I am grateful that we are able to afford to buy gluten free without having to draw from our savings or having to give anything up - but I am still a bargain shopper at heart and I hate to spend any more money than I need to.
On the other hand, I want products to be available close by. Sometimes it is a difficult choice to decide where to buy my staples.
Take my favorite pasta - Tinkyada. The Rainbow Foods store right here in my suburb carries it and I'm glad they do and I want to encourage them to carry it and more gluten free foods, but at $4.19 a package it is quite expensive. I can get it for $3.59 a package if I drive to Fresh and Natural Foods in Shoreview (14 miles one way). Or I can order it online from glutenfree.com for as low as $2.96 if I buy 12 at a time. Even with paying shipping, the savings of buying online is quite substantial. Especially if you consider that we eat a lot of pasta - we probably go through 4 packages a month - that's 48 a year. At a difference of $1.23 each that's $59.04 a year.
Sometimes it is cheaper to buy locally. Take Panda Puffs. I can get that at Super Target right here in my suburb for $3.64. If I drive the 14 miles to Fresh and Natural, it will cost me $4.37. Glutenfree.com has them for $4.25 and Miss Roben's has them for $5.29.
It can be very confusing to know what is a better deal where. For myself, I keep an excel spreadsheet listing the items I buy and the prices at each of the stores I shop at. I then highlight in yellow where it is the cheapest. If I am placing an order online anyway, I will check my spreadsheet and see what else is cheapest there and go ahead and order some. If I'm getting low on just one item and I can buy it locally I probably will even if it's a few pennies more. I check my receipts against my spreadsheet and make sure I update the information periodically.
It's a lot of work making sure you get the best price and balancing buying locally to encourage the local grocers to carry more gfcf products - but it is something I feel I have to do. I just hate throwing money away. Just because we can afford to buy this food doesn't mean we should pay the highest price we can. And I would like to quit my job some day and that is only going to happen if we can afford to live without me working.
And don't forget to throw taste into the mix. Miss Roben's is more expensive than glutenfree.com on a lot of the items I buy - but you can't beat their taste or their customer service. If no one in the family wants to eat it - it wasn't a bargain!
Showing posts with label GFCF Basics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GFCF Basics. Show all posts
Monday, February 19, 2007
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Should I test my child for celiac before starting the diet?
This is my opinion and only my opinion.
I believe every autistic child should be tested for celiac disease. On many websites you read that it is OK to just go ahead and try the diet - what do you have to lose? I believe that is bad advice. There just appears to be too many kids that have both autism and celiac to not be tested for it.
You must be actively consuming gluten when you are tested for celiac. Knowing that my child has celiac affects how I approach the diet. This is a life long diet. This isn't something I can try for awhile and then drop if I see no results. The consequences of continuing to eat gluten for my child are huge in the long run.
But my child shows no symptoms of celiac. Mine didn't either.
I had a urine test done to test for GFCF and it came back fine. The urine test is not for celiac. You can have a negative urine test and still have celiac. The celiac test is a blood panel - if all 3 panels are positive, then you need to have the intestines scoped for a diagnosis.
Again - this is just my opinion, but I feel quite strongly that celiac is not something you want to go untreated. Ask your doctor to test for it before you start the diet.
I believe every autistic child should be tested for celiac disease. On many websites you read that it is OK to just go ahead and try the diet - what do you have to lose? I believe that is bad advice. There just appears to be too many kids that have both autism and celiac to not be tested for it.
You must be actively consuming gluten when you are tested for celiac. Knowing that my child has celiac affects how I approach the diet. This is a life long diet. This isn't something I can try for awhile and then drop if I see no results. The consequences of continuing to eat gluten for my child are huge in the long run.
But my child shows no symptoms of celiac. Mine didn't either.
I had a urine test done to test for GFCF and it came back fine. The urine test is not for celiac. You can have a negative urine test and still have celiac. The celiac test is a blood panel - if all 3 panels are positive, then you need to have the intestines scoped for a diagnosis.
Again - this is just my opinion, but I feel quite strongly that celiac is not something you want to go untreated. Ask your doctor to test for it before you start the diet.
Andy had a bad day yesterday
Andy rarely has bad days at daycare (school is another story) and his bad days at daycare when they do occur are usually just normal kid stuff. The staff there really has trouble at times believing that he has autism.
Yesterday he was acting like he does when he has just a tiny bit of gluten (a lot of gluten produces bad tummy aches) - just being overall naughty - little things set him off into a major tirade - he gets angry and runs away and there is no talking to him - and he usually throws things - he cries easily and loudly - he has low self esteem and gets frustrated easily. I don't think I am describing it very well, but it is not a minor melt down, it is major. Not a pleasant thing to experience at home - really not cool in a room with 30 school age kids who wonder why he is acting like such a toddler.
The behavior continued at home all last night. It was too much. I shut him in his room for a period of time trying to get him to calm down and Dan retreated to the basement to try and calm down as well (Andy's episodes get on both of our nerves, but Dan has to remove himself from the situation - and that is OK - once Andy is calm, I take my break and Dan distracts him with a new activity).
So the detective work begins - what could be causing this behavior? I question everything he ate yesterday. I question if anyone shared food with him - he assures me he would not take food from another child. Wednesday is Dairy Queen Day at his daycare - he didn't have Dairy Queen, did he? No, he had his fruit cup that I had sent in. I re-read the labels on all of the foods that he had consumed at home looking for the culprit. Everything appeared to be OK.
Sometimes I never figure it out - but most times I do - it just takes awhile. I figured that I would question the daycare staff in the morning at drop off - his lead teacher is on vacation this week - maybe something slipped by.
Then bingo - the culprit is identified. As I was supervising his bedtime routine, he holds his hands out for inspection and tells me - "I played with play doh today" He goes on to tell me that he washed his hands really good afterward - do I see any play doh left? Yes, I do - under the nails. I determine that he did not use a nail brush and that he played with this play doh before he ate lunch (and he still eats mostly with his fingers). I ask him if a teacher assisted him with his hand washing or inspected his hands afterward. He tells me - No, Tracy isn't there this week and I just did it myself. Upon further questioning he reveals that he didn't tell the staff on purpose because they tend to "worry too much about those things and probably would not let him play with play doh again".
I will talk with the daycare this morning and send another nail brush in. And I guess I will rethink allowing Andy to play with play doh that is not gfcf. I just like him to be normal whenever possible - he has to have his special foods, but he shouldn't have to have special play doh as well. I may have to make up a batch of gfcf play doh tonight.
I will also talk to Andy today about how he acted yesterday and if he likes acting like that - and point out to him that the play doh was probably the culprit. I will let him help me make the decision - do we ban play doh? Make gfcf? or wash his hands better. He always is more likely to follow the rules when he has helped set them.
Life just isnt' fair for our kids.
Yesterday he was acting like he does when he has just a tiny bit of gluten (a lot of gluten produces bad tummy aches) - just being overall naughty - little things set him off into a major tirade - he gets angry and runs away and there is no talking to him - and he usually throws things - he cries easily and loudly - he has low self esteem and gets frustrated easily. I don't think I am describing it very well, but it is not a minor melt down, it is major. Not a pleasant thing to experience at home - really not cool in a room with 30 school age kids who wonder why he is acting like such a toddler.
The behavior continued at home all last night. It was too much. I shut him in his room for a period of time trying to get him to calm down and Dan retreated to the basement to try and calm down as well (Andy's episodes get on both of our nerves, but Dan has to remove himself from the situation - and that is OK - once Andy is calm, I take my break and Dan distracts him with a new activity).
So the detective work begins - what could be causing this behavior? I question everything he ate yesterday. I question if anyone shared food with him - he assures me he would not take food from another child. Wednesday is Dairy Queen Day at his daycare - he didn't have Dairy Queen, did he? No, he had his fruit cup that I had sent in. I re-read the labels on all of the foods that he had consumed at home looking for the culprit. Everything appeared to be OK.
Sometimes I never figure it out - but most times I do - it just takes awhile. I figured that I would question the daycare staff in the morning at drop off - his lead teacher is on vacation this week - maybe something slipped by.
Then bingo - the culprit is identified. As I was supervising his bedtime routine, he holds his hands out for inspection and tells me - "I played with play doh today" He goes on to tell me that he washed his hands really good afterward - do I see any play doh left? Yes, I do - under the nails. I determine that he did not use a nail brush and that he played with this play doh before he ate lunch (and he still eats mostly with his fingers). I ask him if a teacher assisted him with his hand washing or inspected his hands afterward. He tells me - No, Tracy isn't there this week and I just did it myself. Upon further questioning he reveals that he didn't tell the staff on purpose because they tend to "worry too much about those things and probably would not let him play with play doh again".
I will talk with the daycare this morning and send another nail brush in. And I guess I will rethink allowing Andy to play with play doh that is not gfcf. I just like him to be normal whenever possible - he has to have his special foods, but he shouldn't have to have special play doh as well. I may have to make up a batch of gfcf play doh tonight.
I will also talk to Andy today about how he acted yesterday and if he likes acting like that - and point out to him that the play doh was probably the culprit. I will let him help me make the decision - do we ban play doh? Make gfcf? or wash his hands better. He always is more likely to follow the rules when he has helped set them.
Life just isnt' fair for our kids.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
School lunches
Andy takes a bag lunch to school every day and I keep a supply of snack foods at the school that he can have on days when they have a snack that he cannot have (snacks are parent provided at his school - every day a different parent provides the snack for the entire class).
At daycare (during school breaks) - I send in chicken nuggets, fish sticks and mini corn dogs and they keep them in the freezer and prepare his lunch separately. He eats the same veggies and fruits as the other kids - but it is rare that they have an entree that he can have. I have read the labels on the foods at daycare to help the staff determine what he can and cannot have.
I believe I could force the daycare to provide GFCF foods through the ADA act since they do provide lunch free of charge as part of their program. I do not do that for two reasons. 1. No one reads labels as closely as I do and I like to maintain that control. And 2. I do not want to anger or upset the daycare or make anyone's job more difficult. Andy has been attending the same daycare center since he was six weeks old (except for a break last year when I was unemployed). They never once considered disenrolling him (or if they did, I never knew about it), they cooperated with all of the evaluations we needed done when he was getting diagnosed - answering questionnaires themselves, letting therapists come in and observe him, etc. When he was in special ed preschool and his school bus came at a different time than the school age ones, they accomodated us and got him on and off the bus with no complaints (and I know sometimes they had to dress the whole class up in snow suits to wait outside with Andy because someone had called in sick and there was no one to take him out alone - try and dress 8 to 10 three year olds for outside yourself). They treat him like a normal child and as a result, he is much better behaved than he is at school where they seem to anticipate problems based on his diagnosis. We have had our ups and downs with this center over 6 1/2 years, but that is normal. I won't say they have never upset me - but when it comes to his special needs, they have been awesome and there is no way I want to upset that apple cart. I can go to work and not worry about Andy - I can't say the same when he is in school. Anyway, if you are local, the center I am raving about is Children's World in West Saint Paul - I totally recommend it to anyone.
So what do I send in his lunches during the school year - well, I have a wonderful excel spreadsheet with 5 tabs on it. One is a 4 week menu, a list of foods in the menu, a shopping list, recipes and lunch packing ideas. I wish I could post it here but it doesn't appear that I can copy an excel document into this blog. I will gladly e-mail it to anyone who wants it. You can e-mail me at kathifischbach@comcast.net - this is an e-mail address I only use if I am afraid of getting a lot of spam - so please put school lunch menu or something in the subject line.
At daycare (during school breaks) - I send in chicken nuggets, fish sticks and mini corn dogs and they keep them in the freezer and prepare his lunch separately. He eats the same veggies and fruits as the other kids - but it is rare that they have an entree that he can have. I have read the labels on the foods at daycare to help the staff determine what he can and cannot have.
I believe I could force the daycare to provide GFCF foods through the ADA act since they do provide lunch free of charge as part of their program. I do not do that for two reasons. 1. No one reads labels as closely as I do and I like to maintain that control. And 2. I do not want to anger or upset the daycare or make anyone's job more difficult. Andy has been attending the same daycare center since he was six weeks old (except for a break last year when I was unemployed). They never once considered disenrolling him (or if they did, I never knew about it), they cooperated with all of the evaluations we needed done when he was getting diagnosed - answering questionnaires themselves, letting therapists come in and observe him, etc. When he was in special ed preschool and his school bus came at a different time than the school age ones, they accomodated us and got him on and off the bus with no complaints (and I know sometimes they had to dress the whole class up in snow suits to wait outside with Andy because someone had called in sick and there was no one to take him out alone - try and dress 8 to 10 three year olds for outside yourself). They treat him like a normal child and as a result, he is much better behaved than he is at school where they seem to anticipate problems based on his diagnosis. We have had our ups and downs with this center over 6 1/2 years, but that is normal. I won't say they have never upset me - but when it comes to his special needs, they have been awesome and there is no way I want to upset that apple cart. I can go to work and not worry about Andy - I can't say the same when he is in school. Anyway, if you are local, the center I am raving about is Children's World in West Saint Paul - I totally recommend it to anyone.
So what do I send in his lunches during the school year - well, I have a wonderful excel spreadsheet with 5 tabs on it. One is a 4 week menu, a list of foods in the menu, a shopping list, recipes and lunch packing ideas. I wish I could post it here but it doesn't appear that I can copy an excel document into this blog. I will gladly e-mail it to anyone who wants it. You can e-mail me at kathifischbach@comcast.net - this is an e-mail address I only use if I am afraid of getting a lot of spam - so please put school lunch menu or something in the subject line.
How to remind others about the diet
We can't watch our children every minute of every day. We inform family, therapists and school personnel of our child's needs - but is that enough? What about the day that there is a substitute? Or you go to a picnic or some other social occasion where there is food.
I am blessed with a child that will not eat anything without my blessing. If something is put before him at school or daycare that he does not think he can have, he will question the person and ask if they know he is on a special diet and did his mom say it was OK to have that. Even so, my little one feels nervous when he has a substitute - that she may make him eat a snack or something that will make his tummy hurt.
I bought some buttons from Buttons and More. Item B108 says "I'm on a special diet and can only have foods brought from home" One is attached permanently to his lunch bag. He puts one on when we go to social events so others will know not to feed him. He also keeps one in his backpack and any time he has a sub, he goes and puts it on - he controls it - it is what makes him feel safe.
I realize many of you have children that are not so accepting of their diet and try and cheat and steal food. I cannot give you any advice on that - Andy has had enough infractions and is old enough to understand that they came from eating forbidden foods and does not want to ever have an infraction again. It works for us - at least for now. Every now and then Andy will complain that it is not fair, but he really is pretty accepting for the most part.
I am blessed with a child that will not eat anything without my blessing. If something is put before him at school or daycare that he does not think he can have, he will question the person and ask if they know he is on a special diet and did his mom say it was OK to have that. Even so, my little one feels nervous when he has a substitute - that she may make him eat a snack or something that will make his tummy hurt.
I bought some buttons from Buttons and More. Item B108 says "I'm on a special diet and can only have foods brought from home" One is attached permanently to his lunch bag. He puts one on when we go to social events so others will know not to feed him. He also keeps one in his backpack and any time he has a sub, he goes and puts it on - he controls it - it is what makes him feel safe.
I realize many of you have children that are not so accepting of their diet and try and cheat and steal food. I cannot give you any advice on that - Andy has had enough infractions and is old enough to understand that they came from eating forbidden foods and does not want to ever have an infraction again. It works for us - at least for now. Every now and then Andy will complain that it is not fair, but he really is pretty accepting for the most part.
What to tell the school
You need to make sure everyone knows that your child cannot have gluten or casein. I do this by sending a letter to my son's school at the beginning of each school year. I update it every year. I send multiple copies so the teacher, aides, resource teachers, school nurse, principal and anyone else who may be working with Andy can have a copy.
Ideas for your letter can be gotten from a wonderful book (which I suggest you buy for lots of reasons) : Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. Dana also has suggestions for how to approach schools on her website (link in the links section).
I approach it from a celiac point of view. My child is documented to have celiac and a dairy allergy and I have medical documentation so I use that. If you do not have that documentation - you will want to read the sample letters in Lisa Lewis' book for ideas. I have not yet revised my letter for 1st grade which starts in a few weeks - I will have to eliminate some of the candy choices off of the list because Andy got 8 caps on his teeth in the past year (because I would not let them put mercury fillings in and that was our only other choice) and he cannot have any gummy candy that can pull the caps off.
Here is the actual letter I sent to his school at the start of Kindergarten last year:
6/30/2005
Dear Somerset Elementary Staff,
In addition to his autism, Andrew has celiac disease and also a dairy allergy. It is very important that we carefully screen the foods that he eats. Consumption of gluten may make him sick as well as increase his risk of developing cancer and diabetes. Even a little bit is too much; we cannot allow him to have any gluten. If he gets dairy, he will develop a very itchy rash, so we also want to avoid that. We do have medical documentation of these conditions.
I will provide him with snacks and a bag lunch from home. If you would desire, I can provide a couple of bulk snacks to keep on hand for use as edible reinforcers or as needed. Please let me know if you would like me to do that.
I will need advance notice of any school projects involving food so I can OK the use or provide substitutions for him to use. I will also need to know if those projects involve eating the food or simply using them for art projects. I will also provide you a list of acceptable foods so if you have an unexpected treat comes in, you can easily check and see if it is OK.
A lot of school materials such as play dough and finger paints have gluten in them. We would ask that you help Andrew thoroughly wash his hands after he has touched such items so that he doesn’t get gluten from his hands. We do not have a problem with him handling such items, we have them at home – we just ask that you help him wash up after to make sure that all of the gluten is washed off – he washes his hands pretty good, but he needs help using a nail brush – and using a nail brush is necessary to remove the gluten that may be hiding under his fingernails.
I know that you will help us keep Andrew on this strict regimen. Though it seems hard, Andrew is pretty accepting of his diet. We’re counting on your help, and appreciate your support!
I have enclosed multiple copies of this letter and food list so that all appropriate staff can have a copy of it.
Sincerely,
Kathleen and Dan Fischbach
Foods that Andy can eat on the GF/CF Diet:
Fresh fruit
Fresh vegetables
Dried fruit (without sulfites)
Coconut (without sulfites)
Potato chips (READ labels – cannot have flavors that contain dairy products)
Popcorn (not buttered)
Rice cakes
Rice crackers
Fresh meat, poultry, and fish
Corn
Rice and rice products
Potato
Soy
Eggs
Beans
Tapioca
Popsicle (read labels, not if they are creamscicles or have dairy in them)
Jell-O (avoid any red in color that may contain red 40)
Applesauce
Plain corn chips and tortilla chips (none with flavorings)
Soy Yogurt
Soy Milk
Tofutti brand Ice Cream Substitutes – Vanilla
Foods Andy cannot have on a GF/CF Diet:
Dairy Products
Milk (unless it is soy or potato based, Rice Milk contains barley and is a no-no)
Cream
Half and Half
Cottage Cheese
Cream Cheese
Yogurt (unless is it soy yogurt)
Sour Cream
Ice Cream
Any cheeses
Anything with casein or caseinate on the label
Milk chocolate (and anything made with milk chocolate)
Bread, cake and cookies, unless they are marked as GF/CF
Wheat
Oats
Barley
Rye
Regular Wheat Pasta
Baking powder
Soy sauce
Bouillon cubes or powder
Artificial colors (especially Red 40)
Regular Crackers
Pizza
Pretzels (unless they are GF)
Candy that Andy can have:
Skittles
Star Burst (but not the fruit twist ones)
Sweet Tarts
Nerds (avoid the red ones)
Bottle Caps (avoid the red ones)
Laffy Taffy (avoid red if possible)
Fruit Snacks
Fruit Roll Ups
Most Lollipops (not tootsie pops)
Double Bubble Bubble Gum
Junior Mints (although he doesn’t really like chocolate)
Spree Candies
Gob Stoppers
Pixy Stix
Runts
Dots
All Mike & Ike Candies
Smarties
Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans
Jolly Rancher hard candies (although Andy choked on one once and now avoids them)
Charms Pops
Dum Dums
Ideas for your letter can be gotten from a wonderful book (which I suggest you buy for lots of reasons) : Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. Dana also has suggestions for how to approach schools on her website (link in the links section).
I approach it from a celiac point of view. My child is documented to have celiac and a dairy allergy and I have medical documentation so I use that. If you do not have that documentation - you will want to read the sample letters in Lisa Lewis' book for ideas. I have not yet revised my letter for 1st grade which starts in a few weeks - I will have to eliminate some of the candy choices off of the list because Andy got 8 caps on his teeth in the past year (because I would not let them put mercury fillings in and that was our only other choice) and he cannot have any gummy candy that can pull the caps off.
Here is the actual letter I sent to his school at the start of Kindergarten last year:
6/30/2005
Dear Somerset Elementary Staff,
In addition to his autism, Andrew has celiac disease and also a dairy allergy. It is very important that we carefully screen the foods that he eats. Consumption of gluten may make him sick as well as increase his risk of developing cancer and diabetes. Even a little bit is too much; we cannot allow him to have any gluten. If he gets dairy, he will develop a very itchy rash, so we also want to avoid that. We do have medical documentation of these conditions.
I will provide him with snacks and a bag lunch from home. If you would desire, I can provide a couple of bulk snacks to keep on hand for use as edible reinforcers or as needed. Please let me know if you would like me to do that.
I will need advance notice of any school projects involving food so I can OK the use or provide substitutions for him to use. I will also need to know if those projects involve eating the food or simply using them for art projects. I will also provide you a list of acceptable foods so if you have an unexpected treat comes in, you can easily check and see if it is OK.
A lot of school materials such as play dough and finger paints have gluten in them. We would ask that you help Andrew thoroughly wash his hands after he has touched such items so that he doesn’t get gluten from his hands. We do not have a problem with him handling such items, we have them at home – we just ask that you help him wash up after to make sure that all of the gluten is washed off – he washes his hands pretty good, but he needs help using a nail brush – and using a nail brush is necessary to remove the gluten that may be hiding under his fingernails.
I know that you will help us keep Andrew on this strict regimen. Though it seems hard, Andrew is pretty accepting of his diet. We’re counting on your help, and appreciate your support!
I have enclosed multiple copies of this letter and food list so that all appropriate staff can have a copy of it.
Sincerely,
Kathleen and Dan Fischbach
Foods that Andy can eat on the GF/CF Diet:
Fresh fruit
Fresh vegetables
Dried fruit (without sulfites)
Coconut (without sulfites)
Potato chips (READ labels – cannot have flavors that contain dairy products)
Popcorn (not buttered)
Rice cakes
Rice crackers
Fresh meat, poultry, and fish
Corn
Rice and rice products
Potato
Soy
Eggs
Beans
Tapioca
Popsicle (read labels, not if they are creamscicles or have dairy in them)
Jell-O (avoid any red in color that may contain red 40)
Applesauce
Plain corn chips and tortilla chips (none with flavorings)
Soy Yogurt
Soy Milk
Tofutti brand Ice Cream Substitutes – Vanilla
Foods Andy cannot have on a GF/CF Diet:
Dairy Products
Milk (unless it is soy or potato based, Rice Milk contains barley and is a no-no)
Cream
Half and Half
Cottage Cheese
Cream Cheese
Yogurt (unless is it soy yogurt)
Sour Cream
Ice Cream
Any cheeses
Anything with casein or caseinate on the label
Milk chocolate (and anything made with milk chocolate)
Bread, cake and cookies, unless they are marked as GF/CF
Wheat
Oats
Barley
Rye
Regular Wheat Pasta
Baking powder
Soy sauce
Bouillon cubes or powder
Artificial colors (especially Red 40)
Regular Crackers
Pizza
Pretzels (unless they are GF)
Candy that Andy can have:
Skittles
Star Burst (but not the fruit twist ones)
Sweet Tarts
Nerds (avoid the red ones)
Bottle Caps (avoid the red ones)
Laffy Taffy (avoid red if possible)
Fruit Snacks
Fruit Roll Ups
Most Lollipops (not tootsie pops)
Double Bubble Bubble Gum
Junior Mints (although he doesn’t really like chocolate)
Spree Candies
Gob Stoppers
Pixy Stix
Runts
Dots
All Mike & Ike Candies
Smarties
Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans
Jolly Rancher hard candies (although Andy choked on one once and now avoids them)
Charms Pops
Dum Dums
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
My keep it simple theory
Starting the GFCF diet can be overwhelming. This is the advice that I give all of the time to newbies.
First of all, start slow. Introduce new foods one or two at a time. Remove the biggest offenders first. Many people find it easiest to remove dairy first and then gluten. Dairy leaves the system fairly quickly, so you will see results from removing the dairy in a few days. Gluten stays in the system a long time - it can take up to 9 months before you see any results from removing the gluten (most see some improvements sooner). You need to make a commitment to stick with it for at least 9 months - and once you are GFCF - do not cheat - infractions will set you back to day one.
Try and utilize foods that are naturally GFCF - think going back to basics, meat, potatoes and a veggie. It is when you add in breads, pastas, and sauces that you get into trouble - if you stick with the basics it will be easier and cheaper.
Resist the tempation to stock up on foods until you know if your child will eat them. You might have to drive a distance to purchase them or if you are buying them over the internet you want to get the most out of your shipping charge - but what good will it do you if your child rejects the foods? Buy just one of something until you know if it is accepted. Just because I have said that my child loves a certain food, doesn't mean that your child will - everyone, child or adult, has different tastes.
If you like to cook, buy a GF flour blend to start with and substitute in your favorite recipes. If you rely on mixes to get your cooking done, there are a lot of great mixes out there - Miss Roben's and the Gluten Free Pantry make some wonderful ones.
And just remember, this is not the end of the world. There are much worse things that we could be dealing with as parents than having to put our child on a special diet. It is hard and it is costly, but our children are worth it. The diet does get easier in time. You automatically learn which foods are OK and which aren't.
And when infractions happen - don't beat yourself up - just deal with it and get back on the diet.
Remember to keep reading labels - formulas change. The new food allergy laws make it easier to read labels - but wheat is covered as an allergen and not gluten - so if a product has hidden wheat - it must be listed - but if it has hidden rye or barley - it does not. Most manufacturers are going the extra step and listing if it contains gluten, but not all.
First of all, start slow. Introduce new foods one or two at a time. Remove the biggest offenders first. Many people find it easiest to remove dairy first and then gluten. Dairy leaves the system fairly quickly, so you will see results from removing the dairy in a few days. Gluten stays in the system a long time - it can take up to 9 months before you see any results from removing the gluten (most see some improvements sooner). You need to make a commitment to stick with it for at least 9 months - and once you are GFCF - do not cheat - infractions will set you back to day one.
Try and utilize foods that are naturally GFCF - think going back to basics, meat, potatoes and a veggie. It is when you add in breads, pastas, and sauces that you get into trouble - if you stick with the basics it will be easier and cheaper.
Resist the tempation to stock up on foods until you know if your child will eat them. You might have to drive a distance to purchase them or if you are buying them over the internet you want to get the most out of your shipping charge - but what good will it do you if your child rejects the foods? Buy just one of something until you know if it is accepted. Just because I have said that my child loves a certain food, doesn't mean that your child will - everyone, child or adult, has different tastes.
If you like to cook, buy a GF flour blend to start with and substitute in your favorite recipes. If you rely on mixes to get your cooking done, there are a lot of great mixes out there - Miss Roben's and the Gluten Free Pantry make some wonderful ones.
And just remember, this is not the end of the world. There are much worse things that we could be dealing with as parents than having to put our child on a special diet. It is hard and it is costly, but our children are worth it. The diet does get easier in time. You automatically learn which foods are OK and which aren't.
And when infractions happen - don't beat yourself up - just deal with it and get back on the diet.
Remember to keep reading labels - formulas change. The new food allergy laws make it easier to read labels - but wheat is covered as an allergen and not gluten - so if a product has hidden wheat - it must be listed - but if it has hidden rye or barley - it does not. Most manufacturers are going the extra step and listing if it contains gluten, but not all.
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