Day 1

We are finally here! The last week has had me nervous but more than anything just wanting to get to it.

So far so good, although I have had a cracking headache since about 1pm (damn you caffiene!!) Zoe is her 'normal' tantruming self, and Em is being sooky - so nothing new really!


I have undertaken the Great Pantry Cleanout today, removing everything not suitaly for the elimination diet. I have kept most of it for when we start challenges but the difference is a bit depressing really!



I look at what is left and start to wonder how the heck we are going to get through it. Is it all really worth the huge effort? And then i look at Abby, who is covered head to toe in a horrible rash (worse in the nappy area) which has mainly come out since I went a bit crazy on the Sunkist and had several cans over the period of a few days (when I am normally a Coke girl).



This is something real. You can't put this down to "having a bad day" or "it's an age thing" It is breaking her sleep and the poor little bugger is scratching until she bleeds. I need to fix this!

Our 'Failsafe' Journey

Tuesday is D-Day. Diet Day. Failsafe Diet Day. For those not familiar with the Failsafe Diet, it basically means that you undertake a strict elimination diet until you reach a baseline and then re-introduce types of foods to see what causes a reaction and in what levels. See the Fed Up website for more information.

In the front of the Fed Up book, it has a list of symptoms that can be attributed to food sensitivities. As a family, many of these relate to us:

Me:
Eczema/hives/rashes
Hayfever, blocked or runny nose (constantly!)
Snoring (shh don't tell anyone!)
Sinusitis
Frequent tonsillitis, colds, flu (more as a child)
Frequent ear infections (more as a child)
Joint pain
Heart palpitations
Headaches and migraines
Tinnitus
Tiredness (although I do have a 3 month old lol)
Anxiety
Depression (previous history - doing okay over the past few years)
Vague or forgetful
Unable to concentrate
Unmotivated
Disorganised
Easily distracted (oh look - a butterfly . . .)
Poor coordination
Frequent accidents
Insomnia (at times)

Emily (Nearly 5):
Snoring
Frequent ear infections
Bad breath
Growing Pains
Headaches
Unexplained tiredness
Easily distracted
Vague or forgetful
Difficulty falling asleep
Frequent night waking
Nightmares/night terrors
Mood swings
Uncooporative, argumentative
Overreacts to small incidents
Temper tantrums and outbursts
Constantly says 'NO'
Break rules
Blames others
Deliberately annoys others
Angry, resentful, defiant
Spiteful

Zoe (3 yrs):
Eczema and other rashes
Headaches
Unexplained tiredness
Mood swings
Uncooporative, argumentative
Overreacts to small incidents
Temper tantrums and outbursts
Constantly says 'NO'
Break rules
Blames others
Deliberately annoys others
Angry, resentful, defiant

Abby (3 months):
Eczema and rashes

Of course I am not saying that they will become little angels after this - they are still 3 and (nearly) 5 - but lately I am feeling totally overwhelmed with their behaviour If by changing what we eat we can get them to a managable level I will be happy!

I think that Abby's most recent and awful rashes were caused by me drinking Sunkist, which has colour 110 in it as it is the only thing that I had really changed and we bought a carton of it while on special and hd drunk several cans before I put it together.

Menu planning for the first week now . . .