Transitioning dd + gluten free - Help:)

[elfinbaby]

Hi,
There's a thread floating around about my dd here. She has Rett Syndrome. I want to transition her to a raw and gluten free diet. My biggest concerns are her weight and filling her up. Her weight MUST stay stable. She's barely on the charts and when the drs. weigh her, they'll start talking g-tube if she doesn't stay where she is. The other problem is I want to make sure she's getting enough. She's locked in by disabilities and it's up to me to see that her caloric needs are fulfilled.

So, since her diagnosis floats in and out of the autism spectrum, we'll be transitioning gfcf (she's already dairy-free, no biggie). My plan is to use my food processor and juicer to break down everything I can - fruits, nuts, veggies, etc. She doesn't chew well.

Hopefully ya'll can give me some advice: I need a gluten free oatmeal replacement that's not crunchy and any ideas for yummy, soft, high calorie foods to maintain weight.

There was something else but I can't remember. Oh yeah! I haven't read Naked Chocolate and I've heard pos. and neg. about using cacoa. I was wondering if any of you would give it to your kids?? Ilah (eye-lah) has low energy, hypotonia (low muscle tone) which basically means she seems like a lazy little noodly daisy. I thought cacoa might be good for her in small amounts, if it is indeed good for anyone. Any suggestions are welcome.

Please help! I'm diving in this week and hope to start next week. I also forgot to mention that she is prone to upper res. infections. Mucus just sits in her little body and makes her sick - another reason I want to get this going. She had the whooping cough this summer (2 mos.) and the lingering cough that is left just turned into another stupid cold. So I guess I could use some recs on mucus ridding type foods (got some figs today:)).

RECAP :p GFCF soft breakfast recs, high calorie foods to keep weight on, how do you feel about kids and raw chocolate?, and mucus ridding food recs.

:confused:
April

[juliebove]

I can give you ideas of gluten free cereals, but not necessarily raw ones. Since you say you are transitioning, you might consider foods like rice, quinoa and polenta or grits. All are soft and can be processed to make them more soft if necessary. You can add oil to make them have more calories.

[michigan roman]

soft high calorie foods to keep weight on = banana , avacado . punch in avacado at the search icon at top of page and youll find 100s of recipes for them .

the herb mullien is a naturalized plant to north america probably growing everywhere and its a mucos expeller . people eat it as a boiled green and a tea . but i guess if your juicing you could easily juice a leave of it in with other things . its very bland / mild . maybe even the dried leaves of could be added into like a salad dressing like a culinary herb to get the expelling affect .

[eachpeachpearplum]

Have a look at this thread. I have not finished the post but both my kids are gluten free.

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21204

Cheers,

eachpeachpearplum

[Angelic Light]

Mashed avocado topped with shelled hemp seeds (the seeds are pretty soft).

Nut and seed butters - you could cut up some banana and dip them in, or grate some apple and mix with them...

Buckwheat sprouts blended into a porridge with a bit of maple syrup and cinnamon

Green smoothies (with fruit and greens - also add some hemp, or any nut and seed to get extra calories)

Watermelon (don't know why I typed that but it came into my head - maybe it is good for the mucus)

Olive dip - process some olives with any seasoning that you like

Hummus dip - process some just sprouted chickpeas and add seasoning

Quinoa or millet sprouts are good - you could process them in a smoothie or dip

Bean burgers made from mung beans, aduki beans, lentils etc after they have sprouted

My kids are fine with raw cacao but it doesn't seem to agree with me. You could always try small amounts first and see how she goes first. Carob is a good substitute. You can make carob pudding from carob powder and avocadoes.

Melons, grapefruits, oranges, celery, cucumber etc are good for getting rid of mucus - maybe you can mush them up or process them to make them softer.

Milk thistle is good for cleansing the liver, also dandelion - you could try the herb teas or tinctures.

Have you tried Osteopathy with her? Is it possible that she has extra tension in her skull that needs to be released... You could also try Kinesiology - muscle testing, to find out what will help her...

Good luck!

[elfinbaby]

Thanks to all of your input. It's been extremely helpful. I really think I can do this!

April

[Angelic Light]

Great!!

Oh and banana ice cream is great too!