Where do we start with diet?!!

[KatieJ]

Hi guys - Happy New(ish) Year to all!

Now then - how many folk out there are trying to control their p with diet? From the chat, it seems quite a few of you have been lucky enough to have some good effects from watching what you eat, and the Pagano diet seems to be quite popular!

But I've got a problem with the whole diet approach - mainly that it's my 2 1/2 year old who has the plaques, and I don't know whether I should be cutting foodstuffs out of his diet without professional help in case he misses out on something vital for his development.  

I'm quite willing to try cutting things out if it helps - he had a satsuma last week for the first time since mid-December, and we've noticed more plaques, more irritation, more itching etc - it's just too much of a coincidence to write off!

So, has anyone got any ideas where we can start?  :-/(Incidentally, we do have an appointment with a derm in March, but I'd like to start anything that might help my poor itchy boy well before then!)

Thanks all,
KatieJ  

[Tim_]

Hi Katie, I'm not sure that the pango diet would be appropiate for one so young. I would start with a healthy balanced diet, but if you have any doubts get professional advice from a Dietician.
There are a number of triggers for P including diet.
These can include
Streppicocci throat infections, tonsilitis, emotional trauma/stress or for no apparent reason.
some things make P flare up or react strongly, these can include:-
Lanolin sometimes listed as hypoallagenic lanolin or sheep fat, is used in base of some moisturisers etc.
Some detergents, washing pdwrs, I stick to non-bio ones.
Tim

[Des]

Hi Katie, and welcome

I agree with you, I'd be wary too of cutting out too much of the diet of such a young child.....

The classic possible food triggers are dairy, and nightshade veggies, ie. tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes......
For me personally, citrus fruits and other acid foodstuffs trigger off my P as well.
So if you could find alternatives for some of the above, who knows, it might help.....

One thing that triggers off my P big time, is sugar..... and kids tend to get a lot of sugar in them these days - so maybe try to replace sweets with fruits, and soft drinks (both acid and sugar - very bad guys ) with fruit juices (melon juice is great, if you have a blender), or infusions.....


But no, I wouldn't make really drastic changes before seeing the GP - luckily march is not that far off..... :-/

Good luck, let us know how it goes

Des

[su_watkinson]

Hi Katie
at the age of 2 1/2 they pretty much need everything to make sure their growth and development is correct.  The dietician is the place to start, that said, if satsumas seem to make it worse then abstein from them.  Plenty of other fruits give you vitamin c - kiwis are very good.

As Des said sugar and anything in excess is always bad, so good old home cooking with fresh ingredients, 5 protions of fruit and veg and a plentiful supply of water should help.  The less additives the better.

Good luck

Su

[Emma]

Two and a half is very young to be excluding food groups.
I agree with the above comments - but would add that a big trigger for me is processed/junk food.
I would imagine that by cutting out these would be safe and healthy changes to make to the diet of a child so young.
Also for him to drink plenty of water and not fizzy drinks such as coke.

Hope this helps.

[KatieJ]

Thanks everyone - it does help to hear from you all! We're fortunate that Thomas doesn't drink fruit juice/squash - definitely a milk or water type of guy....but mainly milk! At least missing just oranges and tomatoes (and potatoes as T doesn't like them anyway!) won't be too likely to affect him too badly.
Remind me in the spring not to grow cherry tomatoes on the patio again where a certain little someone took to eating them like sweets when I wasn't watching...!!

Katie J