Wheat! and Barley! and Rye! Oh, My!

There are so many different food allergies and intolerances, today, that it is frightening to ponder what may happen when a child is given any food. Not only can new foods offer possible reactions, but allergies can be developed to foods that never caused a problem, before. As a mother who comes from a family that is loaded with allergies to food and medications, I am completely aware of the scary risks that come with feeding our children. Being a concerned parent, I have been reading whatever I can find on the gluten-free choices that I am seeing and learning whether this is an issue that affects me.

The first thing that I found interesting is the issue of celiac disease. I had never heard of this condition, and I found it interesting that there was so much information and so many support resources for people who have it. According to WebMD, "Celiac disease is a problem with digesting gluten, a protein in foods like bread, crackers, and pasta, affecting the absorption of nutrients. Symptoms include gas and bloating, weight loss, and fatigue (WebMD)." Wikipedia defines it as "an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward (Wikipedia)." From all this and any other information, I have concluded the following: 1) People with celiac disease cannot digest gluten properly, 2) gluten is a protein in any wheat, oat or rye product, and 3) it can have varying degrees of consequences when people consume any of those ingredients (Wikipedia).

Both WebMD and Wikipedia list symptoms of celiac disease as diarrhea, weight loss, vomiting, fatigue, weakness and/or abdominal distension (or as my grandfather says, "your belly pooching out"). Now, that sounds fun! Symptoms can be combined with other disorders which can slow or mix up the diagnosis. Once this condition is suspected, there are various tests that can be performed to confirm or dismiss it. Also, there is the possibility that the patient may not have celiac disease, but it is possible to have gluten intolerance, which is much milder and the symptoms are much more fleeting (WebMD).

Amazingly, all that is necessary to make life much better for either a person with celiac or a person with gluten intolerance is to remove gluten products from their diets. Wow, that sounds so easy! To borrow a phrase from the early nineties, "NOT!" Until I started looking at the gluten-free information that I found, I had no idea that there were barley, wheat and rye in so many foods. The products that I see in the grocery stores that are labeled gluten free are pretty expensive.

My interest in the gluten-free diet stems from the information that I read from both Wikipedia and WebMd about the effect of gluten-free diets on children who are autistic. I have two sons who have the diagnosis of autism, so I did some reading. I am a fan of the website, AutismSpeaks.org. It is an invaluable resource to parents of children with autism. There is information about the results that have been seen by parents when they eliminate both gluten and casein (a milk protein). I have been told by special education teachers, early childhood specialists, speech and occupational therapists that eliminating casein and gluten show marked results. Of course, I am interested in any non-medicational options that may help my sons while still meeting their needs, but I am not certain I am interested in completely removing these things from my children's' diets without more thorough studies and conclusive evidence. I am, however, interested in reducing gluten and casein while vigilantly maintaining my children's nutritional intake.

With that in mind, I began to look at the local grocery stores for gluten-free products. Those products tend to be three times the price of the options that I usually purchase. I am on a severely limited budget, so this is not a great option for me. However, I have done some internet research that helped me to find the products that my family knows and loves that are already gluten-free. Frito-Lay has a list of products posted that are gluten-free. My boys love Doritos and Cheetohs, so it is a relief to know that some of those snacks are not off-limits, or there would be a mutiny. The best advice in this situation is to visit the websites of the foods that you love the best, such as your bread, cereal and pasta companies to see if they have any gluten-free options.

Frito-Lay is a good example. At the following link, there are lists of products available based on various dietary needs, http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/for-special-dietary-needs.html. Also, Chex.com has a list of gluten-free products with a selection of recipes made with them. There are all kinds of yummy treats to be made with Chex. This link, http://gfkitchen.server101.com/tipstricks.htm, has a list of excellent information concerning what items are gluten-free and what sneaky ingredients are wheat or gluten-based. It is incredibly important to a person who has celiac disease or the gluten-intolerance to know what ingredients are in every food they eat. The best advice is to thoroughly research all food products, online or with a list at a store, if necessary.

There are wonderful places to find gluten-free foods. Natural food stores have more products, and I have found gluten-free frozen waffles that my daughter loves, ranch dressing that has no objectionable ingredients or allergens and manages to taste good, pizza-pocket-things that can be prepared in the toaster, vitamins, breads and so many other things. Again, there is the issue of price, which is why I am currently winging it as best as I possibly can. Also, there are many online companies that will ship the ingredients and mixes for foods, and there are almost always multitudes of reviews to assist the consumer in decision-making. Glutenfreemall.com has a large list of products in many different categories. There are recipes all over the internet, too. Glutenfreemommy.com is a site that has recipes, advice and was founded by a woman who lives gluten-free for her own health. If a person runs a search for "gluten-free," there are multiple blogs, websites and other informational resources for gluten-free living.

As a side-note, for those interested in saving money on groceries, as well as the gluten-free diet, there is a website called Angelfoodministries.com. On this site it is possible to check by zip code to see if there is a host site nearby. This program sells foods to anyone who wants to participate. There is no income limit or qualification, and the prices are more than reasonable for excellent food. There is also an allergen-free package, and one of the allergens of which it is free is gluten. I have personally participated in this program, and I can vouch for the quality of the food. I have recently ordered the gluten-free box, and I will be happy to post an update when my family has tried the products.

When I decided to write about this subject, I knew there was a lot of information, and I have barely scratched the surface. I would like to remind everyone to consult his physician to be certain whether it is a good idea before making such a change in diet. It is so important to be certain what foods or supplements might be necessary to replace nutrients that are lost when a particular food is eliminated from the diet. Good luck with the research, and I wish everyone the best of health!

Sources:

Personal Experiences

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten_intolerance

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/Default.asp?

http://glutenfreemommy.com/

http://www.glutenfreemall.com/catalog/breads-glutenfree-c-22.html?gclid=COmegKz24p0CFQ4hDQodRAOJDA

http://chex.com/Recipes/GlutenFree.aspx?WT.mc_id=paid_search_300308_636117&WT.srch=1

http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/for-special-dietary-needs.html

http://gfkitchen.server101.com/tipstricks.htmhttp://gfkitchen.server101.com/tipstricks.htm