Category Archives: Health

What Goes In Must Come Out

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Today I’m sharing about my 15month old’s “poopie” issues. I’ve tried to think of a better way to start this, but the reality is….he just has poopie issues.  For 3 months now, his stools are often loose, soft, yellowish in color and smell “yucky”, as my 3 year old says.  We have been on a quest to figure out what is causing this malady.  It seems to fluctuate…it will be bad for a few days to weeks then be gone for awhile.  And the worst part of it all is that he gets terrible diaper rashes to the point of welts and blisters.  Poor baby! We’ve tried probiotics for a month…without change.

After consulting our pediatrician about it, we’ve essentially ruled out anything infectious.

So, thus our conclusion…

WHAT GOES IN MUST COME OUT. 

We began our dietary changes with cutting out dairy milk a few months ago.  It started shortly after I started weaning from nursing and introducing whole milk.  So we switched to almond milk and/or soy milk.

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 We saw some improvement with that short term, so I decided to cut out soy as well and stick with the almond milk.  We’ve tried really hard to eliminate all dairy such as mayo, cheese, etc.  But, still last week we had another “bad bout”.  The good news is that he is still a super happy baby!  None of this has affected him in the least.

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Cruz’s 15month appointment was today.  I discussed with our pediatrician the possibility of dairy vs gluten sensitivities.  He explained that some kids can be very sensitive to milk products, even milk listed in the ingredients of dry products.  He certainly doesn’t have the symptoms of a child with a severe gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, but even a mild sensitivity can produce stool disturbances.

So begins our quest to eliminate ALL milk/dairy from his diet.  We will attempt this first for a few weeks.  If no improvement, we will try him on a gluten free diet.

All of this diet changing comes at a great time, as I am on a quest to improve the nutrition of my family as a whole.  We have a new Natural Grocers Store in our town which has inspired me to eat healthier and more natural and to eliminate refined sugar from our diet. In my quest for better nutrition, I’ve determined three things…

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1. Eating healthy isn’t easy.  Reading labels, looking up new recipes, researching, breaking old habits. All of which, take effort.

2. Eating healthy isn’t cheap.  It is true that organic and fresh foods cost more.  No one can deny that.  But the other side of healthy eating is that I’m not buying the JUNK we were eating before, so I essentially feel I come out even.  I’m also a lot choosier at the grocery store, so I’m not filling my cart with things I will either end up not eating or throwing away before I use it all.

3. Eating healthy is worth it.  Oh, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.  Again, as I’ve posted in another post, I struggle with the follow through.  I know eating healthy is beneficial for many, many reasons.  I know the poor food choices we make can affect our lives more than we even realize.  I’ve listened to the truth of this for so long.  I wholeheartedly believe in healthy eating and healthy lifestyle choices.  But doing it….well that is another story.  I fall short.  Again.

So, Cruz’s “poopie issues” seem to be just the trigger for me to make some serious changes in our diet habits.

I’m certainly not perfect.  Nor will our nutritional changes be.  But perfection is NOT  my goal.

Intentional living is.  

So, stay tuned to see my progress with eating healthy and Cruz’s progress with his dairy-free lifestyle.

Here’s to a healthy Perez family this year!

How have you made healthy diet changes in your family?