New And Need Some Guidance

[Ary's Mama]

Hi! I just learned that my son, who is 5 is having issues with yeast elimination and absorption and we must become gluten-free; which will hopefully also help my other son who has ADD. I have purchased a probiotic for children and Candidase for the yeast. I am doing this alone because the doctor's are not helpful, they want to put him on more medications. What other supplements would you suggest?

We went to the store to select gluten-free foods and was shocked there are not more options. Do you have any suggestions on where to go or is there somewhere on the Internet to order gluten-free foods?

Any advice would be very helpful and greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Adina

[JNBunnie1]

Hi! I just learned that my son, who is 5 is having issues with yeast elimination and absorption and we must become gluten-free; which will hopefully also help my other son who has ADD. I have purchased a probiotic for children and Candidase for the yeast. I am doing this alone because the doctor's are not helpful, they want to put him on more medications. What other supplements would you suggest?

We went to the store to select gluten-free foods and was shocked there are not more options. Do you have any suggestions on where to go or is there somewhere on the Internet to order gluten-free foods?

Any advice would be very helpful and greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Adina

Hi Adina! Welcome to the board. Are you comfortable sharing the general area where you live? A number of us are quite versed in finding health food stores online. Beyond that, if you're looking for bread products, there's a brand called Chebe that has wonderful mixes, and here on the celiac website is the gluten-free mall, with lots of great stuff. NoGluGirl has a list of stuff you can get at walmart, which I'm sure some of it will be able to be added to their diet. I would also visit a few websites and do some reading on what's recommended for a candida-killing diet, replacing his bread might not be a good idea yet. The yeast can still live off rice. Try Mercola.com, and the Weston Price foundation websites and do searches for candida. Actually, I think you could just google it. Good on you for telling the doctor off! Only you can take the best care of your babies!

[NoGluGirl]

Hi! I just learned that my son, who is 5 is having issues with yeast elimination and absorption and we must become gluten-free; which will hopefully also help my other son who has ADD. I have purchased a probiotic for children and Candidase for the yeast. I am doing this alone because the doctor's are not helpful, they want to put him on more medications. What other supplements would you suggest?

We went to the store to select gluten-free foods and was shocked there are not more options. Do you have any suggestions on where to go or is there somewhere on the Internet to order gluten-free foods?

Any advice would be very helpful and greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Adina

Dear Adina,

Children should eliminate sugars, but not starches, because they are growing. I have done a lot of research on Candida. I have it myself. It is very stressful. My body is in bad shape. It is recommended a rotation diet done to determine allergenic foods causing reactions in children. Being gluten-free is not as hard as it looks. Things I would recommend for your child:

Wal-Mart's Great Value Brand is labeled gluten-free! Here is a rundown of what I get there:

GV Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

GV Canned Vegetables

GV Canned Fruits (These may be off limits right now, too. Fruit turns into sugar.)

Plumrose Bacon

Hormel Chili

Smart Balance Margerine

Lay's Stax Potato Chips (Do not get Tostitos or the regular kind, as they are NOT made on dedicated lines and could be sources of cross-contamination).

Ore-Ida Tator Tots

Ore-Ida French Fries

GV tuna in water

Fresh Vegetables

Fresh Fruit

Birdseye Steam Fresh Frozen Vegetables

Act II Popcorn

Kraft Minute Rice

Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes

Some household items you could use:

SoftSoap Hand Soap

Murphy's Oil Soap

All Laundry Detergent

Wisk Laundry Detergent

Dawn Dish Soap (Includes Power Disolver)

Electrosol Tabs with Powerball (Dish Powder NOT safe)

Hygeine Items/Beauty Products:

All Colgate Toothpastes

Dove Soaps, Lotions, Styling Aids, Shampoos and Conditioners (Gluten will clearly be listed if present)

Suave Soaps, Lotions, Styling Aids, Shampoos and Conditioners (Gluten will clearly be listed if present)

Maybelline Cosmetics (Gluten will clearly be listed when present)

Wet'n Wild (All products except for one of the mascaras is safe)

CoverGirl Cosmetics (Gluten is clearly labeled when present)

Crest WhiteStrips

Colgate Simply White

I hope this mini list helps!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[Ursa Major]

Hi Adina, and welcome to these boards. Here is a link to Nini's site, who has compiled a 'Newbie survival kit', which is invaluable. You'll find it by scrolling to the bottom of the page. Open Original Shared Link

You'll get the hang of it soon and it will get easier.

[gfp]

Hi! I just learned that my son, who is 5 is having issues with yeast elimination and absorption and we must become gluten-free; which will hopefully also help my other son who has ADD. I have purchased a probiotic for children and Candidase for the yeast. I am doing this alone because the doctor's are not helpful, they want to put him on more medications. What other supplements would you suggest?

We went to the store to select gluten-free foods and was shocked there are not more options. Do you have any suggestions on where to go or is there somewhere on the Internet to order gluten-free foods?

Any advice would be very helpful and greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Adina

Adina, the biggest source of gluten-free everything is simply fresh food (with the obvious exception of gluten) .. in general don't get too caught up in the marketing side... (my mom did that) .. some stuff might seem convenient .. I find it less so because you limit yourself to certain brands and items... its also a bit dangerous in that you then start using these as staples so if one of them isn't 100% gluten-free or gets contaminated, changes recipe or one of 20 other possibilites your stuck....

The worst part though is you can be poisioning yourself regularly without knowing... and this can be both frustrating and confusing on top of making you feel like poop.

I buy a few 'conveneience foods' but really hardly ever... perhaps 1/month... some gluten-free bread or pasta... 90%+ of what I eat is just normal meals that happen to be gluten-free or are easily adapted to gluten-free....

Baking gluten-free is a bit of an art.... but you can buy mixes or the basic gluten-free flours but there are really very few recipes can't wasily be adapted and taste just as good....

Google is great... sometimes I just google "recipe" and what happens to be in the fridge! It takes a bit of practice but really not so much and instead of convenience meals I buy tupperware and freeze extra portions... (I especially like the freezer direct to microwave stuff)...

[Ary's Mama]

JNBunnie1

Are you comfortable sharing the general area where you live?

My family and I live near Kansas City, Missouri. We have gone to Nature's Pantry and one of the grocery stores sells gluten-free, but I have to admit I had no idea how expensive it is!!

I would also visit a few websites and do some reading on what's recommended for a candida-killing diet, replacing his bread might not be a good idea yet. The yeast can still live off rice. Try Mercola.com, and the Weston Price foundation websites and do searches for candida. Actually, I think you could just google it.

Thank you so much for the websites! I have googled gluten-free, non-dairy, yest elimination, etc; but the two websites were helpful. Thanks so much!!!

[Ary's Mama]

NoGluGirl,

Thank you for the list!! You do not realize how helpful it is!! I feel like I am going at this blindly. I keep hearing that he will get worse before he gets better, but I don't want to make him worse because I buy the wrong thing or don't know if I keep the kitchen items I have. Wow! I had no idea life could turn around so quickly. I keep telling myself we will be a healthier and happier family with this change.

[Ary's Mama]

Ursa Major,

Thank you so much for the website!! I am printing it out the survival kit. I truly appreciate how helpful everyone is.

Thanks again!

[JennyC]

Welcome.

gluten free.com has a pretty good product selection. Kinnikinnick has some great products and they have a website kinnikinnick.com. Glutino (or Glutano?) also has some great products, especially for children. I have personally decided to start shopping online for lots of things. Last weekend we drove 25 miles to go to this "great new store" and ended up going to 3 stores and still didn't get everything that I wanted to get.

Things will get much easier. It's been about a month and a half for us. It's almost normal. Things fall into place once you figure out what your children like. I'll list some of the things my 3 yr old likes:

Amy's and Glutino macaroni and cheese

Tinkyada (sp?) pasta with home-made Alfredo (It's SO easy to make your own!)

Tinkyada pasta with spaghetti sauce

various meats

potatoes (they do make gluten free gravy mixes)

French fries

Health Valley corn or rice Crunch-ems (like Chex)

Health Valley also makes some gluten-free soups and broths

Cocoa and fruity pebbles, Trix (make sure it's a new box made with modified corn starch)

Van's gluten-free waffles

Pamela's pancake and waffle mix (Pamela's brand makes all kinds of yummy mixes)

Cheese quesadilla made with corn tortillas

Nachos

Grilled cheese (Kinnikinnick bread is good. They also make buns.)

Homemade pizza with kinnikinnick crusts

Kinnikinnick also makes good doughnuts

Popcorn

Various gluten-free cookies

Many candies

Various corn-based chips (Cheetos, tortilla chips, many Doritos, and Lay's stacks)

Rice crackers and Glutino crackers and pretzels

Cheese whiz

Ian brand has gluten-free chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and corn dogs

Large Ener-G crackers with cream cheese and Oscar Meyer lunch meat

Make sure that you read every label, every time. There are some good brands such as Kraft that will not hide their gluten in other ingredients.

It really does get better. It takes time and learning. (And failed attempts.) I hope that you will be amazed by the difference this diet makes in your child, as I have been.

[kbtoyssni]

Don't feel like you have to buy things that are labeled gluten-free. There are many mainstream foods that are gluten-free, and they are a lot cheaper. I do most of my shopping at the regular grocery store (been the the gluten-free store maybe once or twice this year). It does take some research to find them, but you'll get the hang of it quickly.

[JNBunnie1]

There's actually a Glutino AND a Glutano. Isn't that irritating? I'm pretty sure Glutino is European. And don't worry Ary's mama, I don't honestly think he would get worse per se. Maybe some people have had a different experience than me, but I got marginally better immediately, I didn't have a detox period. Of course, I'm only myself, maybe people who were sick longer before diagnosis had a bad detox. Oh, and if you're looking for good gluten-free recipes, I would just go to either the homepage here at Celiac.com, or any recipe site and type 'gluten free' in their search. Allrecipes is a good one.

[gfp]

Don't feel like you have to buy things that are labeled gluten-free. There are many mainstream foods that are gluten-free, and they are a lot cheaper. I do most of my shopping at the regular grocery store (been the the gluten-free store maybe once or twice this year). It does take some research to find them, but you'll get the hang of it quickly.

Yep that's what I tried to say earlier....

As soon as you buy anything that is labelled gluten-free it comes with a price premium... I buy 90% of everything jkust form a supermarket or the local fresh produce... it costs exactly the same being gluten-free or not... for me. with the slight exceptions of gluten-free pasta very occaisionally.

[Susanna]

Hey, Adina--My son (11 yrs old) and I got diagnosed as celiac a year ago. I'm finding the best places to shop are the health food stores. In Phoenix area, we have Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Sprouts. Sprouts is the best, in my opinion, for offering lots of gluten-free alternative foods (crackers, cookie mixes, cake mixes, bread mixes, etc.) Here are some other tips.

1. Know that a big change in diet spells deprivation to any of us, but especially for a kid who willnow have to always pack his lunch and eat alternative foods. He will grieve his old favorite gluten-filled foods. I actually tear up when I see a brioche sometimes. Grieving is normal, BUT IT IS NOT COMFORTABLE. People around him will eat treats he can't have and he will feel sad and isolated. Strategy: ALWAYS pack something in his lunch that is in the treat category. Send a cannister of treats he can eat to his teacher. My son's teacher has Skittles and Starbursts for my son for when parents bring in cupcakes for somebody's birthday--this way, my son can participate with his own treat. Also, and there's an Amy's rice crust pizza in the freezer I sent to the school, in case they have a pizza party. The first time this happened, Tanner had to miss out and was very unhappy at school the rest of the day. Here are some gluten-free candies: Baby Ruth Bars, Snicker Bars, Lara Bars, Dove Dark Chocolate, meringue cookies, macaroon cookies (read labels), Butterfinger, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. You get the idea.

2. Know that it will take time (months, probably) to figure out what to eat (it took me 6 mos.) and during this time, it'll be kind of a daily challenge to plan meals. Every time you go to the store it'll be a challenge to choose groceries. Strategy: plan on an hour--don't bring kids or friends. Go the bathroom before you start grocery shopping. Bring your reading glasses--read every label. The good news is, THIS GETS MUCH BETTER OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AS HE GETS USED TO TO THE DIET.

3. It may take a while for your son's gut to heal, (months maybe) so don't expect instant results. Now that my son is one year gluten-free, I am seeing improvement in behavior at school, but this didn't happen until at least 6-8 months on the right diet. Maximize his general health by making sure he gets enough rest, water, exercise, and limiting stress. Maximize his digestive health by limiting foods that are hard on the gastrointestinal tract until he's feeling better: limit irritants like dairy, caffeine, and fried foods--these are all hard to digest--go back to them when you feel your gut is recovering.

4. Accept right now that it will be YOUR job to teach those around you/him about his diet