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gluten and wheat sensitivity — can a person just "cut down" on these foods and see an effect?
hi everyone
this is very tricky….I believe my daughter needs to cut out gluten and wheat out of her diet. However — I know that she loves her school lunches, and going to different parties may be difficult, etc.
my plan is to try to "wean" her slowly — hoping next year she will bring her own lunch everyday.
Right now, the only time she will be able to choose her own food will be at school lunch. Every other snack and meal will be controlled by me.
The question is this……we'll we see any changes or effects by a part-time gluten diet?
Her symptoms are: sensory issues, rashes, some anxiety/depression (not too bad though)…
Thank you!!
I know from experience and from a friend who has a problem with gluten that you cannot have a daily intake of foods containing gluten and/or wheat and hope her symptoms will go away. I know it is difficult and takes a lot of extra work, but for her symptoms to really go away, she needs all that stuff out of her body.
A friend of mine is so sensitive to gluten his wife even has to cook his foods with utensils that have not been used to cook foods with gluten. I'm glad your daughter's case is not as severe, but she really needs to get it completely out of her system. Sorry about that, but I figured you asked because you want an honest answer.
I also had rashes from a wheat intolerance and even one piece of bread every once in a while flared it right up. I'm sure you know there are other non-wheat flour foods available, they just aren't as fun to eat. Right now though, her eating is not about fun, it is about being healthy. I hated it (was 12 when I was diagnosed) but got used to it.
Good luck to you.
January 26th, 2008 at 11:37 am
You can see a reduction in symptoms but to stop them you need to stop what's causing the symptoms in the first place.
References :
medical provider
January 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am
You need to have a real diagnosis, go to the Doctor and get a blood test done to check for celiac disease.
References :
January 26th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I know from experience and from a friend who has a problem with gluten that you cannot have a daily intake of foods containing gluten and/or wheat and hope her symptoms will go away. I know it is difficult and takes a lot of extra work, but for her symptoms to really go away, she needs all that stuff out of her body.
A friend of mine is so sensitive to gluten his wife even has to cook his foods with utensils that have not been used to cook foods with gluten. I'm glad your daughter's case is not as severe, but she really needs to get it completely out of her system. Sorry about that, but I figured you asked because you want an honest answer.
I also had rashes from a wheat intolerance and even one piece of bread every once in a while flared it right up. I'm sure you know there are other non-wheat flour foods available, they just aren't as fun to eat. Right now though, her eating is not about fun, it is about being healthy. I hated it (was 12 when I was diagnosed) but got used to it.
Good luck to you.
References :
Here is some info on wheat and gluten allergies from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/wheat-allergy
January 28th, 2008 at 5:55 am
What makes you think your daughter needs to cut down on wheat and gluten? Is she having symptoms? Or is this a weight loss/control strategy?
References :
September 12th, 2008 at 8:17 am
You do need to get a diagnosis - which may be hard to do depending on you doctor. Many doctors will not test for Celiac and many still do not know what tests to run. Be persistent if that is the case and get tested. You can also go to an allergist and get tested for food allergies. There may be other allergies in play here too. It would be good to know exactly what you are dealing with in order to treat it.
To stop the symptoms you need to be 100% gluten free - all the time - 24/7 365 days a year. This includes cross contamination issues (as someone mentioned different utensils). I have a separate toaster for my bread (yes, I will get violently ill from using the same toaster!) Luckily my hubby went GF with me and my kitchen is now gluten free!
Before he joined me in my journey I had to have a separate shelf in the fridge and the pantry for my items. They were labeled “GF - NO DOUBLE DIPPING!” I had to have my own peanut butter, jelly, butter - if anyone used my items and spread them onto their glutenated bread, then put it back into my chair, I could not use that item anymore. It was contaminated. Cross contaminate is a very important issue to be careful of!
Toothpaste should be gluten free too.
As for bread, get a bread maker and make your own sandwich bread - it is MUCH better than the store bought stuff. There are also several bread mixes available that you can make at home. You can also make this a fun mom/daughter event - spend an afternoon baking/cooking together.
I always ask people this question when they are first diagnosed or unsure they want to embark on this life changing (for the better!) journey: Is your “fun” of eating worth the doctor bills, illnesses and other things that go along with gluten intolerance and Celiac?
Good luck and God bless.
Elizabeth