Dairy Free and loving it!

Well, I wouldn't really say that GM is "loving it" but he is dealing with it quite well. I really hesitated about taking him off of the dairy, but WOW am I glad we did. He is certainly happier, but the huge thing that has improved is his ability to EAT!!!

GM used to have a diet that basically consisted of a variety of combinations of bread and cheese, also some chicken nuggets etc. It was a SHORT list. Once we removed the gluten he did expand a bit, but mostly just in that he would now eat grilled chicken instead of breaded. He did pick up a lot of focus and was far less frustrated. So that was a great difference with the gluten. However with the gluten it did take months (about 6) before we really were able to see this change.

We removed the dairy (casein) about three weeks ago. He misses his dairy, but, he is now eating other foods. He ate and sort of enjoyed pasta (gluten free of course) he has NEVER been able to get pasta into his mouth because of the sensory issues and its texture. He is willing to eat kosher hot dogs, not the best food out there, but it is an expansion, he is eating corn and loving tacos!!! He even ate two scrambled eggs for breakfast yesterday. Something that a month ago would have had him gagging at the thought of it. Last night when he went to the coop and got his free piece of fruit, which he usually gives to his little sister, he ATE IT! He did have Dad take the skin off of it, but he said it was delicious! I am just blown away by how quickly his range and ability has expanded.

So what does this mean? Honestly, I think this is huge, and not just for nutritional reasons. Basically GM has struggled with sensory issues all his life and through the years he has really gathered quite the tool box of coping mechanisms. However his oral sensitivity has always been really a challenge and it has only seen moderate improvement in the past 7 years. We did get some huge improvements when he was about 15 month - 2 years old. This was when he wouldn't eat anything and so the expansion into the dry crunchies and eventually all the dairy and bread items was viewed as an improvement. However it leveled off and there we sat. My hope is that with this visible improvement to his oral sensitivities, he must be having some relief from the sensitivities that he has been coping with for all these years, bringing him some relief from the tough job of being "normal". Hopefully this will ease the struggle to filter through all the reactions his mind and body want to have to all these sensory issues and he can either rest a bit, or use that energy to bring strength to other areas or interests. I think his load is lighter.

Overall this has made one of the largest differences that we have seen in years!