Re: celiac struggles with my 6 yr old

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/19/2007 11:52:20 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

cookies4mecookies4u@... writes:

Anyhow my point is if i let my son eat only the items he should then he will

never grow!!!

First, let me say that I do understand your pain and frustration. Although

my daughter has always been at an appropriate weight, she too was (and still

is to a certain extent) a picky eater. I must say however that she is

actually more interested in trying new foods now that she is gluten free, I

think

because she feels better. When she was first diagnosed however, it was such a

life change for all of us, and I think I cried more at this diagnosis than I

did finding out she had Down syndrome. So much of our life revolves around

food after all!

That being said, I feel compelled to say that if your son continues to eat

foods with gluten, his chances of growing are just as slim, because his

intestines will continue to be damaged by the gluten, even just a little bit,

and

therefore his body will not be able to get the nutrients from the foods he

eats (gluten free) that are good for him. It's just so important to his

health.

I know not all of the gluten free foods are great (or even good) tasting,

but there are many that are. Plus there are many " regular " foods that are

naturally gluten free, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, rice,

potatoes,

corn products (including chips and tortillas) etc. It is hard to make the

switch entirely, I know, but he is still young enough that if you do it now,

and remain consistent, then it will be easier for him to forget about those

other foods and not miss what he can't have.

There is a book, Kids with Celiac Disease, that you may find helpful. In

addition to general information of the disease itself, it has meal suggestions,

and a lot of supportive advice.

I hope the journey gets easier for you, your son and your family.

Sandi

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[Guest guest]

" Does it get easier??does anyone else actually should i say has anyone else been

in my spot with this?? Has it gotten easier?? Any foods your picky eater might

have liked that i could try?? "

It does get easier but never like it was before celiac. My daughter was also

picky and still is. She still will only eat certain foods...she wont eat fresh

fruit or fresh veges due to texture, but will eat canned. At 6 I still give her

gerber meat sticks (chicken, turkey and meat which I guess is a little of

everything). Every day for lunch she has meat sticks, peaches or mandarin

oranges, and a canned vege in the little snack pack size, kraft cheese twists,

pudding or yogurt. She will eat muffins or cupcakes from kinnickinik and

sometimes a cookie. Pamela's makes bite size chocolate chips that taste pretty

good. We make pancakes from pamelas mix that are quite good...my sons friends

cant tell the difference. She will eat spaghetti and macaroni/cheese, and

chicken taquitos. She will also eat hamburger patties and baked potatoes. She

snacks on cheetoes (natural) and crackers by ener G. Glutino makes crackers

that taste just like a waverly cracker. It takes alot of trial and error. I

try to make things all the time to add variety, but often she won't eat it. I

just keep trying because eventually she might. Otherwise I don't sweat the fact

that she doesn't eat alot of different foods...she has gained weight and is

satisfied. Maybe you could build around his favourite foods. Hannah always ate

cherrios, now eats fruity pebbles. It is easy to get overwhelmed by this diet

and let your frustration get the best of you. I absolutely hated this when we

started, but we have adjusted over the past 2 years and it is manageable. As

for oats, they say no because of the risk of cross contamination, but they have

gluten free oats now that you can use...some people tolerate them and some

don't. Don't give up on this...I noticed a big change in Hannah once she was

completely gluten free for a few weeks. He may not know he feels bad if it is

all he has known...that's how it was with her. The sad reality is that if you

aren't compliant with this diet he could have even more serious health issues

than he does now. Can you imagine a teenager with severe osteoporosis because

he couldn't absorb calcium? A disease that usually is limited to the elderly

and is painful and debilitating ? Nutrients are also so important for brain

development. I will be glad to help where I can. I get alot of info on foods

to try from sillyyaks and celiackids online. Hang in there....it really does

get better.

Tammy

Mom to Hannah 6ds, Trystan 4