Child Just Diagnosed

[Grace'smom]

Hi there

My six year old daughter received her diagnosis yesterday, following an endoscopy last week. I am overhwelmed. We will meet with a nutritionist next week. In the meantime, I was pointed to several books and supermarkets. I wondered if someone would mind recommending gluten free cookies, salty snacks and school snacks that their children really like. I struck out on all 3 that I brought home from Whole Foods market last night. She didn't like the after taste with any of the cookie treats I found. I know this is going to get easier but right now it seems very challenging. Any suggestions on brand recommendations would be so appreciated. Thank you... Emily

[Dixiebell]

Hi there

My six year old daughter received her diagnosis yesterday, following an endoscopy last week. I am overhwelmed. We will meet with a nutritionist next week. In the meantime, I was pointed to several books and supermarkets. I wondered if someone would mind recommending gluten free cookies, salty snacks and school snacks that their children really like. I struck out on all 3 that I brought home from Whole Foods market last night. She didn't like the after taste with any of the cookie treats I found. I know this is going to get easier but right now it seems very challenging. Any suggestions on brand recommendations would be so appreciated. Thank you... Emily

My son has not been diagnosed with celiac but he is eating gluten free and no more tummy pain. He likes Glutino pretzel sticks, Season's baked cheddar cheese curls, Blue diamond nut thins-almond, Pamala's mini choc chip cookies, Chex cereal-cinnamon, Brothers all natural disney freeze dried apples, , kroger sells their brand of pre-popped and bagged salted popcorn, my family loves it.

[sa1937]

Hi there

My six year old daughter received her diagnosis yesterday, following an endoscopy last week. I am overhwelmed. We will meet with a nutritionist next week. In the meantime, I was pointed to several books and supermarkets. I wondered if someone would mind recommending gluten free cookies, salty snacks and school snacks that their children really like. I struck out on all 3 that I brought home from Whole Foods market last night. She didn't like the after taste with any of the cookie treats I found. I know this is going to get easier but right now it seems very challenging. Any suggestions on brand recommendations would be so appreciated. Thank you... Emily

There are so many things she can have, some of which she probably already eats. Here are just a few to get you started:

General Mills has lots of recipes on this website to make your own treats:

Open Original Shared Link

[sa1937]

I also do fine with Frito-Lay products...not everyone does (potato chips, Fritos, Cheetos, etc. Again read the labels as not all flavors are gluten free. Stax chips are marked gluten free (do not buy Pringles are they are not gluten free).

[Mizzo]

We are 7 weeks gluten-free and this is what we have found.

Tostitio's corn chips , the rounds with slices of cheese are a favorite here.

Utz brand chips, cheese puffs and potato sticks say gluten free right on the back on their safe flavors.

Quaker rice cake say gluten-free on them also for safe flavors my girl likes the Caramel and Chocolate

Newmans Own Soy Crisps, Cinnamon and sugar are OK

Sweet's:

Enjoy life, Snickerdoodles are really good(not cheap)try the 2 pack first usually $1 each

We also like Bob's red mill Choc chip cookies, I mix the whole batter and freeze half, bake the other half and store cookies on air tight container

Glutino cereal bars are ok

Glenny's has a rice krispie bar, we haven't tried it.

K-Kritters animal crackers (these are like a SUGAR cookie )

I find it's worth baking brownies (pamela's or Bob's) or a cake( Pamela's) and packing those up for snacks, cheaper for sure.

UDI's white bread is the closest we have found to a wheat bread, My 6yr old is enjoying her PBJ sandwiches again. My girl also likes Tapioca loaf from Energ, It's kinda a weird semi-hard white bread but it does have more protein and fiber than the other Energ breads so she get that for bologna and turkey (Oscar Mayer) and Udi's for PBJ.

Ocean state job lot also carries a decent selection of corn and rice pasta the cheapest prices I have found. FYI Kraft brand mac and cheese cheese packet is gluten-free, NOT the pasta, If you have any keep the cheese packet for a gluten-free pasta, it is much better that Annies brand IMO

The hardest part once you find product you like is finding the best price, expect to spend a lot more grocery money the first month, then know it will get better as you shop around and get to know brands.

Don't know what state you are in but here are my shopping stores in Ma.

In MY OPINION:

Whole foods: most options also most expensive

Stop and shop , less options cheaper prices

Hannaford, decent selections, average prices

Ocean state job lot, average to cheaper price , lots of Bob Red Mill product and occasional chip and cracker selections.

Walmart , very small selection, cheapest prices

Target, I have heard they sell gluten-free but the ones near me do not

My girl has 2 weeks of girl scout camp in July and I found Smoreables for her gluten-free smores at Whole foods, so she can even have that.

Good luck

[Grace'smom]

Hi there

My six year old daughter received her diagnosis yesterday, following an endoscopy last week. I am overhwelmed. We will meet with a nutritionist next week. In the meantime, I was pointed to several books and supermarkets. I wondered if someone would mind recommending gluten free cookies, salty snacks and school snacks that their children really like. I struck out on all 3 that I brought home from Whole Foods market last night. She didn't like the after taste with any of the cookie treats I found. I know this is going to get easier but right now it seems very challenging. Any suggestions on brand recommendations would be so appreciated. Thank you... Emily

Thank you so much everyone for these great suggestions...this forum is going to be a tremendous help, and I'm very appreciative of your kind input.

[Grace'smom]

We are 7 weeks gluten-free and this is what we have found.

Tostitio's corn chips , the rounds with slices of cheese are a favorite here.

Utz brand chips, cheese puffs and potato sticks say gluten free right on the back on their safe flavors.

Quaker rice cake say gluten-free on them also for safe flavors my girl likes the Caramel and Chocolate

Newmans Own Soy Crisps, Cinnamon and sugar are OK

Sweet's:

Enjoy life, Snickerdoodles are really good(not cheap)try the 2 pack first usually $1 each

We also like Bob's red mill Choc chip cookies, I mix the whole batter and freeze half, bake the other half and store cookies on air tight container

Glutino cereal bars are ok

Glenny's has a rice krispie bar, we haven't tried it.

K-Kritters animal crackers (these are like a SUGAR cookie )

I find it's worth baking brownies (pamela's or Bob's) or a cake( Pamela's) and packing those up for snacks, cheaper for sure.

UDI's white bread is the closest we have found to a wheat bread, My 6yr old is enjoying her PBJ sandwiches again. My girl also likes Tapioca loaf from Energ, It's kinda a weird semi-hard white bread but it does have more protein and fiber than the other Energ breads so she get that for bologna and turkey (Oscar Mayer) and Udi's for PBJ.

Ocean state job lot also carries a decent selection of corn and rice pasta the cheapest prices I have found. FYI Kraft brand mac and cheese cheese packet is gluten-free, NOT the pasta, If you have any keep the cheese packet for a gluten-free pasta, it is much better that Annies brand IMO

The hardest part once you find product you like is finding the best price, expect to spend a lot more grocery money the first month, then know it will get better as you shop around and get to know brands.

Don't know what state you are in but here are my shopping stores in Ma.

In MY OPINION:

Whole foods: most options also most expensive

Stop and shop , less options cheaper prices

Hannaford, decent selections, average prices

Ocean state job lot, average to cheaper price , lots of Bob Red Mill product and occasional chip and cracker selections.

Walmart , very small selection, cheapest prices

Target, I have heard they sell gluten-free but the ones near me do not

My girl has 2 weeks of girl scout camp in July and I found Smoreables for her gluten-free smores at Whole foods, so she can even have that.

Good luck

Wow, thank you so much for all of those GREAT suggestions!! Appreciate it. Emily

[buffettbride]

It gets easier--especially as she feels better.

Cookies are hard because nothing tastes quite right until their taste buds adjust, but many regular fruit snacks are just fine and nice and sugary. Plain Fritos, popcorn, Smart Food, Lays Stax are all gluten-free and very mainstream.

I found that finding mainstream junk food was very important in the recovery process for my daughter who was diagnosed when she was 9. Over time we began introducing gluten free cookies, cakes, etc. once she had some distance between remembering what the gluten stuff tastes like.

Pamela's chocolate cake mix is great, too, and basically the same tasting as the gluten counterpart. Nice thing about summer coming up is she has a whole length of time to recover away from school (which brings on a whole host of other worries and concerns).

My daughter was diagnosed right before summer vacation, too, and it actually worked out VERY well.

[seezee]

It gets easier--especially as she feels better.

Cookies are hard because nothing tastes quite right until their taste buds adjust, but many regular fruit snacks are just fine and nice and sugary. Plain Fritos, popcorn, Smart Food, Lays Stax are all gluten-free and very mainstream.

I found that finding mainstream junk food was very important in the recovery process for my daughter who was diagnosed when she was 9. Over time we began introducing gluten free cookies, cakes, etc. once she had some distance between remembering what the gluten stuff tastes like.

Pamela's chocolate cake mix is great, too, and basically the same tasting as the gluten counterpart. Nice thing about summer coming up is she has a whole length of time to recover away from school (which brings on a whole host of other worries and concerns).

My daughter was diagnosed right before summer vacation, too, and it actually worked out VERY well.

[seezee]

My sister and mother bought me a nice stand mixer and I make cookies now. We had bad luck with the gluten-free versions as they were also generally everything else free (eggs, dairy, etc.), so can be kind of made with rice and sugar and they are super expensive. There are a couple brands of gluten-free flour that you can replace 1-1 in recipes with wheat flour. I think King Arthur is releasing one shortly. We also liked Mr. Ritts. Right now we have one called Domata (Open Original Shared Link) that I bought a health food store (Open Original Shared Link) that specializes in hard to find gluten free stuff. Their daughter has celiac. I can use it in any recipe 1-1 with wheat flour and get good results. People don't seem to notice that the cookies are gluten-free at all with this one. Of course we all gained a bit of weight from baking so much. Also, Whole Foods has a good return policy so if you get something you hate return it.

Of the store bought cookies she likes the glutino oreo type cookies and another one that is like a kit kat called milk chocolate candy bar by glutino that is really pretty good. Those are individually wrapped so are good for lunch boxes. There are carmel corn rice cakes by Hanes that are at whole foods that are good too, kettle corn, cheetos, dried fruit, nuts, ice cream.

When we were in Europe we discovered that they have much tastier products so if you know anyone over there ask them to send you some. We loved the free-from line from Sainsbury's. We also had a friend in Germany who sent us some great stuff. Most stores over there have a section with stuff that is like other European cookies but gluten-free.

[CeliacMom2008]

Caution - last time I checked only the LARGE quaker rice cakes were gluten-free. The minis were not.

One thing that helped my son a lot (8 1/2 at diagnosis) was to keep all the labels of the different things we tried. We would make a big fuss about writing on them - GREAT! LOVED IT! or YUCK! DISGUSTING! Then we would keep all the labels in a drawer. This had a couple of outcomes for us - one, he felt in control of deciding if he'd ever eat it again. Two, you think you'll be able to remember what you've tried and liked, but you will forget. Having a stash to go back and look at saves you from buying things over that you already determined you didn't like.

You may have struck out so far, but don't fret. There are loads of great gluten-free products, and unfortunately, there are loads of terrible gluten-free products. If you try one brand of something and it's bad don't assume all products of that type are bad. And you'll find huge ranges in what people on here like and don't like. We've found a couple products that people rave about that we really don't care for.

Here are a few that have withstood the "kid" test several times over. This would the "bring a non-Celiac friend over and feed it to them" test:

Bell & Evans Chicken Nuggets and Tenders (be sure to get gluten-free version, they also sell non-gluten-free) - These are fantastic in our opinion.

Pamela's Pancake mix - makes great pancakes for breakfast and many kids eat PB&J on pancakes. My son actually was actually the cause of a stir at school lunches. Moms were coming up and joking about how now their kid didn't want Uncrustables, they wanted pancake PB&J!

Gluten Free Sensations Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix (available online) - These are always a hit at parties and school functions. Soft cookie with no aftertaste at all.

Kinnikinnick cake mixes - Zero aftertaste. I use these for all birthday parties, soccer team parties, and basketball team parties. There are never any leftovers.

Pamela's Chocolate Chunk cookies (prepackaged) - a little pricey, but great. My personal weakness! (and I'm not a Celiac!)

Lastly, over time your kiddo will forget what gluten tastes like. At first I could tell very easily if something was gluten-free. It's getting harder and harder as time goes by - and I still eat gluten outside of the house. Your taste buds adjust. Some flours do have a heavier aftertaste - bean flours being one. Eventually you can introduce these for healthier options, but at first I'd just stick with whatever tastes good to her!

[Grace'smom]

Caution - last time I checked only the LARGE quaker rice cakes were gluten-free. The minis were not.

One thing that helped my son a lot (8 1/2 at diagnosis) was to keep all the labels of the different things we tried. We would make a big fuss about writing on them - GREAT! LOVED IT! or YUCK! DISGUSTING! Then we would keep all the labels in a drawer. This had a couple of outcomes for us - one, he felt in control of deciding if he'd ever eat it again. Two, you think you'll be able to remember what you've tried and liked, but you will forget. Having a stash to go back and look at saves you from buying things over that you already determined you didn't like.

You may have struck out so far, but don't fret. There are loads of great gluten-free products, and unfortunately, there are loads of terrible gluten-free products. If you try one brand of something and it's bad don't assume all products of that type are bad. And you'll find huge ranges in what people on here like and don't like. We've found a couple products that people rave about that we really don't care for.

Here are a few that have withstood the "kid" test several times over. This would the "bring a non-Celiac friend over and feed it to them" test:

Bell & Evans Chicken Nuggets and Tenders (be sure to get gluten-free version, they also sell non-gluten-free) - These are fantastic in our opinion.

Pamela's Pancake mix - makes great pancakes for breakfast and many kids eat PB&J on pancakes. My son actually was actually the cause of a stir at school lunches. Moms were coming up and joking about how now their kid didn't want Uncrustables, they wanted pancake PB&J!

Gluten Free Sensations Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix (available online) - These are always a hit at parties and school functions. Soft cookie with no aftertaste at all.

Kinnikinnick cake mixes - Zero aftertaste. I use these for all birthday parties, soccer team parties, and basketball team parties. There are never any leftovers.

Pamela's Chocolate Chunk cookies (prepackaged) - a little pricey, but great. My personal weakness! (and I'm not a Celiac!)

Lastly, over time your kiddo will forget what gluten tastes like. At first I could tell very easily if something was gluten-free. It's getting harder and harder as time goes by - and I still eat gluten outside of the house. Your taste buds adjust. Some flours do have a heavier aftertaste - bean flours being one. Eventually you can introduce these for healthier options, but at first I'd just stick with whatever tastes good to her!

Great advice, thank you! Especially excited about the pancake recommendation...my husband makes them all the time for our 5 kids. I was sad thinking it may be hard to find a "good" gluten free brand. So grateful, Emily