Need advice on Gluten & dairy free diets

[twocutedarlings]

Hi All,

Im thinking of try my DD on a Gluten & dairy free diet, but im not very sure where i start or even if this is the right move for her. She is very small for her age and in the past we have really struggled to keep weight on her as she is extremely active.

I know from reading old threads that alot of you have your DC on this diet and was hoping that a few would give me some ideas for menus, lunch boxes ect.

[Emparade]

I would consult a health professional before cutting out any food group esp. if already a weight/thriving issue. It may exacerbate things. Best of luck

[needmorecoffee]

dd is dairy free and sort of GF cos she can't chew bread/wheat. She has porridge for breakfast, mashed veggies with lots of marg for lunch, banana and vegan cream midafternoon and more mashed stuff at tea-time. Its all mashed cos she can't chew. She also has soya formala.
We did let her have sugar but the dentist said no more cos she has tooth decay. Advocados are good.
Call the vegan society for more advice. Most dieticians know bugger all about dairy free diets.
If your child can chew and eat then there's loads of food out there.

[twocutedarlings]

Hi NMC,

Thanks for your reply i should have probably said in my OP that DD has been on Dairy free diet before due to a lactose intolerance. She been back on most diary for about 12 months now the only thing i still cut out is yogurts as they send her bowel into overdrive, lol

DD has AS, so yes she can chew fine (to well tbh) I know ive seen you post b4 that your son has AS. Have you tried DS on this diet ?

Im sorry to hear about your DD (read your post about the dentist) So for you and your DD.

[Nat1H]

Why do you want to try these diets?
I would ask a paediatrician if you are concerned about her development and are worried that it may be food related.
I would also suggest trying the diets at different times so you know which foodstuff makes the difference.
Gluten free diets are a nightmare because wheat, oats, rye and barley all contain gluten. Unless you really know what you are doing it would be very difficult to get a completely gluten free diet (I have been on one for 10 years now!)

[twocutedarlings]

Hi Nat,

The reason i want to try DD on this diet is because DD has Aspergers, and if read alot of positive feedback about it helping with various ASD issues.

[Nat1H]

Oh right! Yes, I've heard this too, and I did a maternity leave cover in a school for children with Autism, and a lot were on a gluten free diet.
It is a bugger to do at first though - so many things have gluten 'hidden' in them. eg. stock cubes. It's a lot easier now with the new labelling system as gluten should be included in the allergy section - contains.... nuts, egg, gluten, etc. etc.
If you need any advice though, just ask, and good luck. Hope it helps!!

[macwoozy]

I tried the gluten and casein free diet a few years ago, it was hard work and like your dd, my ds is very particular when it comes to eating different types of food. It didn't seem to have any positive effects for my ds(ASD) but then I didn't quite stick to the rules(which is really difficult!!). I tried my damn hardest and spent my whole time at the supermarket reading the ingredients of every product. Problem was, I wanted instant results and didn't get them, but I will admit that I'm almost prepared to give it another goIf you want, I can post you some recipes.

[needmorecoffee]

We've done dairy free for ds (aspergers) but thats cos he had terrible excema. It didn't stop his ASD behaviour however. Never done GF - and he's now 14 - because he decides what he wants to eat himself and pretty much lives on pasta and ketchup. no way could I make a 14 do as they are told! He has improved hugely from 5 (under tables rocking) to 14 (gone to school) but thgats down to taking him out of school and hard work. I try and keep him junk free as he does deteriorate if he eats crap. He's vegetarian rather than veag but doesn't get execma anymore thank goodness. At point point his whole back, front, legs and arms were a huge oozing scab (hope no-one is eating) that cracked when he moved. The docs could only suggest steroids which of course affcet the brain so I made him DF and took him to a homeopath. Within a month he had clear smooth skin.
I reckon a diet of rice, lots of veggies (don't know if you eat meat) fruit, nuts and good fats is do-able if not particuarly appealing to a child. Its what I live in although I'm not GF but I don't eat bread or pasta as themslevs cos its makes my reflux worse.

[staryeyed]

My DS with autism is Gluten and Casein (all milk products from goats/cows etc) free. Some people suggest taking out the Casein first as this has the quicker results. I found this part of the diet quite easy. Try milk substitutes. We were using soya but were then told by a dietician that its not a good substitute for children so we now use rice milk. Gluten is harder because it is hidden is so many things but you can get a list of safe foods from the coeliac website. www.coeliac.co.uk/glutenfree_living/eating_and_shopping/76.asp

A good book for GFCF is Marilyn Le Breton Diet intervention and autism. It tells you where gluten and casein is hidden. There are websites with information I can find the links if you would like.

For my Ds I think it has really stopped the tantrums and got rid of his red ear and cheek and incredible sweatiness. Although he still has some tantrums they are usually very short. However I wouldn't swear that its due to the diet because we are doing different interventions at the same time.

HTH

[KarenThirl]

You'll need to contact Sunderland Autism Research Unit for urine analysis, which will determine whether or not gluten and/or casein could be an issue for your child. Last time I checked it cost £60, although if your GP or paediatrician is supportive you might get them to refer for tests and waive the charge.

osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/autism/
(sorry, I'm rubbish at links).
You can also phone them for advice.

If you do go ahead with the diet, it's a good idea to get your gp to refer to a paediatric nutritionist for advice and support.