Autism And My Son + Gluten = A Whole Lot Of Crazy!

[cutemizanie]

Hi. I am very new to the world of gluten free. My hub to be has celiac as well as allergies to eggs and dairy. This has been a struggle for me. When I read an artical in Living Without about how Gluten and Casin can affect children with spectrim disorders I thought I would try eliminating it from my sons diet as he has a like diagnosis. We have seen a very big change in him.

It is amazing.

I am very frustrated at the lack of options I have, probably not because there are not options but really because my experience is very limited with cooking gluten free and knowing where the resources are.

I also feel so bad for my son becuase he has to deal with my hard pancakes and not very appealing lunches at the moment. Having thrust him full force into the gluten free world is sometimes overwhelming and all the time expencive. I had no idea how much alternative foods cost!!!

I will continue reading the previous postings here as you all have such a wonderful wealth of knowledge but if anyone has any hints suggestions ideas about how to bolster my will power and my pantry...LOL that would greatly appreciated. I would also love to connect with other moms who have kids like mine.

Respectfully

Annie

[RiceGuy]

So glad you've found some ways to help your son, and that you've found this site! I'm sure you will have plenty of wonderful assistance from the many fine members here.

Here's a good place to start for info on which foods are safe and which are not:

https://www.celiac.com/categories/Safe-Glut...3B-Ingredients/

And for lots of gluten-free recipes:

https://www.celiac.com/categories/Gluten%252dFree-Recipes/

You can save money at the same time as getting better, more nutritious foods by buying fresh or frozen produce, whole grains, fresh fruits, etc. Processed foods typically don't offer good nutrient value for your money. If you cook and bake from scratch, that can save a lot of money compared to buying prepackaged items. And making your own gluten-free flour blends is less expensive than the ready-made mixes.

Welcome to the board!

[mommida]

Welcome to the board!

I have been ordering some of our favorite dry mixes from Amazon. If you go through Goddsearch/Goodshop a portion of your purchase goes to a listed charity of your choice.

I was in a co-op and I could save a lot of money buying in bulk.

Always check your local health food store, they have sales too. You might be able to work out a deal with them, most gluten free dieters are lifelong customers and some store owners know that.

Laura

[feedmykids]

My kids also have allergies to Peanut, Egg, Dairy and soy in addition to Myself and DD being gluten-free. I made a pancake recipe that seems to work well, My trick is to use an ungreased non stick griddle to help the pancakes spread and still hold their shape as well as making the batter a little thick so the pancakes are thicker too. I make a big batch of a gluten-free flour mix using 3 C. Brown Rice FLour, 2 C. Sorghum Flour, 1 C. Millet FLour, 2 C. Potato Starch, and 1 C. Tapioca Starch. (mix all these together and store them in an airtight container in a cool place) or buy a gluten-free flour mix.

Pancakes everyone enjoyes

-dry ingredients-

2 C. gluten-free flour mix (see above)

1 Tb. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 C. Sugar

1 tsp. Unflavored Gelatin

-Wet ingredients-

1 Tsp. Lemon juice

1/4 C. Oil

1/4 C. Applesauce

Warm Water

-Directions-

Warm your griddle to 350 Degrees or on Med. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then stir in the wet ingredients. Use just enough wam water to make the batter just spread out (not to thick or it won't spread or cook, but too thin will result in rubbery pancakes.) Drop by 2 Tb fulls onto the HOT griddle and when it start to get golden then flip them over and cook them on the other side until they are golden.)

I have a nephew who has autism, so I can relate to the challenges. I hope this help him!

[linuxprincess]

Try looking for some great bulk stores online that sell groceries for cheap. I know that things like Xanthan gum can be expensive, but there are places you can find things cheap online like Lame Advertisement oddly enough. Try looking for grocery delivery or other online services. I've found that I can buy the same cake mixes cheaper online than at the store even after shipping. This did eventually lead to me getting all our groceries online and they just get delivered once a week. This saves on gas, too! I told my family this and they almost fainted after hearing that a broke college student could afford this, but I swear it's cheaper than normal grocery shopping!

Also, if you live in a larger city try looking for small farms around the city that sell subscriptions to their fruit and veggies as this really does cut down on expenses in the long run. Even if you live in the country I'm sure you could find something like this, maybe just not as easily.

Congrats on the improvements in your son! Keep us posted and welcome to the group!

[Mom23boys]

Hi. I am very new to the world of gluten free. My hub to be has celiac as well as allergies to eggs and dairy. This has been a struggle for me. When I read an artical in Living Without about how Gluten and Casin can affect children with spectrim disorders I thought I would try eliminating it from my sons diet as he has a like diagnosis. We have seen a very big change in him.

It is amazing.

I am very frustrated at the lack of options I have, probably not because there are not options but really because my experience is very limited with cooking gluten free and knowing where the resources are.

I also feel so bad for my son becuase he has to deal with my hard pancakes and not very appealing lunches at the moment. Having thrust him full force into the gluten free world is sometimes overwhelming and all the time expencive. I had no idea how much alternative foods cost!!!

I will continue reading the previous postings here as you all have such a wonderful wealth of knowledge but if anyone has any hints suggestions ideas about how to bolster my will power and my pantry...LOL that would greatly appreciated. I would also love to connect with other moms who have kids like mine.

Respectfully

Annie

Hi,

I have 2 on the autism spectrum.

Right now since you are new to the diet, take it easy on the subs. Some of these kids and still have issues with subs. Try using naturally gluten-free (cf ef..) foods at first. We use this basic meal plan - meat, carb (potato, rice...) green veggie, colorful veggie/fruit. To me it makes things easier. Once you get into an easy cooking routine then add your subs. You should find it easier on your budget and stress. You will also be able to tell if any of the subs are still a trigger for your autistic child.

Even though I have plenty of stores around, I order most of my subs from Amazon.

[dbmamaz]

My 12 yo son is pdd-nos on the spectrum, and bipolar, and on three psych meds (yeah, awful, but when your 9-yo tells you that if it wasnt for you, he wouldnt want to live . . . frequently . . you do what you have to do).

Anyways, he was having trouble with nausea and D almost every morning before school, and somewhat less often on weekends

The pediatricain did a celiac panel and a blood allergy test and both came out negative, but I ordered the A.L.C.A.T and he reacted strongly to gliadin, which is what gluten breaks down in to (but not gluten)

anyways, this is what we've done so far:

Lunch sandwhiches are now on chebe rolls. They arent cheap, but they are very easy to make and taste great (well, i cant eat them, i cant tolerate tapioca, but my son loves them). Note, they do have milk powder in them - my son didnt react to dairy on the test, so i'm not worried. i hear there is a vegan version but havent seen it. Also, dont try egg subs in it, i hear they dont work - just dont let your husband have them. But my son loves them.

For lunch desert, I made the white cake mix on the back of the Ener-G tapioca flour box, but baked it on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. I cut it in have crosswise and frosted with this recipe from Gluten-Free Baking Basics: combine 3 TB shortening, 2 cups confectioners sugar, 3/4 tsp vanilla and 2 TB hot water in a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy. I then cut in to squares, put in sandwhich bags and put those in a freezer bag and froze them, taking one out each day. My daughter said they taste better than little debbies.

I also have been packing home-made cereal bars, I posted the recipe here: Open Original Shared Link , its the first reply.

So the lunch doesnt LOOK amazing, but my son doesnt care as long as it tastes good.

Oh, the only time i tried to make pancakes, they were popular, but did have an egg:

Dry:

[dbmamaz]

ps - we've been doing this a week, and thats a full week with no D . .. looking like a record . . . and he's perfectly willing, so far . . . if it goes well and (my real hope) his moods stay good, I'll try to start weaning some of his meds down.

[Rachel--24]

I dont have any kids and I'm not autistic....but I have alot of the same issues so I've done alot of research and have learned quite a bit along the way. All of my Dr.'s are also treating ASD's.

In addition to gluten-free/cf you might want to consider removing things like food colorings/dyes (red 40, yellow, blue, etc)...those can cause alot of problems....as well as preservatives and additives.

I wouldnt try to attempt eliminating everything at once...it would be way too overwhelming but if you want to try it after you're more comfortable with gluten-free/cf then heres some info. to start with.

I'm on the Feingold diet which has helped me the most...even more than gluten-free/cf. These are the main things to avoid.

1. Synthetic colours (or food dyes).

2. Artificial flavours: they are petroleum based additives: for instance vanillin or MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) which is found in two forms: naturally in food and as an added flavour enhancer, MSG is used in many processed foods such as stock cubes, soya products, crisps and Chinese food.

3. Anti oxidants and preservatives: BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone) which are petroleum based preservatives.

4. Salicylates: these natural chemicals found in fruits, vegetables, plants and nuts act as preservatives and insecticides. High levels of salicylates are found in almonds, apples, apricots, berries, cherries, chilli powder, cloves, coffee, cucumbers, currants, grapes and raisins, nectarines, oranges, paprika, peaches, peppers, plums, prunes, tangerines, tea, tomatoes, wine, oil of wintergreen (list from the Feingold Association of the United States). Salicylates are also found in aspirin.

5. Aspartame: an artificial sweetener found in sugar substitutes. While the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the manufacture of food, drugs and cosmetics in America, states that aspartame is safe, several consumer associations claim that it can cause illnesses including cancer.

6. Nitrites and nitrates: common additives used in processed meat, fish and cheese.

7. Benzoates: they are flavourings and preservatives found in margarine, dry soup, salad dressings, condiments, sauces, soft drinks and some liquid medicine.

8. Sulfating agents (sulfites): they are found in corn syrup and are generally used in dried fruits and to keep food white.

Heres a link with more info.

Open Original Shared Link

I now take enzymes for digestion of gluten and casein and I also take enzymes to help with salicylates. The enzymes were formulated specifically for the spectrum kids and something like 92% have improvement while on the enzymes. Some of the kids are able to go off of the diet with the use of the enzymes (not those with Celiac though) and some remain on the diet but still have improvement with the addition of enzymes.

You can look into it if you're interested. They are Peptizyde (for gluten and casein) and Zyme Prime. Most of the kids who are taking the enzymes are taking both of these. They also have No Fenol for the kids who are sensitive to salicylates....and recently they have come out with TriEnza to make it easier for parents whose kids need all 3 enzymes. TriEnza contains Peptizyde, Zyme Prime and No-Fenol all in one capsule.