Protecting our Gluten and Allergen Free Kids

Today's post is about keeping your allergic/food intolerant children incident free.

“For the previous 250,000 years, man had evolved without having this very strange protein in his gut, ...And as a result, this is a really strange, different protein which the human intestine cannot fully digest. Many people did not adapt to these great environmental changes, so some adverse effects related to gluten ingestion developed around that time.”
...People with celiac have one or two genetic mutations that somehow, when pieces of gliadin course through the gut, cause the immune system to attack the walls of the intestine in a case of mistaken identity. That, in turn, causes fingerlike structures called villi that absorb nutrients on the inside of the intestines to atrophy, and the intestines can become leaky, wreaking havoc. Symptoms, which vary widely among people with the disease, can include vomiting, chronic diarrhea or constipation and diminished growth rates in children.
The vast majority of people who have celiac do not know it. And not everyone who has the genetic mutations develops celiac.
What worries doctors is that the problem seems to be growing.The New York Times: Gluten-Free, Whether You Need It or Not

1. ...Do things other kids do...
2. ...Create recipes that mimic troublesome foods... 
3. ...Take your child to meet other food allergy kids... 
4. ...Give your child an empowered voice...
   Yahoo Voices: 4 Tips to Keep Your Food Allergy Child Normal

You may enjoy this webinar: Raising a Well-Adjusted Child Who Takes Food Allergies in Stride

8 GREAT Ways to Recognize Gluten-Free Needs During National School Lunch Week

NFCA: Printable Guides and Tip Sheets and Navigating the School System


Celiac Sprue Association's Letter to the Teacher


As Play-Doh is NOT gluten free, and many other alternatives are also not gluten free, you might want to check out Soy-yer Dough. The original version does have soy, but they do have a soy free version. No, I was not paid to advertise for them, and I actually do not own any myself. I use Pelikan's modeling clay here at home IF I am in a mood to clean up after it.

This art supply ingredient list is two years old now, so you will need to call the companies and ask after their products.


Books and Magazines:
Free PDF Book (also available in Paperback) "The Trouble that Jack Had
Gluten Intolerance Group's Magazine for children and Summer Camp
Eat Like a Dinosaur: Recipe & Guidebook for Gluten-free Kids
Cilie Yack is Under Attack: A story about a boy with celiac disease
Adam's Gluten Free Surprise: Helping Others Understand Gluten Free
Gluten-Free Kids: Raising Happy, Healthy Children with Celiac Disease, Autism, and Other Conditions
Mommy, What Is Celiac Disease?: A look at the sunny side of being a gluten-free kid
Eating Gluten-Free with Emily: A Story for Children with Celiac Disease
No Cupcakes for Jason: A Child's Story about the Gluten-free Casein-free Diet With a Parents' Guide and a School Guide included
The GF Kid: A Celiac Disease Survival Guide
No More Cupcakes & Tummy Aches
Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults, Second Edition
Lunch With Quinn: The story of one child's diagnosis and management of Celiac Disease
Bagels, Buddy, and Me...A story about gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease
How I Eat Without Wheat
Gluten-Free Friends: An Activity Book for Kids
 
Out of all of these, the only one I currently have is "The trouble that Jack had". I netted a free copy a couple years ago when my mom and sister went to the Better Homes and Gardens show in Alabama. There was apparently a very large Gluten Free contingent there.  If you have any further book suggestions, please feel free to drop them in the comments box.



When it comes to packing food (Lunch box, brown bag, Bento or Tiffin) it is always best to follow food safety rules so that your child does not get food poisoning. You may find Lunch In A Box or other Bento-related blogs very helpful in this avenue. Some of her recipes are gluten free, or can easily be transformed to be GF. Some recipes or Bento fillers are Paleo, Primal, SCD or GAPS compliant. I do have a few wonderful Bento cookbooks I would be happy to share, but most of the recipes are not helpful for this diet. Perhaps later on I can include some of the recipes, as I become more confident with the GAPS Diet.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, perishable foods kept between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 60 degrees Celsius) for more than two hours are no longer safe to eat.
Although 45 percent of the packed lunches included an ice pack and 12 percent were kept in refrigerators, nearly all of the perishable foods were in the danger zone.
Yahoo News: August 8, 2001: Kids' packed lunches too warm to be safe: study

And when it comes to colleges, it appears there are relatively few colleges that cater to gluten free students. 

While there is still a long way to go in making the majority of schools safe and celiac-friendly, some colleges and universities are going above and beyond when it comes to providing gluten-free options. Here are just a few of the schools who are leading the way, though many, if not most, have programs to provide meals for students with any kind of dietary need.
14 Colleges That Cater to Gluten-Free Students and Gluten Free Reviews of College Dining Services

With more children going gluten-free in the past few years, according to Celiac Disease awareness organizations, parents are increasingly asking schools to accommodate these dietary needs the way they have for other allergies such as peanuts. And it’s not just banning gluten-containing products from lunchboxes. Some parents say they are requiring that arts & crafts go gluten-free too.
Market Watch: Even Toys are going Gluten Free

Please stay safe and happy out there in GAPS-y land! xoxo