Gluten free diet

laurakayks

Our son does so much better on a gluten free diet, but I struggle to get the whole family on board. Anyone have any tips?

MaryCS62

i don't have a downs child, but my elder is special needs. My younger daughter (now 18) was diagnosed with Celiac disease 3 years ago. Luckily for us, it was diagnosed within 4 months of symptoms, but those months were hell for her. Once we knew Gluten free food was her only option, we made the decision to accomodate her in every way possible to insure her health.
1) any "common" food - ie condiments,peanut butter, margerine, etc -- was labeled with a colored dot to remind us to avoid cross contamination--ie, don't go back in with the spoon/knife once it's touched the bread.
2) All my recipes were re-worked to be gluten free or eliminated from my repertoire -- if it required a gluten ingredient, I either subbed or didn't make it. Several recipes called for
3) For items such as pasta, bread, etc, where the gfree item is much more expensive --then there is separate cooking. It's actually not that much trouble, but depending on how sensitive he is, you might want to invest in a few new cooking items--for example, she now has her own cutting boards, colander/strainer, baking pans, spatulas, etc. She can't tolerate cross contamination at all, so it's just easier.

It's only me & dh--older daughter can't prepare her own food, so just eats what we give her. DH & I are in complete agreement that younger daughter's health trumps our preferences, so it wasn't really an issue, other than remembering what to do.