Controling your Child's Environment

[Guest guest]

Hi ALL,

I read soem posts from several of the others who have expressed frustraion

in trying to keep their children away from Gluten and Casien products. My

son has been GFCF for over a year and a half. I though I would share some

of our tactics with you.

Background

My son was put on a GFCF diet in Nov of '99 to help deal with

his autsitc tendencies. Through lots of interventiona nd this diet Chris

has become VERY high functioning.

Playgroups/Friends/School

This one was a toughie. It is difficult for the child to see others gettign

somethign and he can't have it. I remember going to my daughters soccer

picnic with him and had to tell him he could not have any cake. It was a

pizza party, so I made sure I brought hima rice crust pizza with soy

cheese. I also brought some potato chips made with out partial hydrogenated

oils.

Over the years we have learned to make sure we don't go anywhere with out

" Chrisopher " foods (GFCF). We bake GFCF cookies very couple of weeks.

Freeze store bought rice breads for his use. Stock rice crusts for pizzas.

Buy spagetti sauces with out gluten or emulcifiers in them. I have a

cupboard fille dwith white rice flour, sweet rice flour, potato starch,

tapioca starch, corn starch. We have a shelf full of cereals with out

Gluten in them.

We try to provied a viriety of foods for him. No he is alomst 6 and at an

age where he can help himself to foods. We have stressed to him that soem

foods will make him sick. He will tell people now that he can't have that

" beacuse it is yuckie. "

When we take chris to church we bring his snack. When he goes to parties,

we brign his food. Now it is very exclusionary, but it has to be. Now if

there is food there he can eat we let him. If they are havign chicken

nuggets we order a grille dhcicken breast for him. We try to make the foods

as similar to their as possible.

At school we have the aprents let us knwo when birthdays are so that we can

have cupcakes there for him. The teacher has a supply of GFCF snacks for

him and lets us know when it is running low.

The whole key to this is preperation. Knwo what he can and cannot have and

then make sure you have similar foods (Or any food) their for him. It means

a lot of work, but, you can make it so that it is no big deal to him.

For th egood or bad he does not have a large social circle. he is never

invited to go over to others house nor has he spent the night at anybodies

house other than another GFCF child. Those are my failings.

PArents\In-Laws\Family

I guess we have been lucky in that both of our parents understand the

problems. I guess it is because we were fourtunit enough for mthem to have

seen him at his worst. And belive me that was pretty bad.

Our families will go out of their way when we come to make sure we have rice

breads, corn pastas and a some food for him. God Love my Mother, last year

when we went down before his fifth birthday she tried to bake hima cake

using rice flour. Any of you who have baked with rice flour know it is not

easy. I was the only one who could eat it. It was aweful, but I was not

going to sday a word. She worked so hard and tried so hard to do that for

him I could not let her think she failed. (She ended up throwign out the

cake)

It does work, but it is not easy. may nights I havebeen up bakign cupcakes

at 1am becaus esoemone forgot to tell me we were out and that the party is

tomorrow. I have burned up one mixer (Never doubel the amout of white rice

flour thinkign you can substitue for somethign you dont have).

The thing to realize is what happens if he gets some gluten or casien in

their diet.

We did not have to worry as much as some. While can't have any it is

not like he will go into aniflactic shock if he get some. G|Casien will

crank him up liek he is on speed with in minutes of consuming it. after the

'high' he will crash and be lethargic, slow (mentally and physically),

clumbsy and whiny for 12 to 24 hours. Gluten on the other hand will have

him up all might bouncign off the walls. Almsot uncontrolable. he will nto

be able to sit or even be staionary. The aftereffects from the gluren can

last a day or 2.

The important thing to note is what each does so that you can tell if soem

has slipepd into his deit ( and if it was a sister or mother who gave it to

them make their @$$ stay up with him all nigth and deal with his whiney butt

the next day. Do this onc eand they will NEVER Give him the stuff again)

If you want to write me direct my email is thunderf64@.... I am

available on MSn as thunderf64.

Keep wel and God Bless,

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