Going Gluten Free

[Guest]

AND another question....can diet truly affect behavior? How does one go gluten free? How is Celiac Disease tested for? What do you feed your child? Does the whole family follow the diet? How do you know if your child might have this problem?

Thanks again.

[Claire]

Diet can affect behavior. "Is This Your Child?" by Doris Rapp is a good introduction to the subject. Your library may have it.

 

I'm not an expert on celiac disease, but my understanding is that a typical diagnosis is made in two steps. The first one is a blood test, and the second is a biopsy. A definitive diagnosis is possible only with a biopsy.

 

It's possible to have an intolerance to wheat without having celiac disease. Food intolerances are poorly understood by the medical profession. Allergies show up on scratch skin tests, but food intolerances usually don't. Food intolerances can cause behavioral problems. Most people use elimination diets to see if food intolerances are causing problems.

[Guest]

I am well versed in food intolerances. I have one to chocolate and one to onions. Thank you for your insight and the book. I am going to check if my library has it.

[JamBerry]

AND another question....can diet truly affect behavior? How does one go gluten free? How is Celiac Disease tested for? What do you feed your child? Does the whole family follow the diet? How do you know if your child might have this problem?

Thanks again.

 

Yes, diet can truly affect behavior. There are foods/additives that tend to be more commonly a problem (like gluten or dairy or artificial anything), but it could be something else too (apples for one of my dc, oats for the other).

 

Going gluten free is intimidating at first, but it doesn't have to be that hard. My suggestion is to begin with eating more of things that just don't have gluten in them rather than finding gf-substitute foods. For example, eat meat and veggies for dinner rather than trying to create a gf pizza or sandwiches. Eat bacon and eggs for breakfast rather than trying to create gf pancakes or waffles. After a while, you can start trying for gf-substitute foods. There are LOTS of good recipes and mixes out there now. But I still think it's easiest to just eat foods that happen to be gf ANYWAY rather than trying to replace gluten with substitutes.

 

What do I feed my gf child? Well, he's also cf (casein/dairy free) and apple free (and pineapple free) and feingold (no artificial stuff). Sounds hard, doesn't it? It's not, though. He eats meats, veggies, fruits, gfcf cereal (with gfcf substitute milk, like soy milk or almond milk). He also eats gfcf pizza, waffles, cookies, cakes, and other assorted junk food. He eats natural popsicles, icees, sorbets. Popcorn (with 'fake' butter), chips & salsa, gfcf pretzels. Honestly, he eats pretty darn good. When we go out to restaurants, he's our steak & fries or burger & fries guy (though if he were a true celiac, we'd have to be far more careful about the fries--they are often cross contaminated), or we take stuff from home for him (like if we go to the local pizza joint. we take him his own gfcf pizza).

 

No, the whole family does not follow the diet. However, we generally DO eat the same meals as he does (really, it's just good eating!), and we thoroughly enjoy lots of 'his' food (Gluten Free Pantry brand chocolate truffle brownie mix makes THE best brownies!). So, while we don't follow his diet, we do enjoy a lot of it ourselves. We are perpetually commenting how he's not suffering--he eats GOOD!

 

How to know if your kid has this problem? There can be a huge variety of indicators. "Is This Your Child?" which has been recommended is a great resource. We tried it because our ds is autistic and it seems to help a lot of folks on the spectrum. He's one of them, we found. He does MUCH better gfcf/apple free/feingold (GI wise, socio-emotionally, cognitively, etc, across the board).

 

HTH

Pam

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[Guest Indy Rose]

You might also want to read "The Yeast Connection: Handbook" and "The Yeast Connection: Success Stories" by Dr. William Crook. He talks about how yeast overgrowth in the intestines is related to many, many health and behavioral problems. One benefit of doing his three-week yeast cleanse is you cut out many foods and then as you add them back, one by one, you can tell if you have a sensitivity to it. Also, I've heard a little about the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) based on a book called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle". I'm getting ready to read the book myself but I don't know much about it yet.

Rose

[mcconnellboys]

Just this past week, I went into an area store (Kroger) and they have cases filled with food products that purport to be gluten free as well as free of other things. I don't know anything about this subject yet, but look forward to hearing replies to your post.

 

Thanks,

 

Regena

[Malenki]

We're gluten free and it definitely affects behavior here. We're also Feingold (http://www.feingold.org) Stage 1, casein free, soy free, peanut/cashew free, and perfume/dye free.

 

I completely agree with JamBerry that eliminating all foods that have gluten is easier at first than replacing them... the kids don't like the new foods if they just ate a wheat waffle yesterday, for example. But 4-6 weeks later when you introduce them to a new rice flour muffin, they are thrilled and gobble it up. (At least, that was our experience.)

 

There are tons of websites talking about gfcf diets ("gluten free casein free") which would give advice and recipes even if you don't go casein free too. I also definitely recommend the book "Is This Your Child?". Our library had it and it helped *enormously* when my son was 2 years old and I was wondering what in the world was going on.

 

Our family eats almost 100% for the most restrictive member. DH *does* eat a few things the rest of us don't (like cream; even I can't handle casein). We eat a large variety of foods... tons of veggies, fruit, meats, eggs; and also a variety of grains (rice, corn, buckwheat, millet). We don't get sick often and we're all at healthy weights. ;-)

 

To give you an idea of what we feed them:

Breakfasts might be stuffed eggs & rice; buckwheat waffles & sunflower seed butter; a gluten free breakfast sausage and bananas; grapefruit, melons, bananas for fruit.

 

Lunches have things like turkey deli meat, split pea soup, turkey vegetable soup, fried fish in small pieces, hamburgers, quick steaks, tuna salad, chicken salad; always fruit like melon, bananas, grapefruit, mango, figs, olives, pineapple, pears. Usually a gfcf muffin or rice or leftover waffle or cornbread.

 

Dinner is things like meatloaf, roast turkey, fish, hamburgers, turkey burgers, pork chops, stir-fry shrimp, roasts; always veggies such as acorn or butternut squash, zucchini, potatoes (sweet or white), corn, peas, okra, green beans, lima beans, turnips, etc. Also rice or muffin or cornbread.

 

Hope this helps a little... we eat differently but we also don't eat that different if that makes sense.

[Jennefer@SSA]

and it has been a lot of work but I don't regret it at all. I have put together a cookbook of all the recipes we've tried and liked (lots we haven't liked). We have also cut out all dyes, additives and preservatives of any kind. We are not seeing huge results yet but we phased out slowly. Some see immediate changes but that has not been the case with us. We started with dairy and moved to gluten slowly taking 4 weeks to completely phase it out. My ds is severely ADHD and has mild autism as well. We've heard that it can take months to see results as the gluten takes time to get out of the system.

 

If this diet isn't successful I am planning on trying Feingold and/or possibly SCD. I want to try everything I can in the natural vein before trying medications again. Our first experience was rough with so many side effects.

 

If you need any more advice/meal suggestions/ideas I would be happy to help in any way I can. Feel free to ask here or email me. There are *many* much more knowledgeable than I but I wanted to offer.

 

Blessings,

[Lisa in Jax]

Yes, diet can make a HUGE difference.

 

My son from India, was adopted as a four-year-old. For the first two years home, he had frequent tantrums, slept poorly, was constipated, urinated in inappropriate places, was oppositional, and was so hyper the Tazmanian Devil had nothing on him.

 

After we started the gluten- and casein-free diet, his hyperactivity decreased, the tantrums stopped, he was no longer constipated, he stopped urinating outside the toilet, and his sleep improved.

 

Check out tacanow.org and gfcfdiet.com for ideas on how to start the process of going gluten-free. It can be overwhelming, but it's worth it.

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

[doubleportionofarrows]

We found that our son's behavioral problems were directly related to his food sensitivities. He was skin tested and tested positive for a ton of things. Once we removed those foods, his behavior changed dramatically. We still have issues but they are much better. I cook GF, CF, SF etc for my ds and cook regular stuff for the rest of us. I watch carefully for cross contamination when I cook. But I can't afford to put our whole family of 5 on my ds's restricted diet. You can read about our journey at my blog http://quietlyrunningtherace.blogspot.com/. I also have recipes and shopping ideas there too.

 

Edie

[Guest]

I am resurrecting this to see if anyone had anything else to add to to help others. We have been dairy free for over a year now. WOW! what a difference. We try to be wheat free as well but we cheat. My 2nd son (just 12) who we started this for is beginning to show increased behavior problems and weight gain again so I am not sure what else to try. Any ideas?

[Mom0012]

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Edited January 29, 2011 by LisaTheresa

[Leonor]

Diet can affect behavior. "Is This Your Child?" by Doris Rapp is a good introduction to the subject. Your library may have it.

 

I'm not an expert on celiac disease, but my understanding is that a typical diagnosis is made in two steps. The first one is a blood test, and the second is a biopsy. A definitive diagnosis is possible only with a biopsy.

 

It's possible to have an intolerance to wheat without having celiac disease. Food intolerances are poorly understood by the medical profession. Allergies show up on scratch skin tests, but food intolerances usually don't. Food intolerances can cause behavioral problems. Most people use elimination diets to see if food intolerances are causing problems.

:iagree:

You can test negative on the blood test for celiac and actually have celiac disease.

However, an intelorance/sensitivity not necessarily allergy can cause behavioral problems. Gluten can have an opiate effect on the brain.

You should read "Is This Your Child?" as suggested.

[Mom0012]

.

Edited January 29, 2011 by LisaTheresa

[Mom22ns]

I am resurrecting this to see if anyone had anything else to add to to help others. We have been dairy free for over a year now. WOW! what a difference. We try to be wheat free as well but we cheat. My 2nd son (just 12) who we started this for is beginning to show increased behavior problems and weight gain again so I am not sure what else to try. Any ideas?

 

I found that after we eliminated dairy and gluten from my ds's diet, he was much more sensitive to them. So if we accidentally let him have some, the behavior was really out of control. Is it possible that you are dealing with a less than perfectly dairy free diet.

 

We were dairy and gluten free for 9 years. After that we were gradually able to bring them back with no issues.

[girligirlmom]

GAPS is what we are starting. GAPS is a spin off from SCD and the goal is healing, not simply avoiding. SCD was the original diet for healing the gut and somehow GFCF became very popular instead of SCD. The difference is that with SCD and GAPS all grains are avoided including GF and only certain healing foods are eaten, so that eventually with enough time(2 years) and healing foods these can be reintroduced. GAPS includes supplements too like probiotics.

 

The only thing I've seen on the GF/CF is that they are avoidance based, without a specific protocol to heal the gut lining.

[forevergrace]

Perfect example of my ADHD, I'm not even going to attempt to read all of the posts. I'm totally serious, here is a fantastic site for wonderful meals all gluten free: http://glutenfreegirlrecommends.blogspot.com/ No the whole family doesn't have to follow the diet, it's just so much easier. I've made fantastic birthday cakes using different recipe's from this site. Last summer I made an orca whale cake. Kinda cheated and made the baby orcas out of fondant, but the kids weren't allowed to eat them (whether they had ADHD or not~I don't believe any child should consume sugar or artificial colorings or flavorings) Also note: you don't have to be Celiac to have an intolerance to wheat, gluten. Good Luck~

[forevergrace]

I must correct myself: when I say consume sugar, I mean mass amounts!! Which is usually what a birthday cake is, I used agave and brown rice sugar, also stevia. ~Always~

[Misty]

Gluten is evil at my house. We won't touch it. My kids brains short circuit if they have gluten. Gluten DEFINITELY affects behavior.

 

I would skip the celiac testing though. The blood tests almost always come back negative even for people with full blown celiac disease. It's ridiculous that they still use them. Most people are having IgG responses to gluten and those celiac tests are not looking for IgG antibodies.. they are looking for IgA antibodies, which many celiacs are actually deficient in!! This is why the celiac blood tests are not reliable! They can rule celiac disease in, but the definitely cannot rule it out! The biopsy is the ONLY fool proof way to diagnose celiac disease.

 

However, if your child is having an IgG response to gluten (which is generally the case if you are dealing with behaviors such as ADHD, anxiety, bi-polar, autism, etc.) then there are very reliable blood tests that you can do that look for the IgG antibodies. The problem is, your regular doctor and/or allergist cannot order this test. They just aren't there yet. Many of them still have not accepted the fact that gluten (and other foods) are directly related to behavior, autism, and other issues. The proof is in the pudding for thousands of families though.. No doubt about it... Gluten and casein (and sometimes soy or corn) directly affects our children's brains!!!!

 

We tested for IgG food sensitivities/intolerances through Great Plains Labs http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com

 

And remember that there are different levels of gluten sensitivity.. There is full blown celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance, and also gluten sensitivity. All would show up on an IgG food allergy panel, but only full blown celiac disease will *sometimes* show up on a celiac panel!

 

Also, keep in mind that it takes nearly a year to heal the intestinal lining from gluten damage. You will also need to cut out other damaging proteins such as casein and soy during this time of healing. After about a year, reintroduce casein and/or soy and see what happens. We stay away from casein and soy still even though we have been gluten free for over a year now. Neither is good for you anyway.

 

I like this site for recipes.. http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/

Edited February 2, 2011 by Misty

[Misty]

I am resurrecting this to see if anyone had anything else to add to to help others. We have been dairy free for over a year now. WOW! what a difference. We try to be wheat free as well but we cheat. My 2nd son (just 12) who we started this for is beginning to show increased behavior problems and weight gain again so I am not sure what else to try. Any ideas?

 

Okay, I see now this was a resurrected thread.. Good idea!!

 

I would say that if you are seeing behaviors still then the occassional gluten would be to blame. Gluten stays in the system for months while dairy is out within a week. If you're going to cheat, I would cheat with dairy, but NOT with gluten. When you cheat with gluten, it sets you back months in the healing process. The tiniest amount can damage the intestinal lining, affect the immune system, and cause behavioral, emotional, and mental disturbances.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Misty

[razorbackmama]

I JUST posted asking about this, and then when I scrolled down I saw this thread. Hope you don't mind me jumping in!

 

What sort of behaviors have y'all found affected most by gluten/casein? Our biggest issue in our home is auditory processing and possibly working memory. Would going gluten/casein free help with these sort of issues??? ADHD isn't too bad of a problem. I do have one that reminds me a lot of the squirrel on Over the Hedge - SUPER distractible, but I don't know that I'd call him "hyper." A couple have some impulse control issues.

[Guest]

For us, YES. We took all ours off dairy and within a week saw improved emotional control, and stomach issues almost disappear. The gluten hasn't been as dramatic but I think it is because we cheat too much. Ours also all have soy, peanut, white sugar, artifical anything, and salt issues. We are known at our favorite hambuger resturant as the 'no salt fries family'.

 

Two of mine have auditory processing issues. What has helped there the most is talking to them like thay are deaf, really. My oldest went to The Parish School here in Houston. You can email them for advice. They are wonderful. Fast For Word and Brain Gym also help.

[razorbackmama]

Two of mine have auditory processing issues. What has helped there the most is talking to them like thay are deaf, really.

Can you describe this more?

[Guest]

Sure! Basicly, be sure they are looking at you.

Speak clearly using the fewest words needed to express what you are saying.

Have the child repeat back to you what you just said.

Do not give more than 2-step directions to the child.

Try to keep background noise to a minimum. Avoid overstimulating environments. We hardly ever take the kids to movies, we avoid the mall and stores when they will be most crowded and noisy. Watch the volume on the TV and radio.

Have checklists for tasks you want done, like 'steps to cleaning your room' or 'steps to cleaning the kitchen'. At one point I even had one for going potty ending in put the seat down! Make a chart with their daily assignments on it so they can check off what they do or at least a visual remindar of some sort of what happens each day.

Keep to a schedule/routine. Try not to make switches too often. Mine love having there school assignments posted so they can see what they have to do each day and when it ends.

Something else we noticed is too much electronic time seems to affect them.

 

You might think, "They aren't mentally challenged. Isn't this a bit extreme?". No. APD kids cannot remember mutiple steps or distinguish sounds in a noisy environment and they are overstimulated easily.

 

A couple great books are The Out-of-Sync Child and When the Brain Can't Hear.

HTH!

[razorbackmama]

Thanks - I have both those books.:D

 

Our auditory issues seem to be not in distinguishing sounds but in understanding what it is they just heard. For example, my oldest may be able to repeat back to me exactly what I just instructed him to do. But he has no idea what it is he just said.:001_huh:

 

I definitely have noticed that I can't get too wordy or he gets TOTALLY lost. My poor dh, whenever he's lecturing about something, I know that ds doesn't hear a word he says because dh gets soooooooooooooooooooo wordy about it and uses too high of a vocabulary. Sigh.