Java has been attending summer school for the past 5 weeks. This program serves the children breakfast when they arrive and lunch right before sending them home. The first week it became apparent that we needed a different plan for Java.She came home with a packaged individual serving bowl of Fruit Loops cereal and said that she told school staff that she couldn't eat those. They sent it home with her to have me OK it because it didn't specifically say "gluten" or "wheat" on the package. I told Java how proud I was of her for knowing that this wasn't a food that was on GFCF our plan.
Earlier this week when temperatures skyrocketed, they served kool-aid type popsicles to the kids. Java, who was now eating breakfast at home and packing her GFCF lunch, again told them that she could not have those. Her para told me that Java stated that the colors were not good for her and she could only have 100% juice popsicles. The following day we brought these juice popsicles to the school to keep in the freezer for Java.
I never expected this level of cooperation from the kids. I know that they feel better and that must be why they are so willing to stay on the plan.
The picture above is of Java's summer school lunch yesterday. She helped me pack it and it includes fresh peaches, a few slices of ham, half of a GFCF waffle folded into a sandwich with natural peanut butter, cherries and a fresh spinach salad with sunflower seeds. She packs a thermos with OJ (that has calcium added) along with a bottle of water to drink during the day.
This is just SO WONDERFUL. Good for Java!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd it is fascinating that while you just wrote on your other blog about your kids not being able to see themselves/their actions clearly, but can see other's actions, here for some reason Java is able to make the mature, best decision about such foods (which would seem to fall into the self-reflective category which is hard for her). I wonder if the difference is that the food itself is visible, tangible, "in the movie," and so it registers to her as something she can have a response to.
I think that's it, Blessed. It's more concrete and "in the movie".
ReplyDeleteBean isn't eating quite the same variety of foods as Java (spinach, for example) but we're working on it and he is making the same kinds of choices when given an opportunity to eat something that isn't on our plan. He was at a neighbor's house this week and when offered cookies, he declined. :-)
~Kari
Tell Java she can pack my lunch anytime! It looks delicious and certainly much healthier than the garbage they pass off as nutritionally balanced at school. Jamie Oliver would be proud of her.
ReplyDeleteWe gave taken our kids off the GFCF for awhile because our youngest had lost so much weight. The psychiatrist wanted to make sure that he was getting more fat and carbs in his diet. If his behaviors escalate, we'll be back on it though.
Did those people really LOOK at the label???? I just went online to check exactly what Fruit Loops contains, just out of curiosity...
ReplyDeleteIngredients
Sugar, whole grain corn flour, wheat flour, whole grain oat flour
....
Yeeeeeeeah, 3rd and 4th ingredients. Gah! Plus, the coloring is also SO VERY CLEARLY artificial. That makes TWO reasons she shouldn't eat that stuff.
...so, um, yeah, I hear you. :-)
Oh, good for Bean too! : )
ReplyDelete