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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.

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.

Teenagers Following the Gluten-Free Diet

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 11 Comments

As I have mentioned before, my son follows a gluten-free diet and has since 2006 when he was 10 years old. My son has never been thrilled with the idea of following a gluten-free diet. He never really felt physically ill from eating gluten before he went on the gluten-free diet, so he didn’t have a lot of motivation. He did have some constipation and ADHD-like symptoms, but no cramping or diarrhea. If my son accidentally ingests gluten now, he is in the bathroom with diarrhea within 30-60 minutes. I am sure that he is really appreciative of my sharing that with you all, too.

My son has frequently told me that as soon as he is old enough, i.e., not living under my roof, he is going to eat gluten again. I explained that while I wouldn’t be able to control his diet when he was an adult, his body might have something to say about that. He goes back & forth with me all the time and says that if it doesn’t make him sick he is going to eat it. I have tried explaining that even though he may not feel sick that the gluten can still be causing damage to his body. For example, in the first 10 years of his life, he never really felt sick when he was eating gluten. Does that mean it wasn’t hurting him? No. His small intestine was damaged. When he had his endoscopy & biopsy in June 2006, his villi were damaged. Does this information matter to a stubborn teenage boy? No.

So, how do I keep my son from ingesting gluten? I have thought about this a lot lately & have come up with some ideas.

  • Blood work – My son sees his GI doctor yearly for checkups & she checks his blood to see if he is getting any trace amounts of gluten. This will help show the big picture, but obviously can’t be used to monitor him on a regular basis.
  • Health benefits – Try to reinforce the health benefits of sticking to the gluten-free diet. The gluten-free diet is a healthy diet when lean proteins, vegetables, fruits & whole grains are incorporated. I try to teach my kids that we “eat to live” not “live to eat”. My son’s hockey coach is playing a role in this as well. The coach asks the kids to eat a banana before each game. My son said that while he doesn’t like bananas, he has noticed a difference in his performance when he does eat the banana.
  • Positive reinforcement – I think praise goes so much further than criticism. I try not to bad mouth the gluten-free diet and have a positive outlook on it. Learn by example. If my son sees me having a positive attitude about the food that we eat it will hopefully carry over to him.
  • Involve him in cooking/baking – Try to recreate favorites or create new ones. Ask for his help and show him how he can make good gluten-free food. Ask him for his ideas and use some of them. This will give him a sense of empowerment, which will really go a long way.

I don’t want ever to punish him for not wanting to follow the diet or not following the diet. It hasn’t come to the point of him cheating yet, or that I am aware of. I don’t want to make this a battle or a power struggle. However, if he were to start cheating on the diet, what would I do? I think that if it came to that point I would enlist the help of my son’s pediatrician and/or GI doctor or maybe even a counselor to help him work through his feelings.