by Dr. Jeremy Fritz
A few articles back, I discussed the topic of leaky gut and its relationship to various health and behavioral problems in children. This month I will concentrate on implementing an Elimination diet as the first step to mending a leaky gut. If your child is tired, inattentive, overemotional, and unable to concentrate, he may benefit from eliminating certain foods from his diet.
If your child has respiratory, skin, sinus, and/or immune related problems, an Elimination diet could be helpful in reducing or eliminating many of these concerns. During this article, I will first review the basics of leaky gut and then focus the remainder on a simple “How to” approach to eliminating certain foods.
Leaky gut syndrome, also called increased intestinal permeability, occurs when the endothelial cells lining the intestine become damaged and inflamed, leading to a weakened barrier between the cells. The damaged cell lining permits unwanted particles, like undigested proteins, free passage into the bloodstream. Once these large undigested proteins enter the bloodstream, the immune system targets them as invaders and responds with an inflammatory attack. The inflammatory response is often times subtle and can be delayed anywhere from 1-4 days after ingestion of the food. Since many of the symptoms come on randomly like; headaches, skin rashes, brain fog, poor concentration, and emotional outbursts, a correlation is never made with the offending food.
A common misconception is that the above reaction to the offending food is an allergic reaction. It is important to note that the reaction against these undigested proteins is termed a food sensitivity reaction and differs from that of a food allergy. The classic food allergy response is where the ingested food causes an immediate histamine response that can sometimes be life threatening. Food sensitivities can go undetected due to the delayed response as noted earlier. To make things even more confusing, some children actually crave the very foods that they are sensitive to. The most common foods to become addicted to are wheat and dairy. The protein molecules found in wheat and dairy are gluten and casein, respectively. An addictive response can occur within these children that are termed a gluteomorphin and caseomorphin response. As the name implies, a morphine-like drug effect occurs within the brain of children suffering with these food sensitivities. Because children crave these foods, it is even more unlikely that a parent would make a correlation with negative behaviors or symptoms. All of these factors make it difficult for parents to realize that certain foods could be contributing to many of their child’s behavioral, learning and health problems.
So, where do we start? For starters, I would encourage every parent to get a food journal and document every morsel of food that enters your child’s mouth. Document the time, intensity, and duration of behaviors and symptoms that occur with your child. Remember, there may not be an immediate correlation with the food intake because of the potential 1-4 day delayed reaction. The purpose of journaling is twofold: 1.) To understand exactly what and when your child is eating, 2.) To determine if a pattern exists between certain foods and behaviors/symptoms. The best approach is to document all of the above for 7 days.
Once you have determined that you are going to try the elimination diet it is crucial to prepare yourself for the journey. The most important component is to be “All In”. The only way to determine if certain foods are cause for alarm is to remove them completely from the diet. Yes, that means avoiding even that tiny bite of birthday cake 7 days into the process. Remember, the only way to find a correlation is to follow the program entirely.
Knowing that this process is already stressing you out, I suggest starting with a 14 day elimination diet. This will allow you, as a parent, to come in to the process mentally prepared for success. Let’s face it, everyone one of us should be able to tackle a 2 week change in diet. With that being said, make this 2 week process a family affair. Plan to have the entire family involved and have each family member assist in the meal planning.
SO, I will leave you with a simple list of foods to avoid and foods to include. I suggest taking the next couple of weeks to prepare your family for a 14 day elimination diet. Make it a point to start on a specific date. Look at the calendar to find a 2 week timeframe where the least temptations will occur. Many of you will also want to have more information before starting the journey. There are many resources available on the internet. My only suggestion is to follow the simple guidelines found below as to which foods to avoid/include.
Follow me next month, as we continue the journey on the elimination diet and provide further direction on the implementation process. I will also discuss the next step, which is to re-introduce the eliminated foods to determine if it is a culprit. Until next time, eat well and enjoy the challenge.
Most common foods that trigger sensitivities are: gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, and soy.
Foods to avoid
• ALL processed sugars and sweeteners.
• Grains: Wheat, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, etc.
• Dairy: Milk, cream, cheese, butter, whey. Ghee is OK.
• Eggs or foods that contain eggs (such as mayonnaise)
• Soy: Soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, soy protein, etc.
• ALL processed foods
• Canned foods
Foods to include
• All veggies: Asparagus, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery, artichokes, garlic, onions, zucchini, squash, rhubarb, cucumbers, turnips, watercress, etc. ( I realize that many of your children don’t eat any of these, so just try to incorporate as many veggies as possible.).
• Meats: Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, organ meats, etc. Best choices are grass-fed and preferably from a local farm.
• All fruits
• Gluten-free grain: quinoa, tapioca, and sorghum.
• All rice, with a preference toward colored over white.
• Nuts and seeds
• Coconut: Coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut cream.
• Olives and olive oil
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
A few articles back, I discussed the topic of leaky gut and its relationship to various health and behavioral problems in children. This month I will concentrate on implementing an Elimination diet as the first step to mending a leaky gut. If your child is tired, inattentive, overemotional, and unable to concentrate, he may benefit from eliminating certain foods from his diet.
If your child has respiratory, skin, sinus, and/or immune related problems, an Elimination diet could be helpful in reducing or eliminating many of these concerns. During this article, I will first review the basics of leaky gut and then focus the remainder on a simple “How to” approach to eliminating certain foods.
Leaky gut syndrome, also called increased intestinal permeability, occurs when the endothelial cells lining the intestine become damaged and inflamed, leading to a weakened barrier between the cells. The damaged cell lining permits unwanted particles, like undigested proteins, free passage into the bloodstream. Once these large undigested proteins enter the bloodstream, the immune system targets them as invaders and responds with an inflammatory attack. The inflammatory response is often times subtle and can be delayed anywhere from 1-4 days after ingestion of the food. Since many of the symptoms come on randomly like; headaches, skin rashes, brain fog, poor concentration, and emotional outbursts, a correlation is never made with the offending food.
A common misconception is that the above reaction to the offending food is an allergic reaction. It is important to note that the reaction against these undigested proteins is termed a food sensitivity reaction and differs from that of a food allergy. The classic food allergy response is where the ingested food causes an immediate histamine response that can sometimes be life threatening. Food sensitivities can go undetected due to the delayed response as noted earlier. To make things even more confusing, some children actually crave the very foods that they are sensitive to. The most common foods to become addicted to are wheat and dairy. The protein molecules found in wheat and dairy are gluten and casein, respectively. An addictive response can occur within these children that are termed a gluteomorphin and caseomorphin response. As the name implies, a morphine-like drug effect occurs within the brain of children suffering with these food sensitivities. Because children crave these foods, it is even more unlikely that a parent would make a correlation with negative behaviors or symptoms. All of these factors make it difficult for parents to realize that certain foods could be contributing to many of their child’s behavioral, learning and health problems.
So, where do we start? For starters, I would encourage every parent to get a food journal and document every morsel of food that enters your child’s mouth. Document the time, intensity, and duration of behaviors and symptoms that occur with your child. Remember, there may not be an immediate correlation with the food intake because of the potential 1-4 day delayed reaction. The purpose of journaling is twofold: 1.) To understand exactly what and when your child is eating, 2.) To determine if a pattern exists between certain foods and behaviors/symptoms. The best approach is to document all of the above for 7 days.
Once you have determined that you are going to try the elimination diet it is crucial to prepare yourself for the journey. The most important component is to be “All In”. The only way to determine if certain foods are cause for alarm is to remove them completely from the diet. Yes, that means avoiding even that tiny bite of birthday cake 7 days into the process. Remember, the only way to find a correlation is to follow the program entirely.
Knowing that this process is already stressing you out, I suggest starting with a 14 day elimination diet. This will allow you, as a parent, to come in to the process mentally prepared for success. Let’s face it, everyone one of us should be able to tackle a 2 week change in diet. With that being said, make this 2 week process a family affair. Plan to have the entire family involved and have each family member assist in the meal planning.
SO, I will leave you with a simple list of foods to avoid and foods to include. I suggest taking the next couple of weeks to prepare your family for a 14 day elimination diet. Make it a point to start on a specific date. Look at the calendar to find a 2 week timeframe where the least temptations will occur. Many of you will also want to have more information before starting the journey. There are many resources available on the internet. My only suggestion is to follow the simple guidelines found below as to which foods to avoid/include.
Follow me next month, as we continue the journey on the elimination diet and provide further direction on the implementation process. I will also discuss the next step, which is to re-introduce the eliminated foods to determine if it is a culprit. Until next time, eat well and enjoy the challenge.
Most common foods that trigger sensitivities are: gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, and soy.
Foods to avoid
• ALL processed sugars and sweeteners.
• Grains: Wheat, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, etc.
• Dairy: Milk, cream, cheese, butter, whey. Ghee is OK.
• Eggs or foods that contain eggs (such as mayonnaise)
• Soy: Soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, soy protein, etc.
• ALL processed foods
• Canned foods
Foods to include
• All veggies: Asparagus, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery, artichokes, garlic, onions, zucchini, squash, rhubarb, cucumbers, turnips, watercress, etc. ( I realize that many of your children don’t eat any of these, so just try to incorporate as many veggies as possible.).
• Meats: Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, organ meats, etc. Best choices are grass-fed and preferably from a local farm.
• All fruits
• Gluten-free grain: quinoa, tapioca, and sorghum.
• All rice, with a preference toward colored over white.
• Nuts and seeds
• Coconut: Coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut cream.
• Olives and olive oil
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
