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Gluten-Free Diets Can Be Healthy for Kids

April 20, 2013 in For Babies, For Older Kids, For Younger Kids, Paleo Philosophy, Practical Tips, Practical Tips, Practical Tips, Topics for Paleo Families

Created as a guest post for www.WhatToExpect.com

shutterstock_119118850When actress Gwyneth Paltrow recently admitted that her family does not eat grains, the media got all riled up that she was depriving her children’s brains of vital energy and nutrition (see here)!  Critics of gluten-free diets are all over the media warning people that gluten-free diets are less nutritious and that there is no reason to avoid gluten unless you have a diagnosed allergy or celiac disease (like this NY Times article).  The concept of gluten-free diets being unhealthy is further supported by scientific journal articles like this one (albeit funded by the Grain Foods Foundation) which espouse on the claimed health benefits of gluten-containing foods.

In contrast, more and more people are discovering that they are sensitive to gluten, that avoiding gluten helps them lose weight, or that they just plain old feel healthier without it.  More and more parents are discovering that gluten-free (or gluten-free casein-free, or grain-free, or paleo/primal) diets address a variety of nebulous health issues in their kids, such as sleep disturbances, digestive symptoms, and behavioral problems.  Admittedly, I am one of these people.  My oldest daughter was on miralax supplements for chronic constipation for 2 years before we went gluten-free.  Within a month of saying adios to gluten, she was completely off miralax and hasn’t had issues since.  Oh yeah, and she finally started sleeping through the night.  My family didn’t even give up gluten for her.  It was my youngest daughter’s obstructive sleep apnea due to inflammation in her larynx that was not responding to high doses of proton pump inhibitors (coupled with my own newfound enthusiasm for the paleo diet) that drove us to make the switch.  It made a huge difference in my youngest daughter too (who we since have figured out is also sensitive to dairy, tomatoes and strawberries).  In fact, it’s the only hard and fast food rule in our house:  no gluten.  Ever.

Are gluten-free diets just the latest fad?  Why is “going gluten-free” becoming so popular?  I believe that it’s because so many of us are finding out that we’re healthier without gluten, that our kids are healthier without gluten, that our babies fuss less when their nursing mothers avoid gluten.  We tell our friends.  They try gluten-free.  They find out that they’re better off too.  Books like Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis help explain why and encourage more people to take the plunge.

Gluten-sensitivity is becoming better understood as its own health condition, separate from celiac disease.  However, one of the major limitations, both for scientists trying to define gluten-sensitivity and for doctors trying to diagnose it, is that currently available diagnostic tests are limited in what they can tell you about how your body reacts (or doesn’t) to gluten.  A biopsy and/or blood test can tell you whether or not you have celiac disease (provided you’ve been eating gluten for the last month).  Blood tests can tell you if you have an allergy to wheat or if your body produces IgG or IgA antibodies against proteins in wheat (which is testing for a food intolerance).  Many healthcare professionals will run these tests and, if they all come back negative, will advise that there is no good reason for you or your child to give up gluten.  However, there are many ways that you can be sensitive to gluten or other proteins in wheat for which there just aren’t methods to test for.  Studies show that even in the absence of diagnosed gluten-sensitivity, removing gluten from the diet can be beneficial.  For example, patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome find substantial improvements with gluten-free diets.

The only way to know for sure whether you or your child are gluten-sensitive is to cut it out for a few weeks and see if you or they feel better.  Then, try adding it back in and see if you feel worse.  And while your doctor may be skeptical, most healthcare professionals agree that if you eliminate gluten from your diet and feel better, then that amounts to a positive diagnosis for gluten sensitivity.

But, what about healthy people?  What about healthy kids?  Kids are growing and their brains are developing.  Is it safe to put a kid on a gluten-free diet if they don’t have a health problem that is improved by going gluten-free?  If one member of a family needs to be gluten-free, is it safe for the entire family to eat the same way?  Is gluten-free a nutritious diet?  Will depriving your child of grains really deprive their developing brains of essential nutrients?

Certainly, when you compare the nutrition facts of a commercial bread with a commercial gluten-free bread, there are some differences.  And there is also a great deal of variability in the nutrient content of different gluten-free breads, partly due to the fact that only some companies add vitamins (analogous to the iron and B-vitamins added to wheat flour to create “enriched wheat flour”) whereas others do not, and partly due to the fact that different gluten-free flours inherently offer different nutrient value.

 TPM Nutrition Fact Comparison

The most common arguments against gluten-free baked goods is that they contain less fiber, less iron and less B-vitamins than their wheat-based counterparts.  This argument is supported by studies such as this one that show that the most common nutrient deficiencies in celiac disease patients following long-term gluten-free diets are fiber and the B-vitamins folate, niacin, and B12.  As you can see from the nutrition facts comparison of three different commercially-available multigrain breads, this is a valid criticism of some gluten-free products; but certainly not all.  In fact, some gluten-free products (like the Kinnikinnick multigrain bread in the example above) are superior in terms of fiber and B-vitamins to their wheat-based counterparts.

But, do people following gluten-free diets replace one for one every gluten-containing food with a commercially-produced gluten-free version?  I would argue that the majority of people following gluten-free diets tend to replace at least a portion of the bread, pasta, muffins and cookies that they ate before going gluten-free with other foods, often much more nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, eggs, nuts and dairy products.  The scientific evidence backs this up.  A recent study evaluating the nutrient intake of children with celiac disease compared to their healthy non-gluten-sensitive counterparts found that children with celiac disease actually consumed more calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and substantially more zinc than those children who included gluten in their diets.  And, while the children with celiac disease did consume substantially less dietary vitamin D, this is the vitamin that our bodies make in response to sunlight.  An additional recent study evaluated an even wider range of vitamins and minerals (this time in Australian adult celiac disease patients and compared to the general public) and found that patients with celiac disease following gluten-free diets actually consumed more calcium, magnesium, phosphate, zinc, folate, and vitamin C while the other vitamins and minerals as well as fiber were equivalent.

So, does that mean gluten-free is actually healthier?  The people included in these studies did consume more of some key nutrients, but they were also still deficient in several nutrients compared to the recommended daily allowance (RDA).  Actually, a large percentage of people are deficient in many key nutrients, regardless of whether gluten is present in their diets.  This study, for example, shows that 39.1% of people aged 2 years and older are routinely not consuming the RDA of iron, 33.2% are not meeting the RDA of folate, 25.9% of people are not meeting the RDA of niacin, and 17.2% are not meeting the RDA of vitamin B12.  So, if patients with celiac disease are deficient in these nutrients, is it the fact that they are gluten-free or the fact that our grocery stores are filled with highly processed foods with little redeeming nutritional features regardless of gluten content?  If you look at the wheat-based multigrain bread nutrition facts above, you’ll note that it’s not especially teeming with vitamins and minerals.

Let’s be clear.  Gluten is not a nutrient.  It is a very difficult to digest protein found in wheat, rye and barley which causes health issues for many people.  Going gluten-free does not mean that you are cutting a vital nutrient out of your diet.  And a gluten-free diet is not inherently unhealthy. But going gluten-free doesn’t automatically mean that you are eating a more nutrient-dense diet either.  It matters what you replace those wheat-based bagels and pasta with.  It’s not about what you’re not eating.  It’s about what you do eat.

Grains in general are not nutritional powerhouses (contrary to what clever marketing may tell you).  Even the healthiest whole grains can’t compete with vegetables in terms of vitamin and mineral content.  The graph below shows the relative quantities of essential vitamins and minerals (so setting vegetables to 100% and expressing the amount in nutrition in grains as a percentage of what is found in vegetables), calculated from the average of eight entirely wholegrain, unprocessed foods compared to an average of 30 commonly-found vegetables.  When compared to vegetables, calorie for calorie, vegetables contain double or more of every single vitamin (although both vegetables and grains are not high in vitamin D, with the exception of mushrooms).  When compared to vegetables, calorie for calorie, vegetables are higher in most essential minerals (they are about equal to vegetables in sodium and manganese and grains do contain substantially more selenium, although selenium is even more richly found in nuts, seafood, meat, poultry and eggs).  Oh, and vegetables and fruit are outstanding sources of fiber, about equal to grains.  So, if a vegetable side dish or even a piece of fruit replaces a dinner role on with your meal, you get equal amount of fiber and far more vitamins and minerals.

 Vitamin and Mineral Compare Graphs

So, what about Gweneth Paltrow?  Is she really depriving her children’s brains of vital nutrition?  The two main criticisms of her are that her children may not get enough fiber and that her children’s brains need carbohydrates to function.  Clearly, vegetables and fruit provide plenty of fiber as well as carbohydrates.  Plus, vegetables and fruit provide far more of the vitamins and minerals that her children need to be healthy compared to grains.  And what about that scientific journal article espousing the benefits of wheat-based foods?  Their chief argument is that grains contain fiber and that high fiber diets are associated with decreased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.  Absolutely, eating fiber is important, but vegetables and fruit provide plenty of it.  Even many commercially-available gluten-free products contain as much if not more fiber than their wheat-based counterparts.

The propaganda against gluten-free diets has one important effect.  If you keep hearing that gluten-free is less nutritious, or that it may even be unsafe for your child, how likely are you to try a gluten-free diet for your child?  As parents, we want the best for our children and we care about their growing bodies and developing brains.  Is gluten-free (or, like Gweneth Paltrow, grain-free) best for you and your family?  You won’t know until you try it.  Do you need to worry about a gluten-free diet being less nutritious?  That depends on how you implement a gluten-free diet in your home and what foods substitute for gluten-containing foods on your plate.  Remember:  it’s about what you do eat (not what you don’t). 

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A New Study Has the Media Buzzing About Gluten. Again.

February 25, 2013 in For Babies, Paleo Philosophy, Practical Tips, Topics for Paleo Families

A new study in the journal Pediatrics has the gluten-free/celiac disease world buzzing (this article has been published on dozens of websites).  The study concludes that early introduction of small amounts of gluten while still breastfeeding reduces the risk of celiac disease.

The study looked at two cohorts of Swedish 12-year olds, the first were a group born in 1993 during an epidemic of celiac disease (during the epidemic, the incidence of celiac disease increased from 1 in 100 to 3.3 in 100, believed attributable to changes in government recommendations for the age of gluten introduction to 6 months old, combined with a concurrent increase in the gluten content of baby foods) and the second were a group born in 1997 after the epidemic (after the government revised their guidelines to lower the age of gluten introduction to 4 months and the amount of gluten in baby foods was reduced).  The study sought to determine the impact of breastfeeding in relation to gluten introduction on the future development of celiac disease.

The hypothesis of the study is well summarized in this statement from the discussion section.

“Oral tolerance to an antigen develops early in life, and celiac disease can be viewed as a failure to develop oral tolerance to gluten, or a later loss of this tolerance.  The development of oral tolerance is a complex immunologic process involving interactions between genetic factors and environmental and lifestyle exposures, such as bacterial gut colonization and infant feeding.”

And this idea is what has my inbox flooded with questions.  If oral tolerance for gluten develops early in life and breastfeeding helps with the development of oral tolerance, is it better to give our paleo babies some gluten now?  Will that help prevent celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases?

To answer this question, let me first summarize exactly what this paper shows about the relation between breastfeeding, gluten introduction and celiac disease.  Over 13000 children were enrolled in the study.  The incidence of celiac disease was 2.8 in 100 in the 1993 cohort versus 2.2 in 100 in the 1997 cohort.  The median age of gluten introduction was the same (5 months old) between both cohorts.  But, the infants in the 1997 cohort were breastfed an average of 2 months longer than the 1993 cohort (age of weaning increased from an average of 7 months to an average of 9 months between 1993 and 1997).  What this means is that the number of babies who were breastfed during and beyond gluten introduction was significantly larger in the 1997 cohort (number of babies breastfed beyond gluten introduction was 70% vs 78% in the 1993 and 1997 cohorts, respectively).  From this, the authors conclude that introducing gluten before weaning reduces the risk of celiac disease.

24GLUTEN-articleInlineThis is an interesting observation and I think that this Op Ed piece in the NY Times provides a possible explanation for the result that is not thoroughly discussed in the original paper:  it’s all about the gut microbiota.

The most current understanding of celiac disease (well summarized in this paper, which sadly requires a subscription to view) is that the development of celiac disease (and indeed all autoimmune diseases) relies on three factors:

  1. Genetic predisposition
  2. Environmental trigger (in the case of celiac disease, that trigger is gluten)
  3. A leaky gut and/or gut dysbiosis

All three of these factors work together to develop autoimmune disease.  In terms of celiac disease, the genetic predisposition is at least partially understood: 90% of celiacs have one of two variants of the HLA gene (either DQ8 or DQ2).  What you need to know about the HLA gene is that it (or more specifically the protein in encodes) is involved in antigen presentation to the adaptive immune system, and defects in this process seem to be permissive for autoantibody formation.  But, approximately 30% of us have one of these gene variants and only 1% of us develop celiac disease (it should be noted that these gene variants are linked to other autoimmune diseases as well as non-celiac gluten sensitivity, so it’s not like the other 29% of us are getting off easy).  The environmental trigger for celiac disease is dietary gluten (or more specifically the protein fraction of gluten, called gliadin).  So, what’s the wild card?  A leaky gut.  And the development of a leaky gut may be what determines the age of disease onset, which is highly variable.  Chance (or maybe previous infections or maybe gut dysbiosis, i.e., the wrong types of bacteria growing in the wrong numbers in the wrong part of the gut) may be what determines whether a person develops celiac disease versus another autoimmune disease versus other health problems linked to gluten.

A leaky gut can be caused by a wide variety of factors, including: diets rich in some types of lectin (like gluten) and saponins (especially glycoalkaloids), stress, and gut dysbiosis (especially bacterial overgrowths).  Gut dysbiosis itself can be caused by diets rich in processed foods, refined carbohydrates, some types of lectins (especially prolamins like gluten and agglutinins like wheat germ agglutinin) and saponins (especially glycoalkaloids), by some medications (such as PPIs and antibiotics) and by stress.  A leaky gut and gut dysbiosis go hand in hand and it is not known which comes first.

So, what is the link between breastfeeding and a leaky gut?  The link is really to gut dysbiosis (or lack thereof).  Studies show that breastfeeding is important for the establishment and growth of normal gut microorganisms.  In particular, breastmilk contains probiotics (from strains shown to be deficient in the guts of those with celiac disease) and for the duration of breastfeeding, the guts of babies are being constantly inoculated with these beneficial bacteria.  It is becoming increasingly recognized that the healthy diversity and relative amounts of gut microorganisms are intricately linked your health.  So, it’s no surprise that whatever factors contribute to healthy gut microorganisms in babies will protect them from disease.

So, let’s get back to the study.  It has one very big limitation relevant to this discussion.  It cannot separate whether the exact age of gluten introduction in babies who were breastfed longer has any effect on celiac risk.  This study definitely shows that breastfeeding longer decreases celiac risk.  But, the idea that this is because breastfeeding occurred during and beyond gluten introduction is speculative.  It certainly makes sense given other research on the link between gut microorganisms and disease risk that a healthy gut is important in celiac disease risk and that breastfeeding longer improves the health of the gut microorganisms.  But, this study just can’t tell you whether introduction of gluten early (and before weaning) is important.  If the reason breastfeeding is protective is because of its probiotic effects (it’s nutrient value would be another good reason), then it could be that it doesn’t matter when gluten is introduced (if ever) as long as the gut is healthy when you do.

From birth through adulthood, diet has a profound effect on the composition and relative quantities of your gut microorganisms (I explain this is detail in my book).  And healthy gut microorganisms have a profound protective effect on the integrity of the gut barrier and are essential modulators of the immune system (yes, I explain this in detail in my book as well).  The optimal diet in terms of gut and gut microorganism health seems to be a hunter/gatherer/gardener type diet, rich in plants (but not grains or legumes and nothing processed or refined) and wild or pastured meat and/or wild-caught fish (no surprise to us in the paleo community).   What is healthy nutrient-dense food for you just happens to be healthy food for your gut microorganisms.  And, while this is an oversimplification, if you feed your gut bacteria good food, they are healthy, and therefore you are healthy.

So, getting back to the question that is flooding my inbox:  does this paper mean you should feed your paleo babies a little gluten now so that they will develop immune tolerance?  This study does not allow us to conclusively say yes or no.  Certainly, this study does not prove its assertion that introducing small amounts of gluten into the diet very early and prior to weaning will increase immune tolerance and therefore protect your baby against ever developing celiac disease (although you can add this study to the bounty of scientific studies showing that breastfeeding is beneficial for your baby). It should also be noted that the health of the mother greatly affects the probiotic and nutrient content of the breastmilk.  It is unknown whether breastmilk is still protective in the context of obese mothers or mothers with chronic health conditions.

I believe that the best thing that you can do for your baby’s long term health (besides love and cherish them) is feed them nutrient-dense, nourishing foods that will help them have healthy guts and healthy gut microorganisms.  I do not believe that gluten consumption promotes a healthy gut or healthy gut microorganisms (and the science backs me up on this one—I reference a few hundred studies on this topic in my book).  But, I also don’t know whether, if you wait “too long” to introduce gluten, if some magical window of opportunity to develop immune tolerance against gluten will be missed (or how much gluten you would need to keep in the diet to maintain immune tolerance).  I also don’t know whether having immune tolerance against gluten is even a good thing in terms of overall long term health.  Science does not yet provide a clear answer.  So, with all of these ideas in mind, the decision will have to be yours and will have to be based on your own risk assessment.

Bengmark S. Gut microbiota, immune development and function. Pharmacol Res. 2013 Mar;69(1):87-113. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2012.09.002. Epub 2012 Sep 16.

Fasano A. Leaky gut and autoimmune diseases. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2012 Feb;42(1):71-8. doi: 10.1007/s12016-011-8291-x.

Groschwitz KR and Hogan SP. Intestinal barrier function: molecular regulation and disease pathogenesis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Jul;124(1):3-20; quiz 21-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.05.038.

Hascoët JM et al. Effect of formula composition on the development of infant gut microbiota. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2011 Jun;52(6):756-62. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3182105850.

Ivarsson A et al Epidemic of coeliac disease in Swedish children. Acta Paediatr. 2000 Feb;89(2):165-71.

Ivarsson A, Prevalence of Childhood Celiac Disease and Changes in Infant Feeding. Pediatrics. 2013 Feb 18. [Epub ahead of print] http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/02/13/peds.2012-1015.long

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Guest Post by Faye Weickert: Healing the Skin from Within – Paleo, Gut Health, and Eczema

February 5, 2013 in Alternative Therapies, Topics for Paleo Families

Faye Weickert

Faye is a blogger at www.GreenOrganicMama.com, from the islands of the Florida Keys, where she writes about the challenges of raising an eco-conscious family and integrating a Paleo lifestyle.  She is also an independent skin care/beauty consultant for Neal’s Yard Remedies/NYR Organic; a carbon-neutral, family-owned company, specializing in all-natural products that free of GMO’s, parabens, phthalates, petroleum, and artificial fragrances.  You can read more by Faye at her blog, connect with her on Facebook, and shop her online store.

 

 First of all, I have to extend a huge thank you to Sarah, for putting together this amazing resource here at www.ThePaleoMom.com and with The Paleo View Podcast; both of which have helped so many people, like me, with navigating our health issues, together with following a Paleo lifestyle.  I will be forever grateful for Sarah’s friendship, her advice, and her insight!

 Much like Sarah, I’ve suffered through various autoimmune issues throughout my childhood and adult life, from asthma, allergies, and eczema.  Like most of us, I was seen by countless conventional doctors and specialists, put through various medical tests, and prescribed many, many medications.  The problem was that none of these recommendations ever did any more than serve as a Band-Aid solution.  Not one of them addressed the root cause.  Nobody stopped once to ask the all important question: Why?  Why was I having asthmatic symptoms?  Why was I breaking out in rashes, when I never had before.  I just kept using my inhalers, applying cortisone creams, and taking oral steroids, which just masked the symptoms.  Not to mention that each of these prescriptions carried their own side effects, too, but that’s a story for another day.  Fast forward to the birth of my own daughter, and I then took on the helplessness and frustration that my own mother felt, when my little girl broke out in a horrible diaper rash, and later, a mysterious, persistent bleeding rash on her scalp.  We ended up in the same vicious cycle.  After much trial and error, more doctors’ visits, more testing, and trying all sorts of prescription and non-prescription creams, lotions, oils, and balms, we were very blessed to finally come across Paleo.

“There is no magic cream that is going to fix eczema.”

 Before getting into what we did to heal and manage our symptoms, it’s important to understand that there is no magic cream that is going to fix eczema.  None.  And that’s coming from me, a compulsive, label-dissecting, green mom blogger, and also as an independent skin care consultant for Neal’s Yard Remedies/NYR Organic.  There are products that I’ll discuss later that can provide much-needed relief when the flare-up symptoms occur, and that can also help with the healing process, but eczema and other autoimmune rashes will continue to rear their ugly heads, if the root causes are not addressed.  Sometimes it can be an allergy, and as discussed in Episode 10 of The Paleo View Podcast, there may be a chemical sensitivity involved.  However, in the case of many autoimmune issues, the problem lies within the gut.

“All diseases begin in the gut.” – Hippocrates

 I’m a firm believer in the message that Sarah sends with this blog and in her autoimmune protocol: that many diseases begin in the gut.  For our family, we had already been living green and organic, since before my daughter was born.   We thought we were already very healthy eaters.  We had weeded out all the chemicals in the home, and made a conscious effort to use the most basic ingredients possible, both in the food we ate, and in the products we put on our bodies.  Despite all this, my daughter still developed eczema, and I continued to battle with mine.  It’s because of that reason that I’m thankful for finally stumbling upon Paleo.  It was a revelation when we found out that the grain-laden Standard American Diet, the one advocated by our health care professionals to help us be healthy, was in fact what was making us sick.  I still remember thinking what a crazy notion that was at the time (“What?!  Give up bread?!”).  It wasn’t until the second time that I heard about Paleo, before I realized that we had already tried everything else, nothing else was working, and we finally decided to take the plunge.  A year and a half later, I look back, and wish we had done this sooner!

 Paleo is all about keeping inflammation at bay, and repairing a leaky gut.  Sarah does a much better job explaining these concepts, and I highly recommend reading her very well-researched posts on these topics (start here), and pre-ordering her upcoming book on this very subject, The Paleo Approach:Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body.  In a nutshell, once our family got away from processed foods (especially gut-irritating grain products), we introduced probiotics to restore our gut flora, and focused on food as medicine, we miraculously began to heal.  My daughter’s head rash went away, and years later, it has never returned.  I also finally lost those stubborn twenty pounds of baby weight, and I’m also rash-free, as long as I’m diligent with Paleo, manage my stress, and take care of my body.  (After a year into Paleo, I learned the hard way what happens when a series of events caused me to stray for too long).

Caring for the Skin

 As I mentioned above, despite all the claims, there are no magic creams to make eczema go away, but there are things you can do to help relieve the symptoms and help the skin heal, in conjunction with proper eating, to reduce inflammation, and simultaneously heal the gut and the body from within.

 Anytime we’re dealing with damaged skin, it’s important to treat it gently.  As a green mom blogger, I’ve kept my family away from products containing parabens, synthetic fragrances, phthalates, artificial colors, and petroleum.  As mentioned in Episode 10 of The Paleo View, coconut oil is also one of my favorites for simple and thorough cleansing of the skin.  I’m a huge fan of Tropical Traditions, and the same five-gallon drum of coconut oil that we buy for cooking is the same stuff we use for cleansing our skin, too.

 While coconut oil is a really effective and gentle cleanser, I’ve personally found I need something more emollient afterwards, to help protect and heal the damaged skin.  After trying so many other brands of creams, my favorite products are Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense Hydrating Cream and on my really rough, red spots, a small dab of the more highly-concentrated Rejuvenating Frankincense Facial Serum.  Highly prized since ancient times, frankincense is an intensely-healing tree resin from the wild-growing Boswellia carterii trees found in Africa.  Neal’s Yard Remedies has stores around the globe, and is available online in Canada and the US.  If you live outside these areas, you still can find frankincense readily available as an essential oil from Amazon.

 Another great healing plant-based remedy is rosehip oil, which is used in many parts of the world to treat burn victims.[1] As with the frankincense, you can find recipes on the web to make your own rosehip oil home remedies.  Personally, I carry around little pots of Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm, which is a very soothing and nourishing blend of organic rosehip, jojoba, beeswax, shea butter, hemp, borage, and frankincense, too.  My daughter and I will often catch ourselves unconsciously scratching away at an irritated spot.  I’m always amazed at how quickly one little swipe of this balm calms the itch and the redness, and keeps them from coming back.  These natural remedies pair well with all of our healing efforts; inside and out.

 The important takeaways here are these points:

  1. Your skin truly serves as a picture of your own internal health.  An imbalance in the body will manifest itself in the skin.
  2.  Eczema does not manifest itself because the body is short on corticosteroid creams or oral steroids.
  3. Traditional medicine typically does not address the root cause of eczema and other autoimmune issues; functional medicine practitioners, like chiropractors, do.
  4. Healing from eczema and minimizing flare-ups requires identifying irritants and taking care of the gut first.
  5. You did not get sick overnight, and it’s going to take longer than overnight to heal.  There are no shortcuts.
  6. Our skin absorbs around 60% of what’s put on it.[2]  Choose your skin care and household products wisely.
  7. Our bodies are complex, and we are all different.  What works for one person, may not work for you, and vice versa.  Learn to listen to your body.

 With a little diligence and know-how, it’s possible to keep eczema at bay, the natural way.

[1] http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/chelating-ionizing-radiation.html

[2] http://blog.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/2012/07/16/what-toxic-chemicals-is-your-body-absorbing-infographic/

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Ideas for Your Kid’s Paleo Birthday Party

July 7, 2012 in Topics for Paleo Families

(Created as a guest post for Fresh4Five)

As your child’s birthday approaches, you may start feeling some anxiety.  Not only can the anniversary of their birth get you all freaked out about how quickly they are growing up, but then there’s the whole party thing to consider!  Throwing a kid’s birthday party can be intimidating at the best of times, and when your priority is to keep that party paleo, it can feel overwhelming.  It helps to remember something very important:  this is your [kid’s] party.  You have control.  You get to make the decisions [with your child’s preferences in mind].  It is still a balancing act.  You want to provide a great time for your kid.  You want your kid to “fit in” so you want his or her friends to have a great time too.  You want to do this while keeping the food healthy.  You don’t necessarily have time to do everything yourself.  You want to stay sane.  And, you don’t want to break the bank. 

If you are fretting about keeping an upcoming birthday party paleo, I want to remind you about something.  It’s not actually about the food.  Okay, it might be a little bit about the cake.  But the rest of it is about FUN.  What would be fun for you and your child?  Notice I included you in that question?  If you are having fun getting ready for a party, it’s not going to feel like so much work.  I have compiled a bunch of ideas and questions to consider to help take the stress out of the planning.  This way, you can focus on what is most important: celebrating your little guy’s or girl’s special day!

Location:  I’m not sure when it became such a fad to have your child’s birthday party at a gymnastics place, bouncy castle place, indoor playground, bowling alley, beauty parlor, arts and craft place, build-a-bear, arcade, museums, movie theater, puppet show, mini-golf course, restaurant (can you even call Chuck E. Cheese a restaurant?)… but I’m not a big fan.  Yes, it’s nice not to have to clean your house, but you pay such a premium price to use the facilities and you tend to forfeit control over the menu in the process.  I also find those types of party very hectic, over-stimulating, loud, and impersonal.  If you really don’t have enough space in your home and/or yard, consider reserving a ramada at a local park (or maybe you’re lucky enough to have a park you can use for free).  If weather is not likely to be conducive to an outside birthday party, ask a friend or family member to volunteer their home.  But, if you feel like you absolutely have to have an activity for the kids and have decided that the simplicity of reserving the bouncy castle place is your best option, remember to ask for a discount if you bring all your own food and goodie bags.

Time:  I suggest putting an end time on your birthday party invitations.  While there are always some good friends or family who tend to hang around afterward (hopefully helping you clean up!), it’s nice to be able to predict how long a party will be (for both you and your guests).  When it comes time to consider what time of day to have your party, here are some important things to consider:  do you need to work around nap time? How much time in the morning will you need to get ready?  How much time will you need afterward to clean up?  Will anyone (like grandparents) be traveling from a significant distance?  Are you prepared to provide more food if the party is scheduled at a meal time?  If your party is outside, is the weather likely to be better in the afternoon or morning? 

Theme:  Not every party needs a theme.  Your theme can be “birthday”.  But sometimes a theme will help you focus your decisions regarding how to decorate a cake, what to put in the goodie bags, and what games to play.  Whatever your child likes these days is a good theme.  And you don’t need to go overboard.  My daughter had a “prince and princess” themed birthday party two years ago and there was not a single Disney princess in sight.  All the craft supplies and decorations were generic and/or homemade, which was much simpler and much cheaper.

Entertainment:  If you have opted to have your child’s birthday party in your home but feel you need an activity for your child, you may be able to tap into some local talent.  Hiring clowns, magicians, musicians, ballet teachers, gymnastics teachers, and even science teachers to entertain your child and his/her guests are an option.  You can also rent your own jumpy castle or trampoline.  However, I would urge you to consider keeping it simpler than this.  Birthday parties do not need to be entirely structured.  Just like I’m a big fan of just throwing kids into the backyard to play, I am also a big fan of just allowing a birthday party to happen organically.  That being said, one or two structured activities can help things from getting a little too crazy.  This brings me to crafts.

Crafts:  Crafts can be a wonderful way to entertain the kids and also send them home with something special.  Clearly this is more relevant to those of you planning a party in your home or a nearby park. Simple crafts that work well for younger kids are things like decorating a crowns, mask, fairy wings, birthday hats, flower pot, mug, T-shirt, toy car or pencil holder.  For very young kids, sticker crafts work very well (sticker scenes, sticker dress-up dolls, or foam sticker decorations like fridge magnets, dinosaurs or photo frames are great).  Other good crafts for younger children are assembly type crafts, such as kites, paper/foam airplanes, toy cars, and dinosaur skeletons.  Older kids can handle crafts that use acrylic paints or non-washable markers, which opens up dozens of possibilities.  When I turned 10 years old, we made twist paper angel Christmas tree decorations at my birthday party (my birthday is in November).  Most of us were in tears with frustration at some point during that party, but every single one of us had our angel at the top of our tree for years (in some cases, decades).  If you are not a crafty person by nature, you can very easily buy kits at a local craft store or online (see links above for ideas).  You can also opt to skip the goodie bags if you are going “all out” with a craft (maybe just buy some nice bags for each kid to put the finished product in to take home with them).

Games:  One to three structured games can be a life-saver at a home birthday party.  Even very young kids (say 2 years and older) get a kick out of acting games.  And by 3 years old, kids can do guessing and acting games like versions of charades (“guess what animal Joey is pretending to be”).  You can print out words or pictures onto paper to cue the kids what they are supposed to act like and then whoever guesses right gets to go next.  You can add layers of complication as the kids get older and migrate into something that’s more 20 Questions-like (much older kids can wear a hat or a name tag on their back with the name of a character or creature and have to spend the party asking yes or no questions to figure out who they are).  Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey is another classic game that can be easily adjusted to suit whatever theme you might be going with.  We have seen pin-the-nose-on-the-clown,pin-the-eye-patch-on-the-pirate, pin-the-hat-on-the-cowboy, and we played pin-the-crown-on-the-princess at my daughter’s “prince and princess” themed party (a hand drawn and colored princess, and handmade crown and some painters tape).  Other good games are obstacle courses, races, scavenger hunts, musical chairs, duck duck goose, telephone (kids whisper into each other’s ear down the line and you laugh at how a simple phrase gets distorted by the time the last kid says it aloud), freeze dance (maybe you have to freeze with a silly face or in character that goes with the party theme), red light green light, Simon says, musical walks (you walk on numbers on the ground and stop when the music stops and someone wins) and pretty much anything you can think of that fits in your space.  

Prizes:  I don’t think birthday party games need prizes, but if you find yourself planning a game that typically does end in a prize (like musical chairs), be creative.  Maybe the prize is wearing a silly hat.  Maybe the prize is getting the first piece of cake (after your child, of course).  Maybe the prize is a sticker or an item that you bought for the goody bags that didn’t fit.  Also keep in mind that, depending on the age of the child and what your prize is, you may have to figure out how to rig the game so that everyone is a winner and gets a prize.

Food:  When did pizza become the quintessential birthday party food?  I get it.  It’s easy (especially when delivered to your door) and most kids like it (mine never did).  But you do not have to have pizza to have a good party.  We typically set up our birthday parties with a table laden in appetizer-type foods for kids and grown-ups to snack on throughout the party (and because our parties have lots of unstructured time, everyone typically gets some healthy food before the cake is served).  I would typically make a fruit platter, a veggie platter with some dip, and a meat platter with different types of fresh and nitrate-free deli meats.  Meatballs are always a favorite as are cut-up (grass-fed, natural) hotdog pieces, speared with toothpicks, and a mix of (natural, no sugar added) ketchup and mustard to dip them in.  Whatever your child’s favorite snack is, that is a good thing to have at a party.  It could be apple with almond butter to dip.  It could be meat sticks.  It could be your favorite recipe for paleo crackers with pate!  I generally find that a no sugar added juice-box is a very popular beverage at parties, but if you really don’t like having juice in your house, there is nothing wrong with just serving water!  The best part is that most of these foods can be made in advance and some of them you can even buy pre-made from your local grocery store’s deli.  A quick note here on plates, cups, bowls, and cutlery.  I suggest investing in a colorful yet generic set of dishwasher-safe plastic dishware that can be used for picnics, eating outside on the patio, and birthday parties.  They are usually inexpensive and will save you plenty of money in the long run while being much more environmentally friendly than paper plates.  And what is one extra dishwasher load after the party for clean-up?!

The cake:  This is arguably the most important part of your child’s birthday party.  Something about birthday cakes sticks in our memories.  And especially if your child is not used to eating many sweet foods, actually having cake can be ridiculously exciting!  Before you start trolling the internet for paleo-friendly cake recipes (and there are lots to choose from!), decide on what your priorities are.  Do you need something easy?  How sweet are you willing to let it be?  What are your decorating skills like?  How much time can you devote?  Do you need your recipe to be egg-free or nut-free too?  Is there a favorite flavor your child has requested?  I find it easier on my stress level to bake the cake in advance and freeze it until the evening before the party when I’m ready to decorate it (and that way, if the cake doesn’t turn out the way I want it to, I have time to make another one).  And let me just say that you don’t even need to mention that your child’s birthday cake is paleo!  There are so many amazing recipes out there (like my chocolate cupcake recipe!) that your guests probably won’t know the difference!

Let’s talk about paleo-friendly birthday cake decorations.  You can pipe icing decorations, but it can be tough to find paleo icing recipes that will hold up to this treatment.  You can also use natural, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free candies or sprinkles to decorate, some of which you can even find in vibrant colors and fun shapes.  Paleo cookies, marshmallows, fresh or dried fruit, and even little toys can make fun decorations too.  I really love to decorate my cakes with fresh edible and/or fake flowers.  If you are going to go the edible flower route, you’ll want to make sure they weren’t treated with pesticides.  The easiest way to do this is to plan in advance and grow your own (think of things like pansies, nasturtiums and flowering herbs, all of which are easy to grow).  Otherwise you can ask a good bakery, local restaurant, or florist if they can order some for you. 

If you are really pressed for time or are not confident in your cake decorating skills, you can ask a family member or friend if they would like to be in charge of baking a paleo cake.  Another great option is to find a local gluten-free bakery (some traditional bakeries will have gluten-free options too).  Often some of the gluten-free recipes will happen to be paleo as well (my local gluten-free bakery has some recipes that are coconut flour based).  If you call them well in advance, they may even be able to bake a special cake just for you using a recipe that you provide them (you just need to be fairly confident in the quality of the recipe).

Goodie Bags:  Again, I’m not sure when it became so standard for goodie bags to contain candy?!  True that it’s cheap and kids get excited by it, but do we really need to feed kids cake and then send them home with more sugar???  I like to put small toys (typically something that goes with the theme) and/or craft kits in my goodie bags.  Little boxes of crayons and coloring or note books are one of our favorites.  We had one birthday party where our craft was decorating flowerpots so the goodie bags contained soil and seeds to plant in them. 

Like everything about living paleo, throwing a kid’s paleo party just takes some thought and some planning.  And just like everything else about living paleo, it can be a great deal of fun!

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