Behavior Problems/ Gluten & Casein Free Diet? Probiotics?

[angie315]

My 4 year old daughter has been gluten free for almost a year. We dealt with behavior problems prior to her diagnosis and they had greatly improved on a gluten free diet..at first. Usually her only reaction to gluten is her change in behavior. She becomes very mean, she hits, bites, throws tantrums and she get the "crazy" eyes and my husband and I call them. It lasts for a week and is the hardest thing to deal with. On a gluten-free diet she is so sweet and nice. Lately we are having more bad days than good. My house is gluten free and I am careful to pack lunches when she travels to restaurants and preschool. If this is a gluten cross contamination I have no idea where she is getting it. I have heard recently about also having her on a casein free diet. Her doctor never mentioned removing the casein. Could this be the problem?? I have also heard about probiotics and information on adding those to her diet would be greatly appreciated as well.

We need help!!

[gfpaperdoll]

What processed foods is she eating?

Anything with "Natural Flavor"? A lot of companies are now hiding MSG, barley, soy etc, in Natural Flavoring.

The children that I know that are gluten-free have a huge emotional reaction to gluten. Because of my experiences I would tend to say that she is eating something on a regular basis that is making her sick.

I think the easiest thing to do is to just pare back to all whole foods & eliminate the processed stuff. When she is all sweet & her normal self, then add one processed food in at a time & allow a few days to a week before adding in another processed food.

I would also recommend that you bake your own cookies, & desserts & not use soy or dairy in cooking. You can cook with coconut milk & it is excellent. & I love coconut oil also.

Other thoughts, have you checked her shampoo and toothpaste? Any pet food in the house? - most contain gluten. Are you keeping wipes in your purse for her to wash her hands off when in public places? Is she getting sick from going in places where they are cooking with wheat flour? Are they using any play doh, pasta, paper-mache, finger paints etc at the pre school?

To comment on your question about dairy, well I am not a good one to advise you, because I think dairy (casein) is very bad for everyone. No human needs dairy for healthy bones. I think that dairy should be reserved for the occasional treat, if the child can tolerate it with no reactions. I think that for everyday cooking that coconut milk is much better & much healthier. I have had no problems just substituting cup for cup of coconut milk for dairy milk. & really you get used to not eating cheese. I will say that the dairy habit is a lot harder to give up than gluten. Most of us really do not have such a hard time giving up gluten, but dairy is very very addictive & people have a hard time cutting it out of their diet. Warning is that if you have it once the opiate effect kicks in & you want it again. My reactions to dairy are sinus infections, headaches, ear infections, congestion etc. She could have some of that going on & it manifests in bad behaviour because she feels so crummy.

IMO the dairy that they put in manufactured iproducts 10 times worse than the dairy that you purchase, because it is so condensed & processed.

[sugarsue]

Hi! I wanted to give you some HUGS because my dd gets behavior issues when she's on gluten too. She gets manic and hangs on you, puts her feet in your face and basically picks on everyone.

I agree with the other poster about looking for hidden sources of gluten and also seeing if there is any way she could get gluten from other kids when unsupervised at day-care or anything like that. She may still be young enough where this can't happen yet.

My dd should be casein free but I find it very difficult to keep out all sources of dairy. I have noticed that the dairy contributes to her diarrhea issues but I have not noticed it affecting her behavior.

My other dd is very sensitive to artificial dye's and can't eat any of it without becoming mean and horrible to be around.

Anyway, good luck to you. I know you will find the answer!

[angie315]

My husband HATES coconut but I have read of the benefits of substituting it in cooking. Is the flavored masked well in food or do you still taste coconut? I did buy some coconut oil and flour that I have been meaning to try in baking.

What processed foods is she eating?

Anything with "Natural Flavor"? A lot of companies are now hiding MSG, barley, soy etc, in Natural Flavoring.

The children that I know that are gluten-free have a huge emotional reaction to gluten. Because of my experiences I would tend to say that she is eating something on a regular basis that is making her sick.

I think the easiest thing to do is to just pare back to all whole foods & eliminate the processed stuff. When she is all sweet & her normal self, then add one processed food in at a time & allow a few days to a week before adding in another processed food.

I would also recommend that you bake your own cookies, & desserts & not use soy or dairy in cooking. You can cook with coconut milk & it is excellent. & I love coconut oil also.

Other thoughts, have you checked her shampoo and toothpaste? Any pet food in the house? - most contain gluten. Are you keeping wipes in your purse for her to wash her hands off when in public places? Is she getting sick from going in places where they are cooking with wheat flour? Are they using any play doh, pasta, paper-mache, finger paints etc at the pre school?

To comment on your question about dairy, well I am not a good one to advise you, because I think dairy (casein) is very bad for everyone. No human needs dairy for healthy bones. I think that dairy should be reserved for the occasional treat, if the child can tolerate it with no reactions. I think that for everyday cooking that coconut milk is much better & much healthier. I have had no problems just substituting cup for cup of coconut milk for dairy milk. & really you get used to not eating cheese. I will say that the dairy habit is a lot harder to give up than gluten. Most of us really do not have such a hard time giving up gluten, but dairy is very very addictive & people have a hard time cutting it out of their diet. Warning is that if you have it once the opiate effect kicks in & you want it again. My reactions to dairy are sinus infections, headaches, ear infections, congestion etc. She could have some of that going on & it manifests in bad behaviour because she feels so crummy.

IMO the dairy that they put in manufactured iproducts 10 times worse than the dairy that you purchase, because it is so condensed & processed.