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Going Back-to-School Gluten-Free

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

School starts for my kids in just under three weeks. They didn’t seem to have much of a summer, or it went by really fast. It was probably a little of both. Heading back to school on a gluten-free diet can be intimidating, even if you or your child has been following the diet for a while.

How you handle your gluten-free child in school depends a lot on your child’s age.

Elementary School

Meet with your child’s teacher, school nurse and principal to outline the necessary adherence to the gluten-free diet.  Make sure to bring a letter outlining all of the details that you wish to include.  Some schools are now providing students with gluten-free lunches as well, so make sure to arrange to speak with whomever is in charge of the lunch program and staff to make sure they understand the consequences of cross-contamination.  The other challenge with elementary school age children is birthday and class parties.  Arrange to be notified in advance if there is a scheduled pizza or birthday party so that you can bring in the appropriate gluten-free version of that food for your child.  You may consider keeping some pre-made brownies or cupcakes in the nurse’s freezer if that is an option.

Middle & High School

Kids at the middle and high school age may not want their parents involved in meeting with the school staff to go over their diet. When my son was in middle school, I still sent in my letter to make sure the teachers and nurse were aware of his condition in case he accidentally ingested gluten. My son chose to stick with bringing his lunch from home at this age, so there was no need to meet with the cafeteria staff.  High school options vary, but often there are choices that he can safely make without much involvement from an outside source.  They will often stock yogurt, milk, chips, fresh fruit and salads that he can safely eat.

College

Many colleges are able to safely feed those needing a gluten-free diet.  I was impressed with Miami University of Ohio when my son visited for hockey camp in the past.  For more information on staying gluten-free while going to college, make sure to check out GlutenFreeTravelSite.com, which includes reviews for several colleges.

Below I have listed a bunch of ideas for packed lunches.  Check them out:

  • PB & J (toasted or untoasted – there are many options now)
  • Turkey or Ham & cheese
  • Mac & Cheese in the thermos
  • Spaghetti & meat sauce in the thermos
  • Deli roll-ups (roll-up cheese in deli meat..could use cream cheese)
  • Pepperoni & Cheese (Hormel regular & turkey says “GF” on the package)

Side items

  • yogurt
  • chips
  • Blue corn chips & salsa
  • applesauce
  • fresh cut fruit

Desserts

  • GF Cookies
  • GF brownies

Other ideas

  • Salads w/ a protein (grilled chicken, steak, salmon, tuna)
  • tuna salad w/ GF crackers
  • Carrots & celery w/peanut butter or almond butter
  • Cream cheese w/ celery
  • dried fruit
  • fresh fruit
  • Lara Bars, Pure Bars, Kind Bars, Think Thin Bars
  • Greek yogurt + fruit + dried cereal or GF granola
  • Cheese & GF Crackers
  • GF Pasta or quinoa salad (add beans like chickpeas or black beans for protein)
  • Apples or other fruit with PB or AB
  • hard-boiled eggs
  • nuts or trail mix
  • fruit leather

Have you had any trouble with your child eating gluten-free at school?  What is your favorite gluten-free lunch box lunch?

Gluten-Free Lunch Box Snacks

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Kids are tough critics. Trying to find snacks that are gluten-free and appeal to them can be quite the challenge. Sometimes we have to think outside of the (lunch) box. Instead of trying to replace those non-gluten-free foods that they once loved, why not try something new?

I not only love the cruncha ma me because of the taste, but the very cool name!  More about this unique snack:

“cruncha ma-me is the all natural, high protein, non-GMO Verified, gluten-free and vegan, edamame veggie snack. cruncha ma-me edamame snacks come in four delicious flavors and are rich in plant-based protein from non-GMO soybeans.  Enjoy the great edamame taste in every bite of our crunchy snack!”

I really enjoyed this snack – tastes great & high in protein!  I tried the lightly seasoned variety, but it is also available in naked, veggie medley and sea salt & black pepper. They can be purchased right from the website.

IMG_2607The Good Bean makes a variety of snacks, but I am talking about the Chickpea snacks today.  I sampled the sea salt variety, but they also come in sweet cinnamon, cracked pepper and smoky chili & lime.  These snacks are crunchy and have a great flavor!  Not only do they taste great, but they are good for you, too!

“Gluten-free, nut-free, cholesterol-free, low fat, low in carbohydrates, nothing over-engineered, nothing artificial.”

The Good Bean Chickpea snacks can be purchased from the website. Sweet Cinnamon sounds divine! They also offer Fruit & No Nut bars that are gluten and nut-free.

What kind of unique snack ideas can you add to this?

Back-To-School Gluten-Free Tips

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

The time is here!  My kids go back to school today.  When do the kids in your area go back?  The new school year, new teachers, and new worries about eating gluten-free safely away from home.  I worry every year, but as Jon gets older it becomes less and less my responsibility and more his.  How you handle your gluten-free child in school depends a lot on your child’s age.

Elementary School

Meet with your child’s teacher, school nurse, and principal to outline the necessary adherence to the gluten-free diet.  Make sure to bring a letter outlining all of the details that you wish to include.  Some schools are now providing students with gluten-free lunches as well, so make sure to arrange to speak with whoever is in charge of the lunch program and staff to make sure they understand the consequences of cross-contamination.  The other challenge with elementary school-age children is birthday and class parties.  Arrange to be notified in advance if there is a scheduled pizza or birthday party so that you can bring in the appropriate gluten-free version of that food for your child.  You may consider keeping some pre-made brownies or cupcakes in the nurse’s freezer if that is an option.

Middle & High School

Kids in middle and high school age may not want their parents involved in meeting with the school staff to go over their diet.  When Jon was in middle school, I still sent in my letter to make sure the teachers and nurse were aware of his condition in case he accidentally ingested gluten.  Jon chose to stick with bringing his lunch from home at this age, so there was no need to meet with the cafeteria staff.  High school options vary, but often there are choices that he can safely make without much involvement from an outside source.  They will often stock yogurt, milk, chips, fresh fruit, and salads that he can safely eat.

College

Many colleges are able to safely feed those needing a gluten-free diet.  I have been impressed with the Miami University of Ohio when Jon visited for hockey camp the past 2 years.  For more information on staying gluten-free while going to college, make sure to check out GlutenFreeTravelSite.com, which includes reviews for several colleges.

Helpful Back-to-School links:

  • Gluten-free Breakfast Back-to-School
  • Packing a gluten-free Lunch Box
  • gluten-free School Letter
  • Back-to-School with Jules e-Book (free until August 25th)
  • NFCA Webinar: Preparing to Educate School Administrators on the Importance of Gluten-Free – August 23, 2012 – make sure to register

Make sure that your child feels comfortable with however you choose to handle eating gluten-free at school.  Involve your child in any and all talks and decisions so that he or she doesn’t feel uncomfortable or different from the other kids.  There are many kids with special diets in schools these days, so chances are that your child won’t be the only one.

Oral Manifestations of Celiac Disease

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

While Celiac Disease (CD) is an internal condition that has to do with the small intestine’s inability to process gluten and absorb food nutrients properly, dentists may often see if and when the condition is present just by looking at the teeth. Celiac Disease, most commonly developing in children, does not begin to show symptoms until much later and often, when it has worsened. But when the tooth enamel demonstrates some problems, the dentist can seek the help of an internist to do more tests and diagnosis for confirmation.

Celiac Disease and the Teeth

Studies done in Europe as far back as the 70s point to the relationship between CD and dental problems, where tooth enamel damage is heavily present. Another study supports previous research done by saying that at least 40% to 80% do present dental health issues when other symptoms of CD are not present.

The indications of CD though oral manifestations vary from patient to patient, but the characteristics of tooth damage generally include the:

  • color variegation
  • the roughness of the teeth’ surface
  • grooves in the dentition line
  • changes in the teeth’s shape to conical or points
  • severe cases that may indicate trauma to the teeth

The enamel damage is also peculiar to celiac disease, as there is symmetry to it. Meaning to say that if the incisors, for example, located on the right side shows defects, it’s also likely that its counterpart on the left side exhibit similar problems.

Other symptoms may include recurrent inflammation of the gums and ulcerations in the mouth, which are usually treated with medication and proper dental care or hygiene. Treating the symptoms of these dental problems, however, does not completely help with the real cause.

Causes

Unfortunately, it’s never easy to detect the root cause of Celiac Disease. The problem baffling experts is that no one can still explain the exact cause of why teeth damage relates to CD. Studies have yet to be done further to determine this. But there are a lot of theories.

Since small intestines have difficulty with absorption, the body may be getting fewer and fewer nutrients, including the teeth that need all these vitamins and minerals for their development. One research says that teeth enamel damage may be present because of the high concentration of HLA DR3, a kind of antigen, in the blood of CD patients. Antigens cause plaque build-up in the teeth.

Early Detection Helps

There are only about 5% of people receive a proper diagnosis for CD, as this is considered a “silent disease”. Some may think that Celiac Disease is only present in young children whose teeth are still developing, and may disregard any tooth problems as part of the process of growing up. And then there’s a minuscule percentage of adults who may have CD and don’t know it. The prevalence of teeth defects should be a clear indication that something systemic must be wrong.

At any rate, if the enamel defect is recurrent, prevalent, or severe, a consultation with the dentist and an internist should be in order, so that the real cause of this is detected early. With early detection, any damage or consequences to the body and general health are greatly reduced.

Recipe: Quick Gluten-Free Playdough

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 4 Comments

With my daughter now in school, I have to really worry about food in her classroom that is not safe for her to eat. For the first time in her life, she will be surrounded by lunches filled with gluten and will be on her own to make the right choice not to do the trade-your-lunch-with-friends thing many kids do. It’s not only the food I have to worry about but also the products in their classroom – like traditional, store-bought playdough.

There really is no way that you can walk into a kindergarten classroom and not find playdough – it’s a traditional play and education tool for that age group. There are a few gluten-free brands of playdough that you can purchase but seeing how much kids go through it can become quite costly. I recently tested out my own recipe for gluten-free playdough that took under 10 minutes and being able to make multiple batches in different colors was a selling factor for me.

Gluten-Free Playdough Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of water
  • 1/2 cup of corn OR potato starch
  • 1/2 cup white rice flour
  • 1/2 cup of table salt
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl mix together all ingredients. Add to pot over medium heat and stir together until the mix turns into a well-formed ball. Remove from heat (optional separate into sections and add different food colors to each ball). Store in air-tight containers when completely cooled.