I took Courtney back to her doctor yesterday after her four different reactions last week (anaphylaxis, headaches, uncontrollable coughing, and an upset stomach). I showed the doctor Courtney's food journal from that weekend and she said, "I see your problem. You overdid wheat, milk, and eggs! No wonder she reacted like she did!" Courtney went from having wheat, milk, and eggs every four days to having it four days in a row! Yikes!
I kind of knew she was overdoing it that weekend, but I just wasn't strict with her as much as I should have been. I knew she had a piece of cake here and there at Megan's parties, but I didn't think it was too much. I tried to serve other food besides wheat and milk just so she wouldn't overdo it. She also had a birthday party last weekend (a friend of Megan's) where pizza and cupcakes from a bakery were served. That alone was probably too much for her! We also went out to Spaghetti Works for Megan's birthday and that just added to the overdose! Way too much within four days!
Her doctor told me to not give her any wheat, dairy, or eggs for at least a week to let her stomach calm back down. I mentioned that we have a wedding shower and a birthday party this weekend and she looked at Courtney and said, "You can have a little piece of cake at each party, but you really need to stay away from it for a little bit." I am glad that our doctor understands that "life" happens!
Along with rotating foods every four days, I have greatly reduced any processed sugar, artificial food dyes, and any other "non-whole foods." Can you imagine if my kids would overdue artificial food dyes or processed sugars? Actually I know what happens, they will be sick the next day!
With many holiday parties coming up, I need to keep an eye on my kids and what they are putting in their mouths. You can call it "fussing" over my children or even micro-managing what they are eating, but you know what? I don't want them sick the next day! Why would I want them sick?? So they can lay on the couch all day and feel terrible? So life can stop for a day as we get them back to health? Why would I do this?? Even if our hosts make a lot of "junk," it doesn't mean we have to eat it. A little bit is fine, but they cannot overdo it. I don't want another anaphylaxis reaction in my house!!
My children have been told "no" many time to things they cannot eat and they are really good about it. I do not believe they need to eat everything that is served or that others should tell them what they can or cannot eat. Nobody else knows their diets as well as I do, and it probably looks like I am always the bad one when I tell them "no." They are just fine and will survive without that artificially dyed jello or the drink made completely out of artificial sugars.
I would like them to get to the point where they can make decisions for themselves and I don't need to monitor them. We have talked about nutrition A LOT and I want to be able to trust that they are making wise decisions when it comes to food. Megan and Courtney both know about what food is good for them and what is bad for them, but when temptation is staring right at you, it's hard to turn it down! Especially Courtney! She just craves wheat and milk!!
Everything is a work in progress and I believe that is what food is to us. We are not perfect in what we eat and we will fail, but we can try our best to feed our bodies what is best. Obviously, we know what happens when we don't!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment