What an interesting five weeks it has been on a completely vegan diet minus soy and nuts for my 22 month old, Ethan (pictured left). What started out as an experiment has turned out to be a success. Before I share the outcomes, I think it is important to give a background leading up to our plant-based diet trial.
History
When my son was born, we were super healthy eaters. We had researched and tweaked our diet to give us what we needed to increase prevention of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). We meal planned a week at a time to provide a well-balanced diet. Two times a week we had vegetarian dinners, two times a week we had fish (wild caught salmon preferred for Omega-3), no more than one time a week red meat, and skinless chicken breast dishes to complete our 7 day plan. We got produce, meat, vegetables, and eggs as much locally and organically as possible. We were at our healthiest weights as adults. My blood work proved that I was significantly healthier than when I was 25!
In the first 3 months, all seemed well with the exception of reflux. Our concerns were dismissed by our pediatrician as Ethan was gaining weight. Of course he was gaining weight. I was nursing him every 1-2 hours because so little was staying down! Over the course of the next few months, he woke up every hour screaming unless he was in his baby swing (the elevation helped), developed eczema and hyperkeratosis on face, arms and legs, had excessive head sweating, runny nose, and was a very demanding unhappy baby most days with glimpses of sweetness. After he started breaking out into hives, we switched pediatricians, did allergy testing, and started over on introduction of foods. We found out he had a severe intolerance to dairy with milder intolerances to soy, tree nuts, peanuts and egg. Once these items were removed, he became the delightful little boy we thought he was all along. He started sleeping with only 1-2 wake ups at night. And, he looked well for the first time since about 4 months of age. The remaining problematic areas included eczema, hyperkeratosis, and waking up from sleep screaming.
Then, a good friend innocently asked, "How do you know if it is the egg causing the problems or what the chicken ate?". I stood there shocked. With all of the sleep deprivation, food journaling, and doctor appointments, it had never crossed my mind that what the animals where eating could be a problem. So here we are doing a vegan trial to see if it helps our son get even healthier.
Outcomes after 5 weeks
Sleep: Within the first week, Ethan was sleeping through the night with no intervention needed by us. On the occasional night he did have a cry out, he was able to put himself down quickly and easily. He has never been able to do that until now! By week 2, he stopped crying when he woke up. We'd find him playing in his room. Again, that was amazing to see for the first time.
Eczema: By the end of two weeks, the eczema on his arms and legs was completely gone. He still has some flare-ups on his cheeks but that is usually after running around.
Hyperkeratosis: Bummer, this one is still there.
Reduced Stress: Meals were very stressful at our house as they contained items our toddler could not eat. By having everyone eat vegan at lunch, dinner and snack (can't get the older children off cow's milk on their cereal yet) there is no more running across the kitchen to get to the piece of food before the toddler gets to it.
Next Steps
Try to get rid of that nasty hyperkeratosis. There is information on the internet regarding the link between Vitamin A deficiency and hyperkeratosis. I'll focus in on increasing his exposure to foods high in Vitamin A but not exceeding the upper limits for his age.
Sleep: Within the first week, Ethan was sleeping through the night with no intervention needed by us. On the occasional night he did have a cry out, he was able to put himself down quickly and easily. He has never been able to do that until now! By week 2, he stopped crying when he woke up. We'd find him playing in his room. Again, that was amazing to see for the first time.
Eczema: By the end of two weeks, the eczema on his arms and legs was completely gone. He still has some flare-ups on his cheeks but that is usually after running around.
Hyperkeratosis: Bummer, this one is still there.
Reduced Stress: Meals were very stressful at our house as they contained items our toddler could not eat. By having everyone eat vegan at lunch, dinner and snack (can't get the older children off cow's milk on their cereal yet) there is no more running across the kitchen to get to the piece of food before the toddler gets to it.
Next Steps
Try to get rid of that nasty hyperkeratosis. There is information on the internet regarding the link between Vitamin A deficiency and hyperkeratosis. I'll focus in on increasing his exposure to foods high in Vitamin A but not exceeding the upper limits for his age.
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