Variety is so important for helping to ensure that your family is getting all of the nutrients available through foods. And it is extremely difficult to get some kids to eat more than a couple of different foods.
When Nathan was younger, he would eat cooked beans. However, as he's gotten older, it's been nearly impossible to get him to eat any kind of beans, even the Bush's Baked Beans he used to like. Regardless, I decided to have my husband cook some pintos in the Instant Pot for dinner this week.
Traditionally, I have put onion, salt, and white pepper in my beans for spice, based on my mom's recipe. I usually put olive oil in my pintos as well.
To be honest, when I decided to have pinto beans for dinner, I did not expect my son to eat them.
My husband is a garlic lover, and a hard core meat eater. So when he made the pintos on Monday, he added (a ton) of garlic and two slices of bacon. After tasting them, I'm thinking, “Nathan loves garlic, I should have him try these.”
This is especially important to me because I'm always searching for different high protein meals that are also inexpensive, and rich in other nutrients and fiber.
The results of my little experiment are that Nathan has eaten them for the last two nights without complaining. He won't actually admit he likes them, but eating them without having to be coaxed is all the evidence I need. So, if your child likes garlic, and you've had a hard time getting him or her to eat beans, I have an easy recipe for you!
And the good news is that 2 slices of bacon adds hardly any fat to the overall recipe. In fact, without cheese, 1 1/2 cup serving is only 127 calories! With cheese, 227 calories.
The first night, I gave Nathan a small serving of beans with cheese. The second night I got even more creative.
We had leftover breast meat chicken from the rotisserie chicken we got at Costco last week. I suggested that my husband make his awesome chicken and tomatoes (which Nathan has also eaten in the past–he will eat things like this as long as it's not spicy and as long as the tomatoes aren't obvious).
The second night Ron and I had chicken and bean tacos and Nathan had a chicken and cheese burrito with pintos on the side. (In the next post, I will add the recipe for chicken and cheese tacos).
It is so exciting to me when I can get my son to eat a greater variety of foods besides just mac and cheese!
Homemade Pinto Beans with Minced Garlic and Bacon (or Olive Oil)
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time6 hourshrs
Soaking6 hourshrs
Total Time6 hourshrs20 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: adhd diet, autism diet, beans, easy, frugal, healthy, high protein, kid friendly recipes, pinto, recipes kids love
Servings: 101/2 cup
Calories: 127kcal
Author: Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC
Ingredients
2slicesBaconCenter Cut is Leanest
1/2 onionOnionabout 1/2 cup
1tbspMinced GarlicWe use the jarred garlic; if using fresh, 3-4 cloves, depending on size
1poundDried Pinto Beans
8cupswaterJust enough to cover the beans
Instructions
Put dry beans in bowl and cover with water. Soak overnight, or about 6 hours. Drain and rinse beans and put into Slow Cooker or Instant Pot. Cover with water, add bacon or olive oil, onion, and garlic. Turn on slow cooker or Instant Pot. If using slow cooker low setting, it usually takes about 6 hours for beans to be tender and ready to eat. If you use the high setting of slow cooker, the beans should be done in 3-4 hours. But it will depend on the crock pot. If you use the Pressure Cooker setting on the Instant Pot, beans should be done in 30-60 minutes. Makes 10 1/2 cup servings
Notes
This easy, inexpensive recipe is an excellent source of protein, folate, magnesium, fiber and B vitamins. And my son likes it.I bet yours will too!Top with shredded cheese for extra protein, calcium and FLAVOR! (1/4 cup shredded cheese = about 100 calories)
Foods that contain gluten often cause digestive difficulties in sensitive persons, especially those diagnosed with Autism and ADHD.
But what is gluten anyway? And why do sensitive persons react like they do?
WHAT IS GLUTEN?
Gluten is the main protein in wheat, rye and barley (and to a lesser degree, oats). It is what gives flour strength and elasticity. There are different amounts of gluten in different types of flour. For example, bread flour is higher in gluten than pastry flour.
Just like with milk allergy and lactose intolerance, gluten affects people in different ways. Persons who are truly allergic to gluten are usually diagnosed with Celiac Disease, a serious digestive disorder that affects many systems in the body. People who have an allergic reaction to gluten must avoid ALL foods that contain gluten. In this article, I will focus on gluten intolerance.
When a person has a gluten intolerance, it is not always necessary to completely remove gluten from the diet. However, a large percent of persons, including children with Autism (and ADHD), respond favorably to removing gluten from the diet.
WHY DO SENSITIVE PERSONS REACT THE WAY THEY DO TO GLUTEN?
There are theories explaining why some people react to gluten the way they do. However, recent research has revealed that the main culprit of many negative gluten reactions is lack of the enzyme “DPP4.” The DPP4 enzyme works similarly to the lactase enzyme. Lactase breaks down lactose in milk. When a person has a deficiency in lactase, dairy products cause digestive upsets. DPP4 breaks down gluten in a similar way. (The milk protein casein is affected by DPP4 deficiency as well. But we will discuss casein intolerance in a future article). When a child is deficient in DPP4, their body is not able to completely break down gluten. The result is partially broken down gluten proteins in the gut. These gluten proteins show the same effect as opioids. That is, they have a drugging effect on the child.
Approximately 50% of children placed on a gluten-free diet (most often coupled with casein restriction as well) show significant improvements. For example, improvements in language skills, bowel health, hyperactive behavior, and skin problems (particularly eczema). Sleep is improved and the child has more energy. This is only a partial list of improvements.
Though there is allergy testing available for gluten intolerance, it is not always accurate. Thus, an elimination diet is probably the easiest and most accurate way to tell for sure whether you or your child (or both, gluten intolerance tends to affect more than one person in a family) has a gluten sensitivity.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WITH THE ELIMINATION DIET
If you choose to try the elimination diet, you will need to remove all of the foods that contain gluten, and leave everything else the same. Many people avoid casein during this time as well. However, if it just turns out to be gluten that's causing issues, it means a less restrictive diet in the long run. If you try the gluten elimination diet, you may notice some improvements, but not as much as you were hoping for. In that case, you can then choose to try to eliminate casein as well. (In a future article, I will address casein intolerance in more depth).
The biggest risk with the elimination diet is nutritional deficiency. Finding replacements for the foods you are eliminating is important to maintain nutritional health. The biggest difficulty is that many, if not most kids with autism, eat large amounts of breads and pasta (think macaroni and cheese, goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks). The good news is that there are lots of choices for gluten free pastas and breads today. And many of them taste quite good. However, if you are concerned about nutritional deficiencies, a good multivitamin with iron would be a good way to help offset the potential nutrient losses (Gummy Vitamins do not have Iron). If you are someone who likes to cook from scratch, a table with conversions will be helpful:
Source: Bing Images
Below is a list of the foods to avoid if you are on a gluten-free diet. Below the list are two books that go much more in-depth on gluten-sensitivity as well as other potential intolerances, toxicities, and nutrition deficiencies seen in kids with Autism and ADHD.
Also, I included a link to a lentil pasta that my son really likes. It can be purchased at local supermarkets (Walmart) as well as on Amazon.
Autumn Bookmarks and more. Hopefully everyone had a good week. The leaves are yellow and all over the ground in my neck of the woods. I'm always reminded every year why this season is nicknamed, “Fall.” (Post may contain affiliate links).
I've been plugging away at this fledgling blog all week, creating content that I hope will benefit my readers. Content on healing nutrition and exercise is what I am focusing on, because I know that it is so important.
I recently finished an article on the importance of getting adequate amounts of magnesium in your diet. Magnesium is a mineral that is extremely important for our nervous systems to function as they should. Not only is magnesium important for healthy bodies, but most people's magnesium intake is low. This is especially a problem for picky eaters as well as children with autism.
Like I mentioned previously, healing includes not just removing the toxic stuff from our diet, but also making sure we are getting all of the good stuff our bodies need to function at their peak.
I recently completed an information booklet, “Allergy or Intolerance, How to Tell the Difference.” If you get confused by the difference, you really should check this free booklet out. Hopefully, this information will prove beneficial to you.
Speaking of allergies, here is some information to help you if you or anyone in your family has a gluten intolerance.
If you do a lot of reading, you probably use a lot of bookmarks. Check out some of my bookmarks here:
Exercise can be anywhere…Nathan loves to walk…when he's at church, at the library, park, and especially when he's watching buses or trains. So, we take advantage of that love and give him frequent opportunities to do just that–walk!
Studies show that even light walking has a positive effect on feelings of well-being, and increases feelings of calm. And doing something you love also helps, because you look forward to doing it.
How do you motivate your kiddos to move?
It doesn't have to be fancy or even “organized.” Just getting up and moving will make a difference, especially for a kiddo who is spending a lot of time on the computer or in their bedroom.
After a month of school, we are still plugging away at our Physical Education class. Though I have found that there are many exercises that Nathan doesn't like. "It's important to make it fun," they say! It takes Creativity!
I just asked my son which exercises are fun, and he said, "Ball." He has autism, so he is a boy of very few words. I am learning as I go...Fortunately, there is tons of information available on the internet to help with inspiration.
A couple of examples:
Ace Fitness' website, www.AceFitness.org and Idea Fitness, www.Ideafit.com, both have free resources available. We also have found The Exercise Buddy app for tablets (we have an Ipad, but it is also available for Android), to be extremely helpful. The Exercise Buddy can be found at www.ExerciseBuddy.com. They offer a free 14-day Trial that anyone is welcome to try.
8/3/2019 - Update - My husband is now home more and can help me with motivating Nathan to exercise. We have been taking him to the gym two times a week so that he can do some strength training. Plus, he is going out a couple times a week to watch harvesters, combines, buses and such. It takes Creativity is so true!
We are learning that exercise comes in so many forms...
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Source: Bing Images
