Food

 Our food sources are private co-op Organic farms: Here are the two that we frequent.

Our most difficult find is for meat.  It is really difficult to trust people who are selling meat at farms. One they lie to you about what they feed their animals.
Two the ones who you purchase from and send them a few other families as referrals.  I can't tell you how many times I have gotten burned on this.  It seems no one really cares. Most people eat organic because its a fad and trendy.  We have to because it keeps our child alive.

http://rainbowranchfarms.blogspot.com
We truly love Xenia and Dennis ( our farmers) at the Rainbow Ranch.  We have felt that our daughters care has so much benefitted as well as our family.  I spent many hours on the phone with Xenia in asking so many questions as a concerned mom.
I have also given my clients a lot of information on pure foods for Urban Foodies Health and Wellness.

http://www.southcoastfarms.com  This is where we purchase all of our vegetables fresh.  We only purchase vegetables only from the farm there as they do have other farms across the US but we have had the best luck with only South coast farms veggies and we always purchase in season as we believe Abigaile has an issue with amines (the breakdown of foods that causes a particular chemical).

  Where we started with food:  I breastfed Abigaile until she was almost 3. Because of all the digestive disorders, and  malabsorption we really had a horrible time especially with the food allergies and sensitivities.  It was and is a nightmare I am not going to lie.  She even had an allergic reaction with seizures to Nutramingen , they give this formula to neo natal infants it is suppose to be allergy-free. That tells you where we started. I know we are leaps and bounds ahead of others but it doesn't change the fact that there is if we were to be away from home and not have food, and not be able to get home we would have a serious crisis. How many people do you know that takes food with them if it is over a 30 minute trip even if it is not around a meal time? I know maybe one other family and it is because of the severe food allergies as well. Thank God for nurse Hazel at Dr. Bernie Langs office at Arkansas Children's Hospital who suggested that we try Abigaile on Organic food. I wish that were all there was to it. It unfortunately is more than that. I continue to research to find answers or how, why and what do I do to fix it? She still has seizures with certain Organic foods as well. I have also learned, not everything is organic. The first thing we did was tried Organic but there were still certain items and it was a process to find out which ones she couldn't tolerate. This was the Elimination Diet. You eliminate through two phases: Here is more about the Elimination Diet.  

The Elimination Diet came to existence before it had a name. We were doing it trying to eliminate certain foods or what we thought were foods but actually ended up being chemicals or preservatives or additives.  There are some foods as well that produce natural chemicals such as amines when foods start aging or are out of season and some foods mold such as rice, or things with hulls. There is so much to learn about food and the Science of it. 

  Most foods that can cause food sensitivities are foods such as: dairy, soy, meat, fish, nuts, gluten, grains, eggs.  I’ve read that likely most of these foods cause issues because of the proteins in the foods that are able to pass through the gastro –intestinal tract because of the gut. The second is chemicals found in foods such as the amines, preservatives, additives, salicylates, msg, etc.  with the chemicals you have to find out what level of food that you can have, only have that level and you will be able to tolerate it. Abigaile can tolerate more foods now than she has ever been able to before. It is a process – there are things that you have to do to find this out but your children and adults I believe can heal through this. It will take time it will not happen overnight though it has not happened overnight with us but I know we are much further along than we were even though it is still difficult.  The very first next thing is that it has to be Organic.  Organic foods are: organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones. I have done a lot of research on farms in our area to make certain that I am getting 100% uncontaminated food for our family. If it is not organic Abigaile does have seizures from it.  We usually know right away. There are some items such as corn, sugars, and grains that she has seizures with anyways no matter if they are organic. The same with fruits she can not eat she has seizures. She has been able to tolerate a small amount of Organic blackberries.  I know that PH levels of food with regard to acidity and alkalinity also make a difference.

  The closest we have found to how we eat is called the Paleo or Primal diet. However, sea salt is the only seasoning. Garlic when it is in season.  One day when I have more time (seriously LOL) I will write a family recipe book.  Right now school, for my Bachelors in Nutritional Science has to come first so that I can understand how to help my child.  It is disheartening to me to go see a Nutritionist or Dietician for recommendation and meal plans only to be told that I have more helpful information to our situation than they can help. Then I’m charged over $1000.00. The Dietician at the hospital called me a nut and said that I’m being ridiculous that there is no way my child could have seizures from foods. I questioned her credentials and ask her if her emphasis was immunology.  We press on and one day God willing I will be a food scientist and hopefully understand the dynamics that caused all of this and how to fix it while God heals her.