Banana Choco Bites and More

Banana Choco Bites

This is an original kid-friendly creation. During our gluten-free time (which I will get into in a moment), I created this dish. It's bananas, raw vegan chocolate pudding, and buckwheat sprouts.

To make the chocolate pudding, put into a food processor:
-3 ripe avocados
-chocolate powder or carob powder or raw cacao (to taste)
-raw honey or agave syrup or maple syrup
Blend together until super smooth.
And you have chocolate pudding!

I topped the chocolate on top of sliced bananas and sprinkled the buckwheat sprouts on them. Those are dried buckwheat sprouts. I got the idea from Juliano's RAW. Dehydrate them for 3 hours. They store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

The boys watched me and suddenly they were creating their own banana choco bites. They both really got into it.

Raymond adding chocolate pudding to his bananas

Jona trying to feed me

Raymond liked them without the sprouts. Jona didn't eat them at all. I wasn't surprised because the only fruit he likes are apples and raisins.

In short, with the gluten-free experiment, I have written down everything they have eaten or drank since December First. One thing became clear: I believe my sons are allergic to gluten, corn, and soy. With Raymond, when he was gluten-free had a BM seven out of nine days. That is the most regular he has been since he was about two years old. That sealed the deal for me.

With Jona, things were more intense. I made cookies for the Yabba Pot on Friday, December 5. I gave him two cookies. He threw up Saturday morning at 5:30am, followed by a foul smelling BM. Case closed, right? I got online looking up gluten allergies, and found a lot of information about Celiac Disease.

From the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness:
Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. What does this mean? Celiac disease is triggered by consumption of the protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye.

The more I read, I realized that I had to add gluten BACK into their diet. Then I made an appointment with their physician, who agreed that I had to add the gluten back in order to test for it.

To gain a proper diagnosis of celiac disease, a physician will order the following blood tests:
-Total IgA
-IgA antitissue transglutaminase (tTG)
-IgA antiendomysial antibody immunofluorescence (EMA)
-If IgA is deficient, IgG tTG test should also be ordered. At the discretion of the doctor, antigliaden IgG can also be ordered.

In other words, they are looking for antibodies. If the markers are not in the bloodstream, the tests may come back negative. So, literally, with tears in my eyes (I'm really not being melodramatic here), I started giving them bread and soy products again. My sons were showing sign of a gluten allergy with the following symptoms:
-discolored teeth (Jona)
-constipation (Raymond) (a symptom more common in children than adults)
-bloating/gas/abominal pain (both)
-foul-smelling stools (Jona)
-irritability and behavior changes (both)

My husband noticed a change in their behavior off the gluten. That was a big deal because he was all for the experiment, but he didn't think their behavior would change. This is more than “boys being boys.” They are FAR more hyperactive than usual.

We saw our beautiful lady doc yesterday (lovely woman. Johns Hopkins-trained, and HOLISTIC!). They got their blood tests today, and we'll know something definitive in a few weeks. I'll let you all know. And either soy or corn makes Jona constipated, miserable, and feverish. And the day we added back in the gluten, Jona spit up and had two foul-smelling BMs. All three food stuffs are gone, regardless of what the tests say.

Bananas holding popsicle sticks

On a lighter note, we made popsicles from smoothies. I used bananas to hold the sticks in. I made an apple and banana smoothie. (1 apple, 2 bananas, and 1 cup of water. Awesome). I poured a little bit into cups and froze for 6 hours.

About to go into the freezer

Raymond ate them both while I was at work, so I don't have pictures. But he said they were great!

Buckwheaties

And finally, Buckwheaties! I threw some buckwheat sprouts on top of an apple and banana bowl. They gave it great crunch. They taste better than they look, trust me. Those buckwheat sprouts gave me a great recipe idea that I plan to make within the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading, and send me any kid-friendly raw recipes that you have. We are making some positive, healthy changes in my household.

Love,
Althea

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Banana Choco Bites and More