Gluten Free Kitchen Or Not?

[key]

My baby is 15 months old and just diagnosed six weeks ago. I am still struggling with finding out what has gluten, etc. Right now my older kids are still eating foods with gluten in them, but it is frustrating when I am not sure what is going on with him some days. He was doing awesome for two weeks and then all the sudden he got gluten and he will have a bad day and not eat well. Usually seems to last four days.

I guess my question is how many of you have switched your house over to being completely gluten free? I am not cooking with regular flour. I haven't separated our pots or cooking utensils yet. I do wash them in the dishwasher. I have separated his butter, jelly, etc from the rest of the family. I too am eating gluten free.

When you guys say you got gluten, what exactly are your symptoms that last for two weeks. WIth him I notice a lack of appetite (usually for at least four days), bloated belly, fussier and looser stools.

We are also vegetarian and have never eaten meat. I wouldn't even know what to do with it. We used to eat imitation meat, made mostly of soy and gluten! I guess I feel as if he is a bit deprived and I don't know what to cook with out these products.

I am eating his diet with him and am hungry all the time! I hope he isn't.

Ok, this is getting long, so I will end here.

MOnica

[KaitiUSA]

My whole family eats gluten free inside the house. For some people this may not work and they may not feel the need too...for us it has worked out great.

When I have reactions that last for about 2 weeks I get nausea, anxiety, fatigue, moody,and some constipation...thats pretty much mainly what the reaction is for me.

If you do not have a gluten free house or kitchen just make sure everyone is careful not to cross contaminate with his food by touching their gluten containing foods and then to his gluten-free foods.

You may want to make sure products are gluten free such as soap. When you prepare his dinner you want to wash your hands with gluten free soap because otherwise you will possibly get traces of gluten in his food. You also may want to make sure products like his shampoo(which could get into his mouth easily) and things like this are gluten free.

Another thing is maybe there is another food that he may be sensitive too.

[celiac3270]

There are positives to a gluten-free kitchen, such as you can be more mindless about eating and there's a decreased risk of cross-contamination. On the other hand, however: your older children could become resentful of having the younger child's diet imposed on them and maybe gluten-free eating become mindless isn't such a good thing--it doesn't really keep you on your toes enough...finally, if gluten does somehow enter the kitchen, people might not be used to preventing cc and you might end up with a jar of mayonnaise full of crumbs and a sick child, etc. Finally, there's the outrageous cost of being gluten-free unless, of course, you eat mostly natural and cook mostly from scratch...again, something, however healthy, could result in resentment from the other children.

I do not have a gluten-free kitchen.

[Carriefaith]

I do not have a gluten-free kitchen and I have to be VERY careful or else I could get contamination. There are literally crumbs everywhere! If you can convince the rest of the family not to keep gluten in the house then that would be great, although not everyone is willing If there is gluten in the house just make sure you look at everything for crumbs... even clean pots/plates/utensils/pans/counters. Trust me!

My "glutened" symptoms include, lack of energy, dizziness, brain fog (I just feel really stupid!), fatigue, severe upper abdominal pain, bloat, gas, and diarrhea. When I get glutened I don't trust myself to drive! It's really that bad

[key]

I don't think the rest of the family would mind as long as I am cooking good food. WHich alot of the gluten-free food is very good. If we ate meat it would make it easier on them, but we have always eaten meat substitutes made from soy and gluten! Not that they are probably that healthy(some have dyes in them).

Thanks for the suggestions though. It is great to hear everyone's advice. I am used to washing my hands alot from working in the NICU as an RN. I do feel a bit crazy at home though preparing gluten-free and then regular. I am having to cook three meals sometimes at one meal! It is tiring. I have three kids age 5 and under. I am eating gluten free. I am in the process of being tested, but two weeks on the diet and I felt amazing! I have had that brain fog too! It is a spacey feeling. STomach aches, severe bloating ( that I have blamed on everything but gluten). Didn't know anything about celiac until recently. Even if my tests are negative I am staying on the diet. It makes me sick everytime I eat it. It isn't worth it. Anyway, I would like to learn new ways of cooking different ethnic foods. Seems to be the best way of staying gluten-free, when you are vegetarian.

Some of my favorite gluten-free items so far are Kinnikinnick pizza crust(yum), pasta by Tinkyada, pancakes by Pamela's, animal cookies from Envirokids. THere is really alot out there. I am getting ready to try the Kinnikinnick chocolate donuts. HOpe they are yummy! Amy's Potatoe Leak soup my baby liked.

Anyway, thanks for all your in put. I am really hating the cross contamination issue. I am doing my best, I think! I do think he can't tolerate Peanut butter for what ever reason, but for now he isn't getting any.

Monica

[tpineo]

For me the time issue (not cooking 2 meals) wins out for why we have a gluten-free kitchen. We have 3 non-celiacs (me, husband, and daughter-6) and 1 celiac (4 year old daughter). I believe that when you get good at gluten-free cooking the other kids won't suffer. My older daughter gets to have gluten treats at school during the day and is fine with everything at home being gluten-free.

I also find that in the situations where I've had to make gluten-free food in a shared a kitchen (vacations, family dinners, etc.) I am a nervous wreck about cc and hate to be the gluten police. I don't want to have to think about it at home.

The additional expense for everyone to eat gluten-free is the only downside I see.

Tania

Greenville, Pa

[Jnkmnky]

My children were about the same age as yours when we began. A little older. Anyway, we've always done it separately. My Celiac kid has his own pantry and his own shelves in the fridge. I find the cost of the gluten free food cost prohibitive to an entire family affair. I don't mind fixing two meals. The gluten free meals are small, anyway. Whatever we are having, Mister gluten-free has in gluten-free form. He eats "the same" food we eat. I'd only eat a regular gluten-free menu if I actually had celiac disease. The stuffs not THAT good!

Any hard core objections to eating meat? I find that my Celiac kid needs a little extra meat to keep his energy levels high. He gets an extra slice of steak, etc at dinner because he craves the iron I'm guessing. Some nights he'll eat two whole bowls of spaghetti! That's a LOT. I think rice doesn't fill a person up as much. I add ricotta cheese or shredded mozzerella to his spaghetti to sufficiently fill his stomach. I make mini-meatballs which he devours. I think this is because he knows it will keep him full longer.

As for those meat substitutes... aren't they full of hydrolyzed proteins and autolyzed this and that? I think that stuff is terrible for the body. I gave a gardenburger to my first child when he was 2 and he acted like I'd fed him speed. He was totally affected by the chemicals in the gardenburger. I'm just saying... Don't eat meat, that's fine. I think a gluten-free person has enough restrictions to a well rounded diet. Plus, one more thing... I hear soy isn' t that great in the quantities we're consuming. You might want to look into that.

[tarnalberry]

It's just me and my husband, and we never did any frying, or much baking, so we're gluten-free with the exception of his box of cereal, his box of granola bars, and a small section of the counter where he gets bread. ;-)

[Guest taweavmo3]

We have close to a gluten free kitchen. I didn't really plan it that way, it just sort of happened over the past four months since my daughter's diagnosis. I stopped buying any and all regular bread items......just because of the crumb factor. I eventually quit buying all gluten laiden snack items that can leave crumbs everywhere (like Goldfish, Ritz, graham crackers) b/c it's too stressful. My non celiac 6 year old missed them at first, but forgot about them quickly. He likes all the gluten-free food at home, then at school he can eat all the gluten he wants! I haven't really bought any expensive gluten-free snack foods besides cereal....they now snack on fruit, peanut butter, rice cakes, fruit leather, yogurt, cheese or lunchmeat, etc.

My one splurge is the Kinnikinnick pizza crust, SO good! The Tinkyada brand pasta is awesome too, I serve this to the whole family and they can't tell the difference. I'm like you, I have three kids under the age of 6, and dinnertime is always crazy. I don't want to cook different meals, so I just serve gluten-free to everyone. For us, it really isn't much different than what I made before. (besides the pasta) I just stick to the basics, which is what my kids like best anyway. It could get expensive if I baked alot, but right now I only make pancakes from scratch. I still keep a few gluten items for my son, like tortillas for sandwiches, regular waffles, and instant oatmeal. But everything else is gluten free, and it's working well for us. What's hard for us is going to someone else's house.....that is a big pain in the booty!

[key]

My big stress is having to follow my 3 and 6 year olds around with their gluten foods. THey are dropping bread crumbs on our deck outside, he got into some Cheerios that had been thrown out in the garage to go to the trash. This past weekend at my son's sixth birthday party. He almost made it to the top of our playset where all the other kids had left their uneaten hotdog buns, pasta, etc. My mom caught him and was laughing. She said "Connor was about to have a gluten party". It was funny, but also distressing at the same time. He keeps having diarhea on and off and i know he has to be getting gluten somewhere. I am just discouraged by the whole thing. He will do great for three weeks and then, Bam! I am taking him off of dairy again. I don't know if that is bothering him or not. He did gain two pounds in less then two months. It was great for him. Plus my tests came back borderline after I had been on the diet for 5 weeks. I am just hoping there isn't something else going on with him.

Anyway, the meat thing. I know the imitation "meat" products are not that healthy. I have eaten them my whole life and I don't even have a clue how to cook meat. Crazy I know. I have heard the stuff about soy. I still need to research it. I am starting to have the feeling that there is something wrong with everything. I guess you do the best you can. I do feel that he has to be hungry though. Especially without dairy! I want him to be able to eat it, but if he isn't tolerating it?

Ok, well I have rambled on, but thanks for the advice. I am thinking about not having any regular bread at this point. Plus they eat gluten-free pancakes by Pamela's. Those are really great. Also the Tinkyada pasta we use for everyone.

Thanks for all the good advice!

Monica

[lisabp]

I have a 19 month old who was just doagnosed 3 weeks ago and we found out yesterday that Dad is celiac disease too. That just leaves me and my daughter (5 yrs old). I am really lucky since she eats like she's on Atkins by choice. She really does not like much bread at all. I have gone to a gluten free kitchen and kept it that was for 2 weeks and then asked my daughter what she missed the most. She said Cheerios and her bread and butter sandwiches (never toasted thank goodness). So I got her a mixed collection of non-gluten-free cereals in the lttle packages and she knows that she can have then when Alexi is asleep and only at the table. She hasn't actually asked for the bread yet but I'm keping it and a butter all her own in the refrigerator in the garage. About snacks for the 3 and 6 year old, go with Cheetos and tortilla chips and such. The Pamela's pancakes (from mix) are wonderful and my daughter likes them so much more that the usual frozen ones we bought before that she actually can't wait to help me make more! We will have a gluten-free house, with very few exceptions and those will be "treats" that only my daugher can have in the whole household.

[Jnkmnky]

I'm surprised by how many prefer a gluten-free kitchen! But to each their own, as the saying goes. I just want to say again, for those still *considering* which way to go...It isn't difficult to have a "mixed kitchen*. I'm not one to heap on extra work for myself by any means, so I can assure you who are still considering which way to go, that a mixed kitchen isn't difficult or dangerous. And personally, I have to say, this is a restrictive diet. Just look at the initial SHOCK those who are diagnosed go through for proof!! To mandate that all in the family must eat the Celiac's diet, even if it's just at home, seems like overkill to me... Sorry if I offend . That's not my intention. I guess I'm shocked by the decision to make an entire family go totally gluten-free and I'm trying to make sense of it so I'm yapping on and on...Hopefully, I haven't offended anyone! I just don't understand why it's seen as risky enough for the celiac to change an entire family over. My experience speaks in favor of the mixed kitchen.

[Guest nini]

In our house it's me and my daughter on the gluten-free diet... My husband is not on the gluten-free diet, nor does he want to be. He has a shelf with all of his gluten snacks and bread and such on it...I've started buying squeeze bottles for commonly shared condiments like mayo, mustard and ketchup... but he has his jellies and margarine yada yada yada... I try not to impose too much on him, and yes there are crumbs everywhere... I just try to be really careful and before I get to cooking, I do a thorough cleaning of the area I'm going to use. I will not cook non gluten-free foods for him, but he's welcome to eat whatever I cook. If he doesn't want to eat what I'm cooking, he can fend for himself

[lisabp]

I have to admit if my daughter and I (the non-celiac disease ones) really liked bread and tons of pasta, it would be a different story. We just don't like them too much (she wants hamburgers and hot dogs without buns anyway). We would prefer a meal of potatoes, veggies and maybe a bit of meat. She doesn't even like birthday cake. Now if I had to keep a chocolate-free house it would be another story! That would be really hard. One of the big reasons that I'm keeping a gluten-free kitchen is if the non-gluten-free food is there, I do not trust my husband not to eat it.

[Jnkmnky]

The chocolate free kitchen comment had me rolling. Yeah, that would never happen in this house either!

[tarnalberry]

And personally, I have to say, this is a restrictive diet.  Just look at the initial SHOCK those who are diagnosed go through for proof!!

(I mean this as a general reply to everyone on the thread, it was just Jnkmnky's line that got me thinking...)

I think it depends, really, on the type of diet you eat before transitioning to being gluten-free. The way we tend to eat and cook, it wasn't too challenging - didn't use too much in the way of risen breads or products that were made with wheat. For my in-laws, who follow the Ornish plan (very low fat vegetarian) for health reasons, and rely on whole wheat bread, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat creal, and oatmeal, it would be very hard to transition to a gluten-free kitchen without running low on protein.

Mostly, it just reminds me just how really dependent upon the person's diet prior to becoming gluten-free how restrictive it is and how difficult it is to keep a gluten-free kitchen for the whole family. The relativism of these sorts of things is a good thing to keep in mind. *insert thoughtful smilie here, since they don't have one* :-)

[psawyer]

My wife does not have celiac disease and eats some foods with gluten in them. But she is very careful about keeping them away from anything I will eat, or the food preparation surfaces used for my food. Mostly, we eat the same gluten-free diet. She sometimes eats cereal at breakfast which is not gluten-free, or she will have crackers in her lunch (she loves Triscuits) that are made with wheat. We have no bread that contains gluten in the house--all the bread, rolls, buns and the like are gluten-free. As a result, the toaster is gluten-free, and the grill is gluten-free even if buns are toasted on it. It is a propane grill, so no worries about wheat in the charcoal briquettes.

Our cats eat a dry food which contains a small amount of oat fiber. I wash after handling their food.

[Guest taweavmo3]

You might do well to take Conner off dairy again.....I have done that with my daughter this past week, and have seen alot of improvement. She just got over a horrible gluten reaction that lasted two weeks, and I think it was dairy that compounded the problem.

Since taking her off all dairy, she is doing much better. She has even made some huge developmental milestones in the past couple of days, and I don't think it's purely coincidental. She hadn't shown any signs that she was ready to potty train (she's 3 1/2) but yesterday she went on her little potty just totally out of the blue. I think she's been sick for so long that she hasn't been able to cope with anything as big as potty training or speech, so she was lagging. I'm hoping if I keep her off diary for a while longer, she'll be able to catch up.

Hope your little boy is feeling better soon! It's so hard during these first few months, trying to figure out what exactly the "typical" reaction is like for our kids. I wish there was some sort of quickie test I could do at home, so I could know for sure if she was sick b/c of gluten ingestion, or if it's just a plain old bug going around.

[gf4life]

I guess we would be conscidered a "mixed" kitchen. It is almost completely gluten-free, with the exception of my husband's oatmeal, and sauces for his meat. He also occasionally gets himself some regular muffins and such when he wants a treat. He was never a big bread eater and watches closely what he eats as far as sweets and stuff. We cook his food for at work separately since he likes his sauces...but when we eat at home the meals I make are gluten-free and we all eat the same. Your basic meat/veggie/rice or potato dinner is so easy to make gluten-free.

For a while I was the only gluten-free person in the house and I was getting glutened all the time by the crumbs and such that were everywhere. I was debating the idea of cooking two separate meals for the gluten-free/non-gluten-free members of the family when I was having the kids tested. I didn't think it was fair that everyone had to eat gluten-free, unless it was the majority in the household. I was deeply concerned about keeping the contamination to a minimum though. When all the kids came back positive it solved the problem, we just got rid of all the gluten in the house.

My husband keeps his gluten foods separate from our gluten-free stuff and he is able to have whatever he wants outside of the house. Yes, it does get a bit expensive, but we eat mostly meats, rice, fruits and veggies. The challenge is when I make gluten-free baked goods. They are pricey and the kids and I don't get them all the time. My husband wants to eat them, but we don't want to share with him all the time. With 4 people gluten-free there isn't always enough to go around and he can have the regular stuff from the bakery or the grocery store...but he really likes my homemade stuff, even if it is gluten-free! I guess it is kinda sweet. He prefers my cooking, gluten-free or not!

God bless,

Mariann

[pixiegirl]

My house is mixed too.... I am a neat freak so I don't worry too much about the crumbs from my daughters stuff, I'm constantly wiping things. I use my own cutting board and I wash everything she uses really well. I guess I'm use to doing that my daughter has a life threatening peanut and tree nut allergy and I still eat peanut butter (occasionally) and such so we have just gotten in the habit of being neat in the kitchen (has not carried over to my desktop sadly). I wash stuff in the sink then run it thru the dish washer (only if it has had peanuts or gluten on it) and neither one of us has ever had a problem.

Susan

[JacobsMom]

My 2 year old is the one with Celiac...me and hubby havent been tested yet...I dont eat bread at all and never have...I do like Pizza thou....I have a 12 year old who has a locked cabinet with his snacks in them and he knows he must LOCK cabinet if he wants to keep it that way....Since I am cooking for a toddlar I use mainly 1 pan for his veggies and stuff....We usually grill or bake our meats and we have just gotten use to eating it plain and putting Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce on everything..LOL or using some type of spice I know he can eat...I havent been cooking Texas toast and the breads that I use to cook for dinner and it took hubby and the oldest a while to say I am still starving but they have gotten use to it....

I dont mind cooking 2 meals for him either....He will have to learn while growing up that he has to be careful himself b/c at school and at friends house they will not have a gluten-free kitchen....So he needs to know what he can and cant eat and learn to ask so that is mainly why I am not making everyone else go gluten-free if they dont have to but that is just me

[egardner]

I a mixed kitchen too, my husband eats mostly gluten-free but I never said he had to, it can get a bit pricey. I buy seperate butter, mayo, etc containers after a few mishaps. I cook in my own pans and whatnot. Most of the time, I can just set town pots of pasta on and it takes no more time than cooking one. I try to make sure whatever I am cooking is similar to his. A lot of stuff we just share, like "spaghetti". He likes it better my way, with rice and italian sausage. If you have a mixed kitchen and are cooking for celiac's and non's, try to keep it simple and just cook one thing with modifictations for the celiacs. (ie- rice instead of pasta, or thier pasta instead of regular) That seems to work for us, and we have NO time for cooking! Good luck!

[key]

Yeah, i am thinking the dairy is going to go for awhile. I just don't know what to look for when he gets gluten. He has been fussier. I dont' know when he got it and I don't know how much worse his reaction would be then before when he ate gluten all the time. I also don't know how long it lasts. He never vomited from it before he was diagnosed, but now this week he got sick twice. I know he had to have gotten some. No one else is sick. He has a cold, but that shouldn't make him throw up. He is fussier. Yesterday I fed him a lunch that was completely made from scratch and gluten-free. Well, four hours later he had diarrhea and what I fed him was in his diaper. I am just really depressed over him. He will do wonderful for three weeks and then all the sudden he is crabby and having lose stools.

My tests came back borderline for celiac anyway and I had been eating gluten free for 5 weeks when they ran them. THe GI doctor thinks I have it and so do I, so I am already cooking gluten-free for him and I. Plus my oldest needs to be tested. HIs only symptom is short stature.

I have had two children with health issues and I am just over doctors. I have three boys under six. I think I have been to the doctors more then 30 times since January and I am SO over it. My youngest also has something called Neurofibromatosis1. SOmething I had never heard of. His only sign we know of at this point is birthmarks.

Ok, sorry I am just stressed! Thanks for all your opinions about mixed kitchens.

Monica

[cdford]

We had not only the cross contamination problem, but also a really sneaky kid who should be gluten-free and would sneak in and swipe anything she could find. We finallywent to a totally gluten-free household. Outside, our non-cders can have whatever they want. Inside, no gluten allowed. We are in much better health and our doctor and hospital bills have dropped by thousands of dollars.

Of note here is that I have always cooked from scratch and so the cost of our grocery bill did not change as drastically as some. The offset in the lowered medical bills and lost time from work and school far more than made up for it.

[chasesparents]

My kitchen is not gluten free and my son has had no problems with cross contamination. I also wash all of our dishes togather in the dishwasher with no problems.

I don't know about the rest of you, but watch out for ppl offering cookies and crackers to your celiac kids, so far this has happened three times at parties and parades this summer...from ppl that we know and that know our son is "allergic" to wheat. (No one has a clue what celiac means)