My Son Has Cd

[fatherof4yearold]

We have my son on a gluten free diet which is a great challenge for a kid who used to only eat pasta, bread and chicken fingers, since October 2004 we have replaced everything he used to eat with Gluten free products.

It was persistence that we even found out he has it, he had a biopsy which came back positive.

My son is 4 and has a long life ahead of him, we are doing our best to give him all gluten free food, what can he expect as he gets older?

He never had immediate reactions to anything or at least he was to young to know the difference.

What impacts do cross contamination have such as something made in a factory that processes products with gluten or eating french fries cooked in the same oil as breaded items.

I hear everyone reacts different but I would like to hear varing opinions on what he can expect.

[Boojca]

My son is 3, and like yours is asymptomatic. Which is good and bad...and won't make trying to enforce gluten-free living during the teen years very easy!

Cross-contamination, basically, may or may not cause damage. Not every crumb is going to cause damage to every intestine, some are more sensitive than others, but every crumb added up over time sure will. My basic guideline is that you basically do your best to be gluten-free, but mistakes happen. Mistakes are not going to cause any long-lasting effects that could lead to other horrible things. However, blatantly not following the diet will.

You are going to get a ZILLION different responses here. For instance, I don't know where you are located but there is a restaurant chain out here in the northeast called Friendly's. Some will eat their fries, others won't. They do not have a dedicated fryer. Some eat Burger King fries, others won't. I think that eating things made in a shared fryer is probably more risky than something processed in a shared plant. They do their best to clean the lines, etc... could you still get some, yes, but could you also not get some, yes. I haven't ventured into restaurants with our son yet, so I haven't grappled with the fryer issue yet (I don't count McDonald's, which we have done many,many times...) but I do buy "mainstream" products. And my son is doing GREAT.

Bridget

[lovegrov]

I eat food processed in a facility that has gluten but I think it is a VERY, VERY bad idea to eat anything that you know has been fried in contaminated oil. You absolutely do get gluten this way.

richard

[mommida]

A good book to read, Kids with Celiac Disease by Danna Korn.

Read the food labels with your child, your actions speak louder than words.

You may be advised to add screening tests for various things i.e. thyroid screening that are connected to Celiac.

There is supposed to be an increased risk of developing an eating disorder!!? I am trying to make sure that the kids get a gluten free food choice, and play an active part in the food decisions. If there is a food they want to try to make gluten free we have a test kitchen day. Everyone must be in a good mood, and nobody has to like or eat what turns out. In fact expect it not to turn out.

HAVE GLUTEN FREE REPLACEMENTS FOODS ON HAND AT ALL TIMES! Kids get offered candy all the time, have what you know is safe candy on you at all times to swap out. Be ready for birthday party invites with frozen cupcakes, hot dog, pizza, the stuff that gets served at birthday parties. Send in a birthday party at school stash.

Laura

[Guest nini]

you've gotten some good advice so far, my daughter just turned 5 and has been gluten-free for almost 2 years now. I try to teach her as much about the diet as she can comprehend at this point... I get her to "read" labels with me and if I find something that is labeled gluten free, I get her to find it on the label. She knows that she can always snack on fresh fruits and vegetables (and does so willingly!) I get her to help on baking days, she decorates her own cupcakes to freeze to keep on hand for parties at school or birthday party invites. I guess one of the most challenging things is when she is not with me. When she is at school or at Nana's, so I keep her school well stocked with a wide variety of gluten-free foods and snacks so that they can feed her something that is close to or just like what the other kids are having, and I have also stocked Nana's cupboards and freezer with gluten-free goodies. I've also given her teachers and Nana lists of mainstream products that are gluten-free, so if they have parties and people bring in, oh, say Frito's, they know she can have them.

[mommida]

Keep a gluten free medication list on hand at all times. After hours urgent care for say an ear infection at midnight will be a lot less stressfull. I did buy a refurbished palm to hand over to the babysitters, doctors, and pharmacy personel. I don't need it for grocery shopping trips anymore. It was a lifesaver at first, and made things a lot easier.

All your child's Dr.'s should have a copy of the list in the medical file. (even the dentist)

My 2-year-old asks to read the labels before she eats now.

Laura

[fatherof4yearold]

We are extremely diligent in our home and at his pre school and he asks before he eats anything whether it is good for his tummy. Breaks my heart sometimes, but he is really apathetic towards food anyway so it makes it a little bit easier. We only eat out maybe once every other month, and we have not been diligent on the fryer issue. It is still a work in progress for us! We used to eat out weekly, this has been a big life style change for us. The no pizza is the hardest, we have tried multiple gluten-free crusts and recipes but it is just not the same.

My wife takes him to Mc Donalds every once in a while and I know they have the independent fryers. So he gets fries and a cheese burger no bun.

Everyday we find something else he can eat, favorite so far is the Wellshire Farms Gluten free chicken nuggets- they have been a life saver, the ones we made from scratch just did not taste as good. On weekends we make gluten-free pancakes and waffles, my wife made me a birthday cake from a mix and she added gluten-free strawbeery yogurt to it and it came out great.

I really think it is harder on my wife and I then on my son.

Just needed to hear some other stories because everybody seems to have a different view on this disease.

Thanks for the advice!

[lisabp]

I wish you had a Whole Foods near where you are. I went shopping there today and came home with gluten-free fish sticks, chicken nuggets and pizza (all frozen). The pizza was Amy's brand and it was just cheese (and kind of skimpy at that) so I aded a whole lot of topppings when I made it and it was really very good. My husband liked it better than regular pizza. However, I am trying to get my son used to eating things (he's only 19 months old) that are naturally gluten-free, like rice and potatoes and tortilla chips (in addition to fruits, veggies, cheese and meat) so he won't get a taste of for something that could make him very sick later if he gets the wrong thing. If he doesn't get used to sandwiches, then he hopefully won't miss bread so much.

[Jnkmnky]

My son was dx when he was 3. He's 7 now. This is as hard as it gets!!! It really does get easier! ...Until they're teenagers and they want that first sneaky sip of beer, I guess

Let's just not go there for now!

Have you discovered Chebe bread?? I ask because I only JUST FOUND OUT, and it's awesome! Corndogs are the new reality in our home. Also, tonight I made his pasta and Chebe bread sticks to go with it and it was so good. You can also make Pizza crust with Chebe bread and sandwich rolls and ANYTHING else you can think of bread related. It's really good. I'm a bread lover and I'm sold on Chebe. The comment you made about NO PIZZA is so untrue. You can also order very decent pizza crusts from Kinnikinnick. OH*** And donuts from Kinnikinnick. Do you have those yet? My son totally digs the chocolate glazed donuts from kinnikinnick. We get Pillsbury supreme chocolate fudge frosting for the donuts and give Krispy Kreme a run for their money. He also likes the chocolate glazed. Kinnikinnick's tapioca white bread is decent too. You can round out a typical childhood by slapping on the Oscar Mayer Bologna and mayo.

Just because he's gluten free doesn't mean he has to be deprived. The gluten-free food industry is picking up on the fact that gluten-free people like junk food too. When we began four years ago, I felt like everything was low/no sodium, low/no sugar and horrible beyond comprehension. Nowadays I know which on line venders carry the stuff that tastes good, allows my kid to eat "normal" food and blend in at the cafeteria at school. Speaking of, it's a good idea to send in a lunch box to your child's school full of snacks, treats, (we send in those non refrideratable puddings) etc for unexpected class treats and birthday parties. On special or unexpected occassions, my son is directed by the teacher to go and choose a treat of his own. He feels very special doing this. Do you have Tinkyada Pastas, yet? They're the best. They also go in a thermos well for school lunch. You can go out to dinner if you like, too. We go out all the time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every week. Just bring his stuff in a separate container. No one will dare question you.

[Jnkmnky]

I want to add a few more things. You're absolutely right to be thinking along the lines of "he's going to have this his whole life". The best thing I've managed to do for my son is to give him power over this disease. He has his own gluten-free shelves, his own Pb, Jelly, mayo, butter, etc. I have a Sharpie marker and write his name on everything that we have in duplicate so the family knows what's HIS and what's OURS. If he wants a snack, I tell him he knows where his stuff is, go get something. He thinks he's totally cool. The other kids DO NOT get to munch out on his stuff. Even his Lays Stax potato chips (which are gluten free and I just found this out at this message board) are not for the other kids. They have Pringles and if they eat them all, they don't get his because HE can't have THEIRS if he runs out. When we go to church, we bring his donut for afterwards. They give out donuts at our church-this is an incentive that really does work!

I read that thing about eating disorders...I think that's completly avoidable. The hardest thing to constantly be aware of is to make sure your child doesn't RESENT his disease. Make sure you have his food available with you whereever you go. Keep some gluten-free food in the car, keep some at school, keep some in your purse. Just never run out and tell the kid to deal with it. That sucks. And don't deprive yourselves of going out. Going out is a fun thing to do. gluten-free doesn't mean housebound. Bring a meal with you for him. Don't teach him that his disease will limit his experiences. Even the going out to eat experiences. I bought a tupperware meal plate that has four separate sections. It looks like a tv dinner tray....and we fill that with food and go out to eat all the time.

[Guest Lucy]

we bring in a crust to pizza restaurants and let them top it and cook it in a clean pan. I make sure they know to cut it first with clean utensil. I don't do this often, because cross contamination is definatley a possibility, but it takes away the idea that he can "never" go out for pizza. My son is almost 3 and has no symptoms either. He is also diabetic, so he too is out for a long road. Attitude is key.

I was SOO overwhelmed 6 months ago when he was diagnosed. This came 6 months after a devastating diagnosis of diabetes. I went thru depression. It seemed so hard, but a friend whose son (she was just an aquaintance before, but now she is a friend) has celiac and THIS BOARD, has been great.

It is not always easy, but it is not always hard either. CHEBE BREAD. as someone mentioned before, is awesome.

When everyone has meat on buns (taverns, or creamed meat) I make his own that looks the same, and he eats his with tortilla chips. The other kids usually end up saying "no fair, how come he gets chips?" You can do this. I promise.

[lbsteenwyk]

A couple posters mentioned eating disorders linked to children with celiac disease. Can you give me a reference or link? I would like to read more about this. Thanks!

[key]

Where do you get CHebe bread?

Yes, donuts and pizza are yummy by Kinnikinnick!

Monica

[Jnkmnky]

www.chebe.com or the gluten free mall. I highly recommend the original flavor and add things to it for different flavors. The garlic onion is good, too. I brushed it with butter and added garlic salt for garlic bread sticks. Soooo goooood.

[chasesparents]

My son will be 2 in September and he has been gluten-free since February of this year. So far the transition has been easy for us, because he is so little yet. I'm slowy starting to really figure things out. The bread was my hardest obsticle, and now that you've mentioned Chebe Bread, I am absolutely thrilled and excited to try it !!! I made a loaf of bread 3 days ago for my son, and it was an absolute disaster and I was in tears, thinking that there is never gonna be a good bread out there for him.

I just wanted to say thank you for the advice and making my day !!! Any other advice for meal ideas for a toddler would be MUCH appreciated !!!

Also, were can I find Favorite chicken nuggets??