Its fine to bring my children up gluten free

[Ironfistfunkymum]

I've been gf for 6+ years, not alergic or anything but feel so much better for it. People seem generally fine with this.

However now I have children people do seem to judge bringing them up gf. But why would if feed them something that I dont think is very healthy (grains hard to digest) and something that I don't think is very ethical (wheat production is causing more deserts due to its growing conditions).

Aibu to expect people to respect my choice and leave it at that?

And what's with the need for everyone to wave medical certificates to "justify" their choices.

SDTG - one of my friends did just that. Fed her DD a low fat, low calorie diet similar to the one that she ate herself and her DD ended up malnourished. Their GP was absolutely shocked when he heard what she was feeding her. That was 10 years ago and I suspect she's not alone - I suspect more and more middle class children are victims of their parents' ill-informed food choices.

Giles - there's a huge difference in people who actively choose to feed their children a poor diet because they wrongly believe it's better for them and those who do it because they're poorly educated and/or just plain poor. I think you're being disingenuous to suggest otherwise. And the latter group will generally want to feed their children better whereas the former are hugely defensive and spend a lot of money pursuing their children's ill-informed diet.

A friend of a friend would not allow her DD any sugar at all, to the extent that fruit was banned as it was too high in sugar. The DD stayed at my friend's house one night and got up in the middle of the night and totally gorged herself eating all the fruit in the fruit bowl and made herself sick. She also stole some sweets and stuffed herself silly with them.

I hope you're not setting your DC up for something like that OP.

I have no problem with those cutting gluten out if there's a genuine reason, even of not diagnosed, but to restrict the diet of children unnecessarily is not great.

I think rooners has a very sensible attitude to it, eating gluten free at home but allowing kids to eat what they want out of the house.

Our family meals are mostly dairy free because of DS's allergy as it's easier rather than cooking two meals.

i had friends when Ds were younger whose parents fed them a high fibre, low fat, low calorie, low sugar diet. When they went to parties they made a bee line for all the party food. Our circle had a standing joke about who was on rota to deal with the resulting vom/poo nami.

*usually it's the vegans that get the stick.

I find it unnecessary that people take so much glee in catching people out on stuff. All the sauces or the wine or whatever.

I usually find that threads like this can actually provide nice recipes or ideas, I'm always looking fir new ideas. just a shame people are so hard on others for something that really doesn't harm them.

All these children who's parents are going to these measures to try provide a good diet. well they are all very lucky that the parents care so much.*

Thanks for that Giles. Did you see the recipe for cheesecake? Or soured chick peas?

We had millionaire s shortbread for a treat after dinner tonight.

Similar to this thevegancookiefairy.com/2014/11/15/raw-millionaires-shortbread-gluten-free-nut-free/

If what you want is recipes, just ask for recipes - if you ask for people's views on the reactions of others to your children's diet, don't be surprised if you don't just get recipes!

Any comment on the risks of causing gluten intolerance by restricting gluten in the diet, Ironfist?

I did see the recipe I'm keen to try it. I have coconut oil in the house at all times

love the look of the shortbread too. might have to give that a try also.

I have coconut oil in the house at all times

Ah. This year's MagicFood.

I started buying it years ago.

I like the coconut flavour it gives when making chocolate muffins. and I use it in granola.

I find it unnecessary that people take so much glee in catching people out on stuff. All the sauces or the wine or whatever

Ah yes. The glee . That's exactly what I feel when someone orders 'gluten free' in a restaurant, then says it 'doesn't matter' when the oats aren't gf. Or there's a teeny bit of barley malt extract in the sauce. Or the chips were cooked in the same oil as the scampi. Glee is precisely what I experience as I stroke my son's back uselessly while he weeps in pain, begging to be able to throw up, because someone has been told by a 'gluten free' eater that gf bread can be toasted in the same toaster that's been used for non-gf bread.

I love it, I do!

multivac someone reducing gluten in their diet isn't doing so as a personal attack to your family. You do know that, right? Because you sound unhinged about it.

Reducing gluten in one's diet is entirely different to having to eliminate it completely due to coeliac (which must be difficult. I appreciate that). But that doesn't mean you can dismiss that person's (sensible IMHO) choice.

But that doesn't mean you can dismiss that person's (sensible IMHO) choice

I've said throughout that I don't care how the OP feeds her kids (whether it's 'sensible' or not to risk giving them an intolerance because of a dislike of ingredients with long names is something on which we might disagree, but ultimately, her family, her choice). I do care if she is telling other people that she is 'bringing them up gluten free', when she is doing no such thing; because that does, indirectly, impact on my family (as explained earlier, if you RTFT).

"multivac someone reducing gluten in their diet isn't doing so as a personal attack to your family. You do know that, right? Because you sound unhinged about it."

I'm sure she knows that. But I can imagine the frustration she must feel of trendy "gluten freers" muddying the waters and unintentionally minimising her child's needs. I know from experience how people don't understand the difficulty of going completely gluten free, as people with CD have to do. And there really is no evidence that reducing gluten has any impact at all on the health of the majority of people.

Bertrand why don't you try looking up non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Affects approximately 6 times as many people as celiac disease. Discovered relatively recently, in part as a response to why so many people test negative for celiac disease, but suffer symptoms after eating gluten. But 20 years ago those people would have met with the response "you're imagining it, nothing wrong with you, stop muddying the waters". Not the majority of people, granted, but a significant number of people nonetheless, and it could point to a spectrum of dysfunction caused by the ingestion of gluten, with further reaches of which we are as yet unaware.

Perhaps ponder whether maybe, just maybe, science/medical knowledge doesn't yet fully understand everything there is to know in this area and there are new discoveries/breakthroughs out there to be made.

Perhaps also consider also that lack of evidence is not the same as disproof. The fact that something is not yet conclusively tested does not necessarily make it untrue, it just makes it as yet untested. You may even allow your thoughts to stray to wondering about from whence do the conjectures that form the basis of testable scientific hypotheses stem?

Consider whether it could, at least in part, be from anecdotal evidence and as yet inconclusive observations...perhaps even remember that hypotheses/theories are never proven, they can only be refuted, and absence of refutation does not constitute proof. Maybe realise that even in the world of science, the waters are much, much muddier than we generally realise.

And realise that things other than accurate testing of an hypotheses can lead to it's dismissal. The politics of the day can assert it's influence directly or indirectly- look at the interfaces between Darwinism/Lamarckism/Lysenkoism/Epigenetics and tell me science proceeds only on the basis of evidence not preformed opinion...Science isn't some fully formed omniscient, omnipotent body of objective truth y'know, so don't go dismissing other's opinions with high handed scientism.

You picked big boots to fill Bertrand

Gosh. And you said I was high handed!

I understand where some of the anger from CD people is coming from. But really your problem is insufficient training. These places sound very inept tbh. I've done food training courses just to help volunteer at charity events and I'm fully aware about allergies and cross contamination. I'd expect people that do this as a Job to be much better than someone that just cooks for charity a few times a year.

I never say we are CD, just gf.

There is mounting evidence that many people without CD benefit from gf, it really is time to stop calling these people woo.

excellent post lovecats

There is mounting evidence as to gluten's detrimental effects even in "healthy" individuals. But don't expect the NHS to pick up on it any time soon.

But what do I know - I'm a trendy gluten avoider. must dash - off to soak the lentils for dinner

The NHS are still selling low fat and diet drinks!

PS get a pressure cooker!

YABU to create a special diet for your children when they can actually eat everything.
YABU to make food an issue for them.
YABU to pretend they need a restrictive diet and expect other people to follow this when you don't bother yourself if it is inconvenient.
YABU to come on AIBU with a 'look at how fabulous and clever I am' post.

Could you link to the mounting evidence please? My understanding was that trials had shown no correlation between gluten and gut issues in non coeliac people but that there was a possible correlation in some people with FODMAPS. I'd be really interested to see the papers you're talking about.

Madrid is excellent for those avoiding gluten (as are many places in Spain). The Celiac Society there is very active and has gone out and done proper training for people in restaurants/catering. So many places have separate fryers, and they are very careful about cross-contamination. It really shows that proper training for people who work with food makes a world of difference. It's considered being part of being a professional restaurant there.

So I think the problem is lack of proper training for people who work in restaurants, not the "faddy" gluten free people. It's also the fact that in the UK people who work in hospitality are often poorly trained and on minimum wage- being a waiter isn't generally seen as a respectable profession which pays a decent wage and where it is possible to have a career, where training is given and experience is valued.

There is an excellent totally gf bakery called Celicioso on Calle Hortaleza. here And even a place that does gluten free churros near Plaza Santa Ana, Maestro Churro if I remember rightly.

I think it's more productive to expend energy on pushing back the boundaries of bad practice than squabbling over who deserves help the most.

Why so upest on these threads? Just decide what suits you and your family - which might be kosher or vegetarian or healthy foods or junk?

I don't understand why it bothers people so much. I eat what I regard as good foods like meat, fish, eggs, fish, veg. If that makes people go off and cry because I don't main line crispy creme donuts whilst downing coca cola then that's just tough. Have your little cry. I know what foods make me feel good.

Why so upset on these threads? Because the OP is preventing her children from being able to go out for meals, visit friends, go to the cinema, attend parties, etc. without food being an issue. There is no need to put this ridiculous burden on them.

Because her kids don't have choice and there is no reason for her to do this to do them. She doesn't even appear to understand what she is dong either which is even more worrying for her children.

But really your problem is insufficient training

I don't actually expect everyone who feeds my children when I'm not around to be trained.