My kids have recovered from Autism but have I?

have had one of the roughest six months of my life:  two moves in six months,  home schooling, and two hospital visits for yours truly.  My kids got a GI bug and I got it worse than anyone else in my family.  More to tell about this and all of the positive changes that came out of it all.

First of all, I have an underlying issue with my body’s ability to maintain potassium.  If I get a GI bug my electrolytes get messed up and I have to go to the hospital for IV fluids.  This past hospital visit was different in that I was in for nine days and I had a lot of time to contemplate what I love and also what needs to be changed in my life.

The biggest thing is putting God and my spirituality first not when it is convenient.  I have found when I am not centered with my faith everything else falls apart.

I also realized how important good friends are.  I (we) moved from Chicago to Portland this past summer and It has made me feel very alone and lonely.  My kids feel the same.  They miss their friends and we haven’t really found our groove out here yet.  That said, it is so cool to have them be able to tell me that.  There was a time when the kids were younger (they are 12 now) that conversations were grunts, hang banging at night and chronic diarrhea or constipation.

Have I recovered from the emotional bruises and bumps of Autism?  How do I go about doing that?

 

Water Kefir Grains

I am about to embark on making drinks with water kefir grains.  I just ordered the grains from culturesforhealth.com

According to the website www.culturesforhealth.com the following is known about kefir water grains:

Originating in Mexico, water kefir grains allow for the fermentation of sugar water or juice to create a carbonated lacto-fermented beverage. Incredibly easy to brew, the starter culture can create a new batch of kefir every 24-48 hours. This makes a fantastic non-dairy alternative to milk kefir and can be flavored after brewing to make a variety of delicious sodas. If you are looking to replace soda pop, your family will love it!

Description: Kefir consists of lactic acid bacteria and yeast existing in a symbiotic relationship. The benefits are similar to those of milk kefir (aka dairy kefir) but the average person will be able to consume larger amounts of it due to it’s water base.

I can’t wait to get the grains and make them.  I think this may be the fermenting for people who can’t handle milk kefir or kombucha.

Gluten free bars that taste good!

Making gluten free snack or breakfast bars has been one of my biggest challenges.

They are so convenient to buy but too expensive to buy all the time.  When I first started making bars, the issue for me was how to make them healthy and that they weren’t super gooey.  Two summers ago my friend Roni and I embarked on perfecting a great raw bar that didn’t melt  after removing it from the freezer or refrigerator.  Chilling or freezing the bars helped initially but once the bars were cut and removed from the cold, they fell apart.  It was frustrating to say the least.  The key to them holding together seems to be the presence of sugar.

If you have a recipe that is easy-send it to me!

Gluten free grain free pancakes

Banana sunflower butter Pancakes

Adapted from Mr’s Ed’s website-http://mrsedsresearchandrecipes.blogspot.com/

1  Banana
1/2 cup organic sunflower butter  (you can use other organic nut butters)
2 Eggs
2 TBSP Honey
1/4 teas Sea Salt
1/4 teas Baking Soda
dash of Cinnamon or cloves (cloves are good for riding parasites)

Coconut oil or palm oil to fry it in.  Don’t use vegetable oils they are rancid on the system and very hard to digest.    I use a cast iron pan to cook mine because you add some iron into the food (my one son is low in iron when I don’t use the pans to cook with)

In a medium size mixing bowl, mash banana with hands or a fork.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Cook over a medium heat on a lightly oiled griddle. They burn easy so you may need to lower your heat a tad. Makes 10-12 palm sized pancakes.

Green Smoothies

I love smoothies and I love anything green because it is so serene.  My kids love green juices and smoothies too but that was not always the case.  I had to initially coach them and provide positive reinforcement until we reached a point where it became a natural part of their diet.

My twins were sick with messed up digestive tracts which  included diarrhea, constipation with large extended guts.   Although their language was very limited at best, I knew they had receptive language and understood when I would say things like; “this drink will help your tummy feel better and make you feel better and able to talk to me.”    Today they are very typical kids, except for the fact that they are very sophisticated eaters.  Gone are the days of eating 5 things that were all beige in color.  Gone is the constipation and diarrhea.  And I contribute it all to eating better foods.  What are some of those foods?  Lacto-fermented drinks such as kombucha, Grainfield’s drinks, vegetables and good fats like unrefined coconut oil, grass fed beef tallow and Green Pastures fermented cod liver oil.

With that said; here is a great recipe for a Green Juice that detoxes which can also be prepared as a smoothie;

Green Juice; makes 2-4 ounce juice-put the following ingredients in a juicer and press through.    You may add some water if you need to.  If you want to make this in a blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Ingredients:  4 organic green apples, 1 handful organic parsley, 1 handful cilantro

Autism and recovery

The following is an excerpt from my book: Eat It And Beat It: Getting Over Autism.I wanted to show the before and after of what my kids were like after the vaccines took them in 2001 and then their recovery-2010.

2001

At Age two-and-a-half, my kids were not speaking and had poor eye contact. One child would continuously spin objects or frantically chase a piece of paper that was blowing in the wind. My other child would stay frozen in one place and appear to be completely oblivious to what was happening around him. Their language consisted of grunting sounds. There was head banging, inexplicable tantrums and comatose-like behavior. They both had extended bellies and dark circles under their eyes and both suffered from either constipation or diarrhea. They were pale and in the summer didn’t tan after being outside all day. They simply did not look healthy.

2010

At Age eleven, both kids are extremely verbal and socially engaged. They have a variety of interests and a vocabulary that at times amazes me. Both are in the fifth grade where Alec excels in math and science and Jack in art and social studies. They are healthy, fit, very active and have a

great sense of humor. What a difference!

Hospital visit or trip to the spa?

I had plans for the holiday season and it turned out that my plans were not going to happen.  The past six months have been pretty rigorous for my family and me.  We moved 2,100 miles from Chicago to Portland Oregon in June.   We moved our cars, some clothes  and drove across the country.  In September we moved out of temporary housing and met the movers who and had all of our stuff from Chicago and went into another new house.   I took on home schooling my 12 year old twins.  School is not being entirely taught by me.  The kids go to a school here but they get to choose their classes.  Jack is taking some painting classes, math, language arts and Alec is in high school math which he loves!  All that said, I am also starting menopause and I am bitchy all the time or crying which is brutal.  SO……….you get the picture.

On Christmas night we had some new friends over for dinner with their family and my parents were here.  The night was calm and relaxing.  At 2 am I woke up and started vomiting and that went on for several hours.    I have a kidney issue I have had my whole life and when I get sick my electrolytes get messed up.  Needless to say, I had to go to the hospital the next morning to get IV fluids.  My heart rate was so low they put an EKG monitor on me and I was “officially” checked into the hospital in Portland on December 26th.  Not so fun.  Actually this part was great, I started to feel better with the fluids.  I really couldn’t walk or talk when I got to the hospital that morning.

The next night when I was finally given permission to eat solid food I discovered a very wonderful thing.  I could order food whenever I wanted from 6 am-9 pm every day. I had two menus I could choose from and one was gluten free!  But I could also get a fresh orange, steamed vegetable platter or hummus.  That was just the start!   They had Seattle’s Best Coffee and Tazo tea which is a Portland tea.  Now I knew I was going to get better.    The next few questions in my mind were puzzling.  Was I going to order the local salmon for dinner?  Should I fake like I am still sick in a couple of days or go home?  Of course I went home.  There are only so many days you can stay in a hospital with that gown on!

Kombucha-written directions

Known in China as the “tea of immortality,” Kombucha (pronounced kum-boocha) is a drink that is fermented from a type of mushroom, tea and sugar (it’s not really a mushroom, it just looks like one).  This “mushroom” is often called a “scoby,” which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria andyeasts.  The culture is placed in sweetened black or green tea and transforms into a drink full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and health giving organic acids.  As the kombucha culture digests the sugar, it produces a range of organic acids (such as glucuronic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, malic acid and usnic acid), vitamins (particularly vitamin b & c), amino acids and enzymes.  In a nutshell, kombucha has helped our family by boosting our immune systems, digesting food and removing toxins.

Here are the benefits of the organic acids in Kombucha:

Lactic acid

Lactic acid is essential for the digestive system.  It assists blood circulation and helps prevent bowel decay and constipation.  It also aids in balancing acids and alkaline in the body, believed to help in the prevention of cancer by helping to regulate pH levels.

Glucuronic acid

Glucuronic acid is the body’s most important detoxifier. When toxins enter the liver, this acid binds to them and flushes them out through the kidneys and intestines.  Once bound by glucuronic acid, toxins can leave.  A product of the oxidation process of glucose, glucuronic acid is one of the more significant attributes of Kombucha.  This detoxifying agent is one of the few that can cope with pollution from the products of the petroleum industry including plastics, herbicides, pesticides and resins.  It essentially kidnaps the phenols in the liver and then allowed to be eliminated by the kidneys.

Kombucha can be very helpful for allergy sufferers.  Another by-product of the glucuronic acid in Kombucha are glucosamines, the structures associated with cartilage, collagen and fluids that lubricate the joints.  It is this function that is believed to make Kombucha so effective against arthritis.

Acetic acid (vinegar)

Powerful preservative; it inhibits harmful bacteria.

Usnic acid

Natural antibiotic that can be effective against many viruses.

Oxalic acid

An effective preservative; encourages the intercellular production of energy.

Malic acid

Helps detoxify the liver. It supports the mitochondria (production of energy).

Gluconic acid

Produced by the bacteria, it can break down the caprylic acid and is of great benefit to sufferers of candidiasis and other yeast infections.

Butyric acid

Also found in butter, butyric acid is produced by the yeast and used by the intestine for energy.  It is also an energy source for the cells lining the colon, protects human cellular membranes, and – when combined with gluconic acid – strengthens the walls of the gut to combat yeast infections.  Butryic acid appears to reduce the chronic inflammation of the colon.  Most kids on the spectrum have some type of GI distress, even if it doesn’t seem to be apparent at the time.  Behavior issues are often caused by some type of gut disorder and butyric acid works to help you absorb the nutrients and minerals from your food.

Kombucha may be purchased at health food stores or online, but I prefer to make my own batches.  Here’s a link to a YouTube video, which shows me demonstrating how to make Kombucha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur

 

kombucha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrWTBQKjf4g

Making Kombucha.

Eat Fat To Lose Fat

Eat Fat to Lose Fat!  That is the  title to one of my favorite Healthy cookbooks!  It is such a wonderful book with so much great nutritional information in it.  It is the most unusual book you will ever purchase if you know nothing about Traditional Fats!   I used to feel guilty about eating butter and cream and then I read this book and my life changed.  And according to my MD my cholesterol numbers are the best she has ever seen! Perfect ratio of good fat to bad fat!