We are having withdrawal...

It's time to get technical...Tristan is on what is called a GF/CF diet, short for Gluten Free / Casein Free. I have been receiving lots of questions about Tristan and this diet that we have him on. Hopefully, some of this will help you out, and this is also allowing me a second to talk about our withdrawal from dairy....I will tell you, withdrawal is a real thing, opiates hide inside casein, the main dairy protein. As casein molecules are digested, they break apart to release tiny opiate molecules, called casomorphins (NOTE: MORPINS...as in the same thing found in MORPHINE). One of these compounds has about one-tenth the opiate strength of morphine. The especially addicting power of cheese may be due to the fact that the process of cheese-making removes water, lactose and whey proteins so that casein is super concentrated thus injecting the consumer with a power packed punch of euphoria...but, the effects are short lived whereas the residual damage remains. The peptides from gluten on the other hand, [gliadorphin] and casein [casomorphin] are important because they react with opiate receptors in the brain, thus mimicking the effects of opiate drugs like heroin and morphine. So, in a sense, autistic children, which are particulary sensitive, are walking through this world in a drug like state...it's my job as a mom to help clean him up, and....though this withdrawal REALLY, REALLY sucks...the aftermath will be so divine.

Now, back to our withdrawal issues...last Thursday, our DAN! Doctor put both Tristan and I on a STRICT Gluten Free/Casein Free diet (since T still nurses at night, if I eat ANYTHING with gluten/casein, he will be exposed) and...well, we are having withdrawals. It sucks. Tristan is a mess, crying uncontrollably, screaming at the top of his lungs, squinting his eyes, trying to make himself vomit by forcing his hands down his throat, and tonight, for the first time ever...he bit me. I cried for a straight hour, not because it hurt physically, moreso because of how it made my heart hurt. I know that right now, he is unclear, his body is going through this withrdrawal and cleanse, but, it still hurts.

Now, having gone through this before when we removed Gluten from his diet, I know the good, the bad and the in between. The bad news: This diet, for the first month or two, may make you crazy. The good news: This feeling will go away and it will become second nature to your life. Not only that, but I know that he will gain so much more clarity and his tummy troubles should lessen up too...which, that alone is worth it's weight in gold really. To those who thought that gluten hides in everything (which it does), casein is even worse....casein and caseinates are used as extenders, tenderizers, nutritional fortifers, and texturizers, therefore can be found in products other than foods....*YAY!!!!!* it's in everything from meat tenderizers, baking sodas, toothpastes, teething tablets to sausages, soups, stews, high-protein beverage powders, fortified cereals, infant formula, nutrition bars and bakery glazes to name just a few. So, for fun one day *not really "weeee, this is fun!" kinda fun* but, if you have a minute one day, pretend to be one of the millions of people affected by Celiac, Autism, IBS, Krohns and more...flip to the back of the ingredients, and look for some of the key words we have to search for:

GLUTEN

-Atta
-Bulgur
-Couscous
-Durum
-Einkorn
-Emmer
-Enriched/white/whole wheat flour
-Farina
-Gluten
-Graham flour
-high gluten/protein flour
-Kamut
-Seitan
-Semolina
-Spelt (dinkel, farro)
-Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
-Triticum aestivum Wheat bran/flour/germ/starch
-Modified Food Starch (this one is my favorite LOL, it hides in EVERYTHING...it's a type of filler, so, it's often found in hotdogs, hamburgers, drinks *SOBE Life Water has MFS in it...who would have thought!*
***And to top it off, we have to avoid anything with the statement claiming to be processed in a facility that manufactures products with wheat, or traces of wheat....

CASEIN
-Milk solids ("curds")
-Whey
-Casein (sodium caseinate, most commonly)
-Lactose (sodium lactylate, frequently)
-Lactalbumin and other names that begin with lact
-Galactose (a lactose by-product)
-Protein (often "high protein" or "protein enriched" version of another ingredient, such as wheat) The added protein in foods (particularly "high energy" foods) is often milk protein.
-Caramel coloring. Many kinds of caramel coloring use lactose, a milk sugar, to help get that rich color.
-Recaldent, this ingredient, found in some Trident brand chewing gums, is milk-derived.
-Fruit flavored Tums contain undisclosed dairy.
-"natural ingredients", some of these may contain dairy products or byproducts, so, if I see this, I have to call the manufacturer (an 800 number is usually listed on the packaging) for further information. And the obvious:
milk,
butter,
cheese,
yogurt...

I guess some of you that are not familiar with this diet may be wondering why in the hell am I "doing this" to him....here is why... the GF/CF diet helps an estimated 85% of the children that are on the spectrum in improving everything about their learning disabilities and overall well being. When I say improvement, I mean with their speech, better bowel movements than before, better sleep patterns, happier demeanor, less stimming behaviors, less in a fog / daze look and more ready to learn than ever before. Tristan's attention to task is 100% better when he has a clean diet, so...this is our next step to take him above that...to open him up to learning all that he can.

Please pray that we can make these next few months...I know that it is bad before it gets better..but, this is day 3, and I am feeling it.