Suspecting Gluten Intolerance

Hi, I was recently diagnosed with a wheat allergy. It's mild, but still...

Rather than going through the rigors of being tested, you might try going gluten free a period of time and see how it goes. I believe 6 weeks is sort of the minimum recommended, but I noticed a huge difference in only two weeks.

It sounds daunting, but once you get the hang of shopping, it's not that hard. Trader Joes has a good variety of gluten free stuff, and of course Whole Foods -- I actually saw some stuff at Target!

Rice pasta is easily available and (I think) tastes good. Bread can be tougher. I like Bob's Gluten Free Bread Mix. If you don't want to bake, TJ's has rice bread -- I highly recommend toasting it first (it's gummy).

Other than that, you'll find plenty of gluten free websites around. My favorite is Karina's Kitchen: Gluten Free Recipes.

I don't know about gluten allergies or getting tested. Gluten isn't good for us period. I've recently been removing it from our house with much success and no battle from the kiddo's at all! We eat - for the most part, lean meats, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. Any snack type foods I buy are gluten free and when I can, I try to get gluten free, casein free and soy free, there are some products out there and so far, everything we've tried has been really good.

For your son, it may be the gluten, it may be additives, etc.. depends on what processed foods he has been eating.

Here is some great info on gluten (note - this info is from an autism site, doesn't matter - great information for everyone and it's relevant to everyone, not just those with autism)
http://www.newvisionautismcenter.com/page814.html

You can also look up celiac disease and get some good info on what gluten does and/alternatives to it, etc..

Best wishes,
M.

Dear L.,
I have celiac and have been on a gluten free diet for years. You can develop it anytime during your life. A child with intolerance to gluten would have intestinal problems...bloating, gas, diarrhea and often weight loss or difficulty gaining weight, not behavior problems. The gluten causes the villi in the small intestine to be scraped off ... it is considered an autoimmune disease today. Allergies to things can cause behavioral problems and I would talk with your physician and see if he/she feels that your son should be tested. Otherwise you are just trying things and really won't know what is causing his problem. Don't change the diet until you have him tested or you will not know what the problem is. If you remove gluten and he is celiac, tests will not show this. If he has wheat or gluten allergies I have lots of recipes I could share with you.
H-
____@____.com

Hi L.,
I understand there is mild gluten intolerance and severe. My friend's daughter, now 22, exhibited gluten intolerance symptoms at 18 months. She had severe diarrhea, rapid weight loss, and eventually fever over the period of 2 weeks. She went to the Dr. who at first sent them home, finally she insisted on a battery of tests. The rest of the family didn't test positive for celiac, and my friend ended up making a lot of small separate meals for her daughter through out the years.
Hope it helps,
Wendy

I thought I would share with you some info on a wellness company that I shop with they have foods that are completly gluton free you should go to this website and request more info I really think itll benefit you in more ways than one :) Make it a great day
http://www.healthier4myfamily.com

Ditto on what has been said already and the best places for your new journey is from autism sites as most kids with autism have problems as well with gluten and they have done the research. It is so much easier now to go gluten free and know that it is in just about everything.

A site I recommend is www.tacanow.org There is a whole section on gluten free-casein free diet and how to do it. Stores such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Henrys, and even Vons now, make it easier as well.

There is testing, an IgG blood test is what we have used to find out about over 100 foods, of which my daughter had a problem with 21. Once we removed them, behavior, asthma, and other things went away. We would call her Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde, within minutes she would respond negativly to gluten.

Also, your bath and body products probably have gluten in them. We have been using Sensaria Natural Bodycare for several years now and my daughter's eczema is gone.
www.sensaria.com/J.

Why dont you stop feeding him any food with gluten and see what happens, then if you suspect it's true call the Pediatrician/allergist and make the appt when you can afford the test. Insurance should pay for it.
If he has diarrhea, and congestion, etc and it gets better maybe you're on to something. If you think his behavior is from gluten foods...hmmm that's a stretch.
Kids are dynamic and are changing to the environment, and growing and regressing, as you are. Give the obvious the time and try it out by elimination diet. Let the teacher, family and friends know in a private way that you are watching his diet. good luck Deb