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Do Disposable Baby Diapers Contain Gluten?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 7 Comments

So much focus is often placed on finding gluten-free foods, but sometimes it is the other things containing gluten that often cause problems. There are of course medications and other items that contain gluten, but for those of us with young children that have Celiac, have you ever considered those baby diapers your child uses?

Do Disposable Baby Diapers Contain Gluten?

While doing some research,  I noticed this post over at gluten-free Frugal where the author has contacted a few diaper companies to enquire about whether their diapers contain gluten.   Here are a few of the responses from the major diaper manufacturers:

White Cloud – “Our diapers do not contain gluten.” (Actually this e-mail came from Covidien.com and I had to Google around a bit to figure out WHICH diapers they were talking about. My understanding is that this corporation makes several store-brand diapers, none of which contain gluten.)

Huggies – “Kimberly-Clark consumer products do not contain wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale, kamut or farina. Certain Kimberly-Clark products do contain oats. The only Kimberly-Clark products containing oats are HUGGIES® Soft Skin products.”

Click over to check out the rest of their post and see their findings!

Why is Celiac Disease Different than a Food Allergy?

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

People always talk about Celiac Disease and describe it as a food allergy. Though I feel this is probably a good way to describe it to the average person so that they understand the importance of you not consuming gluten, having Celiac Disease is actually a gluten intolerance.

What is the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?

Having a food allergy means you are allergic to food, which typically means you could get bloated, break out in hives, and/or have your throat closed up.  Obviously, this is something that will usually require emergency medical attention.   A food intolerance, on the other hand, is a little different in that your body is intolerant of the foods, and consumption of the intolerant food can cause problems to develop over time.

So, as I said above, I think that it is okay to describe Celiac Disease as a food allergy in situations where you are trying to let someone know how important it is for you to avoid it, but in truth, Celiac is gluten intolerance and typically results in a number of symptoms, including sleeping fourteen hours a day and still being tired, curling up in a ball because the stomach pains are so intense, or taking Tylenol to try and kill the almost-migraine that happens because the body is fighting itself.  In other words, consuming gluten for most Celiacs won’t involve a hospital visit, but it will cause many problems that can sometimes linger for weeks.

Celiac Disease Symptoms in Infants and Children

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 6 Comments

As Celiac Disease becomes more widely diagnosed, we are seeing a large number of infants and children that are being diagnosed with the disease.

If you are concerned your child may have Celiac disease, here are a few of the common symptoms to look for. Please keep in mind that with Celiac Disease, typically each person has many different symptoms, and they often vary based on the age of the child or adult. This list aims to cover the most commonly complained about symptoms in infants and children that lead to a Celiac Disease diagnosis.

Symptoms of Infants and Children Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

  • Infants with celiac disease commonly have abdominal pain and diarrhea (even bloody diarrhea) and may fail to grow and/or gain weight.
  • Young children may have abdominal pain with nausea and lack of appetite, anemia (not enough iron in the blood), mouth sores, and allergic dermatitis (skin rash).
  • Children with Celiac Disease are often irritable, fretful, emotionally withdrawn, or excessively dependent.
  • In the later stages of childhood, children often become malnourished, with or without vomiting and diarrhea. This would cause the child to have a large tummy, thin thigh muscles, and flat buttocks.
  • Teenagers with Celiac Disease may hit puberty late and are often short. Celiac disease might also cause some hair loss (a condition called alopecia areata).

Other Celiac Notes:

  • Lactose intolerance (problem with foods with lactose such as milk) is common in patients of all ages with Celiac Disease.
  • Dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy, blistery skin problem) is also a common problem in people who have Celiac Disease.

Infant Recipe: Advanced Baby Food

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Once your baby has mastered eating the Basic Baby Food Recipe, you can begin to add meats and new fruits and vegetables. As with the basic recipe, you will want to make sure you try any new ingredients one at a time leaving a few days in between to watch for any adverse reaction to the new food. Now that your baby is older, the food should be thicker, and as he develops teeth, chunkier so he can work on learning to chew. Again, mix and match, especially when introducing meats as many youngsters have a hard time adjusting to the taste of meat. For an added treat, you can also add cooked rice once you feel your baby can handle it.

Ingredients:

Meat:

  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Ham
  • Turkey

Fruits:

  • Peach
  • Cranberry
  • Blueberry
  • Cantaloupe

Vegetables:

  • Broccoli
  • Peas

Optional:

  • Cooked Rice

Directions:

  1. Choose your ingredient(s). Remember to start off using one at a time, but as your child successfully tries each ingredient you can mix and match (i.e. apple & banana or carrots & pumpkin) for new flavors.
  2. Cut your ingredient(s) into small, bite-size pieces. They will cook faster and be easier to puree.
  3. Cook your ingredient(s) by either steaming, baking, or for meat, broiling, or poaching until they are soft.
  4. Once your ingredient(s) are soft, use a blender or food processor to puree them while adding water, breast milk or formula.
  5. The consistency of the puree should be somewhat thick.
  6. Once your food is pureed to the consistency you want, you can stir in some cooked rice if you choose to do so.

If you’d like to check out other recipe ideas, check out our gluten-free recipes page!

Link Between Autism and Celiac Disease?

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

Worried that your autistic child may have Celiac Disease? According to a recent study, there is no link between autism and Celiac Disease, meaning Autistic children are no more likely than anyone else to have Celiac.

Here is an excerpt from their study:

Researchers compared blood samples of 34 children with autism to samples of 34 children without autism who had been referred to an outpatient clinic of the same hospital. They looked for two antibodies used to help detect celiac disease “anti-gliadin antibodies and anti-endomysial antibodies. Biopsies of the small intestine were offered to children who tested positive for either antibody to confirm the diagnosis. Each group contained 18 boys and 16 girls between the ages of four and 16.

The study found autistic children were no more likely than children without autism to develop celiac disease. Anti-gliadin antibodies were found in four children with autism and two without autism. Biopsies on all six children came back negative for celiac disease.

“This study shows food allergies often associated with autism may have no connection to the gluten intolerance experienced by people with celiac disease,” said study author Samra Vazirian, MD, with Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran.

Click over to check out the rest of the information regarding this study.