Newbie, A Lot Of Confusion...

[Lindsay GFMom]

My 4.5 yo son has the following results from Enterolab:

Gluten Sensitivity Stool and Gene Panel Complete

Fecal Antigliadin IgA 29 (Normal Range <10 Units)

Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase IgA 21 Units (Normal Range <10 Units)

Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score <300 Units (Normal Range <300 Units)

Fecal anti-casein (cow

[Run-4-Jesus]

I'm 16 and I've been Celiac my whole life. Neither of my parents nor any of my 6 siblings have Celiac. Hopefully this will help you:

1. I have my own toaster. He will definitely need his own.

2. I don't think it's necessary to clean the microwave every time you put a gluten food inside because gluten can't magically get into the atmosphere and make him sick.

3. I'm the only one who eats a gluten-free diet in my family. #1 It would be entirely too expensive to feed the whole family with gluten free foods #2 My siblings would go CRAZY without wheat #3 My dad would NEVER give up his gluteny foods So, it's not necessary for your whole family to go gluten-free unless you don't want to cook separate meals for your Celiac son and would rather have everyone eating the same thing.

4. You don't have to buy new pots and pans and dishes and such. Just make sure everything gets washed well, hot water and soap work fine.

Luckily he's young and it's good that he's diagnosed early. I was diagnosed when I was 2 so I've grown up knowing how to read labels on foods, how to order from restaurants, etc.

He should learn to accept this new part of his life soon, and he'll be able to be a "normal" kid! I promise.

[Ursa Major]

Hi Lindsay, and welcome to this board.

I have seen many parents here reporting their kids having significant growth spurts after starting a gluten-free diet, and gaining weight (if they were underweight).

I wouldn't use the Bosch mixer for making anything gluten-free, unless you can be absolutely, 100% sure that you are able to completely scrub and clean every little crack of it.

Your son needs his own toaster, no way around that one. Also, I wouldn't cook two different meals for supper, there is no need for that. Most foods you eat for supper are naturally gluten-free anyway, like potatoes, meat and vegetables (and of course, fruits are gluten-free). You can easily thicken gravy with corn starch or light buckwheat flour (which I use, I like it better than corn starch for gravy). My family loves my gravy!

If you have pasta for supper, you can use rice pasta (lots of people like Tinkyada, but there are other good brands). I served two different types of lasagna last weekend, when I had a lot of guests. I can't eat it, but one of my daughters has a wheat allergy, and is intolerant to the combination of meat and tomato. So, one lasagna was a chicken lasagna with a white alfredo sauce, and the other a traditional one with ground meat and tomato sauce. Both were made with rice pasta, and NOBODY noticed! My daughter was the only one who knew, because I let her know that the white lasagna was safe for her to eat.

Also, you can't drain gluten-free pasta through your regular plastic colander, because it isn't possible to get all the gluten out, no matter how hard you try.

You can also bake great gluten-free cakes. When you have a birthday in the family, it would be much better if there would be a gluten-free cake, so your son won't have to feel left out.

'Official' gluten-free foods that are replacements for gluteny foods are expensive. Those aren't necessary for anybody, and because they are very high in carbohydrates and sugar, should ideally only be used for the occasional treat.

Make sure you check all personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, bubble bath, chap stick, soap, lotion etc. for gluten. If it says something like wheat germ oil, barley extract or oat bran (Aveeno), replace it. Also, make sure his vitamins are gluten-free (many are not). Vitamin E is often derived from wheat germ oil, and it should be confirmed that his is not.