th. I have to make arrangements who is going take him there. Thank goodness my husband volunteered himself!!! (like he had a choice!).

So far, first session ran great. My husband reported therapist was good and must have been longed experienced one in this kind of field! Great! She was also able to accommodate our schedule as my son has other therapy session to attend during the day not to mention summer camp will start in July.

Diet Infraction

OMG. My son has not been functioning well since Monday. A lot of giddiness and silliness, sensory seeking and jiver javerring!! This is what infraction does. That Sunday, he took a piece of his sister's fish cracker and nibbled a piece of Popcornopolis cheese flavored popcorn. I guess that really has an effect on him. Since I took him off of B12 shot, I never really noticed anything different until his diet was infracted.

Since he started the diet in February he started to talk in full sentence after 2 months. Not to mention he also had Auditory Integration Training in January which was still effective. He was also banging his head more often lately not because he was upset but has something to do with sensory. I have not been giving him Calcium for the last 3 days because I ran out. I asked his doctor who was 70 miles away about what kind of Calcium will do better and he recommended the Calcium Citrate.

Today, I called 4 different vitamin store to check if they have CArlson Kid's Chewable Calcium. I got lucky with Vitamin Barn. I got off my sit and took off to buy this. It costs $8.01 including tax. Not bad compare to online price of almost 11 bucks. Thanks to Vitamin Barn!

The Dangers of Nitrite in Lunch Meat and Hotdog

Sodium nitrite (or sodium nitrate) is widely used as a preservative, antimicrobial agent, color fixative and flavoring in cured meats and other products.

Children born to moms who ate a lot of nitrite-containing cured meats while they were pregnant may have an increased risk of brain tumors.

If you eat hot dogs, bacon, ham, luncheon meats, corned beef, smoked fish or any other type of processed meat; you are almost assuredly consuming nitrites.

If you love lunchmeat, pepperoni, bacon, sausage and other cured meats, look for nitrite-free varieties in your grocery store. If they're not there, request them!

Though this preservative has been studied for more than 50 years, there is still ongoing debate as to whether or not it's harmful. Some experts say that the health claims against the preservative have "not been substantiated" while others recommend avoiding them in your diet entirely.

Why You May Want to Avoid Nitrites

Numerous studies have found that nitrites contribute to a variety of negative health effects, which we've compiled here.

• Cancer: When you eat nitrites, they can be converted into nitrosamines, which are potent cancer-causing chemicals, in your body. Specific cancers seem to be most affected, including:
  • Colorectal Cancer: People who ate the most processed meat were 50 percent more likely to develop lower colon cancer, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
  • Stomach Cancer: An investigation into 15 studies on processed meat found that the risk of stomach cancer increased from 15 percent to 38 percent if the processed meats ratio consumed by an individual rose by 30 grams.
  • Pancreatic Cancer: People who ate the most processed meats had a 68 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer compared with those who ate the least, a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): People who ate more than 14 servings of cured meats per month scored lower on tests of lung function and had an increased risk of COPD compared with people who did not eat cured meats. For each additional serving of cured meat per month, the study found a 2 percent increased risk for COPD.
• DNA Mutations: Hot dogs that contain nitrites have been found to contain DNA-mutating compounds. If enough DNA mutations occur in the gut, it could increase your risk of colon cancer.
• Brain Tumors in Children: Children born to women who ate a lot of cured meats during pregnancy had a two to three times greater risk of developing a brain tumor than those born to mothers who did not eat cured meats. Children whose mothers at low levels of cured meats during pregnancy had a moderate increase in brain tumor risk, the study, published in Public Health Nutrition, found.

Does This Mean I Should Never Eat Bologna, Hot Dogs, Pepperoni ... ?

Yes ... and no. If you are concerned about nitrites and want to avoid them in your diet, you must cut out most all commercial hot dogs, luncheon meats, sausages, bacon, and processed meats (even that in canned soup).

However, supermarkets are increasingly offering nitrate/nitrite-free varieties of everyone's favorites. While some have pointed out that nitrite-free meats are often still "cured" using salt, sugar or another natural curing agent, which may be misleading to consumers, they do not, at least, contain nitrites.
To make even healthier meat choices, look for nitrite-free products that are also grass-fed and free of artificial flavors, artificial colors and byproducts.

It's also worth noting that processed meats are not the only sources of nitrites. Green leafy vegetables and root vegetables contain naturally occurring nitrites, though it's thought that compounds in the vegetables inhibit the formation of the harmful nitrosamines in your body.

Nitrites also exist in drinking water due to fertilizers, manure, animal feedlots and other environmental pollution sources.

Where to Buy Nitrite Free Products, Grass Fed and Free of Artificial Flavors, Artificial Colors and by Products

Whole Foods
Trader Joes
Henry's Farmer Market
Other Local Health Food Store