Sigh.
Well, I figured I'd give watermelon one more chance. It wasn't a positive experience.
Since there are so many fruits
eliminated for the first six weeks of the
Feingold Program, I've really been struggling with finding enough fruit for Max to eat without getting bored or unwilling to eat it. Bananas have lost their luster. Pears were never a favorite.
Mangos are a no go. Even the canned pineapple sits lonely on the shelf. But melon has always been one of Max's preferred fruits. And since his go-to berries and raisins are banned for the moment, melon has been a good alternative.
Now, of course, it's March - early March - so there are no local melons
agrowin' round these here parts. So, like any good capitalistic consumer, I've taken to buying chunks in plastic containers at the grocery store. I've cringed every time I see that the melon is all the way from Mexico, but what can you do? I buy everything local that I can this time of year -- but sometimes, you just need to get stuff from Mexico.
Anyway, the cantaloupe and honeydew haven't been a problem. But the watermelon. Oh, the watermelon. I've yet to see such a sure-fire trigger for Max. He eats it and, like clockwork, three hours go by and he has a melt down. This happened a few weeks ago -- the day we really decided to go hardcore with
FG. Watermelon contributed to a little boy pretending to shoot guns and scream and kick -- and just as soon as it came, it went. Max became contrite, apologetic, even regretful.
So, because watermelon is one of the
FG Stage One fruits, I decided to try one more time. It was a big mistake. He had a similar instance in school as a few weeks
ag0 - this time he was told to sit down and he yelled, screamed, tossed aside a chair, and tried to hit a teacher.
The experiment was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because it was a lesson - I've learned that Watermelon is a trigger and needs to be avoided. It was a curse because every behavioral set back makes me feel like a failure.
So, right now, Max is taking a nice long bath in a tub full of warm water and two cups of
Epson Salt, which is said to help detoxify the body after an exposure to a trigger. To be fair, Max managed to stay "pulled together" after his incident at school. I could tell by his mood that the effects from the melon were still with him, but he had a pretty good handle on his behavior. I really think that he's learning how to control his impulses. While I truly believe much of his behavior is food-driven, I think there's something to be said for learning good habits.
So, I'm not usually a fan of frozen dinners, especially the "kid" variety. But, to be fair, this is an organic "Elmo" meal. So Max's dinner was this and a Yo Baby Organic Vanilla Yogurt. And he pretty much ate none of it. But he did eat...
The FG-Friendly cookies we made -- which are DELICIOUS.
Here, have some soy nuts. 
Organic Spinach, Organic Potato Wedges (made with our farm potatoes), homemade honey mustard, Gardin Seven Grain Tenders (supposed to be Chicken-like), and Water with Grape Stevia. Max wasn't a fan of the tenders -- he ate one before hitting up the soy nuts.
Farmer's Market Arugula with Homemade Honey Mustard Dip (this was BY REQUEST -- Max wanted it in his lunch, believe it or not!), Pretzel Chips, Homemade Cheez-its, Fresh Mozzarella Balls, Canned Pineapple, and Trader Joes Jo Jo sandwich cookies. His drink is Grape Water - Grape Stevia and Water.
Check THESE out -- Homemade Cheez-Its! Max has been begging for the "square cheese crackers," which he can't have because of the paprika and artificial flavors. I found this recipe online and they are DELICIOUS and EASY. So much better that the boxed kind -- although, I still have a soft spot for the White Cheddar variety. Anyway...
Two corn cakes with pineapple jam, pretzel chips, honeydew melon, carrots, Co-Jack cheese triangles, and some gummi bears (I meticulously pull out all the currant juice-flavored bears and only give him the clear ones.) And I made Lemon Limeade with 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 a lime, water and about a tablespoon of agave nectar. I love the way it just melts in water.
Soy Sauce on Jasmine Rice, Canned Green Beans (Are you seeing a trend?), Cashews, and Pear Juice
Pretzel Chips, Baby Triscuits, Fresh Mozzarella Balls, Homemade FG Marshmallows, Honeydew Melon, Baby Carrots, and Pear Juice
Organic Popcorn, "Pop-ems" Puffed Potato Chips (we're giving them a try -- we'll see), Watermelon chunks (and just praying they aren't injected with Red 40...), Canned Green Beans, Farm Bacon, Triangles of Trader Joe's Colby Jack, an Austrian Milky Way cookie bar (no preservatives), and (not pictured) Organic Pear Juice cut with water
Horizon Organic Vanilla Milk, Baby Carrots, Cantaloupe Chunks, Baker's Farm Bacon, Polly-O String Cheese, and two Vanilla Sandwich cookies (Jo-Jo's?)