Why The BRAT Diet Doesn't Work

Jeff was gone all last week.  Teagan was a tightly wound bundle of emotions.  I think the release of all that stress by having him home had to be physically released from her.

Which it was.  At 1:00 in the morning.  And was a little bit messy.  Not good.

I was paranoid that she was actually sick.  I stayed awake, watching her, listening for the tell tale signs of innerds about to become out-erds.

But nothing else ever came.

In the morning, she was confused as to why she had different PJ's on.  A little reminding and she suddenly remembered all the graphic details.

No work for Mommy.  Have to stay home and make sure the stomach is settled.  And school has that "24 hours without puking" rule.  So we stayed home.  And she was fine.  I watched her carefully, I monitored and controlled her food and drink input. 

I realized we didn't have a lot of great options in the house for a recovering tummy so we hit the store.  I asked on Facebook for ideas on what easy foods to go with aside from crackers and Jello.

Immediate reaction - "BRAT Diet!"  And I agree.  And I'd advise the same for others.  And I'd follow it for myself or for Zach or for Jeff.  But Teagan?

For as much as she loves interesting foods like spicy albacore with ponzu sauce (sushi) and unagi (eel) and edamame and could eat her weight in any variety of ravioli (not the canned stuff) and even banana peppers... for as much as she loves strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, watermemlon, cantaloupe, tomatoes... for a kid that wants nothing more for lunch than a baked potato with chili on the side...

Most of what's on the BRAT diet is not on the Teagan Diet.  Banana? No way.  Rice? Maybe if you drown it in ponzu sauce or if it's fried rice from the hibachi place. Applesauce? Meh, no thanks.  Toast- only if she can have butter and cinnamon sugar on it. 

So she had a baked potato that Daddy brought home at lunch time.  She had a little bit of jello but didn't really like it much.  Then the floodgates of hunger opened wide and I had to fight to keep her from eating us out of house and home.  I had to keep reminding her that we wanted food in her tummy so she wouldn't feel hungry but also didn't want her to be stuffed full.  But then she saw the Trader Joe's Spinach and Sour Cream Dip and the pita crackers and she couldn't resist.  She had a cheese stick.  She had soy and flaxseed tortilla chips with pineapple salsa.  She had rotiserrie chicken and watermelon.  She knew Mommy wasn't going to give in on any sugary junk so she stopped asking about going to get a milkshake or cookies. 

No BRAT Diet in this house. 

And I'm not sure any doctor would recommend the BPJSDPCCSC&SRCW Diet.