Looking for Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free for My Picky 15 Year Old Daughter

Going Dairy-Free is much easier. Maybe you can start out with that and see how it effects her. Gluten can stay in her system for a very long time so go dairy-free first. Coconut Milk and Almond Milk are great substitutions for regular milk. My son and husband are dairy free and neither misses it. There are so many soy substitutions out there and when eating out there are lots of options as well. Hope it works out for you guys. Have you eliminated all artificial colorings, flavorings, ect? That often has a huge effect.

My sister has to eat gluten free. She has had to do tthis for over 25 years. She just happens to work for Whole Foods World Headquarters here in Austin. One benefit? She is one of the tasters for new recipes!

Here is a link to recipes from Whole foods. Search Gluten Free
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/

My sister loves Mexican food so my mother has also adapted some of the recipes.

My sister eats proteins from fish, beef and chicken.. Grilled most of the time.

She eats eggs omelets, fritattas.
Brown rice, No wheat pasta, lots of fresh veggies with different herbs and olive oil.

Stir fry.

Lots of corn tortillas, rice crackers.

Soy cheeses, lots of different types of beans.
Encourage your daughter to look through the recipes and see what sounds good to her. Then have her help you prepare them. She is going to need this knowledge when she goes off to college.

Gluten free diets are a hassle, trust me my household is on one. Gluten is often found in things you'd never think of like soups. Most all of Campbell's Soups have gluten in them since they thicken them with flour.

There are many resources online, public libraries and bookstores for what you're looking for. The hard part is narrowing that down and of course abiding by the diet. And for teens, it's especially difficult. Slumber parties or any party for that matter is usually very hard because they usually serve pizza and cake, neither of which will be gluten free. Lunches at school, she'll need to bring, are another area of concern.

I'm not trying to scare you away from it, but just letting you know it's something you have to be very diligent about, can't be done 1/2 way.

I'm going to send you a private message of websites I have found to be invaluable and some companies whose products we've tried and loved. This can be done but it takes deligence and attention to detail on you and your family's part. You can't have gluten crumbs getting into her food for example, and you usually will need a separate toaster since they're usually contaminated with 'normal' breads, just be mindful of what's going on around you and her.

So look for my message, it'll be there in a bit. Best of luck to you. I admire you for working on a solution and pray this one is the one.

My daughter is allergic to wheat and milk. She drinks and uses soy milk in her cereal. When I bake, I substitute soy milk or water for milk and use rice flour instead of wheat flour. When you substitute rice flour, also add an additional 1-2 heaping tablespoons of tapioca flour plus xanthan gum (directions on the package) for better consistency and to hold things together. You can also make cupcakes using the little paper cups, instead of a large cake so it's less likely to fall apart.

Trader Joes and Whole Foods have a nice selection of wheat and milk free foods and mixes. My daughter likes the pancake mix and brownie mix from TJoes, and the wheat free frozen waffles. Whole Foods has Newmans Own "Oreo" cookies and fig bars and a delicious coconut based "ice cream". The TJoes brown rice pastas are also good and seem to stay more firm than some of the other brands.

Good for you! We went cold turkey off of 21 foods for our daughter five years ago. You have SO many more choices and options now. Taking her off both is important when dealing with this kind of thing because it is not a matter of it been an allergy but an inflammatory to the brain in this case. You can do it and there are lots of things to help you.

My daughter is extremely picky. What you can tell you daughter is that over time her skin will look better, she will feel better and not be so moody. You'll learn to point out the differences and hopefully she will start to notice them. With mine, she was like Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde when she ate gluten. Her grades were in the low 'C's - now she is a typical teenager and she got off all of her asthma medication. Be aware that vaccines have these ingredients in them so do your research and read the package inserts.

Now, what to do and how to do it. As I said, I went cold turkey and remove everything from the house. Please go to www.tacanow.org to the GF-CF Diet section. You will find EVERYTHING you need to know there, hidden sources, alternatives, recipes, and the all important - where can you eat out.

We have no egg and no soy (these two are the worse for my daughter) along with no yeast now. She eats at Rubios (corn torillas, no cheese on anything, lots of guacamole), Red Robin and Islands /hamburger patty and fries, In N Out is the best for these - just think protein style. PF Changs has a gluten free menu as well as many other places. You'll find more at the TACA site.

Contact me anytime if you want to talk about this. You are doing the right thing for her, especially over the long run. It is going to be hard because she is use to things but especially because she is a teenager. Mine is almost 15 too. Mom, it will be extremely beneficial for you to do this as well. You will not feel bloaty, moody, aches will go away, sleep better....

Check out the recipes on the Living Without magazine link:

http://www.livingwithout.com/recipe/a.html

Also, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and probably your local grocery store, all have lists that you can access of foods that they sell that are gluten free and/or casien-free. I know you can print the Trader Joe's list from their website. You may have to go into Whole Foods and your grocery store to get a copy of their list but I would try their website first.

I would not take her off both at the same time because then you will not know which one is bothering her if. Gluten free is not easy to follow for most people. Eating out can be hard especially when she is out with friends. There are many great websites if you google Celiac and gluten free.Many companies have gluten free food list on their websites, also resturants. I use almond flour for baking. Udi makes a great white bread(not sure if it is dairy free though). Take her shopping with you and get her involved. She will be more likely to follow the diet then. Gluten free for dummies is a great book for those just starting out.

Hi Stephanie,
Friends of mine have a nephew with similiar issues and took him to this vital hematologist named Dr. Hugh Smith and used homeopathic methods to clear the blood and have seen excellent results. When you call, just make an appointment to have her blood looked at and let him tell you what the problem is. I think you will be excited. Here's the website for more info: www.biocytonics.com
Best of Luck!

I am a gluten free eater, so yes it is tough, but this is what I eat. I love the Gluten Free whole foods bread (actually Whole Foods brand) called sandwitch bread. It is in the freezer with the Gluten Free cookies. I eat it with everything. Today I put sauce and mazerella cheese to make like a pizza bread. There is mexican food with rice and corn tortillas. Even when we go to Islands, I get a con tortilla with my burger and it is fine. There is great rice pasta too at trader Joes. Also great Gluten Free cereals at Trader Joes

You should talk to my friend, a kindergarten teacher. Her son no longer has ADD - he was your daughter's age when she reversed it with nutrition, but did it without eliminating all those things. She's helped an awful lot of kids since then. She also helped me with my depression and I've had great results. Elimination diets are very difficult to stick to even if you find the right trigger food right away, and they make going out a real hassle. It's very tough for everyone but especially for teens who are going to parties.

Trader Joes has a list of all their gluten free stuff on their website and most stuff is labeled in the store if it is gluten free. When we were gluten-less (meaning not free but less) that's how I started. It's a tough transition and I figure the more I can wean out gluten slowly the more success I'm likely going to have. Many of the snacks they have are very tasty and my son prefers them to other snacks.

Oh, AND I don't drink milk nor does my son. We both drink Silk Almond Milk and I think its delicious. They have a dark chocolate that is to DIE for. I sometimes throw some of that, a banana and some peanut butter in the Vitamix. Heaven.

There is a really nice gluten free market in San Clemente next to La Roccos and Stud Cuts. It is called Stella... something?? They have recipe books and many products for purchase.