As of my last post I have done so much more research on diets. I still haven't opted out of starting Jordan on the ketogenic diet, however, there are so many out there that can help heal his gut I'm just not so sure which one I wish to fully commit too. I've come across the GAPS diet before and the Feingold diet isn't really for healing, but for removing harmful additives as well as natural chemicals from your foods that the body can't handle that improves behaviors. I am going to continue the Feingold diet with Jordan and the whole family will consume it while at home and hopefully will notice a difference when eating out and choose not to after a while. But because I want to heal Jordan's gut so the diet doesn't have to be so strict as far as him staying on stage 1 of this particular diet, I have to consider one of the many ones offered. I am going to give a breakdown of each one here so while I'm informing you, I'm informing myself as well and can choose the best one.
The gluten free diet. He is already on this diet. It is usually gluten free/casein free (GFCF) but he hasn't had any adverse effects to eating or drinking dairy so I don't restrict it from his diet. But he hasn't been getting any dairy because he no longer eats pizzas everyday and I don't give him milk because organic milk has too many omega 3's which causes him to have nosebleeds so instead we use coconut milk with his cereal. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, oats, barley, rye and other grains. It helps food keep their shape and hold it together like glue. You would think that you would only find gluten in cereals, bread or pastas, but it can be found in foods you wouldn't expect like chips, french fries, salad dressings, marinades and soups. There are two different ways you can react to gluten. There is a gluten sensitivity that makes you feel distress when eating foods containing it and show improvements after removing it from your diet. When you are unable to tolerate it completely, that is what is called Celiacs Disease (CD). The symptoms in both are very similar, but there is no indication that being sensitive to it cause damage to the small intestine as it does with having CD. Casein is a family of phosphoproteins found in milk and milk products like cheese. Intolerance to casein makes your body think the protein is harmful and produces allergic antibodies unnecessarily. This diet is simply removing gluten and casein from your diet. Well not simple but you get the point.
The ketogenic diet. This is a low carb diet that makes the body burn fat which can be good if you are in the hopes of losing weight. However I am just finding out protein is restricted in the ketogenic diet. You start this diet to strive to reach optimal ketone levels which are good for health, weight loss and physical, mental performance. Ketones are produced in the liver from fat and are use to fuel the body, including the brain. The brain consumes a lot of energy a day and can't only run on fat directly, it runs on glucose or ketones. Putting your body in ketosis from this diet will allow a steady flow of ketones to the brain and also avoid the swings in blood sugar levels due to the avoidance of sugary foods. This will increase focus and improve concentration. The dangers of this diet only will occur in those who have type 1 diabetes, who have a problem producing insulin. Ketoacidosis is a unregulated production of ketones (10+ millomolars). It will be impossible to reach this by going on the diet and staying in the state of ketosis because high ketone levels produce insulin that will shut down further ketone production. This diet would help in my situation because it helps with healing the gut and the microbiome. The gut, as well as the brain, have the ability to communicate with the nervous and immune systems. There is way more information to this, but that is for another time, another post.
The Feingold diet. This elimination diet was developed by Benjamin Feingold. MD., following research that food additives causes hyperactivity. The things removed in this diet are artificial colors and flavors, preservatives and salicylates from the foods we eat, but is not limited to consumption. These things can also be found in toothpaste, detergents, perfumes, cough drops, etc. I'm also just finding out this about the diet: it must be followed for a lifetime and whole families must observe the diet's rules. I have yet to find out if healing the leaky gut will allow for you to go off the diet. I think there are 3 stages to this diet. The first stage requires you to eliminate all the artificial items and preservatives and eat a low salicylate diet. Stage 2 allows you to introduce some other foods that have medium amounts of salicylates to see if it is tolerable and able to be included in the diet regularly. Stage 3 probably introduces foods with high amounts of salicylates. However, artificial colors, additives and sweeteners as well as preservatives are never added back into the diet. And rightly so, these things are just no good for our bodies.
The GAPS diet. This diet is to treat chronic inflammatory conditions in the digestive tract due to the damaged gut. The 3 part system is designed to heal and seal the gut lining, re-balance the immune system and restore the bacterial ecosystem within the gastrointestinal tract. To do that it removes foods that are difficult to digest and damaging to the gut as well as giving nutrient dense food. This diet is very similar to the Feingold diet in many ways. There are stages in each one and they remove artificial ingredients as well as processed foods, The differences with this diet is that the majority of the diet should consist of meats. The stages, 6 to be exact, are to introduce you to the diet and you are to follow the protocol of the diet for a minimum of 18-24 months. The diet seems very overwhelming because in each stage you are introducing certain foods and watching for symptoms to see if the food is well tolerated and can become a regular part of the diet. If not you have to wait for more healing to occur, about a week or so, then test again. The only issue I see with this diet is during stages 2 and 3 when they want you to add egg and pancakes made with three ingredients, one being any type of organic nut butter. I can only assume that the beginning stages of the diet help to heal the gut so much that these foods won't affect them anymore. To early in research to tell.
Decisions, decisions. All of these diets have their pros, as well as their cons, and to be honest I don't know which one I will choose. I also have to remember to have the proper guidance when making this kind of decision. My best bet is to put him on the God diet. It's time for me to invite God into this matter again and let Him tell me which one, if any of them, I should consider. I mean He did lead me to the Feingold diet. That was a great start to removing harmful things, now let's get to healing. I have to ask Him to guide me to the correct foods that can repair what is off within Jordan's body so they can assist God in healing him. After all, this is the "why" that He put in my life.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink,
or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
The gluten free diet. He is already on this diet. It is usually gluten free/casein free (GFCF) but he hasn't had any adverse effects to eating or drinking dairy so I don't restrict it from his diet. But he hasn't been getting any dairy because he no longer eats pizzas everyday and I don't give him milk because organic milk has too many omega 3's which causes him to have nosebleeds so instead we use coconut milk with his cereal. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, oats, barley, rye and other grains. It helps food keep their shape and hold it together like glue. You would think that you would only find gluten in cereals, bread or pastas, but it can be found in foods you wouldn't expect like chips, french fries, salad dressings, marinades and soups. There are two different ways you can react to gluten. There is a gluten sensitivity that makes you feel distress when eating foods containing it and show improvements after removing it from your diet. When you are unable to tolerate it completely, that is what is called Celiacs Disease (CD). The symptoms in both are very similar, but there is no indication that being sensitive to it cause damage to the small intestine as it does with having CD. Casein is a family of phosphoproteins found in milk and milk products like cheese. Intolerance to casein makes your body think the protein is harmful and produces allergic antibodies unnecessarily. This diet is simply removing gluten and casein from your diet. Well not simple but you get the point.
