Nephew Needs a Gluten Free Diet and I Need Tips

The Trader Joe's stores will have a shopping list at the front of the store with all of their gluten free products. The Fruitful Yield stores keep most of their gluten free products in one aisle, and Whole Foods would also have a lot of options. You may want to start at Fruitful Yield because they are much smaller and offer more personal service.

Try Lil's store at 2738 W. 111th St ###-###-####. They specialize in gluten free items. They may some ideas for you. I heven't been there but I was given the info to pass on to a patient of mine. Hope it helps. Teri

Meijers has a small gluten section with food that a friend of mine can eat.... She is very limited other than fruits and veggies. She did come across a small section of foods to prepare at Meijers near the dairy area. I wish you well with finding recipes and such.

My Mother has had to be on a gluten free diet for 10+ years, and is doing quite well. One issue for her was always bread -- we all love bread. To purchase at specialty stores is very expensive, so she tried many, many different recipes for making bread. She's discovered the "best" in her opinion. I'd be happy to forward to you if you or the parents are interested. I've gotten several requests, so saved it in Word format. Let me know if you want it.
Karen J.

Celiac.com has a lot of information on going gluten free. and the Celiac Sprue Association has some great recipes- http://www.csaceliacs.org/recipes.php I have a friend who has a couple of boys with Celiac Disease and she is incredibly careful about what they eat. There is a fantastic grocery store called Woodmans in North Aurora that sells tons of organics and gluten free things. They are supposed to be building a Woodmans in Joliet later this year of next year I heard.

I have a word document full of websites and local stores in Chicago and Wisconsin that sends GF (and casein-free) foods. If you would like the document, feel free to respond with your email address and I'll be happy to send it to you. I follow a GF (dairy-free) and (soy-free)diet. So there is hope and tons of info. Also the Sunflower Markets have a whole isle catered to GF foods (breads, pastas, cookies...) I also highly recommend a naturopathic doctor at www.vitalhealth.org who can also test for other food issues, including additives, etc. She does have a 6 month waiting list though, but worth the wait!

My sister wrote a cookbook with many gluten free options. welcomingkitchen.com is the site to purchase the book.

Hi T. -- not sure where you live, but there is a Gluten Free market in Northbook,IL. Otherwise Whole Foods has a GF list of foods, as does Trader Joes. Lots of Online help available too. www.kinnikinnick.com has wonderful food---their ALTA line, is the Casien free also. My children are both on Gluten Free (GF) diets. My oldest (Autistic Spectrum), 11---has been on it since he was 4 1/2 and my youngest 8, has been on it since he was 2. If you need any help please let me know --- initially the diet can seem so overwhelming, but it does get easier ;-)

Hi T.,

I have 3 children with celiac disease. Because he is a toddler it is easy for me to recall off the top of my head the things I did for my kids. Go to Woodman's in Kenosha off of 94 and 50. The brand Enviro Kids makes a cereal bar, chocolate was the best, that is good and easy food for a toddler. My kids love these bars. Cheese, string cheese again easy for him to eat. Keep lots of fresh fruit. In actually cooking for him only use salt and pepper for spices unless you go to a specialty store such as Earthly Goods in Gurnee and ask for gluten Free spices. Gluten hides in products as fillers. Oscar Myer hot dogs any thing made by the brand Old Wisconsin, which is sausages, I know they have it at Woodman's. Scrambled eggs made with just milk, salt and pepper and only use real butter not margarines. They are actually bad for your whole family, but margarine is not gluten free. Pam spray is gluten free. Capri Suns are gluten free, Sunny Delight and 100% juices. Tell your family to contact University Chicago Hospital Celiac program. You can do a search for the site, but they have a program where they send out welcome baskets (free) especially for children and it will have all age appropriate foods and a reference book that lists all products gluten free. There is a brand of soups called Healthy Valley. Their cream of chicken soup allows me to still make meat loafs or chicken with a can soup poured of it. Go to Woodman's and ask them to show you where their gluten free section is. There you'll find cookies Arrowroot is just like animal cookies and my kids love them. The brand Mrs. Leaper's has easy Tuna and burger meals to make, again my kids love them. When you have celiac you have to avoid wheat, rye, barrley, spelt and oats with that book you'll understand why. Oh and that basket comes with a really good children's book of explaining celiac to your nephew.
Best wishes, J.

A little about me: I have 6 children, 5 girls and a boy. My boy age 4 1/2 has Down syndrome. Life is good and celiac is a walk in the park.

Homemade Gourmet has several mixes that are gluten free and allow you to make easy meals for the whole family. Website is: www.homemadegourmet.com/julie818440. Choose the 'Recipes' section, scroll down and you will see Allergen/Gluten free product information. I've also heard of a cookbook called The Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg. Hope that helps!

Hi T.,
I've found a few gluten free cookbooks at regular bookstores (borders, barnes and noble) as well as a helpful book called Gluten Free for Dummies. It explains the need for GF, has recipes, and resources as well.

J.

Go see Bonnie Minsky, www.nutritionalconcepts.com, in Northbrook. She's an OUTSTANDING nutritionist who works wonders. You may be able to do a phone consultation or just gather info from her site. She's extremely well regarded. Good luck.

Whole Foods and Trader joes' both have lists at their customer service for GF foods. depending on where you are located, Meijer's has a small section of rice noodles and mac n cheese mixes that are gf-Unless he has to stay away from milk and casein too. The rice noodles made by Tinkyada and the ones by Trader Joe's are good.

fresh unprocessed, no preservatives and no food dyes are best for autism i believe. sometimes texture is a huge issue w/autistic kids-so you have to find stuff that doesn't bother him. if you google Gluten Free recipes, you will find TONS of blogs with moms and people who post their favorite gf recipes.

we eat lots of salad in our house, and raw food.

Some of the Fruitful Yield stores have huge GF sections. Schaumburg has a whole wall of GF stuff. Gluten can hide in a lot of things, such as soy sauce & other condiments, chips and things. Maltodextrin is something that can be made of wheat, corn or potato, so it's essential to check w/the manufacturer. An email on their website is usually all it takes, unless they have an 800 number. Good luck. It is a learning process and becoming more known about.

L.

That is becoming popular now. If you go to a bigger Jewel they have a health section with a lot of qluten free items. Trader Joes has a lot as well. I don't know where you live, but I live in Palos Heights, and they have a store called BREADSMITH that has gluten free bread as well.

Hi T.,

I have a gluten intolerance myself and have learned how to live with a gluten free diet. Its pretty tough at the beginning but then you get the hang of it and it is worth the time and expense. Try the Gluten free pantry online - google it. There is also a great health food store called Sunrise at Harlem and 159th. They have a ton of good things. The best is always fresh/organic/and non processed ANYTHING. Most processed things contain gluten. When you think about it, this is how everyone of us should be eating all the time! Let me know if you have any other questions:) Good luck.

Did you read J. mc carthys book
there is a special diets for speial kids book and there are tons of gluten free stores on in northbrook and arlington heiths. are they taking dairy away too? check out this book at the library i did and it is old but good and there are tons more listed in the back of J. mc carthys book you could look at at a book store or get from the library and then right them down and check them out.
good luck it will be easier once you get it and learn to read lables. there is a list on the internet that tells you all the words that mean wheat so when you read lables you know the words. print it out and put it on your fridge
good luck let me knwo fi you need anythign else
J.

Woodman's, Earthly Goods, and Whole Foods, all have tons of gluten free foods and more stores are following trend because celiac disease is becoming very common.
Just remember to read all the labels and don't let him eat anything that doesn't come in a package, unless it is fresh fruits and veggies. You even have to be careful with some meats that have already been marinated because they tend to add coloring which normally contains gluten.
Good Luck!
J.

Hi T.,
I have not been diagnosed with Celiac but clearly have gluten intolerance. You can start by checking out Whole Foods grocery story or any natural health foods stores in your area. There's one here in Gurnee called Earthly Goods which is great but there are many others around the suburbs. Also, the Jewels in the area have started carrying more gluten free (GF) products. Here are some meal ideas that might help: check your grocery store for Hormel all natural bacon and lunch meats- they clearly state on them gluten free (I can find them at both Jewel and Dominicks). My local Jewel also carries Van's Wheat Free/Gluten free waffles in the natural foods/organic freezer section (be careful, not all Van's are Gluten free). They are pretty tasty. Eggs are okay for breakfast too. Also at Jewel I can find gluten free pizza dough, brownie and cake mixes by Namaste as well as snack bar/granola bars which are gluten free. Be careful of labels b/c gluten hides in many forms such as maltodextrin, dextrin, gelatins, etc. When in doubt, avoid the food. You can also check out www.missroben.com. It's a website where you can order gluten free foods (or foods without other specified allergens). I've never tried it but have worked with families who referred me to it (I'm a pediatric speech therapist). Hope this helps. If your local grocery store doesn't carry products you can always ask- there are more and more people with this allergy!
C.

Hi T.,
I noticed that you received a lot of tips on where to get special foods already; places I would have referred you to myself. I was wondering if you wanted online resources to help you out with your nephew's Autism. I attend the Autism Society Chapter meetings at the Schaumburg Township building the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm. They are a great resource to help caregivers with just about anything you might need to handle. Also, Autism Speaks at autismspeaks.org, Autism-Society.org and MAAP at maapservices.org are great resources for every type of information. I have several spectrum people I am a caregiver for. I wish you all the best.

Another great online recipe center for Gluten Free foods is called: http://www.glutenfreeda.com.

I've tried a couple of their recipes and they are really good!

Well, first off, it's not just about the foods you make, but some food habits in general - for instance, you want to make sure that you never use a knife on bread and then in mayonnaise or butter or jam afterwards that you will use for him, because it will cross-contaminate. Second, make sure that you read ALL labels, and check for every gluten related ingredient (so, not just flour or wheat gluten, but barley malt, etc.). Also, don't feel like you have to buy "gluten free meals" or foods all the time. You really don't and they can get expensive. I have two sisters and two nieces with celiac and one has been great about adjusting her own recipes, etc. Some easy ideas: eggs, homemade stir fry (check soy sauces though because some brands use barley malt), veggies, cheese, corn tortillas (tacos), meat and potatoes, etc. Just fyi, chicken broth is another thing that sometimes is okay and sometimes not depending, even when it is made by the same brand. All Campbell's soups are out. Rice is great, and there are gluten free flours you can buy to make waffles, etc. Oats are a general no-no because of cross-contamination in the production process. If you want oats, make sure you buy them gluten free. Also, rice noodles are good. You really can stick with a few generally safe things and make a pretty good variety of food. Also, check spices because there are some spices that are not okay (spice mixes, etc.). I know someone else already gave some websites for celiac that have info - I'd also look there. You will probably want to not have him eat out or eat at other people's houses too, at least until you get it down and find some good gluten free menus. There are places that have them. I know that one of my sister's gets sick almost every time she eats away from home, even when she's careful - it's just that lack of control over her diet. Hope that is helpful! Good luck!

T. go to the questions from 2/12. I asked about gluten free info and got 16 responses so far. Check them out, they were really helpful and would probably help you out too!!
Good Luck.

http://surefoodsliving.com/celiac-disease/

www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

both great resources

Hi T.,
I'm a speech pathologist that works with kids with autism and other disorders (as well as a mom of a 19 mo. old). There is a lot out there now than there used to be for this type of diet. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's aside from the typical grocery store carry gluetin and casin free foods). There are also cook books available - try this site or pull up sites from the web under diets for kids with autism or special needs:

http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm

*Please know though that although a diet like this does help SOME kids for others there is not a change (regardless of what people preach). Autism is not-Austim- is not Autism. You can not compare one child to the other in terms of their needs and what therapy or diet will help them. I hope that it helps don't get me wrong! But there is not a magic diet, pill, or wand that can erase Autism (yet!) and there are a ton of so called "fixes" out there. The only one that I've seen help is consistent family understanding and flexiblity, consistent therapy, and embracing the child's differences as a "difference" instead of a "disorder". Easier said than done but it's been the one consistent help that's made changes in all my patients and students - even thougth Autism is consistently INCONSISTENT. Good luck and be patient! J.

I have a friend who is on a gluten free diet, and she goes to Meijer. They have an area in one aisle (healthy, soy aisle, I think)that is dedicated to gluten free. They have a pretty good selection.

Hi T.,
I am a Homemade Gourmet Independent Distributor and I have some information that will be very helpful to you. I will send you a document that lists all of our gluten-free products / meals. You can find these on my webite:
www.homemadegourmet.com/cherylbass815123

Call me ###-###-####, if I can be of any help.
C. Bass

My husband and I eat a gluten free diet. I don't have online resources, but we have found a lot of things to substitute. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Amy's baked ziti (frozen foods) is a great kids meal. Amy's is a great brand in general to find gluten. For sweet treats we love Nana's cookies. Also Joy rice pasta is great as it doesn't get mushy. Lastly Namaste has wonderful mixes for cookies, cakes, waffles, pizza crust.

Hi T.,
My son was diagnosed with food allergies as well, one of which was gluten. I went to my local library and checked out some gluten free cookbooks. Then I started messing around with alternative flours to see what textures/tastes he would like. One thing he really likes is Amaranth Pancakes. I like them too because they're super versitle.
The receipe is as follows-
1 egg
1/4 c applejuice (or) milk *I use applejuice
1 tsp oil *I use olive oil

1/4 c Amaranth Flour
1/4 c Tapioca Starch Flour
3 Tbsp Arrowroot Starch Flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt
Mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then add wet to dry. Use a TBSP to drop them onto the frying pan/griddle- makes 10-12.
My son eats these plain, with peanut butter/Almond butter and jelly, cream cheese or wrapped up with turkey and cheese. We also use alot of rice and corn flours as well. I hope that helps!
blessings,
J.