Need Help from Other Celiac Mommies

I have Celiac, and there are tons of products you can get a trader joes and Whole food's, there are also Some in Safeway. Also I know there are a few ebsites where you can actually buy the products online and they are all Gluten free. Hope this helps- M. Beth

Hi,
I myself was diagnosed with a wheat allergy three years ago and have had to make the transition you are going through now. I have found a lot of good cake options, but my favorite, and my one year old son's favorite, is the Gluten free, dairy free (and really allergen free in general) spice cake mix from Namaste brand. We add carrots and raisins, and use Cherrybrook farms allergen free icing. This is the cake I used for my son's first birthday, and he and the other kids loved it, as did the adults.

As for other food options, try Glutenfreeda.com, and allrecipies.com's gluten free section. Good luck.

Mariposa Bakery in Oakland makes great (and very yummy) treats. Some are dairy free:
http://www.mariposabaking.com/peacecake.html

Hi J.,

Here are a few other subsitutes (I havent tried any)not sure what you can/can't use with celiacs, but most of these can be found online:

Peanut milk
Potato milk
coconut milk
coconut flour (I got mine from Tropical Traditions. There is a recipie on the front for brownies, I haven't tried the coconut flour yet.)
Almond flour - (I think I got mine from Trader Joes) you can try to coat chicken with this for nuggets

go to http://www.celiac.com it's a wealth of products and ideas!

ps....I have one child on rice milk due to IBS and the others on regular milk. Try to keep regular milk in the fridge for your older child. If she can eat it, no reason to keep her from it. (it's a different story for cooking and recipies, but as far as a bowl of cereal or snack, why not let those without gluten sensitivity have what works for them? Your son will have to face the facts of life eventually, that his diet will be different from others in the world around him. Try to switch away from soy- it is very estrogenic (for example, feeding soy baby formula is like 5 birth control pills a day).

Our 19 month dd has celiac and we have been gluten-free since December. For birthdyas we have made the Cherrybrook kitchen cake mixes into cupcakes with homemade frosting. I am not sure if Cherrybrook is dairy free. A previous mom suggsted Rice Krispie Treats. Most Rice Krispie like cereals are not gluten-free (they have barley malt). Envirokids brand is. Also Rice Chex is glten-free so you could make rice Crispies but substitute Rice Chex (double check the ingredients on the box as Rice Chex was not gluten-free in December so some of the old boxes before they redid the recipe may still be out there. The new gluten-free cake at Starbucks only has seven ingredients (eggs, Valencia Orange pulp, sugar, almonds, orange peel, gluten-free baking soda and orange oil). We tried it last night and myself and all the kiddos liked it (except my 6yo dd who wouldn't try it). Have you tired any of the soy or coconut icecreams? Maybe he could just have a candle in a scoop of ice cream.

Now onto the sibling issue. We have five kids ds7, dd6, ds3, dd19 months and dd1 month. We make all the kids eat gluten-free at home. We were allowing some gluten in the house at first but on a recent trip to the GI doctor we were made aware that dd is getting some cross-contamination and it is most likely from crumbs dropped by her siblings and on their hands and clothing. We only allow gluten containing foods in our house if they are in a sealed container and then it is to pack in a lunch or to take to grandma's to eat. With a toddler who does not understand her dietary restrictions I do not feel comfortable allowing food that is unsafe for her in the house.

Our other kids comment on it. Recently in Costco when they were giving chicken nuggets as a sample I told our little celiac she couldn't have it, gluten makes her sick. My 3 year olds response was "Gluten soesn't make me sick, gluten makes me happy." My 6 year old has been very vocal in letting me know things are gross and she's not always happy with the choice. We have found that it is better to just choose naturally gluten-free foods like fruit, veggies, meat etc... We are going to try Chebe bread a brazilian bread that is normally gluten-free. Some varieties are dairy free as well.

When one of the kids complains about our gluten-free foof offerings we simply tell them gluten is poison for our dd and we would never feed anything to any of them that was poison. They are all allowed to have gluten at school and other peoples house and at a restaurant, we won't let them sit next to our celiac dd if they have gluten food at a restaurant.

Is they dairy an allergy or lactose intollerance? I ask for two reasons. One is that dairy doesn't crumble so it would be easier to let your daughter have cheese without the risk of microscopic crumbs contaminating your sons food, however if he has a severe reaction I would keep it out of the house until he is old enough to know not to touch it. Also we have discovered that some celiacs are lactose intollerant but after some time on the glutenfree diet the lactose intollerance goes away because the intollerance was caused by damage to the intestines not an inherant lack of the lactase enzyme.

There are several chaptes of R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids) in the bay area you might look into joining one. We haven't because they are all a ways from us, we are very rural. Also two yahoogrous we like are SillyYaks and KidsWithCeliac.

H.

Okay, so let's see....I have celiac, my daughter has to eat vegan and my poor husband can eat anything so I understand your struggles trying to please everyone. It is very challenging to find recipes that work that are both gluten free and vegan. To start, I've found one line that mainly does GF/V baked goods that are actually REALLY good, here's there website http://www.aznaglutenfree.com/ it can get pricey sometimes, but it is a lifesaver to have something frozen you can just take out and warm up (by the way this is key with most GF products, toast or nuke them to make them less crumbly). A few tips, most recipes requiring flour can be adapted to GF. My absolute favorite flour is Sylvan Border Farm all purpose and you basically use a ratio of 1 cup to 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum (a must for baked goods).

For fat on the Vegan side, I like the Earth Balance buttery spread (your family won't know the difference). I have used this to baked with too and have had success, even with GF combined. Off the top of my head, I would say rice crispy treats for your son's birthday, just use the Earth Balance butter instead and they turn out identical, you could still decorate the top (most of the really toxic canned frostings are both GF/V).

For an egg substitute if you need one is Ener Egg Replacer (it's in a box). It's not great, but does work to an extent. If you can use eggs though, they help quite a bit.

A few favorites in our house- Vans GF/V frozen waffles, Trader Joes rasberry oat muffins, Toffuti american slices, Tinkyada pasta (by far the best), cornflake crumbs for cooking instead of bread crumbs and just use soy milk for dipping/GF flour, granola, Trader Joes GF/V frozen pancakes, EnviroKids Crispy Rice Fruity bars, Pop Chips, rice crakers. Most of this stuff can be found in Safeway, Trader Joes, Bell Aire, Whole Foods

If I were you, I wouldn't try and modify your daughter's diet. The reality is that your son will always be around people/friends that are eating what he can't. For your sanity, I would try and do meals that everyone can eat, but snacks I would leave open. It's important to teach your son that he can't eat food with wheat or milk and I can say from experience, it really hasn't been that hard to tell my daughter she can't have certain things. She's pretty excepting. When we go to birthday parties I always bring her her own cupcake so she doesn't miss out, and I've never gotten to graduate past packing a truck load of snacks in my purse for her, but they're minor inconveniences.

If you need any other advice please ask. I'm more than willing to help you out.

HI J.,
You've had some great advice but as a Mom living with celiac I'll chime in with a few more ideas:
For his birthday you could make gluten free brownies. They sell a mix at whole Foods (Namaste brand) and they sell the same mix but only half the portion at Trader Joe's. I havent' seen it at Trader Joe's in Mountain View for a while, so they may have stopped carrying it. Anyhow, they are delicious and like most gluten free baked goods, you have to serve them on the same day you bake them. Also, they're so chocolatey and rich you don't notice the difference in texture as much as with cake.
I agree with the other Mom about not restricting your daughter's snacks to match her little brother's diet. However, as he is still very small you might want to limit her access to dairy for a while until he understands better what's going on. My daughter and husband don't have food allergies like I do and my compromise has been to prepare two separate meals (most of the time) for breakfast and lunch, but we eat gluten free for dinner. Some obvious gluten free starches: potatoes, rice, polenta, quinoa.
It will take a while to adjust to this new diet. Be patient with yourself.
Last word: you don't have to spend a fortune to eat gluten free. I don't have a fortune, so I don't spend one. I buy gluten free bread as an occasional treat (the only palateable one I've found is Praire Bread at Whole Foods in the freezer) and the rest of the time I don't try to make gluten substitute foods. Just take time and learn the range of food without gluten and you will save more money.
Good luck!!!
Best,
A.

Lots of great ideas from others. I was watching Martha Stewart the other day and she had a guest on that has a gluten and dairy free diet. She has written a cookbook called Babycakes and has lots of good recipes in it. They made chocolate chip sandwich cookies on the show.

My daughter recently (1 mo.) was switched to gluten free by her doctor. It's tough on all.

I flipped and flopped on the changing diet for the three other people in the house. I settled on...

My husband is diabetic, so do we all give up sweet snacks? No.
I'm allergic to shell fish, do we never serve shellfish at home? No.

I buy regular cheese for everyone else, but we are thoughtful about when we eat it. We don't get her in face about it and we make sure she is having a snack that she likes at the same time.

So far this is working.

As for cakes, I'm no help. I've mastered cookies. I saw at Starbucks this week an orange cake that is gluten free. Maybe a small cake for him and a cake for everyone else...He gets his own b-day cake.

s

Hi! I used to make really good artisan breads that my son would gobble down tons of. After I decided to take him off gluten, I tried a variety of recipes for breads and after a while, he simply stopped asking for bread - there isn't really a substitute for the texture that gluten produces in baked goods.

However, I tried a flourless chocolate cake recipe that uses only egg, chocolate and sugar that my son loves. You may want to try this recipe, http://glutenfreemommy.com/lighter-than-air-chocolate-cake/ but add cream of tartare so that the cake will hold its rise. It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it. I highly encourage you to try it.

First of all, I am sending blessings your way.
I am not completely familiar with celiac disease, so I am sending a recipe that you might need to double check.
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups (19 ounce can) cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
4 eggs, or 1 cup egg substitute
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tb. powdered sugar
In small bowl, melt chocolate in microwave oven, 2 minutes on medium power. In blender or food processor, combine beans and eggs. Add sugar, baking powder and chocolate; process until smooth. Pour batter into non-stick 9-inch heart-shaped or round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut in 10 wedges. Serve with raspberry sauce.
Quick Microwave Raspberry Sauce
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tsps. fresh lemon juice
1 pint fresh raspberries
In a bowl, microwave jam until melted,
1 minute. Stir in juice and berries.

I know a great nutritionist (she has her PhD) who could probably help you. I have been working with her since Feb. I have learned so much about food and nutrition and while I don't have any major food issue's, I have identified foods that I should avoid because they make me feel not so good, which I didn't even realize before!!

I had chronic pain before working with her and it's gone with no medication!!

Let me know if you would like her contact information.
C.

I joined this great community: www.glutenfreeclub.com They are not selling anything, but there are tons of recipes, community bulletin boards and lots of great ideas on the site. Some users do recommend specific brands, especially when asked. There are also restaurant guides etc. Whole Foods has a great selection of GF foods, Harvest House on Monument in Concord has an awesome freezer section for GF foods (two chest freezers plus some in their uprights). There is also a little place in Lafayette near Chico's (I can't remember the name) that has a good selection of foods too.
Good luck.

Hello J.,

Although my son does not have celiac disease, we do have a gluten-free house because of me (yes, I am celiac). Snacks that my 14 mo son likes are any puff cereals (puff rice, corn puff, millet puff), rice cakes, he also loves vegetables and fruits (careful with strawberries grown on wheat straw (which is most of them)). On the more sugary side, all "Pure decadent" ice creams are gluten-free and dairy-free and taste . . . decadent! That is more a treat for me (I have not given ice cream to my son yet). We drink Rice milk and enjoy the soy yogurts "WholeSoy & Co". We also like the "Larabar" snack bars (again dairy and gluten-free). Good luck!!

You have to go to Whole Foods... they have yummy pasta and pastry mixes that have no wheat. I don't have celiac, but wheat and dairy don't agree with me, and I haven't had that much trouble removing them from my diet with all the products at Whole Foods. Try:
Zen Soy Chocolate Pudding
Cherrybrook Kitchen Vanilla Frosting Mix
Bionature Organic Gluten Free Pasta
Anza Gluten Free Blackberry Scones

Hello J.,
I wish I had some good advice for you, but instead I'm wondering if you'd be able to share some of the resources you already have about switching to a celiac diet. My daughter has minor food sensitivities, I believe, to wheat and dairy that make her irritable, give her mild eczema, and give her some bloating. I want to gradually make a dietary transition but don't really know how to start. She is an absolute dairy addict. Moreover, it seems like there are questions about soy substitutes, GMO foods, new allergies from soy, etc. If you'd be willing when you have a minute, could we stay in touch and trade notes? My situation is not as severe as yours is, so you are in much more of a hurry to make this transition. Good luck!

L. Nicodemus
____@____.com

I have celiac as does my 5 y.o. daughter's friend. For my daughter's 4th bday party I made special gluten free cupcakes for her friend and bought a normal cake for everyone else. Almost every child wanted a cupcake and not a piece of cake. So for her fifth bday I made gluten free cupcakes for her friend and regular cupcakes for everyone else. Whole foods sells a 4 pack of cupcakes. Also just this week starbucks offers a g.f. orange cake for 1.95. You could decorate it special for him.
I would join this online group: celiacbayareayahoogroups.com. You receive emails from members about new products, restaurants, issues etc and bring this up to the moms out there.
Good luck to you.

We recently had a classroom party for the teacher leaving to have a baby. One student has celiac disease so I worked with his mother to plan a dessert HE could enjoy along with his classmates.

We opted to have fresh fruit drizzled with Torani's passion fruit syrup and rainbow sherbet. The kids loved the change from traditional cupcakes and the teacher appreciated the health calories of fresh fruit over cake.

I bought fancy toothpicks for the kids to use to spear their fruit chunks rather than forks. Now, it did cost more and it took a lot longer to prepare for 30 kids plus the adults, but the look on that little boy's face knowing he would be able to eat everything made it worth it for me.

I'd try specialty bakeries or look on Food Networks website for a flourless cake recipe.
You mentioned you also switching your daughters diet. I wouldn't do that unless she also needs it. She needs the nutrients from the milk, cheese and yogurt. Only if a child's reaction out weighs the benefits (such in you sons case) do you not give them. It's healthy for good brain development and many others.
Good luck and have a great birthday party.
K.

There's a great yahoo group you can join for this:
____@____.com

It's a bit overwhelming to read at first (very busy board, unmoderated, and lots of terms I didn't understand at first) but they have great ideas for this kind of diet and can definitely give you suggestions/ideas and answer questions.

Many of the moms have kids with some kind of developmental delays and are doing the diet to help with it.

good luck!

This may sound kind of funny, but you may want to look into Jewish cookbooks with passover recipes. Many of the recipes have no flour products (some add matzah meal which is like cracker crumbs, so you'd have to avoid those) because it is forbidden to eat any bread for that week. Many will have non-dairy options/recipes because of the requirement to separate milk and meat. This includes many fabulous flour and dairy-free desserts. Gourmet Magazine has a website with lots of recipes for passover that you can search. The Jewish Holiday Cookbook has some great dessert recipes that might work including nut cookies (made from a meringue base). As long as he can eat eggs and nuts there are even fabulous cakes (look for recipes for tortes which use ground nuts in place of flour).

What about rice crispie cake 'treats' with sprinkles on them? Would he be able to eat those?

Hi J.
ok I think your son will like this.... it's the Banana cream pie at cafe Gratitude.. BUT it has NO cream, the cream is derived from coconut milk from FRESH coconuts, the crust is made from dried nuts (NOT peanuts though) I think? pistachios and dates ,fresh bananas and it's sweetened agave.. now I know that might sound like huh, can that be good.. I SWEAR to you it is... it's VERY good. IF I didn't tell you there was NO dairy, sugar, you'd NEVER know.. I served it on Thanksgiving to people are used to eating all those types of desserts with butter, sugar and all that junk, I didn't tell them the ingredients of the pie, I just said, it's a banana cream pie.. well.......... they loved loved loved it.. I really think your son would too.. you can go by the cafe and buy a slice and see if it's to your liking...... it IS expensive, but I think for a special occasion as such,it's worth it.. and serve it slightly chilled.. yum

Hi J. -

I have been dealing with a wheat free (also soy free, red dye free, and sugar free) diet for my oldest son since he was 7 (he is now 18). He was off dairy for a couple of years, but has since been able to tolerate yogurt, kefir and raw milk - sometimes he has cooked (pasteurized) milk, but it gives him gas.
First of all, my biggest main complaint with many 'gluten free' cookbooks, mixes, and ideas is that they are extremely high in sugar or other simple carbohydrates - they use cornstarch and potato starch, rice starch, and other simple starches to try to mimic wheat flour. The problem with this is too much simple carbohydrates and sugars make celiac condition worse - and increase the imbalance already present in the gut. (too many simple sugars or carbohydrates are not good for anyone) I know it is hard to give up breads and flour products, but I've found it is best to do just that - forget trying to mimic your past diet - just change it completely. Your son will now have a vegetable based diet, with a little meat for protein - this will be healthier for your whole family. Get a good vegan cookbook - this is the best place to start - then add meat on the side. There are also a few alternative grains that are whole grains and high in protein and good for you. (Quinoa, amaranth, millet) You can find pasta products that are made from these grains at whole foods. Also - make sure any rice products you use are from brown rice - the whole grain.
Also - there are problems with soy - I won't give it to my son - it is a hard to digest food that prevents mineral absorption and slows necessary enzyme activity in the gut. Again - it is best not to try to mimic your past diet - change it completely - the substitute foods are not worth it and usually not healthy.
Also - if your daughter can have cheese and other dairy products, as well as whole grains, let her have them as often as your can - they are a nutritious and valuable food for her. My son very quickly accepted that he needed to eat differently from the other kids - he knew certain foods did not make him feel good, and he was OK with that. Your son is young, you may not be able to have food in the house that he can get to himself - and it may take him longer to get to that point, but when you can, by all means, let your daughter eat all the variety of healthy foods she can.

Hi J.,

I have a cousin whose son has celiac disease. She wrote a blog entry with some great information that I thought I would pass along. She also included quite a few resources for families that have been affected by celiac. I hope it helps!

~A.

So, I have been a slacker. A friend of mine asked me for more info about doing gluten free for kids and I started writing a lot of information down, but never finished my thought. Hmmm could it be that I am a mom? ;o)

First of all, what is celiac disease? Celiac is an inability to process gluten and can result in very serious problems as continued consumption of gluten by a Celiac will result in the villi in the stomach to die. So, it is very important for a person with Celiac to avoid gluten completely. Because Christoph was diagnosed before he was one as a result of malnutrition and failure to thrive as an infant, and has avoided gluten his entire life, we are told that he might eventually be able to have it as an adult without serious side affects. I think he won't even try, but it is good to know he might have options.

Having a child with Celiac means you have to be organized, communicate well with others (like your child's school, families of friends where you child may play, grandparents, camp officials, etc), and be creative. Before Christoph started school, it was easier to maintain a gluten free environment for him at home. He has his own toaster for only gluten free items, his own food products, and we never ever mix pots/pans/utensils, etc that have had gluten items unless they are sanitized in order to avoid cross contamination.

Once he entered school and camp, it became more challenging. Each teacher had to be told what Celiac was, and we asked if we could leave a stash of gluten free snacks at school for Christoph so that if there were ever special snacks/events/food prizes, he would have a gluten free option. So far so good, the teachers have been extremely vigilant, and Christoph also has a good sense of what he can and cannot have: plain popcorn yes, cookies no, plain hershey chocolate kisses yes, malted chocolate balls no. When it comes to birthday parties or other events, we usually call ahead to ask the parents what they are serving: cake or ice cream, etc. If we can, we will then bake Christoph cupcakes or cake for him to take along to the party and have with the rest of the kids. If it is just ice cream, we check the packaging when we drop him off to see if he can have any. On sleepovers to grandmas or anywhere else, we send along the list of approved foods and let the person know to ask Christoph if they are unsure whether or not he can eat a particular food.

As compared to 7 years ago when Christoph was first diagnosed, there are SO many options for gluten free AND there is required labeling now. We no longer have to order online from the Gluten Free Pantry (a great resource for bulk ordering) or even go to Trader Joes/Whole Foods. Now we can even find gluten free at Walmart or other major supermarket chains. The positive side of having Celiac Disease is it requires you to eat healthier. Almost every processed food will be a no no, and all of the baked foods, sweets, candies, etc will be off the approved list. What you can have in limitless amounts is meats, cheese, vegetables, fruits, rice, potatoes, and many other healthy alternatives.

My best advice to parents facing the gluten free life is to really communicate with your child and let them have some choices or power over their disease. Christoph is very open about telling anyone about Celiac Disease and is anal about reading food labels before he eats anything. Print out the approved food list from the Celiac foundation and hang it on your pantry. Teach your child how to read food labels, and try to buy more foods for your household that your child CAN have so that you have less reason to say no when they ask for a snack. There are also some fast food restaurants with approved foods. Places like Boston Market and McDonalds have a listing of foods that are gluten free. Kids can lead a very normal life with Celiac Disease.

Your household does not all have to change to gluten free if you have a child who has Celiac. Just keep in mind that the more you can incorporate gluten free into each main meal, the more your child will feel like they are normal. A meal can be all gluten free without changing anything except maybe substituting flour in a sauce for cornstarch, or a gluten broth for a gluten free version.

Great resources:

The Gluten-free Kid. A Celiac Disease Survival Guide

Growing Up Celiac

Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food For Kids-

Wheat-free Gluten-free Cookbook for Kids & Busy Adults

Kids with Celiac Disease: A Family Guide to Raising Happy,
Healthy, Gluten-free Children

R.O.C.K Raising Our Celiac Kids Web site

http://www.celiac.org/

http://glutenfreemommy.com

2 favorite books by Bette Hagman, 'Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods' and 'Gluten Free Gourmet Makes Desserts." Also, the best GF donuts, etc at http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/con...

J.,

Whole Foods - see this url

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/nutrition/gluten-free.php

Blessings.....

Hi J.,

While I'm not celiac, nor is anyone in my family, I do eat a vegan diet. If you have the time and inclination to make a cake from scratch, there are plenty of amazing vegan gluten-free deserts out there that are amazing. You could pretty much type in vegan gluten free cake on google and you can find a long list of recipes. I found this one on one my bookmarked food blogs: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/01/flourless-c...
and looks easy enough to make dairy free. Definitely check out this index: http://dietdessertndogs.wordpress.com/recipe-index-gluten.... Its a list of everything vegan and gluten-free on this website and has them separated out by appetizer, main course and baked goods. I think you won't have much of a problem making something that your son and everyone else can enjoy. Good luck and feel free to contact me if you need any advice about the dairy free end of things.

-H.

Last month's Martha Stewart's Living had a delicious sounding cake recipe (along with others like polenta french toast, etc). I actually tore it out for a girlfriend of mine who's daughter was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease but never sent it to her. If you can't find it online, e-mail me and I can mail it to you.

J.,

I can't help you with the celiac disease, but if your son is almost two and not talking yet, don't worry. My son didn't talk when he was that age. When he did start to talk he was almost three, and he spoke in complete sentences. I think your son understand a lot of what you say to him, but this subject is really not something a child under two can understand.

Take care,

E.