“If my child can’t eat bread, what are they going to eat?!”
It’s one of the most common questions I get from people after I suggest removing inflammatory foods (like gluten, dairy, and soy) from the diet.
Maybe you’re wondering the same thing. Maybe you’re thinking, “My child LIVES for bread and cheese! If I take those away from him, he’ll starve!”
Let me reassure you, it’s 1000% possible to remove these top inflammatory foods and still feed your family delicious meals.
As I work with families going through The ADHD Thrive Method 4 Kids, we sometimes do functional lab testing to see if their child has any food intolerances that are causing inflammation in the body.
You would be amazed with the amount of foods that some people have to remove: foods like breads, rice, beans, bananas, dairy, soy, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, berries, and the list goes on.
Some families walk away with a list of 30+ foods that their child has to temporarily remove while we work to heal their gut. (Thankfully, most of the time, we can reintroduce these foods again once their bodies have healed, so it’s not a long term issue!)
What I tell these families is the same thing I want to tell you today:
Focus on what you can eat, not on what you can’t.
That little mindset shift can make such a HUGE difference in the way you feel!
So here are a few examples of how that might work:
- Instead of focusing on not eating gluten, think instead about the new gluten-free flours you plan to try (like almond flour, cassava flour, or a good flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten-free flour).
- Instead of focusing on the packaged snacks you no longer get to eat, focus instead on fresh fruits and vegetables that are going to make you feel better, look better, and become your best self.
- Instead of focusing on the desserts you can’t have, think about all of the better alternatives you get to try. (Because believe me, there are some delicious alternatives that you would never know are gluten and dairy free!)
This small mindset shift might not seem like a big thing, but it makes a big impact!
By focusing on what you and your family can have, you are framing everything in a more positive light.
You’re moving the thinking from what you’re missing out on to what you’re gaining.
Believe me, I know how hard it is when you first start removing inflammatory foods. I know at times it can feel like there’s nothing to eat.
One other tip I often give families just starting out is to find a handful of meals their family enjoys that are naturally gluten free or easy to make gluten free. Then, once they have these meals lined up, repeat them week to week.
So for instance, this could look like:
Every Monday, your family eats bunless hamburgers.
Every Tuesday, your family eats gluten-free tacos with dairy free cheese.
Every Wednesday, your family eats sheet pan chicken and veggies.
And so forth.
By repeating the same handful of meals from week to week, it becomes much more do-able to make this lifestyle change. Then, as you feel more comfortable, you slowly add in more variety and more new recipes.
Want to know more about how we can help YOU get to a place of peace and calm with your child using natural strategies?
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And as always, I am not a medical doctor and the above post is based on my experience. No information on this site should be relied upon to make a medical diagnosis, treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition.
