Celiac Disease Support

[pink&bluemommy]

My 9 year old was recently diagnosed with celiac disease after blood tests and an endoscopy.  We have a meeting with a nutritionist later this month.  We have been eating gluten free (him always, the rest of us at meals eaten together) since Saturday I think.  My husband is currently on a long business trip so I have time to get our act together and learn to cook good gluten free food before he comes home!  

 

I was formerly a wheat grinder, bake everything from scratch, including bread person.  We are understandably taking some shortcuts right now.  I'm unsure that I want to use wheat flour in the house, just seems to get everywhere and then the celiacs kid feels different.  I'm ok with him feeling different away from home, but in the home it seems like we should all eat the same food, and hey its less work to do that anyways!  But, could I successfully bake with wheat flour with a celiacs kid?  Thoughts?  I think I'm just a little bummed at the gluten free rubbery texture of things!  I've baked gluten free bread and waffles today from the How can it be gluten free cookbook by America's Test Kitchen.  I am sure that I will adjust and eventually become a better gluten free baker, but today I'm just a little disappointed!

 

My kids are being awesome.  They have loved everything I have made so far!  We haven't tried gluten free pasta yet though.  We've had rice and potatoes so far this week :).

 

So, any tips or helps for this newbie?

[Slipper]

The best advice I read was to eliminate as much bread as possible at first. The theory is that kids with celiac disease will forget what bread tastes like after a few months and the gf bread won't be so jarring. 

 

It's a hard switch for those that cook and one that made me cry several times because it was all so stinking difficult. The easiest thing to do is purge the house of wheat items (or at least move to one location so you won't accidentally use them) and eliminate contaminated equipment (plastic bowls for example). We also use a separate toaster for gf bread.

 

The easiest things to start with are naturally gf items. Meat (pork chops, grilled chicken breast, steak, seafood), vegetables (steamed, seasoned), rice or potato. 

 

Taco seasonings mostly have gluten, but there are some brands that are gf. Taco night is a familiar favorite, just make sure to get corn tortillas. 

 

Pizza crusts that are already made and gf are helpful at first. 

 

GF baking is a strange new creature to adjust to, I'd make sure you have two weeks worth of meals that you are comfortable preparing before diving in. Muffins and breakfast sweets are the easiest to make. We use Pamela's brand and all of us love it. 

 

My daughter gets headaches when we visit friends who bake their own wheat bread. I think it's in the air.

[Mama Geek]

I have posted a few recipes at the GF homeschoolers group

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/460112-favorite-recipes-for-frequently-requested-gf-foods/

 

Here is another thread with a recipe that I put in that is really good.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/414590-what-are-your-favorite-recipes-for-gluten-free-treats-that-you-make-at-home/

 

If there is something in particular that you want other than just a loaf of bread, I might have something that works well.

 

Also I found that using finely ground rice flour tends to be less grainy than using regular rice flour when baking.

 

Corn starch can be used as a substitute for most thickening like gravy, chowders, etc.

 

If I make fried chicken or fish, I use zatarans fish fry.  They have several flavors, just read the labels because I am not sure that all of them are gf.

[Butter]

My daughter and I have Celiac.  It's just easier for me to have a mostly gluten free household than to worry about cross contamination.  The only things in the house with gluten are ramen noodles and hot pockets (the little two eat those sometimes).  Otherwise, everything is gluten free.  I use the America's Test Kitchen cookbook and we've been super happy with everything in it.  We had pizza for lunch just today.  You have to follow the instructions 100%, though.  My daughter has always loved to bake, so that was really sad for her when she was diagnosed.  Now she bakes every Sunday afternoon using the ATK cookbook.  We've had many non-gluten-free people tell us how good our gluten free bread/muffins/cookies are.

 

At first we bought a lot of pre-made stuff and mix boxes because it was just so overwhelming.  Over time I've gotten a handle on things (this takes months) and cooking is much easier.  I have to plan ahead (pizza crust and sandwich bread take forever to make), but it's not as overwhelming anymore.

 

Be aware that he may feel worse before he feels better.  I know a lot of Celiacs that has happened to (though it didn't for me).  I'll never forget the day I realized I couldn't feel my stomach.  It hurt all the time, but I didn't realize it hurt because it just was.  Then one day the pain was gone.  It's weird.

 

Pinterest has been super helpful for me.  Lots of links for gluten free meals ideas.

[kbutton]

I would focus on naturally gluten free for as long as you can--it does help with the contrast between wheat items and GF items. A lot of GF stuff that is baked is rather devoid of nutrition. For me, they are a treat. For things that require only small amounts of tinkering, use a well-rated flour mix to get the hang of things, and as was mentioned, you can use corn starch for a lot of things that need thickening. If you find someone locally that is in the same boat, they might share a little with you so that you can sample (I would if we knew each other IRL). 

 

I make some baked goods with gluten free oats and gluten free oat flour. Pancakes are good this way, and so is fruit crisp. Oats are heavier than regular flour, but they are nutritious. So are nut flours and coconut flour. They are not cheap, but if you search paleo sites, you will find recipes using nut and coconut flours.

 

My favorite cheats: anything Pamela's is good, but I don't know how nutritious--their cornbread is like cake, lol!

Cornbread--Hodgson Mill is like traditional cornbread (semi-sweet). Aldi and Pamela's are yummy but like cake. It probably could actually stand in for yellow cake.

Pasta--most any corn pasta is good; Jovial brand is universally delicious--their egg noodles are amazing. I don't have the box with me, but there is a brand of lasagna noodles that are no cook (actually maybe two brands), and when you can find them, they are really, really good. Rice pasta is okay. If you like Thai style noodles, you can find all kinds of thai rice noodles that are great in stir fry.

Stir fry--La Choy soy sauce is GF, and I think many of their other sauces are as well. I found GF egg rolls in the freezer section while traveling (not at home, sadly), and I was on cloud 9. What's available will be geared to regional taste--pierogies are easier to find some places than others.

Brownie mix--Aldi's is the best. I love it.

Frozen waffles, toast sticks, etc.--Van's. Nature's Path (?) have some good ones too.

Crackers--Multiseed crackers are okay (sea salt are the best). The crackers made from beans are okay, but the spices give me heartburn. Van's makes EXCELLENT crackers with some gluten free whole grains.

Pizza--Udi's is pretty good.

Cookies--lots of good kinds. There is one kind that I can't find often that have beans and stuff in them--they are also dairy and nut free, I think. Anyway, they are yummy and have a lower glycemic index.

Breads--I like several. The best for dinner rolls/hamburger buns or hot dogs buns is Kennebunk(?--yellow wrapper, frozen section), I think. I like Udi's and also Aldi's breads.

Pasta sauce--options will vary locally, but you might want to make your own from sauce and paste.

You can find some great homemade taco seasoning recipes online. You can make up a big batch at a time. 

Chocolate--Aldi has some great chocolate that is GF. I am not absolutely positive that the Moser-Roth is GF, but it seems to be. A lot of their other chocolate (including dark chocolate with hazelnuts) is GF. 

Pie crust--I like the mix from Bob's Red Mill. I use all butter in the recipe. It's more buttery than regular crust, and it splits easily, but you can press it into the pie plate to close up gaps that form. With a little more sugar, you could also use it for shortbread cookies.

 

At Halloween, someone on the web updates a HUGE .pdf list of candy companies and their GF status, including companies that will be really specific. In some cases, they'll disclose things like how their products are usually GF, but for holiday production, they sometimes outsource to other locations that may use shared equipment, etc. The list is very detailed.

 

Jimmy Dean has great GF sausage, but you can also find recipes for sausage spices and make your own ahead. It's better if the spices can be in whatever meat you use overnight to let the flavor sink in.

[kbutton]

Oh, Trader Joe's and Aldi are two of the best stores for clear labeling on their store brands. 

 

Kroger has started putting gluten free labels on shelf tags, which is nice, but they leave things out sometimes that I know to be GF through research. It's a little confusing.

[Mama Geek]

Be careful with La Choy, my dh has had problems with it.  

[Junie]

My 9 year old was recently diagnosed with celiac disease after blood tests and an endoscopy.  We have a meeting with a nutritionist later this month.  We have been eating gluten free (him always, the rest of us at meals eaten together) since Saturday I think.  My husband is currently on a long business trip so I have time to get our act together and learn to cook good gluten free food before he comes home!  

 

I was formerly a wheat grinder, bake everything from scratch, including bread person.  We are understandably taking some shortcuts right now.  I'm unsure that I want to use wheat flour in the house, just seems to get everywhere and then the celiacs kid feels different.  I'm ok with him feeling different away from home, but in the home it seems like we should all eat the same food, and hey its less work to do that anyways!  But, could I successfully bake with wheat flour with a celiacs kid?  Thoughts?

 

As much as I hate to tell you this, you will probably have to give up grinding wheat/having large amounts of wheat flour in the house.  Many people with celiac disease react to gluten that is airborne.

 

 

 I think I'm just a little bummed at the gluten free rubbery texture of things!  I've baked gluten free bread and waffles today from the How can it be gluten free cookbook by America's Test Kitchen.  I am sure that I will adjust and eventually become a better gluten free baker, but today I'm just a little disappointed!

 

Gluten-free baking takes some time to learn, but it seems that you will have no problems adapting your own recipes once you get through this first couple of months.  Me?  I hate to bake.  I may come over once you get it figured out. ;)

 

My kids are being awesome.  They have loved everything I have made so far!  We haven't tried gluten free pasta yet though.  We've had rice and potatoes so far this week :).

 

:)

 

 

So, any tips or helps for this newbie?

 

Lots of good advice has been given up-thread.

 

What grocery stores do you have nearby?  Some are better than others for finding good gf specialty items.

 

What kinds of food do you usually make?  What does your gf ds like?  If you give me some ideas, I can give you some recipes.

[pink&bluemommy]

I think I can use most of my old recipes thankfully.  What would ya'll use in place of flour as a thickener in soup?  This recipe specifically (this week anyways!):  http://www.melskitchencafe.com/creamy-black-bean-taco-soup/

[yucabird]

I think I can use most of my old recipes thankfully.  What would ya'll use in place of flour as a thickener in soup?  This recipe specifically (this week anyways!):  http://www.melskitchencafe.com/creamy-black-bean-taco-soup/

 

This looks like a yummy recipe -- I'm going to try it!  In this instance, I would purchase a good GF flour.  I prefer Bob's.      

 

I tend to use a lot of corn flour for general purpose (e.g., frying) because it is so very inexpensive in our area.  But for this recipe, I'd probably go with Bob's.     

[pink&bluemommy]

It is really good! I have krusteaz gluten free all purpose and I may have a bit of americas test blend (rice flours, potato starch, tapioca flour, dried milk) left after I make pizza crusts tomorrow. It's probably not so terribly important in this recipe as the cheese helps thicken too.

[Karen in CO]

A couple of things that weren't obvious to us:

you need a new toaster. We had a gf toaster and a non-gf until everyone eventually quit non-gf bread.

 

My celiac dd gets sick if she goes somewhere that is making bread, like the grocery store or someplace like Panera.

 

Read everything. Canned tuna that contains broth as an ingredient can have gluten. Soy Sauce Soy sauce typically has gluten. A lot of candy has gluten.

[Lawyer&Mom]

Be careful with corn tortillas. Many have wheat flour too. You have to read the label.

 

We love Tinkyada rice pasta. Dh still buys his own wheat bread, but we all eat rice pasta.

[cintinative]

My son, aged 9, was diagnosed with Celiac a few years ago. It does get easier. The first three to six months were hard for me because I had to rework our menus and figure out the cross contamination thing.  Like you I was making whole wheat bread in my bread machine, etc.  i even had vital wheat gluten in my cabinet. It's like poison to my kid, and I had it in my cabinet. Crazy. I just didn't know.

 

Bear with me, this will be long.

 

IF you can wait until Thanksgiving, Kohl's usually has awesome sales on waffle irons, toasters and griddles. Get one and dedicate it GF.  You will no longer be able to use your old one for your child's food.

 

We have two of some things like butter. It makes it easier to prevent contaminating by accidental double dipping.  If my son ate peanut butter and jelly, I would do the same with those. Get two--and mark with a sharpie GF on the one that is dedicated.

 

Aldi is a great place to get GF food. Generally things are well labeled.  Label reading can be extremely tricky. Watch out for barley malt extract/malt/malt flavoring.  For me this meant it took awhile to find something to sub for beef bouillon granules in a recipe. I did find the Knorr (yellow box) ones in the Latino section were gluten free but I am not sure they still are. That is another issue--it can be a moving target. 

 

I used to buy GF brown rice pasta from Trader Joe's because it was pretty cheap (about $2 per pound). I have started buying Barilla's GF pasta, mostly from Amazon. It is not cheaper. We just like it a bit better. Do NOT buy DeBole's pasta. It's horrible. Just trust me. For lasagna you can use the Tinkyada but just be aware that it doesn't reheat well from frozen.  In general you should know that GF pasta of all types absorbs a lot of liquid. If I am making a soup, I always cook the noodles separately and then add them when serving to the bowls.  Otherwise the noodles get huge and it is not good upon reheating.

 

After trying a bunch of recipes, I have settled on this as my bread recipe.  http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2012/03/12/gluten-rice-free-multigrain-bread/ The negative is that it has a ton of different flours.  The positive is that is not horribly sticky or crumbly.  I am sure there are other good recipes out there. I just got burned out of trying the same one over and over with failures, and when this one worked, I stuck with it.  Udi's frozen bread is a good option too.  Most shelf-stable bread products scare me and I have not tried them.

 

I have a favorite GF AP flour blend. I make it myself.  http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/11/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/ I buy the flours for it mostly at the Asian supermarket. The brown rice flour I use is Bob's Red Mill which I buy from Amazon. Most GF whole grain flours need to be refrigerated or frozen, such as brown rice flour, millet, sorghum, teff, etc.  I keep the white rice flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, etc. in my pantry.  I have a lot of containers of flour.  I have friends with celiac and the general philosophy is: find a AP Gluten Free mix you like and buy it, or buy all the ingredients and make your own. I fall in the later category but there is certainly nothing wrong with the former. IF you want to make your own flour blends, I find a lot at the asian grocer or the indian grocer.  

 

I use my GF AP flour blend in a lot of recipes. Nestle Toll House cookies (except I make as pan cookie because they spread a lot), cornbread (use this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homesteader-cornbread/ just make sure cornmeal is GF), brownies (my fave is this: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/deep-dark-fudgy-brownies-recipe) , etc.  As a general rule, the lower the amount of flour in a recipe, the more success you will have in converting to GF.  If it has a lot of flour (the pumpkin muffins I make have three cups), it will likely be at least a little sticky. Now I haven't really used almond flour that much--I know that is another option. I just can't afford it as I bake a lot.  I do have the America's Test Kitchen GF cookbook and I can honestly tell you I have not made anything in it.  Cut yourself some slack about trying new stuff. It can be hard. GF baking is entirely unlike regular baking. The same rules do not apply and unfortunately the intuition you had with baking before largely won't help you. I found that a hard lesson and must have tried one bread recipe 10 times before I gave up on it.  =)

 

The prior posters were on point about choosing meat/vegetable/starch type meals.  When we went gluten free, I stopped making pretty  much every casserole/mixed item type dish. I have reintroduced a few--skillet chili mac, and pepperoni pasta bake. The others are just too hard to modify to be worthwhile. And anything I used to make with cream of ____ soups I no longer make. Yes, i could make GF versions of those soups, but it's just not worthwhile for me.

 

I do make my own taco seasoning.  Again, this is one of those if you have time things, but I make up a bunch and put it in my pantry so I can use it for various recipes.  Other than tacos, this is one of my favorite uses for it:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-cilantro-lime-chicken/

 

We are unusual in that we make pancakes and waffles from scratch still even though we are GF.  I can share recipes if you just PM me. If you don't have time, please don't beat yourself up.  There are good options out there for you.  I have heard the new Eggo GF waffles are actually pretty good.  

Thus far our favorite GF cereal is Chex. I buy the generic at Aldi's but DS is a big fan of Cinnamon Chex which they don't carry at Aldi's.  

 

Our favorite frozen pizza so far is from Costco--Sabatasso's. We have tried Udi's (it's okay) and Annie's (avoid!)

 

The best cake mix in my opinion is King Arthur's Chocolate cake mix. The yellow is *okay*.  The Aldi yellow was okay. Be aware some of the mixes (Aldi's, Betty Crocker, etc.) only make one layer.

 

For thickener, I use cornstarch or tapioca starch.

 

You will have to get used to doing a lot of label reading.  A friend cooking chili for us asked if there was anything to worry about and I said to check the cans of beans. Sure enough, the "pinto beans" she bought had wheat as a filler.  I have no idea why they do this. It's annoying.

 

If the label says "food starch" and it is made in the U.S. you can assume corn starch. If made outside the U.S., you cannot assume that and must check.

 

The food labeling requirements are such that they must list wheat as an ingredient, but they are NOT required to list "Contains: wheat" after the ingredients list.  Just be aware of this because it is easy to think you don't need to read the 30 word ingredient list.  The new GF labeling requirements specify what standards must be met to call a food GF. So from that standpoint, if it is labeled GF, you can have some comfort that it actually is.  =)

 

Some things that you would think would be safe like movie theater popcorn are not. Always check. And remember, they can cross contaminate it easily.  

 

Check online before Halloween, Christmas, Easter (or any other candy holiday). There is wheat hiding in foods you wouldn't expect. Case in point: Nerds and Licorice.

 

Cross-contamination is your major enemy. Hand washing is going to be your new friend.  Eating out is going to be a luxury for you now. There are very few places you can eat safely. That said, there are a few.  Ask around but the ones that we hit on special occasions are Red Robin (indicate the Celiac and ask for GF bun), and Outback Steakhouse.  Also the Chick Fil A grilled nuggets and fries are okay.

 

I am sure I have not covered everything but feel free to ask questions.  I remember it feeling a bit like grieving as I went through the process of redoing my lists of favorite dinners, etc. It took awhile before this became our new normal. Just know that it is normal to struggle with the adjustment, to be sad for your child, or even sad for yourself.

I can tell you my son has done very well off gluten and his symptoms went away and he started growing normally. Also he has a great attitude about it. There are many times when others are eating yummy gluten stuff and he is stuck with his gluten-free treat and he is content.  Here's hoping you find the same with your child.  

 

 

[cintinative]

Oh, and at Kohl's--a rice cooker is one of the best things I ever spent $20 (or $10??) on. LOVE.  I was so tired of the rice boiling over on my stove and the rice cooker rocks. I seriously am sad I took two years to buy one. We eat a lot of rice (I buy 25 pound bags!) so I use the cooker at least once a week. Worth every penny. 

[Junie]

cintinative,

 

Thank you for writing all of that out for the OP and everyone else.  I've been gluten-free for 7 years and I just learned a few things:

 

Nerds :(    I think some flavors are ok, as mine haven't made me sick, but now I'll have to double-check.  Sigh.

 

Eggo   :)  Something new to try!  (If I can find them...)

[kitten18]

Be careful with corn tortillas. Many have wheat flour too. You have to read the label.

 

We love Tinkyada rice pasta. Dh still buys his own wheat bread, but we all eat rice pasta.

I wonder if the corn tortilla thing is regional, we're in S Ca and I've never seen a corn tortilla with wheat. I do prefer the Guerrero brand and they're specifically labeled GF.

 

My kids do not have celiac but they both have issues with gluten (especially DD) and they've been GF for almost 3 years. We don't bring gluten into the house except for beer (obviously easy to contain the gluten) and DH and I generally don't eat gluten in front of the kids.

[pink&bluemommy]

I really want to continue baking from scratch, as I love it! Thank you for all the info! I'm excited to try the AP mix too! I will PM for more recipes.

[Butter]

Some things that you would think would be safe like movie theater popcorn are not. Always check. And remember, they can cross contaminate it easily.  

 

My daughter got glutened a couple months ago.  It was movie theater popcorn.  I wasn't with them.  My husband assumed popcorn would be fine.  It is at home after all.  Some places are fine.  Some are not.  They were at a chain that is not.  She got really sick.  Google is your friend.  If my husband had typed *movie theater chain* popcorn gluten free in Google, he would've immediately known it was NOT gluten free.

[Butter]

Nerds :(    I think some flavors are ok, as mine haven't made me sick, but now I'll have to double-check.  Sigh.

 

All Nerds are gluten free as far as their recipe goes.  However, they are made on machines that process products made with wheat.  It is impossible to remove all the wheat from those machines in between runs so it's a cross contamination issue.  For people who aren't very sensitive, or you simply get lucky, Nerds can be fine.  Unfortunately because it's a cc risk issue, you can be fine 9 times and the 10th get very sick.

 

(Edited because I left off the end of a contraction and that totally changed the meaning of the sentence.)

[Junie]

All Nerds are gluten free as far as their recipe goes.  However, they are made on machines that process products made with wheat.  It is impossible to remove all the wheat from those machines in between runs so it's a cross contamination issue.  For people who are very sensitive, or you simply get lucky, Nerds can be fine.  Unfortunately because it's a cc risk issue, you can be fine 9 times and the 10th get very sick.

 

I had this happen with Easter candy once.  Every night we give the kids a snack and read a Bible story before bedtime.  We were all sitting at the table.  I was reading to the dc and eating a few pieces of candy.  I felt my throat starting to get tight.  I have no doubt that it was a cc issue, as I had carefully checked the label before eating any.

 

With allergic reactions (I have a wheat allergy; unknown if I have Celiac), I know that panic makes the reactions worse/faster.  I calmly told dh that I needed the Benadryl, turned the page and kept reading.  I finished the page, but I noticed that I was getting short of breath.  Dh hadn't moved.  I was so calm that he hadn't picked up on what was going on.  Before reading the next page, I looked right at him and told him I needed the Benadryl.  Now.  He got the message that time.

 

Thankfully the Benadryl took care of my reaction quickly, but I have learned to be more careful.

[cintinative]

Re: candy related things. One thing that is tricky is that the easter/halloween/valentine's hershey's/reeses shapes are NOT gluten-free but the regular bars are.  Sometimes even the "fun size" ones are not okay.  This is one of those cases where you think--Oh, Hershey bars are gluten free so Hershey's eggs are too! But no. Alas, no.  Again with the cross contamination issue which causes it to be not GF.  

 

Does anyone know why Twizzlers contain wheat? I am so perplexed by that. It makes no sense to me. 

 

On the movie theater popcorn, we were also glutened over here by it early on.  After he got glutened I called and they said they had no idea how it happened. It was either something in the butter (malt maybe?) or the person serving the popcorn had just handled a hot dog bun or something. We just bring our own popcorn now. If they ask I can just tell them we can't have their popcorn because it makes him sick, but it hasn't come up.  

 

Oh, and FYI--the Schar fake Oreos are like eating potting soil.  Avoid avoid.  The Glutino ones are actually decent and if you need an oreo crust they work well.  

 

One thing I have gotten burned on is vanilla ice cream. Most of the time it is okay, but one I bought at Costco was not and I failed to check the label. Must have been a shared equipment issue.

 

My favorite non-sensical labeling find was a box labeled "100% pure cornstarch" and on the side it said "May contain wheat."  Someone needs to be fired as a food chemist because the last I checked it can't contain more than one thing if it is 100% pure. 

 

 

[IfIOnly]

Homemade popocorn and oatmeal no bake cookies are snack options. Masa flour makes a great thickener for soups. I grind millet, buckwheat, and rice often to make flour for pancakes and other things. I grind brown rice in my Vitamix and make cream of brown rice rather than wheat often for breakfast. With salt, brown sugar, and lots of butter, it's super yummy.  Whole grain GF baking tips: http://glutenfreegirl.com/2013/02/how-to-make-a-gluten-free-whole-grain-flour-mix/ Master cornbread, muffins, and drop biscuits since they're quick to whip up!

[IfIOnly]

Oh, if your family doesn't like oatmeal, try steel cut oats. Yummy flavor and kind of chewy. My kid's love a bowl of it!

 

ETA: you can also add a bit of millet and other GF whole grains for a multigrain cereal.

[cintinative]

Oh, if your family doesn't like oatmeal, try steel cut oats. Yummy flavor and kind of chewy. My kid's love a bowl of it!

 

ETA: you can also add a bit of millet and other GF whole grains for a multigrain cereal.

 

 

Oats are not GF unless they are labeled as such. I am not 100% clear on all the reasons for this. What i have heard is that they are grown in rotation with wheat so there is a cross contamination issue. Also there was something recently about the composition of the oats being an issue. Anyway, some celiacs can tolerate GF oats, but not all.  So if you buy them, buy a small amount first to be sure your child can tolerate the oats. But do not buy regular quaker oats, etc. You are going to have to go with a gluten free oat source like Bob's Red Mill. 

[Junie]

Oats are not GF unless they are labeled as such. I am not 100% clear on all the reasons for this. What i have heard is that they are grown in rotation with wheat so there is a cross contamination issue. Also there was something recently about the composition of the oats being an issue. Anyway, some celiacs can tolerate GF oats, but not all.  So if you buy them, buy a small amount first to be sure your child can tolerate the oats. But do not buy regular quaker oats, etc. You are going to have to go with a gluten free oat source like Bob's Red Mill. 

:iagree: