Deciding To Make House gluten-free

[skipper30]

I am wondering how those of you who made your entire house gluten-free approached this with your other children. We have four children ages 6 1/2, 4(Celiac), 2 1/2 and 11 months.

We have just decided that it is too hard to keep crumbs off of toys and various other things. The 6 year old is great about being very careful...but the 2 year old is a crumb carrying disaster!! The 6 year old will be the one to "buck the system" so to speak. Besides, it will answer any questions that I may have about the others and gluten being an issue.

I am just looking for advise and good substitutes for the rest of the family when it comes to bread. None of them are big on corn tortillas..so anyone have any other ideas??

TIA....

Dallas

[Juliet]

It was relatively easy for us since it was really only the adults in the family who had to go gluten free, at least while we're here.

As for bread, after trying every bread mix available to us (Authentic Foods, Bob's Red Mill, Gluten Free Pantry, Pamela's Products, Sylvan Border Farms), we like "Favorite Sandwich Bread Mix" by Gluten Free Pantry best. It makes a nice large loaf that honestly is closest to a decent white bread. I still eat gluten when out of the house, and it honestly is the closest. It actually tastes pretty good when you put it in the oven with a slice of good cheese - you can't tell the difference. We also do these large popped corn crackers and put peanut butter on them for our son. Ian's does a decent gluten free chicken nuggets, and Whole Foods has some really yummy "tater puffs" (potato, salt, and safflower oil - nothing else). There are also these "Amaramth Mini-Ridges" crackers in cheddar flavor that taste pretty good - decent substitute for Goldfish Crackers. And the Almond House nut crackers are good snacks, too. And Tinkyada pasta with tomato sauce & Annie's gluten free macaroni & cheese (I just add a little extra cheese into the mix for more flavor) are all good substitutes, too.

Honestly, I like cooking gluten free. I love to cook, and I'm pretty picky on what I like to eat. Being gluten free makes you cook more "from scratch", so the marinades are fresher, sauces brighter, and the food quality is better since it's not so processed. They'll adjust more easily than they all probably think.

[lonewolf]

Our house is almost totally gluten-free. My hubby was/is the hardest. I've been wheat free for almost 11 years and the kids (now 15, 13, 11 and 9) grew up mostly eating gluten-free foods without knowing it. The only gluten foods I've had in the house (except for a stint where I tried spelt ) are wheat bread and cereals. Last November I went totally gluten-free, which wasn't really much of a change, just eliminating hidden glutens and everyone was on board. Now, my 15 yo and 11 yo are gluten-free too and my 13 yo is toying with the idea for herself, since she already is G F at home (no pressure from me though, since she doesn't seem to have any problems).

Everyone is happy with gluten-free food at every meal. My hubby still has favorite bread and cereals that he isn't willing to give up, so I just ask him to keep crumbs cleaned up. My 9 yo son gets wheat bread sometimes for toast and sandwiches, with supervision to keep crumbs off the counters. Everyone eats gluten-free bread in things like French Toast with no complaints.

Your kids are so young that it really won't be that hard of a switch. Maybe you could take your 6 year old out for an occasional gluteny treat to "reward" him/her for being such a good sport. With a little practice, you'll find that you can make pretty much everything gluten-free and tasty, so there doesn't have to be much "rebellion".

[zachsmom]

see I have the baby celiac. no one else is Celaic.

So I have messy cereal eaters. But I have a dog.... so that funny as it sounds .. has made crumbs .. dissapear. dog is huge... But... The baby ate roast beef and carrots and peas.. Loves the roast beef. But I have to find the right tasting foods... See no one wants to eat the gluten free stuff because they dont need to. And being that it is just the baby .... I have to do this on the sly..... find great tasting stuff that not even the pickiest eater will tell.

I just feel guilty when eating wheat products.... I know for a normal person they are needed.... But I feel so like I am contradicting my family.....

I need to just find stuff that they baby can eat and the family can also eat with out a odd after taste in their mouths. ..... I think that for say a baby ... when everyone else is not Celaic..... as the child grows... more and more of his diet will become yours... and you will have to immerse your self into the culture... ( finding out what resturaunts you dont puke from eating at.... and school days and just having foods that are good tasting.... )

[skipper30]

Cooper was diagnosed a year ago tomorrow. So we have been at this for "a while now." I just get sick at the thought of all those crumbs left around by an unsuspecting little brother. Earlier today I cought Jake(2) sticking a Thomas train in a slice of wheat bread!!

I have let the others(including self and husband) keep our own shelf of gluten-filled foods..but it is just not working for us! I TRY to keep it all contained and cleaned, but I am just not sure that I am doing very well with it. By the way...what DO you use to clean with..bleach? I want those little gluten buggers out of here!

I liked the idea of taking the older one out for "gluten" treats!! Most of what we have to eat around here is gluten free...so it will not be a total shock to the other kids. I just wondered what some other families have found that works for them.

I can SO feel for the families that are choosing to pull their kids out of pre-school because of other people's mistakes...but we homeschool and I have no one to blame but myself!!

Dallas

[Nancym]

It seems like they're so young there's no need to have any big dramatic announcement over it. Just implement it, they'll probably never know. I think they pick up a lot of emotional clues from the adults around them, if you make it sound life-shattering, it will be!

[skipper30]

It seems like they're so young there's no need to have any big dramatic announcement over it. Just implement it, they'll probably never know. I think they pick up a lot of emotional clues from the adults around them, if you make it sound life-shattering, it will be!

Thanks Nancym...you are right! They probably won't know....I guess I just feel a little bit guilty taking a few things from the others if it is not necessary, but then again...It is more of a pain trying to keep things clean!

[Guest Villanfam]

There was a tread a while back called "How To Get Rid Of Gluten In My House" it was very similar to your sit. Only difference was that it was a husband and wife. Wife who was dx celiac disease. There was a comment made from someone on that thread that has stuck with me:

Bully4You said: "I disagree. I made our household gluten free except for pizza (from a parlour) and beer. These two things are very easy to keep track of. the pizza box never leaves a particular counter, and we have a mudroom sink where plates that have touched gluten get prewashed before going into the dishwasher.

Gluten isn't good for anyone. Bread ins't good for anyone. I bet your husband will be healthier eating the way you do. He will still be able to eat gluten when he eats out - and getting a scone and coffee at Starbucks can solve that craving. How hard is that?

As to it being "fair"? I think that's an oddly American idea - that our households need to be fair. Your household is a community that supports one another. Your husband does not NEED gluten; you NEED to be gluten free. Thus, your need trumps his desire. He can achieve eating gluten in his private time or in space that is not YOUR HOME. Communities sacrifice things for one another. I bet you sacrifice for him.

Anyway, that's my two cents. My husband and two friends (both who eat over a lot) have handled it gracefully.

-Sherri"

I think she is absolutely right about that one. Your Son needs to be 100% gluten-free for his health! If it were a Peanut allergy nobody would argue that it would necessary to keep it out of the house (no ifs, and, or buts) It is his home too, and he needs to feel/be safe there.

As for the other little cutiepies, they will never know the difference. They are so young and will probably grow up thinking everyone eats like they do

Courtney

[ArtGirl]

I agree with everything Courtney posted.

I'll just add this one thing. Feeling "guilty" about NOT providing gluten foods is self-imposed guilt. You would not be doing anything wrong by making the household gluten-free. There should be no shame, no guilt, no nothing... just a good feeling of protecting ALL your children - and your husband should be 100% on board with this - they're his children, too - and it's his job, too, to protect ALL his children.

[chrissy]

i always tell my kids that there is no such thing as fair. we cook all of our meals gluten free for our family (there are 9 of us---3 celiacs) it is just so much easier that way----and, we eat most of the same type of things we ate before the girls were diagnosed, we just use gluten free ingredients. my girls were diagnosed the same time as your son----right before new years. we let them eat whatever they wanted on new years eve, and then started gluten free on new years day. i agree with the others-----don't even make an issue of going gluten free---just let it happen.

[Guest Kathy Ann]

My accidental glutening has been nearly continuous since my diagnosis. I'm trying really hard and NEVER cheat, but find it impossible to keep "clean" in my present gluten-filled kitchen. I'm finally considering just giving up and using all my own dishes, silverware, glasses and cooking pans and washing them myself by hand with my own cloths. I don't know how serious potential gluten in the air is. I'll tackle that next if this doesn't work.

[skipper30]

I TOTALLY agree about my "self imposed guilt" and fair being mute point. It is best for everyone to go gluten-free here at home. I am very sure that the other will benefit from going gluten-free. I guess that I was just really suprised how hard that it was (for us) to try to have both in the house. This might chcange when they are all older and all can understand how important that it is for COoper to be free from all gluten. Then again...we may never go back.

Thanks for your input.

[RiceGuy]

I would also echo the idea of just implementing it. Your children do seem very young for you to be concerned about a rebellion. For instance, you can easily use Tinkyada pasta to make shells & cheese, or elbows, spaghetti, etc. I think they even offer lasagna noodles. I'd venture to say the average person, child or adult would not be able to discern anything so unusual about the pasta, except perhaps that it doesn't get all mushy just moments after it's al dente!

I would also not be surprised if after awhile of eating gluten-free, the eldest child finds gluten-filled foods make his stomach feel uncomfortable. A school lunch may not be as appetizing as it used to. I suppose this can occur with a lot of foods if the body isn't accustomed to digesting it.

[MomandDadtoOGS]

We were not a gluten-free household until my daughter was dx'd in October. My husband was dx'd in 2002 so he always just ate his diet and I ate whatever I wanted. We fed our daughter everything b/c her prior two tests were negative. Even at just 3 years old this month, she knows she is different. We call it "special," at our house. She'll ask, "Is that special food? Can I eat it?" With two celiacs in the house, it is just way easier and safer to all be gluten-free. It's much harder for the extended family to deal with. At our house we are now requiring all foods brought in and served here to be gluten-free. At everyone else's house, I bring food for us and we eat whatever we can that is gluten-free that is being served.

I also have started buying new kitchen items that will be used now and started disposing of stuff that touched gluten to much in the past-- new cookie sheets, new spatulas, etc.