Even though our family is all about healthy eating, it doesn't mean we don't go thru times where we learn about what our bodies need and don't need.
This was one of those times, so allow me to share it with you.
Sadie was so tired all the time in spite of all the organic meat, vegetables, fruits and unprocessed foods we were eating. She was on a dose of daily super vitamins and I thought I was giving her everything she needed to thrive as a little 4 year old girl.
She was getting 11-12 hours a sleep every night but in the morning she would wake up so tired. To add to the mix, a red rash surfaced on her face and I had no idea why. I had tried everything from taking out certain foods, to trying creams, and something was just not right!
What was I missing?
After much looking into and alot of thought, I decided to take her to a naturopath to get some allergy testing done. Everything I have been learning in nutriton school pointed to testing as the first step in taking the guessing out of allergies and what was going on.
So we went for testing and after the first set of blood test results were in, we went back to the naturopath for another visit "gulp and double gulp".
What would she say, would it be serious and could it be treated?
You can imagine how I was feeling as a mother, and so many things were going through my mind.
The naturopath looked at me and said, I am sorry to tell you that Sadie is anemic, has a gluten allergy and also has a low thyroid.
Whaat? Why & how?? The guilt set in, how could I not know this? ? I knew she ate enough iron but maybe somehow her body wasn't absorbing it?
The naturopath prescribed a double dose of Iron for her, said she could no longer have gluten and that when those two things were resolved, the low thyroid should go away.
I was now on a mission, I did alot of research and here is what I found:
Iron: Because my sweet girl could no longer have gluten I had to be very careful about everything that went into her mouth. I found a gluten and yeast free Iron made of fruits, vegetables and herbs by Flora called FloraVital Iron & Herbs. It is rich in B & C vitamins as well and non-constipating. Click Here
For those who don't eat alot of meat and want to eat more plant based foods rich in iron, I found a great website that lists all the iron rich foods and more
Vitamin C and B: If you don't have enough C and B vitamins in your body, it doesn't matter how much iron you take, your body will not absorb it. We don't take alot of C vitamins, so here it was I bought: A Truly Natural Vitamin C, Powder by Healthforce which is not synthetic and which the body can absorb Click Here
Gluten Free: Sadie's world has now change and every little thing we eat has to be read thoroughly. I say we because I too am recovering from anemia, I am also allergic to Gluten and to top it all off, I have dairy & egg allergies. So I am aware of everything I put in my mouth, what's in it and what it will do to me if I eat it.
Now I need to be completely present and aware of Sadie's diet.
So being the mother that I am, I did alot of research and have been cooking all types of delicious gluten free foods for Sadie and I. It's actually not that bad, and we even found a little store by our house that is all Gluten Free.
I am happy to say that, that was a few weeks ago and Sadie and I are on our way back to great health. With the iron rich foods and supplements we have been taking, we have energy again, think more clearly and we are in a good place.
So my advice to you is, if you or your little one are suffering from chronic symptoms, are unusually tierd, or you think something is just not right, question everything, don't just take it for what it is, do research, do testing, do whatever you can to get them and you back to great health again.
Smiles, Hugs & Health, Nancy & Sadie too
Some Gluten Links I found Helpful♥
Gluten Intolerance Group www.gluten.net
Gluten Free Easily www.glutenfreeeasily.com
The Gluten Free Nutrition Guide www.glutenfreedietitian.com
Gluten Free Kids http://www.celiaccentral.org/kids/recipes/
Whole Life Nutrition
Raising Glten Free Kids:
