I didn't take photos at Stella! But I did get Truman eating beignets at Cafe du Monde!

We’re training Truman to behave in fine restaurants and we’ve found, as long as your child doesn’t do anything too obnoxious, finer restaurants tend to be very gracious. The menu looked divine, but there were no kid-friendly options. And I wasn’t jumping up and down about spending $35-45 on an entrée that Truman might only eat the edge of. I considered an appetizer (in the $20s) or halving an entrée when our waitress suggested we order for our son one dish from the seven-course tasting menu. (The chef agreed to make this exception.) Truman ordered the fifth course, the Steak and Egg – seared filet of prime beef tenderloin and sunny side up Clyde’s Farm Araucana egg with breakfast potatoes, truffled hollandaise and Texas toast with foie gras butter. He devoured every morsel on his plate.

There’s a point to this story. Yesterday at lunchtime my son, who was just diagnosed with strep throat, was beginning to feel better. He was tentatively eating his first bites of food in hours. (That morning and the night before I held his little body as his stomach turned concave and rejected everything in it, which was next to nothing. Poor guy.) He was nibbling the edges of a cheese quesadilla and somewhat ignoring the leftover homemade chicken and noodle soup I had made the night before. I asked what he felt like having for dinner that night. I figured he’d say a hamburger and I would gladly oblige. He said, “I want a steak with an egg on top of it like in New Orleans.”

I suspect his little body was craving iron and protein. And a good meal. There’s no doubt he loved his dinner at Stella! Which makes me like Casual Kitchen’s logic on the topic. Daniel says the best foods when you are sick should meet some or all of the following criteria:

• Energy Dense. These foods are those that are high in fat and protein. That stick-to-the-ribs sort of fare that stays with you a while.
• Comfort Foods. We adults generally associate these foods with what our mothers made us. I wonder what will be Truman’s comfort foods…
• Easy on the Stomach. Popsicles for sore throats; low-acidic foods for tender tummies. And there’s always the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) for bothersome diarrhea.
• Laughable Easy to Make. This probably applies more for sick ones who have to fend for themselves. I don’t mind going to a bother for my sick little boy, but it is good advise to heed when I inevitably catch what he has.

Photo, JWJourney

Post from: Blisstree

Best Foods for Sick Little Kids

As most if not all of my fellow Chronic Fatigue sufferers will tell you, food can be particularly bothersome. Very necessary, but it seems like we (or at least myself) always have another food intolerance poppinig up. For instance right now, I can not tolerate any red meat, lettuce, or potatoes. And forget about milk (unless its lactaid), and right now I am also passing up any beverage with vodka in it. All of the above give me terrible head and stomachaches, not to mention milk still makes the bottoms of my feet peel. I know, too much information in a food post…sorry about that.

When I start feeling terrible, and I suspect that food is the cause. I go on the BRAT diet. BRAT stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. Some people substitute apples for applesauce. But my grandfather makes THE best applesauce in the world (without sugar), and so I am sticking with the sauce, as its way tastier than regular apples (and I am not allergic to it). Adhering to this incredibly strict diet is not easy, since you are only allowed those items. But after a few short days, your body recovers, and you can start introducing small amounts of regular food back into your diet. Make sure you start slowly, because the whole point of going on the BRAT diet is to clean out your system, so you can start over and figure out what exactly it is that you are ingesting that is making you ill. You should be able to notice any intolerances immediately. When they pop up, remove them from your diet. Its not forever, try again in a few months, and things will probably change again,,,and you can go back to eating your favorites once again.

When your stomach has settled down after a few days on the BRAT, and you are well on your way to finding the bad foods. You may want to think about making up a batch of magic soup. I swear there are healing properties in this soup. It is guaranteed to make me feel better, and I have no doubt that it can do the same for you. For a sort of recipe (ok actually a list of ingredients) go here.

Post from: Blisstree

CFS Patients Find Success With The BRAT Diet

But over the years, things have seemed to calm down in that area. That is, until the other night. Two nights ago, a friend from out of town was visiting me. We decided to order in. Our cuisine of choice…..chinese. Huge mistake. Now, chinese food has been not so great to me in the past. Usually I try to avoid it (but I always thought that it was an intimidation thing ~so much food on a table could bring on a mini relapse)…I prefer west coast/asian fusion cuisine better anyway. But this place was close in proximity, and is reputed to have good food.

I probably don’t have to say anything more….but all of the old signs came back full force last night. Strange how the reaction is no longer immediate, but the symptoms were all there. Fever, pain, headaches……and today I just feel wasted.

So the plan is for the next 2 days, is the BRAT diet. For those of you who don’t know this elimination diet; it consists of Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast, along with clear liquids. After that I will be slowly re-introducing food, so I don’t have another night like last night. Check out this link to learn more about elimination diets. I don’t recommend them for long term use…..but they certainly help for short term trials.

Hopefully I will be back to my old self, soon enough

Post from: Blisstree

Food Intolerances