cheating on a gluten-free diet. . .

[freetobeme]

so, if you let your child eat "real" pizza after trying to be gf for several months and she was emotional and irritable the next day or so (worse than normal for a slightly hormonal teenager), COULD gluten be the culprit?

there is gluten intolerance in my brother's family and i think a couple of my kids may be as well. we go to the doctor this week for a check up. just wondering if anyone had any thoughts. she doesn't seem to have any gi symptoms associated with gluten and never has, but she has seemed calmer and more self-controlled. could be my imagination or could be maturity also. just wondered about "cheating" and how fast effects would show up if this is indeed a gluten issue. also, any particular questions i should ask the doc?

thanks!

[Jean in Newcastle]

It could be but there are so many variables. Since it was a treat, were there other things going on - like a later night than normal that might lead to irritability? Have you ever had a blood test for food allergies (Ig/E test) ?

[momof3treasures]

so, if you let your child eat "real" pizza after trying to be gf for several months and she was emotional and irritable the next day or so (worse than normal for a slightly hormonal teenager), COULD gluten be the culprit?

______________

 

Yes! That is totally how I react! I go gf for quite awhile, then I cheat because I know it's not gonna "kill" me and I have a very hard time controlling my emotions and my pms is so much worse:0( It could totally affect her emotions.

[Lisa in Jax]

If my son, who is gluten-free and dairy-free "cheats," we see behavioral changes for 3-7 days. The day he cheats, he seems okay. The next day, he gets increasingly hyper/manic and is VERY pleased with himself. (He thinks he's the funniest, smartest, most witty kid while everyone around him thinks he's rude, demanding and obnoxious.) The third day he's irritable and whiny. The grumpiness continues for 3-6 more days.

 

Your child's process through gluten reaction may be different, but emotionality and irritability are well within the "typical" response for a kid with a sensitivity to gluten. The reaction can start a day or two after eating the problem food, which makes it hard to pin down.

 

Ds's reaction almost always builds over a day or two or three, then slowly goes away over the following week.

 

So, YES, it could be the gluten intolerance. ;-)

 

Lisa

[bettyandbob]

2 of my 3 children don't have gi symptoms

 

the officially celiac child's may symptom at the time of diagnosis was siezures. That was 8 years ago. When she was little (5-6) if she had gluten by accident, I saw the result in behavior.

 

Oldest son has both genetic markers. Our doctor believes that he would be dx celiac if he consumed a lot of gluten for a few months. His ADD becomes 10 times worse than it is (and it's already bad). He gets completely disordered and spacey.

 

Youngest son has one genetic marker and we have been letting him eat gluten away from home (at birthday parties,etc. However, recently he's begun to have diarhea regularly. So, we cut his access to gluten too.

 

Each individual's response can be different. Neurological symptoms are not uncommon.

[Supertechmom]

YEP. More in line with "raving lunatic Run in terror from". IT is always the first sign that gluten is in something we are eating. Sometimes, but not always, the stomach issues come next. I think the further out we go , the less the gi reactions are but the mental/behavioral is always there.

 

The other child gets spacey. :glare:

[freetobeme]

thank you all for your helpful responses. i started this as an "experiment" but i do think a couple of my children are less emotionally volatile since we began. i just wanted to know if others had experienced this. we do have other extenuating circumstances in our lives right now, so this is by no means conclusive. but, still. . .you have all been helpful! thanks again! :001_smile:

[Renee in NC]

so, if you let your child eat "real" pizza after trying to be gf for several months and she was emotional and irritable the next day or so (worse than normal for a slightly hormonal teenager), COULD gluten be the culprit?

______________

 

Yes! That is totally how I react! I go gf for quite awhile, then I cheat because I know it's not gonna "kill" me and I have a very hard time controlling my emotions and my pms is so much worse:0( It could totally affect her emotions.

 

Yes, it could. That is how gluten affects my 9yo. When he was a baby/toddler he had the severe GI effects, but now it is almost entirely emotional/mental.

[Renee in NC]

YEP. More in line with "raving lunatic Run in terror from". IT is always the first sign that gluten is in something we are eating. Sometimes, but not always, the stomach issues come next. I think the further out we go , the less the gi reactions are but the mental/behavioral is always there.

 

The other child gets spacey. :glare:

 

:iagree: Yes, that describes it well!:001_huh:

[asta]

YEP. More in line with "raving lunatic Run in terror from". IT is always the first sign that gluten is in something we are eating. Sometimes, but not always, the stomach issues come next. I think the further out we go , the less the gi reactions are but the mental/behavioral is always there.

 

The other child gets spacey. :glare:

 

This would be in line with the article I posted on the other celiac thread about the neurological complications of celiac disease.

 

 

a

[Jill]

...emotionality and irritability are well within the "typical" response for a kid with a sensitivity to gluten. The reaction can start a day or two after eating the problem food, which makes it hard to pin down.

 

My ds reacts similar to the above - emotionality and irritability with some moderate gi symptoms. He and I and a few other relatives of ours are dx'd celiacs. But there are celiacs and gluten-sensitives who are only obviously affected in their nervous system. Unfortunately the test just developed in the last year or two for that antibody is not yet available in the US is my understanding.

[freetobeme]

so, i believe strongly that this is what we are dealing with in our family. no testing will be done at this time. i will search for the other threads (i have followed some of them). the hardest thing for us at this time is that there are 5 of them and they may not all need to follow the diet. . .at this point, we all are. uggh. . .parenthood! ;)

[texasmama]

My entire family of six is gluten free inside our home for the needs of the two youngest kids. My dh and oldest dd eat gluten outside the house. I don't cook anything with gluten...ever. The three littlest kids and I are strictly gluten free in and outside the home. It is easier to keep the three littles all gluten free because they are three peas in a pod. I stay gf for health reasons, as a preventive measure, due to the strong family history of celiac disease. Once we made the lifestyle changes, it wasnt' hard. Good luck to you! I highly recommend celiac.com as a great resource for information on eating gf.:001_smile: