Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, SCD Legal, Paleo, Grain Free Buns/Bread

Ok this is seriously the easiest bread in the whole world! It even looks like a fast food burger bun. It tastes good, holds up well, freezes well, it is like the holy grail. And, it could not get any easier with just 3 simple ingredients.

We've used this with hamburgers and sandwiches both with all the fixings. They held up both times.

So here goes:

6 eggs separated
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup pureed squash

Whip the egg whites and salt until you have fluffy peaks. Blend the egg yolks and squash together. Once the whites are nice and whipped, gently fold in the squash and yolks. I drizzled the squash/yolk mixture from the blender into my whites while gently folding so that I kept the fluff and didn't have too much of the squash go to the bottom. This is what it should look like:

Drop by 1/4 cup fulls onto a pan lined with parchment. Here is our "buns".

 I also decided to try some hot dog buns.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Here's what they look like all done.

Viola! Now go enjoy that sandwich!!

Credit goes to various SCD websites, this is NOT my original recipe!

Adrenal Support and Autism

As I was writing a blog post for Integrative Medicine for Mental Health (IMMH) which can be read here, it set off bells in my own head. While I have been taking AdrenalEssence for my own adrenals, I have not been giving it to my son. As an Autism parent, I have faced chronic sleep deprivation, heightened stress response, almost constant "flight or fight", etc. I know that my adrenals need a little love and attention but when I read the article that I posted in the IMMH blog, it clicked that my son probably needs adrenal support as well!

As we've progressed in our Autism recovery, anxiety is still one of the things that remains. GABA, Theanine and Inositol are daily supplements along with others for mito support, methylation support, inflammation, etc. But still the anxiety persists, just not at a level where it used to be. So, could adding in some adrenal support help? With all of HIS stress and anyone who knows and loves a child with Autism can attest, just feel their heart when they are in meltdown mode, I am sure his stress hormones are overactive and then there is the data discussing the role of gut dysbiosis (like clostridia) with receptors and neurotransmitters.

I decided to start giving him one capsule of AdrenalEssence. As I gave it to him at lunch he said "Will this help with my anxiety?". What?!?!? Are you even kidding me????? My son astounds me with his intuition. He is used to me giving him all sorts of things and we usually talk about it but this time I just told him it was an adrenal support. HE came up with the anxiety connection all on his own. And most times, we don't talk about managing his anxiety, healing his gut is commonly cited as for why he must take something. This kid amazes me, he really does. So, we are just on day 3 of adrenal support but I will keep blogging on it.

Also next up I will be doing a series on eating healthy wherever you are. As we face a crisis with obesity in this country, I have spent a lot of time wondering why. And a large part of me thinks it has to do with education and using what you have available. I know in some parts of the country, specialty and health food stores just don't exist or are scarce. So, I am going to be hitting up everyday stores like Wal-Mart and showing people healthier choices with what you have to work with. I will be highlighting what to avoid (sometimes THAT is more important that what to choose!) and why. So stay tuned and check back. We will be going on vacation so I will have the opportunity to work with this personally! There ARE healthy choices, hint fresh veggies (avoid ALL CORN unless organic), fruit and meats. Organic is best but sometimes you have to go with what is available. So we will cover what to avoid and what options ARE out there for EVERYONE.

Autism Recovery with Gluten and Dairy Free Diet

More research is confirming what many parents already know, that wheat (gluten) and dairy can really mess a child (or anybody) up. And low and behold, that when you remove these foods, many of the signs and symptoms of Autism can get better or even go away entirely. Autism parents have had to think outside of the box if they wanted to help their children get better. And I mean really get better, not just "therapized". Autism for my son was related to inflammation, auto-immunity, gut dysbiosis and food intolerances. Address these biomedical underlying issues and look at that, he got better. It really is not rocket science and yet so many physicians out there are missing the boat or worse steering parents away from some of these effective treatment options.

But, we are seeing science catch up. Many sit back and say "Duh, we knew that years ago". Yes, I agree but to see this in mainstream media is exciting. The more attention we can give to this topic then the more we can further move our cause.

So here is a recent news article featuring a child's recovery from Autism. Hurray! Let's get even more kids on the news, share even more stories of recovery. And if anyone wants to debate the "health" of gluten or dairy, just have then search NIH dbases. The scientific evidence is mounting that these things do not "do a body good" and are doing greater harm when it comes to auto-immune disorders (allergies, eczema, asthma, etc.). But in the meantime, keep sharing your stories, keep celebrating the progress of recovery and if you are new to Autism recovery, KEEP HOPING AND MOVING FORWARD!