Info required on going GF - what to expect?

[aaronsmummy]

I am considering a Gluten Free diet for my son - what changes can I expect - will his sleep improve?

Phew! GF means Gluten Free. Sorry, no advice though.

Well for us, we saw a lot of changes but they took a long while. Most immediate though, was formed poop. We never saw a formed poop!

I had withdrawal symptoms for a fortnight, headaches and moodswings.

His sleep will depend on why he is waking up - if it's stomach pains and they go away then the sleep might improve, but the waking up might have become habit.

We have definitely noticed a more settled sleep pattern - DS2 still wakes in the night but isn't as hyper. Would echo the comments about poo - Ds2's had already improved hugely since going on a 6 week yeast free diet last year, but since going gf they have become more solid still! Bit too solid in fact. Sorry, tmi. I've written about other changes in thread below - but i guess it's different for everyone.

We haven't found the diet too much of a hassle at all - DS loves the gf bread (I think because it's more like pappy Mothers Pride than the homemade wholemeal we used to feed him!). But we have got a very good health food shop within spitting distance of our house, which makes it a lot easier.

Will it make a big difference in my shopping habits? What kinds of things will I have to avaoid?

Get xanthan gum (can get it from Asda I believe) .. add a teaspoon of it to gluten-free flours and you can make virtually anything .. cakes / pizza bases (bread never seems the same though )

without it gf flours produce quite crumbly stuff .. it acts as a stabiliser

used to be a site called barbaraskitchen .. hang on a tic

barbaras kitchen

I phoned her up years ago .. she really knows her stuff .. can talk the hind leg off a donkey though .. but fab

brilliant thanks for the info

You might not see physical immediate changes or immediate behavioural changes with GF diet but you can bet there will be internal changes. Gluten isnt good for anyone in my opinion, and our whole family is off of it and feel better. It can take up to and over six months for the effects of gluten to go away. which is why infractions for kids who are sensitive to it, are so damaging.

xantham gum is available in most health food shops. For casein free we use Tiger White milk. Its expensive but you can cook with it and make bottles as well. Full of vitamin E and totally organic with no sugars or carbs.