In A Nutshell

We're not having a great week.  I might go so far as to say that we're not even having a good week.  Both kids are sick with colds that went straight into their chests.  For Lily, who has asthma, that means medications.  Xopenex, to be specific, which is a form of albuterol inhaled through her nebulizer and let me tell you that it does awful things for her behavior and general disposition.  So instead of posting about behavior after passing week four in Stage One, I will talk about FOOD instead.  I am going to cheat and do our self assessment next week when the meds are all out of her system.

Last week I mentioned how focusing on what we could eat rather than what was restricted in the beginning helped us not feel so overwhelmed.  If you're wondering what is acceptable in Stage One, you'd need the Foodlist from your member materials for anything processed.  Even for milk (psssst, Horizon Organic is one choice).  That's because manufacturers can spray the lining of any packaged food or beverage with BHT- a preservative we avoid in Feingold World, and those manufacturers do not have to list BHT as an ingredient.  Also, let's say you have a fruity granola bar and even though the ingredients look compliant, the supplier of the fruit sprayed it with colorant and therefore, the artificial colors don't have to be listed as an ingredient either.  Don't you sort of want to punch those guys from the FDA in the face right now?

So most all processed foods must be brand specific when you are on the diet and luckily, the Foodlist is very comprehensive and compiled depending on where you live in the U.S.  BUT!  You can have any fresh, uncured, unseasoned meats or fish, as well as the following:

Fruits-

Avocado

Banana

Breadfruit

Cantaloupe

Cassaba Melon

Coconut

Dates

Figs

Grapefruit

Guava

Honeydew

Kiwi

Kumquats

Lemons

Limes

Loquats

Mangoes

Papaya

Pears

Persimmon

Pineapple

Pomegranate

Starfruit

Watermelon

Vegetables-

Alfalfa Sprouts

Artichokes

Asparagus

Bamboo shoots

Sprouts

Beans (all types)

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Chard

Collard greens

Corn

Eggplant

Kale

Kohlrabi

Lettuce

Lentils

Mushrooms

Mustard greens

Okra

Olives

Onions

Parsley

Parsnips

Peas

Potatoes

Pumpkin

Radishes

Rhubarb

Rutabaga

Sorrel

Spinach

Squash

Sweet potato

Turnips

Turnips Greens

Water Chestnuts

Watercress

Yams

Zucchini

A lot to work with, right?  Also, any flour, salt, black pepper, baking soda, baking powder, white sugar, and whole grain is acceptable.  Pretty much any dried seasonings with the exceptions of red, green or chile peppers and paprika are acceptable.  If you wanted to, you could bake and make from scratch almost anything you want in Stage One using acceptable ingredients, but I personally have relied heavily on as many convenience foods as possible, especially when we're out and about, to make this transition as easy as possible.

On Today's Menu:

Breakfast:

Banana Pancakes (365 Organic Whole grain Buttermilk Mix)

Snack:

Crushed Pinapple (canned in pineapple juice) with 365 Organic Nonfat Vanilla yogurt

Lunch:

Whole Wheat Pita with Turkey (King of Pita, Applegate Farms Roasted Turkey Breast)

Sliced mangoes and bananas

Snack:

Pancakes from breakfast with peanut butter

Dinner:

Grilled breast of chicken

Amy's frozen mac and cheese

Sliced pears

(Insert vegetables here that Dad forgot)

Not an A+ but passing for decent today.