13 year old DS must go gluten free. I hear most packaged foods are out unless they say "gluten free", but most "gluten free" foods are expensive and the boxes taste better than the food!
Would welcome any advise on affordable and edible foods, especially those a teen boy who does not make friends with vegetables well might eat!
Thanks!

Can you google gluten-free recipes? I think my son should be on a gluten-free diet, but I always thought how difficult it would be for the whole family. Let us know how it works out.

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Check out this blog. She's great and offers terrific ideas and suggestions.

www.glutenfreegirl.com

We went gluten free for 3 months with ds for behavioral issues. He has a borderline wheat allergy. Do you have a Trader Joes? They have many gluten free products and will even give you a list of the gluten free products in their store (there are many).

If you google celiac disease, you will find a ton of info on being gluten free. Here's a link for one websitehttp://www.celiac.com/index.html

We made a lot of mexican meals with corn tortillas. We also discovered brown rice pasta to replace regular pasta---it took a while to get used to the taste. Fresh produce, meats, and rice are gluten free. Once you start reading labels then you get used to what you are looking for. The hardest part for us was going out because we couldn't always be sure that we were getting gluten free food.

Hope this helps!

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ----Edmund Burke

I have celiac disease. Celiac means NO wheat, rye, barley and oats. There is alot more to look for though then just those four ingredients. I belong to a yahoo group that has been AWESOME! You can ask any question and someone will have an answer for you. We have a list of all sorts of foos that tastes like 'normal' food. Honestly, as long as he follows the diet, he will feel so much better that he will NOT want to eat gluten again. Yes, for a few months it is hard, but then like anything else, it is second nature. Here is the yahoo group: SillyYaks · SillyYaks (Celiacs) Online Support Group

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Oh, I'm so sorry! I work with a young autistic girl who is on a gluten-free diet, and for the most part the food is horrible I would not recommend buying those products . . . Especially the bread and the bagels . . . We substitute a lot of things for her. Like using corn tortillas and corn chips. Also - another great find is rice noodles! They are technically Thai food, but work really well for spaghetti and other dishes and she has never complained about the taste! They look like spaghetti noodles and are found in the international aisle. The name on the box is "Thai" something or other . . . Do they make rice flour as well? If so, you could make just about anything with that!

Yes they do make rice flour but it doesn't 'translate' the same as regular wheat flour. You have to doctor it up with other ingredients.

Have you noticed any changes for the better with the little girl on the diet?

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ----Edmund Burke

Umm... Hi!

DD#2 has multiple FA's, including wheat (but we pulled all gluten).

I know the drill.

For us, a lifesaver? Easy. Whole Foods. Don't discuss the prices (which are higher) but 'specialty'.

PM me. I can help.

Cake mixes? Cherrybrook Kitchen (Patsy the owner did the FA walk in Mass.).

If you're 'just' avoiding gluten, why? Any other FA's, or 'on the spectrum' and you're pulling dairy too...?

I'd ditto the celiac websites, but I don't frequent them. But I'm SURE they are a wealth of knowledge, as well as http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org (which I <DO> recommend)

Jason

Have you noticed any changes for the better with the little girl on the diet?


Honestly, no. She has been on the diet for about a year and a half now, and we haven't noticed any behavioral changes for the better. The worst part of it is that she just gets sick every few months. No one can figure out why. Symptoms are like food-poisoning. It only lasts for a day . . . Everyone attributes it to her diet, but I guess it could be something else They are actually in the process of trying to convince her Guardian and Primary Care Physician to take her off of this diet. It is too restricting (no gluten or casein). She is really excited to eat "regular" food again. I let her have Raisan Bran the other morning and she was super excited about it!

I hate to chime in again... I do.

But we don't have autism for OUR situation, but our diet IS GF/CF (gluten free/casein free) as well as other restrictions...

I've read a lot on autism websites, that if you HAVE an infraction (getting minute gluten/dairy), it has BAD ramifications. 100% avoidance is VERY VERY key. VERY. It's like a 'high', a 'rush', etc..


We've been GF/CF for 7 yrs now. Once you get into the swing of cooking, buying products, etc.. it gets easier. It does. The food? The taste? It's an 'acquired' taste (for those that have eaten Vegan cheese, you KNOW what I'm saying...)

Good luck to the OP. Again, I'm here


Jason
Caitlin 4-17-00 Allergic to Dairy, Egg, Wheat, Bananas, Grapes, Rye, Sesame, Beef, Garlic, Mustard, Onion, Peas and Avoiding Latex and all Nuts
Sara 2-13-98 NKA (Avoiding Nuts)
Meghan 2-28-03 NKA (Avoiding Nuts)

Trader Joe's has a TON of Gluten FREE items - plus, they have a booklet near the front entrance with tons of Gluten FREE Diet info. There prices are very reasonable too!!

Try this website, www.allerjenn.com You put in the things you are allergic to and it comes up with recipe's for you that you can have. Also try whole foods stores, my sister in law has celiac disease and she can have corn tortillas and rice noodles and stuff like that. Pure vanilla is okay, but immitation is not... Most malt o meal cereals she can have... Good luck!

Thanks everyone. Sorting through all the information. If he were younger it would be easier to say, "This is what you're eating, deal with it." But with a teen boy???? Years of complaining about stomach problems, missing school, low grades......complaining that I didn't understand when I'd make him go to school and "tough it out". Now it all changes to "it's not so bad" and "but I'm starving" and won't eat what he's offered. I keep hearing/reading that once he sees the improvement his compliance will improve, I hope so!

His younger brother is high-functioning autistic, but no signs of food allergies although we are having him tested now.

Have you read this article about McDonalds. I have just recently gone wheat/gluten free for a number of reasons & am always amazed at how many things have it.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/heal...p?newsid=38082