Holistic Psychiatrist's Favorite Simple, Grain-Free (& Child-Friendly) Recipes
These simple recipes/ideas go out to those struggling to make dietary changes - parents of children with brain symptoms and adults with fatigue or brain fog.
Despite working in nutritional psychiatry, I don’t write much about food in this newsletter. You won’t see me posting much about my meals or hear me suggesting what I eat is good for you. We are all different. But I’ve learned a lot over the years and hope to make life easier for some of you out there.
Last week, I shared information about food families to help those reacting to certain foods better understand what may be happening. In this post, I’m addressing another food-related challenge - dietary interventions in children with brain symptoms and for anyone trying to keep things simple, including adults who don’t like to cook or who struggle with focus.
Children with candida and/or mold toxicity, like adults with these conditions, often crave carbohydrates. Their taste preferences and the range of foods they eat have become very narrow. Their parents often have a difficult time knowing what to feed them. Having helped my daughter and myself using dietary changes (along with addressing nutrient imbalances and toxicity), I understand how hard (and even isolating) this can be at times.
I don't like to spend much time in the kitchen. Most of what I prepare has very few ingredients, though the ingredients are whole (unprocessed), and most of my food preparation involves very few steps.
I hope my culinary limitations, which I've honed over the years, will be useful to others, including parents of children with brain symptoms.
Before getting into the below "recipes," I should add,
I believe...
Eating is personal. Food carries individual meanings for all of us. We need to move beyond "good" and "bad."
Sharing solid information about the relationship between food, nutrients, the microbiome, and brain symptoms has more impact than telling someone what to eat or not eat.
Changing what we eat is a process, one that requires replacing food, not eliminating it.
There's not a perfect diet for everyone. The below recipes won't be for everyone.
When possible, engage children in the process of making food. They usually enjoy it, and will be more inclined to enjoy eating it. Have them go to town naming the foods.
And lastly,
I believe...
Celtic sea salt (or Himalayan salt) is magic. When asked, "What did you DO to this chicken,” my answer, "Salt....celtic sea salt."
Helpful kitchen gadgets -
a Nutribullet or similar for making nut butters, nut or non-gluten grain flours, avocado dip, and plantain tortilla chips.
if you plan on using nut flours - a dehydrator for drying nuts is very helpful (I soak them first for 24 hours to help get rid of phytic acid, which can deplete the body of nutrients)
All of these recipes are gluten-free, and all but one (the ranch dip) are casein-free. None of these recipes use grains (unless you replace nuts with gluten-free grains) and, therefore, would be relatively consistent with the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet and the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate) diet - diets that avoid grains. Many of these recipes would also work with a Paleo Diet, and most (except those with banana, honey, or yogurt) would work for a candida/yeast-free diet.