Gluten/wheat allergy

[alaynek]

Hi there,

I recently discovered that our youngest daughter may have a wheat allergy while doing some research for a child who watch who has a gluten allergy. We've cut out wheat for a couple of weeks, and have seen a dramatic improvement in her behaviour, but are having trouble finding stuff she'll eat as she's so picky (carbs are her favourites). Anyone out there have any experience with wheat allergies in kids? Any recommendations for kid-friendly meals? Anything I should be looking out for?

[bright sparks]

We are almost exclusively gluten free. The bread is the hardest thing to find gluten free that actually tastes goods so we go without a lot. There are lots of choices and I'm sure with some sampling you might find one you like. A great pasta is GoGo Quinoa brand. It is a mix of brown rice and quinoa and tastes really good. I hate just straight brown rice pasta as it is very starchy and can be overcooked really easy. It also doesn't keep well in the fridge or reheat well.

Watch out for processed meats as a lot have gluten in them. There are so may gluten free options out there on the shelves now it makes it a lot easier to follow this kind of diet. Even check Costco as they have lots of products available.

[bright sparks]

If there are specific things you are looking for then let me know and I will see what I can find out if I don't already have the answers.

[cfred]

Yep, been there! I have a little girl in my care who has gluten/wheat sensitivities. Also, my son is ADHD. When he was small, I put him on a very strict diet specifically designed for the disorder and wheat was a big no-no. Actually, none of us are really supposed to eat it....not terribly healthy for us.

There are some pretty decent products out there right now, so you're luckier than I was 14 years ago dealing with my son's diet. For pasta, I've found corn pasta to cook up nicer than rice pasta. It doesn't fall apart as easily. There are lots of breads out there and they're quite good, but don't last long. I'm partial to rice flour or potato flour breads. Keep them in the freezer and pull them out a slice at a time to maintain freshness. I've found that even doing this, they still get dry and crumbly, so I typically toast it before using. Spelt breads are nice as well, but quite dense. If your child doesn't like brown bread, the potato and rice varieties my suit her better. I was told, way back when, that Kamut might be ok to use....worth a try. It's still wheat, but is more pure (not as altered as today's varieties). My son was fine with it. I got a bread maker and just made all our own breads. Bulk Barn has a pretty good 'all purpose mix'. I tried to formulate my own, but everything came out gummy. Bulk Barn has the nicest I've found, as yet. I even made shortbread with it last year. It was 'ok' but not the same as using wheat flour. I probably wouldn't recommend making bread with it. Make sure to get Xanthan Gum as well as you need that to bind your baked goods. It's expensive, but goes a long way. There are some great cereal bars. Expensive, but comparable to our usual Nutrigrain, etc. Cereals....oodles of them! Look for Gorilla Munch and Panda Puffs (my favourites). It's just like Corn Pops, but one has peanut butter - no wheat, no preservatives, no refined sugar. They're awesome!!!

There are enough products out there that you should be able to continue to feed her pretty much as you always have. Just read your labels and maybe have a look at your local health food store. We have Nature's Emporium, which is incredible!!! It's a one stop shop for all your health and holistic needs.

[nschildcare]

I have Celiac's and found the first 3 months of switching really hard. I had to lose the taste of wheat foods as I found most gf stuff to taste very different.

Some prepared stuff that I like:
udi's brand bagels
glutino's english muffins
blue diamond almond crackers, cheese flavour
gorilla munch, or any of their cereals
Bakery on Main granola (yum!)
Lundburg rice (gluten free)

I was def. a carbs girl, too, but the longer I am on a gf diet (2 years now), the more I find that they sit very heavily and I def. do better without them.

If you are into cooking/baking, try elanaspantry.com. She has a lot of really good recipes that use almond flour, which is hands down my favourite gf flour. You can order it from nutsonline.com.

My family will often snack from 'my' foods so they must taste good Good luck, it's a hard switch!

[Judy Trickett]

I eat GF as well. Wheat and I just don't agree with one another.

Here are some better tasting brands of stuff:

Kinnickinnik - has some new "soft" breads and buns. I haven't gotten my hands on the bread yet but have tried some of the buns and they were really quite good.
Udi's - best buns, IMO if you are heating or toasting them for warm sandwich or garlic bread
Glutino Genius Bread - the slices are small but it holds up pretty well and tastes pretty good
Pamela's - chocolate cookies. VERY good and rich, chocolatey taste
Kinnickinnick - their "Oreo" cookies are a very close match
Glutino - their crackers are very good, much like water crackers
Pamela's - most of the baking mixes are pretty good as well
GoGo Qunioa - best pasta, hands down, IMO. Most people can not tell the difference from real pasta
Annie's - their boxed rice mac and cheese is VERY good. Most of the Annies GF stuff is good.

Costco also has GF crackers, an all-purpose flour blend, granola, etc. I find they are coming out with more GF stuff.

Here is also a recipe for a GF flour mix that you can pretty much substitute cup for cup with real flour:

1 Cup Arrowroot Powder
1 Cup Very Fine White Rice Flour
1 Cup Potato Starch (not potato flour)
½ Cup Tapioca Starch
½ Cup Buckwheat Flour
4 tsp. Xanthan Gum

Watch for wheat in things like soy sauce and other sauces and gravies or anything with flavouring packets included (liked boxed rices). Most things fried at fast food restaurants etc are in the same deep fryer as other wheat based foods. So, french fries are fried with chicken nuggets and therefore the fries are now contaminated. Wheat is in just about everything.

[bright sparks]

Spelt breads are nice as well, but quite dense. If your child doesn't like brown bread, the potato and rice varieties my suit her better. I was told, way back when, that Kamut might be ok to use....worth a try. It's still wheat, but is more pure (not as altered as today's varieties). My son was fine with it. .

While a lot Is trial and error, it is VERY important that you try and get the specifics of what is going on. Is it a wheat allergy or intolerance? Is gluten a factor as gluten is found in other products other than the obvious wheat foods. Also there is a big difference between allergy and intolerance in how it will effect someone and what works for one, may not work for another depending largely on the level of sensitivity.

Please be aware that SPELT is NOT gluten free. Spelt is actually just a different type of wheat, and Kamut is NOT gluten free, it is an ancient wheat grain and has less gluten than other types but is still wheat and still contains gluten. This is why its so important to figure out exactly what areas the sensitivity is in or if in fact it is an allergy. The term food allergy is thrown around to easily when it is not the same as having a food intolerance or sensitivity. If it truly is an allergy then all wheat should be eliminated.

Note about corn pasta... Please read up on the importance of buying gluten free products that are certified GMO free. I avoid corn pasta as majority of corn is GMO. Here is a good article pertaining to the US

http://www.naturalnews.com/037494_gl...s_GM_corn.html

And another article regarding Canada.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2087...s-at-a-glance/

Sorry to go off topic a little bit but if you choose to replace a major food group with corn products which will increase your consistent intake of corn, then I think it is important to make a well informed choice about doing so before hand. I like the pasta that has the quinoa and brown rice combined so you get a complete protein from the quinoa but the starch found in the brown rice helps get the texture of the pasta just right. Cooks and tastes just like regular pasta.

[bright sparks]

I eat GF as well. Wheat and I just don't agree with one another.

Here are some better tasting brands of stuff:

Kinnickinnik - has some new "soft" breads and buns. I haven't gotten my hands on the bread yet but have tried some of the buns and they were really quite good.
Udi's - best buns, IMO if you are heating or toasting them for warm sandwich or garlic bread
Glutino Genius Bread - the slices are small but it holds up pretty well and tastes pretty good
Pamela's - chocolate cookies. VERY good and rich, chocolatey taste
Kinnickinnick - their "Oreo" cookies are a very close match
Glutino - their crackers are very good, much like water crackers
Pamela's - most of the baking mixes are pretty good as well
GoGo Qunioa - best pasta, hands down, IMO. Most people can not tell the difference from real pasta
Annie's - their boxed rice mac and cheese is VERY good. Most of the Annies GF stuff is good.

Costco also has GF crackers, an all-purpose flour blend, granola, etc. I find they are coming out with more GF stuff.

Here is also a recipe for a GF flour mix that you can pretty much substitute cup for cup with real flour:

1 Cup Arrowroot Powder
1 Cup Very Fine White Rice Flour
1 Cup Potato Starch (not potato flour)
½ Cup Tapioca Starch
½ Cup Buckwheat Flour
4 tsp. Xanthan Gum

Watch for wheat in things like soy sauce and other sauces and gravies or anything with flavouring packets included (liked boxed rices). Most things fried at fast food restaurants etc are in the same deep fryer as other wheat based foods. So, french fries are fried with chicken nuggets and therefore the fries are now contaminated. Wheat is in just about everything.

Thanks for the recommendations on the bread, I will be sure to give them a whirl. It's the biggest problem I have with school lunches for my daughter so I have been sending her with salads and tuna pasta. I love love love GoGoQuinoa pasta. I buy it in bulk from their website so that I always have plenty on hand and save a few pennies.

[treeholm]

I have one child in my daycare who doesn't eat wheat, and I eat it sparingly myself. I cook quinoa a lot, and love the quinoa/rice pasta mentioned in a previous post. Sweet potato is also a good carb for lunch. Garbanzo beans are a great finger food. Even Walmart carries brown rice pasta, which we have at least once a week.

[alaynek]

Thanks so much for all the information! We're in the process of trying to get her tested. Just took her off of wheat 1 1/2 weeks ago when I realized it can cause fatigue and mood swings in some kids! The change has been amazing! She's so much better. But her diet has been so restricted as we try to find substitutes for the food she loves. We did find the gorilla crunch (like corn puffs) and she loves it! I'm hoping to find more we can bake to try and save some money. For those who do bake a lot - can I take a favourite recipe and substitute a different kind of flour? Or should I stick to gluten/Wheat free recipes?