Celiac And Lactose Intolerance Help!

[Ajsmommy0508]

I put my 2 year old son on a gluten free diet in February (he was 21 months old) after his blood test despite it being negative. It has completely eliminated his Celiac symptoms so his doctor diagnosed him as a Celiac this past week. I'm very overwhelmed with feeding him. Not only can he not have gluten but he suffers from Lactose intolerance as well. He has been Lactose intolerant since birth. He also does not like meat of any kind. Are there any suggestions on what I can feed him to help him gain weight? I read labels constantly but am having a hard time finding good protein sources for him. Someone suggested I try Whey protein but he can't have it because it is a milk bi-product. This whole process has become very overwhelming, not to mention very expensive. I have had to apply for food assistance because of it. In the last year he has gained around 1 pound but has grown about 4 inches. I'm becoming concerned about his weight gain but his doctor has given me no suggestions what so ever. He loves fruits, veggies, brown rice, peanut butter and corn pasta but that is pretty much the extent of his diet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[knittingmonkey]

I have celiac disease, been eating gluten-free since April 30. I am also lactose intolerant

[lucia]

I put my 2 year old son on a gluten free diet in February (he was 21 months old) after his blood test despite it being negative. It has completely eliminated his Celiac symptoms so his doctor diagnosed him as a Celiac this past week. I'm very overwhelmed with feeding him. Not only can he not have gluten but he suffers from Lactose intolerance as well. He has been Lactose intolerant since birth. He also does not like meat of any kind. Are there any suggestions on what I can feed him to help him gain weight? I read labels constantly but am having a hard time finding good protein sources for him. Someone suggested I try Whey protein but he can't have it because it is a milk bi-product. This whole process has become very overwhelming, not to mention very expensive. I have had to apply for food assistance because of it. In the last year he has gained around 1 pound but has grown about 4 inches. I'm becoming concerned about his weight gain but his doctor has given me no suggestions what so ever. He loves fruits, veggies, brown rice, peanut butter and corn pasta but that is pretty much the extent of his diet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Is that your son, in your avatar? He's so cute!

Some good (and cheap) options are: eggs (try them boiled) and beans (lentils, chick peas, etc. - you could try making them into a spread, like hummus). Other good options are nuts and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.). All of these foods are packed with protein.

Another option is soy, but be careful because not everyone can tolerate it. You can give him soy milk, tofu, and soy-based products like burgers and "tofu" dogs. If you can find it, tempeh is a fermented version of soy which is packed with protein and easier to digest due to a fermentation process.

If you want to supplement his diet, you can find protein powders developed for vegetarians that use soy, rice, pea, and even hemp as a base. You just blend them with juice to make a shake.

One more suggestion, if you haven't tried it: you could introduce him to fish. It sounds like he has strong preferences so he may have already passed on that, but you didn't mention fish at all.

Glad you were able to get some assistance. It *is* overwhelming, and I just have to take care of myself.