The Diet

As promised, here's an update of Ethan's diet. He tells everyone we meet "My mom put me on a diet" I'm sure everyone who sees us thinks "Yup, the scrawny little thing who's ribs are sticking out is sure the one who needs the diet!"
In case you forgot we cut out all dairy, yellow food, junk food, fruit juice, sugar, chocolate, processed meats, fried foods, artificial colors, and artificial flavors. You might ask what that leaves us with. Well, not a lot, I will tell you. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies, and can have most meats (Though we have to watch fat content) It was pretty hard to begin with, because even when I thought I was doing a great job, it turned out that I wasn't ex: I got him soy milk because he can't drink dairy, but he doesn't like the taste of regular soy milk, so I got him the vanilla. Good idea right? Nope, it's LOADED with sugar! Cutting one or two of those things out really isn't that bad, but having all of them cut out at once is tough. But we did it for two whole weeks. After the first week we didn't really notice a big difference, but the second week was AMAZING! It was like a totally different kid. We didn't have to fight with him about things. We didn't have the usual tantrums when we transitioned from one activity to another. He did much better at school, he slept better at night, and we could talk and reason with him about things. It was amazing. That's not to say that he was perfect, and all of our problems were solved, but it was a huge improvement. After the two weeks we were supposed to add things back in one at a time. We started with dairy because that was the hardest thing for us. He didn't seem to have a reaction at all, so we were excited. We also added in yellow things and he didn't have any reaction. We added Fried/ high fat foods, and noticed a difference in his behavior, but not a huge one. We also noticed a HUGE difference when we added artificial colors. He got a rash on his ears (Totally normal according to the diet plan. It didn't irritate him at all) and his behavior was terrible. Then came Thanksgiving. My family really tried to stick to the diet and made an excellent effort. They even substituted some of our regular dishes for new, diet-conscious dishes. But it was Thanksgiving, after all, and it was a holiday weekend, and it was a whirlwind of visiting people in different environments, eating out, and eating with people who didn't know about, or care about the diet, in some cases. So we decided that the week following we would stay where we were. We wouldn't add or subtract anything, and would just stick to the diet as it was. He seemed to do alright. His behavior wasn't as good as it had been before the holiday, but that was mainly due to the change in routine, not the diet. He did have a birthday party at school, and ate a cupcake. It was amazing to see his scores that day. He did great all morning, then he had the cupcake complete with sugar and artificial coloring, and his scores plummeted. It's amazing to see, in just a matter of minutes you can really see his behavior change when he has something he shouldn't. It amazes me.
So, that's it. This week we are going to start adding things again, and pick up where we left off. Mostly I am happy to know the things that really effect him, and so I know what to stalk up on and what to stay away from. That doesn't mean that we can NEVER have the things he loves, it just means that we need to have them in moderation, and we know what to expect when he does have those things.
How does it affect the rest of us? Well, it drives my mom CRAZY worrying about it, Troy doesn't mind it, he eats whatever he wants while he's at work, and then follows the diet when he's at home. Adia HATES it, and takes every opportunity to eat junk food when Ethan is at school. But she is very protective of her brother, and tells people that things aren't healthy for Ethan to eat when they forget. She also offers to eat his portion of things that are not part of the diet. ("I'll eat that brownie for you Ethan. I'm such a good helper.") I have tried my best to stick to the diet - though I do give into my chocolate cravings now and then while he's gone to school- and I have lost 5lbs. All in all, I don't think anyone has suffered in this. (Except poor Ethan who has been asking for a hot fudge Sunday all week)