Gluten Free Foods

T.,
As luck would have it, I was just reading TONIGHT a book called "Disease Proof Your Child" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
He has some dietary recommendations for attention problems and allergies. One of the main things he supports is a diet rich in omega-3 fats, which are essential for brain function and development. Here's what he suggests (combined from his diets for ADHD and allergies):
A high-nutrient, vegetable, nut, and fruit-based diet (he includes recipes in the book)
One tablespoon of ground flax seeds daily (easily added to oatmeal, shakes, applesauce, etc.)
At least an ounce of raw walnuts daily (for the healthy fats)
DHA supplement (100-600mg daily)
No processed foods, dairy, or trans fat
Little or no oils (essential fats are supplied from raw nuts and DHA supplementation)
Multivitamin without Vitamin A or isolated beta-carotene (this was in his dietary guidelines for children with allergies, but not in the list for ADHD)
Some children must also avoid gluten (from wheat) and casein (from dairy). This one is just in the ADHD recommendations.

As far as finding gluten-free foods, I've seen tons of them at Whole Foods, The Cupboard (in Denton) and Sprouts Farmer's Market (in Flower Mound). There are cereals, snack bars, cake and muffin mixes, frozen waffles, etc. The foods at these places are expensive, so you might need to make room in your grocery budget.

There is a place in Fort Worth called Therapy House. (Friends of my family run it) They primarily deal with children with Autism and do an awsome work. They deal with all aspects of the childs life from nutrition to rehabilitation. They may have some suggestions for you. They have a website
I belive it is www.therapyhouse.org (if not you can google it)

There is also a book called "Sugar Buster" that has recipies. I got it at Target for my diabetic Father in-law. He says you can't tell the difference.

T.

My son is on GF diet. Initially I tried GFCF but his casein was fine so I made it just GF which takes half the trouble out. I get my stuff from FM specialty store in Flower mound. They have different breads for making sandwiches. Sprouts in Folowermound also started getting GFCF stuff. Otherwise any whole food store will have it. There is 'delicious n fit' bakery in Plano for GFCF cakes, pizza etc.

I also don't have time to cook. I just make dinned for family and for breakfast and lunch we use readymade stuff.

All the best
Meenakshi

You've already got a good suggestion to visit FM Specialty Foods in Flower Mound. One warning is that the GF foods are not inexpensive, so I focus alot of our GF (and CF) eating on eating basic whole foods - organic meats/fruits and veggies with rice/corn as the primary grains. There are pre-made breads that are quite palatable for sandwiches. There are also many foods available at regular grocery stores that are gluten-free.

In addition, there is an excellent online resource at:
www.dallasrock.org

It took my family (2 boys, my husband and myself) about 6 months to really adjust to the diet in terms of finding replacements for favorite foods. After that, it becomes second nature. It is also easier if the whole family goes GF (at home) to prevent issues with cross contamination AND so as not to isolate the one that MUST be on the diet.

By far the biggest challenge with the diet is eating out. There are a few places that have a GF menu, but you have to be really diligent when ordering, making sure the wait person understands the issues, etc. As a result, our family spends much less eating out than in the past, which makes the increased price of the GF items a little easier on the budget.

My mom has celiac disease so she has been gluten free since diagnosis. Gluten free is not easy, but with patience it can be done. I highly recommend that you visit FM Specialty Foods in Flower Mound. Mary is the owner and she and her family live gluten free. She would be a wonderful resource for you and help you with kid friendly choices. She carries Kinnickinick brand in her freezer case. That is ready made breads, donuts, etc. She carries cereals, snack bars, cookies, pastas, and crackers that are gluten free.

My son is allergic to wheat (and several other foods). He likes the Enjoy Life Brand cookies and snack bars. My mom and son both really enjoy the Schar brand. Chebe brand is excellent!! Namaste Brand items are great and easy enough to make.

Good luck with this! You can do it! I really do recommend that you visit Mary at FM Specialty Foods. They have a website too. Use a google search to locate. I am not at home and don't have that info with me.

I am on a gluten free diet for celiac disease and also work with kids with autism who are on the GF/CF diet. I highly recommend checking out Healthy Approach in Colleyville- at HWY 121 and Glade Road. They have an extensive amount of Gluten free foods. Also, one of the owners has a child with autism on the GF/CF diet and so the staff there is very knowledgeable. They have a lot of the kid friendly stuff- chicken nuggets, fish nuggets, pizza that kids miss. Also, there is a brand in the frozen section called Kinnickinick that makes the best GF sandwich bread.
Good luck!
T. Bowling

I did a gluten AND milk free diet for quite a while as it was causing acne on my skin. However, I am pregnant, and ever since I became pregnant, I have not had to adhere to the diet as it has stopped affecting my skin. Anyhow, there are plenty of products at Whole Foods that are gluten free - everything from breads, to cookies, to frozen waffles.....almost everything you can think of. AND, their staff is VERY knowlegeable and helpful, so they can always tell you if they do in fact carry a gluten free version of the product you are looking for. You can even pull up recipes on their website that will say "gluten free." That is the same for their cookbook that they sell at their store. Hope that helps!

Hi T.,

My son is autistic. We started the Gluten and Casein Free diet July 1st and have seen amazing improvements in his speech, eye contact, less tantrums, and more interaction with his little brother. I was very skeptical of this diet before we started it but decided it couldn't hurt. It is my understanding though, and I may be wrong so check into it more, that for autism, you need to be gluten AND casein free. My son has a fairly limited diet anyway, so we have not had too many issues with food alternatives as he never knew what the regular stuff tasted like and has nothing to compare it to. I got the book called Special Diets for Special kids from Amazon.com It is an easy read and does have a lot of simple receipes if you need to do any baking. There is also a website www.GFCFdiet.com that has some great info and online stores. Also www.tacanow.com has a 10 day step to a gluten and casein free diet. I have been shopping at Sprouts. I live in Lewisville and the closest whole foods is in Plano. The store in Colleyville is great, but again it's a long way off if you need to just run to the store for one item. I have just learned about the FM Specialty store and plan to check that out this week. Another recomendation given to me is www.delicious-n-fit.com They are located in Plano and will bake whatever you want. This is an expensive diet, so be ready with the pocket book. Oh Sprouts has some pretty good brownie and cookie mixes that are gluten free. You'll have to substitute for the milk added. We use Rice Dream. It has traces of Gluten in it, but I have been told that it is not enough to affect a child with autism as they are not allergic to gluten, just have a sensitivity.

Good luck and feel free to e-mail me if you have further questions while you are trying this out.
Nicky
____@____.com

Hi! My son is on the spectrum, too (and my daughter has some issues that are similar). My understanding of the gluten free diet is that it is hard and expensive, though I have seen several sites where you can order kits for bread, cookies, etc. There are also many sites that have recipies. I believe I googled the ANDY diet. Maybe it just recquires some money. I'm not trying to scare you off, I am just hoping that you will find differently and PLEASE let me know. We are currently working with a Dr. to eliminate the heavy metals in his system through chelation. They recommended the gluten free/casein free diet, but with four kids and little money, we decided to go straight for supplementation with B6 and magnesium (and lots more).
Also, there are lists of foods that are/are not gluten and casein free on some sites, which are really helpful in eliminating the "hidden" sources, and will save you time in reading labels.
Anyway, Dr. Jeppson is a DAN practitioner with an autistic son himself, he is located in Austin, and can be reached through the web. If you want to talk or get together, that would be great with me. My kids are 10, 8, 5, and 16 months.

Good Luck,
K.

Most people have already recommended FM Specialty Foods and I agree with what they have said. For a larger assortment of items, Central Market, off of Bush and Coit has lots and lots of items to choose from. I went to both places and was able to find everything that I needed.