Trying Again
Clearly food and Alexa has been a situation for years! I mean- check out how many times I've posted about her and food . . . and this was "A Just Barely Looking Through all of My Posts" list.
Food Post #1
Food Post #2
Food Post #3
Food Post #4
My struggles with her and food were alluded to other times- but not the main focus of the post.
Anyway- to top off all of her pickiness. Alexa likes to throw in surprise episodes of low blood sugar. It's not everyday. It's not even a few times a month. The first time I realized she had a low blood sugar episode was when she was less than a year old- because she still took a bottle. I mentioned it at her next well visit. We took a visit to the endocrinologist, but nothing significant was discovered. As she tends to be a "grazer" (you know- walks around snacking most of the day, never really eating a meal) she never really had too many low blood sugar episodes. And they were really sporadic. I discovered a pattern a few years ago when she began having episodes around holidays. The excitement, the excessive junk . . .
Unfortunately, Alexa doesn't really like meat. She could probably be a vegetarian. I have no idea how to feed a vegetarian. The rest of us like meat. She LOVES legumes, cheese, fruit, and pretty much any type of bread and of course- sugar. She LOVES sugar.
A few months ago we had another bout of blood sugar issues. This one was worse than usual- in that she actually threw up. It was NOT a stomach bug. Not to be too detailed- the throw up didn't have much in it, it was mostly bile and she only did it once. She was pale, trembling, and once I got her to drink juice and eat something- she was completely fine. Looking back at what she had eaten for dinner beforehand. . . it made sense. Especially because she had had several episodes that week. I started checking her blood sugar regularly- but it was fairly normal. Of course- throwing up had scared her- to finally see what I had been trying to tell her- she needs to eat a more a balanced diet, so her data was skewed with her changing her diet.
To throw in even another troubling situation- I've been noticing this year how she has ADHD tendencies. I said tendencies. She does NOT have ADHD. I was talking to our school psychologist about her behaviors and asking what he thought. He asked about her sleep (she goes to bed every night around 8pm- like actually IN bed, lights off), screen time (she doesn't get her ipad Monday- Thursday, and on weekends I only let her have an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening), then he asked about diet. I started telling him what she eats and listening to myself, and hearing his reaction . . . I have GOT to try again with her diet. She eats way too many simple carbs and they're wreaking havoc on her ability to focus and sit still, and her blood sugar.
So, on this spring break, I have been researching more meal plans and I have created a menu for Alexa. I typed it up, and printed it out and posted it on the refrigerator. It has several breakfast, lunch, and snack options. Most are things she could fix on her own- as I am working for her to become more independent.
One thing I will say- Alexa is lucky I don't quit and that when one things stops working, and maybe I"m not teaching her about good eating habits, but I am teaching her about persistence.
Food Post #1
Food Post #2
Food Post #3
Food Post #4
My struggles with her and food were alluded to other times- but not the main focus of the post.
Anyway- to top off all of her pickiness. Alexa likes to throw in surprise episodes of low blood sugar. It's not everyday. It's not even a few times a month. The first time I realized she had a low blood sugar episode was when she was less than a year old- because she still took a bottle. I mentioned it at her next well visit. We took a visit to the endocrinologist, but nothing significant was discovered. As she tends to be a "grazer" (you know- walks around snacking most of the day, never really eating a meal) she never really had too many low blood sugar episodes. And they were really sporadic. I discovered a pattern a few years ago when she began having episodes around holidays. The excitement, the excessive junk . . .
Unfortunately, Alexa doesn't really like meat. She could probably be a vegetarian. I have no idea how to feed a vegetarian. The rest of us like meat. She LOVES legumes, cheese, fruit, and pretty much any type of bread and of course- sugar. She LOVES sugar.
A few months ago we had another bout of blood sugar issues. This one was worse than usual- in that she actually threw up. It was NOT a stomach bug. Not to be too detailed- the throw up didn't have much in it, it was mostly bile and she only did it once. She was pale, trembling, and once I got her to drink juice and eat something- she was completely fine. Looking back at what she had eaten for dinner beforehand. . . it made sense. Especially because she had had several episodes that week. I started checking her blood sugar regularly- but it was fairly normal. Of course- throwing up had scared her- to finally see what I had been trying to tell her- she needs to eat a more a balanced diet, so her data was skewed with her changing her diet.
To throw in even another troubling situation- I've been noticing this year how she has ADHD tendencies. I said tendencies. She does NOT have ADHD. I was talking to our school psychologist about her behaviors and asking what he thought. He asked about her sleep (she goes to bed every night around 8pm- like actually IN bed, lights off), screen time (she doesn't get her ipad Monday- Thursday, and on weekends I only let her have an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening), then he asked about diet. I started telling him what she eats and listening to myself, and hearing his reaction . . . I have GOT to try again with her diet. She eats way too many simple carbs and they're wreaking havoc on her ability to focus and sit still, and her blood sugar.
So, on this spring break, I have been researching more meal plans and I have created a menu for Alexa. I typed it up, and printed it out and posted it on the refrigerator. It has several breakfast, lunch, and snack options. Most are things she could fix on her own- as I am working for her to become more independent.
One thing I will say- Alexa is lucky I don't quit and that when one things stops working, and maybe I"m not teaching her about good eating habits, but I am teaching her about persistence.
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