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?

I am in full agreement with TheRealAmy - as the parent of a child with serious food allergies, who would dearly love her to be able to eat an unrestricted diet, it is so difficult to encounter those who request gluten-free / other restricted diets when out and within nursery/school "just because".

My daughter's nursery were very apologetic that they had to see a hospital letter in order to cater for her special diet because they have come across many parents self-diagnosing "intolerances".

Just aim for a healthy mixed diet, don't impose unnecessary food angst on your children and do those of us who really do deal with serious food allergies/coeliac disease a favour and don't request special foods for your children for no real reason.
Sorry to sound harsh, but it can be a struggle. Particularly when faced with a child who can't yet understand why she has to eat different stuff.

Unfortunately, many people end up diagnosing their own intolerances because the NHS is woefully inadequate in this area. My DH, eldest son and daughter have no hospital letter to say they are lactose intolerant but feed them a glass of milk, or a sandwich with butter on and you won't get them out of the loo for the rest of the day.

As pps have said - feed your kids whatever the hell you like.

But please, don't talk about 'gluten', unless you actually know what it is.

Cheers.

You sound quite ignorant of what gluten actually is. It sounds like you just avoid wheat so saying your kids are GF would be very misleading.

Oh, and I'd check out the "ethics" of quinoa, if I were you, OP.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/the-food-fad-thats-starving-bolivia-2248932.html

YANBU. It totally baffles me why so many people think that what other people eat is any of their damn business whatsoever. All those people just need to mind their own damn business and treat other people's needs and preferences with some respect.

You do realise that cutting an allergen such as gluten or wheat (or dairy for that matter) out of a child's diet will likely lead to them becoming intolorent of it in the future??

I knew 2 little boys who were brought up on such a diet, I saw them regularly getting upset about not being allowed things in playgroup type situations and one of them even played an imaginary game where he was allowed a hot cross bun at a party. Nasty nasty unecessary parenting, I bet any parent of a child with an allergy or intollorance would never choose that for their child.

Promote a healthy balanced diet but ffs don't start banning and cutting out such common elements in everyday food for no medical reason. Restricting certain foods at home is one thing but going without it entirely is unfair and ridiculous.

The whole idea is completely mad, you would be harming and disadvantaging your children for your own personal gratification, and I would expect health visitors/ gps/ school/ etc to be referring to ss

My mum (original hipster - hated wheat before it was cool to do it) told everyone I couldn't stomach yeast, normal bread and also normal chocolate. It was a health fad for her and I remember my grandma (mum's MIL) being very confused but trying to source the correct food and treats. it caused no end of confusion for me, I developed some odd ideas about food and healthy eating, and as I grew up I realised mum just likes being different, and thinking she knows more about health than everyone else. I'm in my thirties now and she still mentions my (non-existent) intolerance to yeast. My grandma and I now roll our eyes over it.

Soured chick pea curry sounds revolting.

We (DH, me, DS1 and DD1) eat a high fat low carb diet 90% of the time which is by nature largely gluten free.

However we all enjoy meals out and with friends without worrying about it at all.

Seems to work. Everyone is in great health and no stress. I think 'All or nothing' is too hard.

If anything I'd like to help and donate so anyone could have what mine were eating then at least they wouldn't feel left out.

I maybe misinterpreting this. But you want to donate food, so all the other kids can eat your way.....so your kids don't feel left out? What?

I am coeliac and wouldn't expect everyone else to eat what I eat. The fact is that you may be causing more problems than solving by completely avoiding it.....but then it doesn't really seem like you are avoiding it. But telling everyone else you are. So mil is in a bit of a panic trying to provide gluten free meals, when thats not what you are doing.

This is all quite confusing.

Words fail me as to why anybody would voluntarily seriously restrict a child's diet in the absence of medical need. DD is allergic to dairy and it is a massive pita. She feels singled out all the time and increasingly left out when all the other kids are scoffing ice creams on a sunny day and she has a choice of one ice lolly if she is lucky. Sorry, but I think you are bonkers.

Reading back, the lolly thing sounds a bit precious. But when you are 7 years old, these things matter a lot. I suspect that soon enough your kids will be merrily scoffing sandwiches behind your back.

zoe it's not precious. It is really frustrating for kids (I was that kid). Even though you are an adult it's difficult to see your child being 'different' or not being able to have what they want on occasion.

I sort of just accept it now, but even as an adult it's annoying sometimes. No being able to have birthday cake, or ordering in a restaurant, making sure they realise that cross contamination doesn't happen, or researching restaurants before when a group of you is going out, making sure they don't put a random dressing on food etc.

You and your child have my sympathy.

soured chick pea curry had me wondering.....

sending your daughter to brownie camp with some part cooked quinoa confirmed it ....

this is a wind up isn't it?

The check pea curry sounds nice!

Thanks Spartans. I'm sorry you are still dealing with it as an adult. It sucks to be left out. What parent in their right mind would inflict it willingly on their child - I really hope it is a windup. And I love health food as much as the next person, but sour chicken pea curry?

Chick pea, ffs autocorrect!

im gluten intolerant my children are not they have real cereal for breakfast a wheat based lunch and gluten free for dinner when we all eat together i dont see the need to raise them gluten free i see no benefit to it as it is expensive over processed and sweet food i have to make my own (except the bread i hate bread making) they add sugar and fillers to everything its not a healthy diet at all

There are lots of reported health benefits to being GF for non-coeliacs. Even ADHD has been linked to it so I don't think it's ok to say let them eat gluten outside the home because unfortunately it ruins the good work done by the OP at home.

Having said that, it's a truly impossible thing to adhere to because gluten is everywhere and most people have to go to a lot of trouble to cook without it. So I think you're going to have to make sure your kids have a small but regular intake of gluten so they don't feel ill when they do encounter it.

For goodness sake, don't tell people your children are gluten-free when what you really mean is you don't want them to have wheat.

A friend's little girl has coeliacs, and if I'm cooking for her it involves careful checking of ingredients, running things by my friend before I use them, making sure there's no cross-contamination in the kitchen. Or it involves going out and buying expensive gluten-free alternatives. If I had children round and was told they were gluten-free, went through all that, and found out that they ate all sorts of hidden gluten, I'd be spitting teeth with their parents.

It's also spectacularly unfair to restrict the children's diet to the extent that you may create an intolerance where one didn't exist. The children may well finish up having to try and manage that intolerance as adults while resenting the fact that it's completely unnecessary.

I have no issue with people raising children vegetarian. It's a fairly mainstream diet choice and not unduly restricting. It doesn't stop you eating out and most party hosts will expect to cater for some vegetarians. I'm vegetarian - the DCs aren't but do eat a lot of vegetarian food because that's what I cook. But something like a GF diet is so very restrictive in terms of social eating.

DS had lots of gastro issues when he was a baby. He had severe reflux, a slow bowel transit time & severe constipation.

My mum told me that both me & my sister couldn't tolerate gluten until we were over a year old, so I asked DS's paediatrician about it. She wanted him to start weaning at 4 months, but no gluten until 6 months. I asked her about maybe holding off on gluten until he was a year old, like my sister & I, but she said absolutely not. She said that if you restrict gluten from their diet unnecessarily then you can cause them to be intolerant of it in the future.

Also, if you're eating a gluten-free diet, then you have something with gluten in, whether you're actually coeliac/intolerant/whatever or not, you're probably going to have gastro issues as you won't be used to digesting it.

DH was a vegetarian when I met him. Every now and again he would have a bite of my bacon sarnie, burger or gammon, and it would make him very ill. However, once he started eating meat a bit more regularly he had no problems - it's just that his body wasn't used to it.

My personal feeling is that if you as a family want to avoid wheat at home then that's probably fine, but to "go gluten-free" is far more serious and could have serious medical, psychological & social issues.

A scout volunteer here. Our general rule is we cater for genuine problems (recently had a child who has an anaphylactic reaction to wheat) or vegetarianism (or, I guess, vegan, although that would be a challenge for a week) but we do not cater for whims or preferences. There is one meal choice, and either the kids adapt round that (pasta and cheese, but no bolognese, for example) or starve. Always fruit and cake and biscuits available.

I'm afraid if I was told the child followed a gf diet out of no known medical reason i would take a poor reaction to it. With limited cooking facilities (typically four gas burners in a tent) it would be a real pain.

There are lots of reported health benefits to being GF for non-coeliacs. Even ADHD has been linked to it so I don't think it's ok to say let them eat gluten outside the home because unfortunately it ruins the good work done by the OP at home.

Thanks for that. In terms of intolerance I'm not only giving strict gf foods so they probabaky have a fair amount in small does so that is certanly nothing to worry about. We had lunch out yesterday and they had the oat cakes with soup, I didn't worry about it. As long as they don't get unwell I try not to think about it too much. But I know they get unwell from eating refined wheat, blocked up nose and all that.

at people flaming a dish just based on its name, don't sound very worldly. Its a well known madhur jaffrey recipe. But if "foreign food" scares you..