Gluten Free Diet? - Chicago,IL

Wheat free is avoiding wheat products only. Gluten free is more intensive, meaning you have to stay away from wheat but also other grains that contain gluten such as rye, barley, certain oats, etc. If the blood tests are showing an immune response, even if it's "mild" as you say, it's probably a good idea to try eliminating a food for awhile and see if there's a change. If you do end up having to go gluten free, another book that wasn't mentioned above in the other responses is "You Won't Believe it's Gluten Free" by Roben Ryberg. I like how it will have the same recipe presented with different ingredients (eg. "white" bread with a potato base, a rice base, or corn base).

There is a large Yahoo group of people, many parents, that share diets, information and recipes about identifying and avoiding food-related allergies. There's a lot of gluten free people on the board. Search the term foodlab.

Go for the diet. What have you got to lose? I put my whole family on it for months for my daughters allergies and severe adhd. I ended up losing weight, feelings of anxiety and PMS. Don't think about what you can't eat, think about what you can eat - Meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice, corn. The ears will clear up immediately - no one needs to be on all those antibiotics anyway. He may even not be allergic to the dog anymore, you just never know.

My advice though is stay away from most gluten free things, they taste awful and are alot of money. The only decent gluten free bread is glutino harvest corn and their cinnamon raisin. Only available at Whole foods from what I can tell. The other great treat is glutino wafer cookies but hey have a little milk and maybe eggs.

Bob's mixes are decent - especially the corn bread and chocolate cake. Although again, eggs might be a problem. Best of all is Father and son Gluten Free pizza

constipation is also a sign of food intolerance. I am also sorry your doctor said not to change his diet because it wasnt that bad. It is one thing if he is at a bday party and wants a cupcake to let him, but a whole other thing to feed him these things daily when he clearly has reactions (runny nose constipation ear infections behavior) Wheat free is Not the same as gluten free. Wheat contains gluten, so does barely, rye and oats. if he only has a wheat sensitivity then you can eat things that ate gluten free and also things that are just wheat free. If it is gluten the the wheat free is not going to work as it usually them contains barley rye or oats. Also if you keep these irritants out of his system he will better be able to handle the environmental allergies and you should be able to get him off of that allergy medication. And behavior absolutely is affected by this. I used to work for a family with food intolerances and when those children ate foods with the irritants they were COMPLETELY different children . Dont be surprised if things get worse for a minute as hew detoxes. Also try Whole Foods or other natural food stores. there is a ton of fantastic substitute foods out there and he wont miss a thing!

i agree with a lot of what the others are saying, having lived w/my husbands food allergies & intolerances. He's now reading a book called Adrenal Fatigue, due to all the stresses on his body caused by years of not eating according to what his body was telling him. I can however say firmly that if you take your child off dairy- ALL dairy, and sub coconut kefir or coconut/rice or soy yogurt (if he can tolerate soy) and almond, coconut, rice, soy or other sub for milk in cereal & recipes, you will almost cut out ALL of the fluid in the ears, the stuffy runny itchy nose. dairy has a tremendous load on our systems and after the age of 2 we no longer make the enzymes to digest lactose. I highly recommend also giving your child probiotics & enzyme supplements made for children. Go to your nearest Vitamin Shoppe or Fruitful Yield and ask one of the people there for a brand recommendation, then price it on Vitacost.com. I get a lot of supplements there. You will notice a different. As for the Celiac, 1 in 30 ppl are walking around with a gluten allergy or intolerance. It's an auto immune disease that can affect the digestive system, skin or the brain. Most of the lab testing is not conclusive --it's more easily diag'd w/elimination from diet. Elizabeth Hasselback published a book recently about being GF . There are also celiac specialists at one of the hospitals downtown. I think UIC, not sure.

a gluten free diet in a person who does not need it has been scientifically proven (according to a trib article I JUST read last week that stated the science paper) to cause MORE harm then good, so please don't follow that unless the child has had a positive on the Celiac blood or culture test.

My 1st child has been gluten free for almost five years now...what a change. We went from a child who couldn't sleep through a single night, had ear infections, couldn't gain weight, dry/brittle hair, abdominal pain, diarrhea to a sweeter, healthier child. Anyone who says not to try, like a physician is not to concerned about quality of life. Fear of the unknown, expense, and effort of learning should not be the determining factor. Amazing foods can be made out of things that are both familiar and those that you have never considered before. Most of the time it is a healthier diet and avoids alot of preservatives. You also can travel to the junk food as well, I could buy oreo equivalents, cookies, chips, candy. The Jillian Michaels idea of eating only things that come from the earth or a living creature is a great idea, you just might have to modify it a little to avoid wheat. Let me know if you need help. Also you may need to avoid or rotate allergens. let me know if you need help.

Food allergies absolutely change behavior, and I have food allergies myself and I know that cutting back on allergic foods can help dramatically. Eating too many foods I'm allergic to leads to ear infections and constipation.

I'm allergic to milk and egg whites. No need to remove wheat and gluten from his diet if that wasn't something he tested positive for. It shouldn't hurt him to try removing egg whites and milk for a while and see how he does. I buy Vegenaise, a vegan mayo made without egg whites. I avoid desserts with eggs in them, and I use Ener-g Egg Replacer in recipes. I substitute applesauce for eggs when we make pancakes and waffles and also chocolate chip cookies. I can also make an egg-free French Toast that my family loves.

I cut back on milk and cheese. You just have to learn to read labels.

If his allergies aren't bad then cutting BACK on the allergens will help. You may not have to avoid them entirely. Being on any medication is not good if simply avoiding the allergen is all it takes. I was on Seldane as a child for my allergies and later they found it caused heart problems, of which I have now. Seldane was supposed to be safe. So you never know.

If I eat anything with eggs I get an ear infection. So it absolutely DOES help! Avoiding milk has helped with constipation. So I know where your son is going through. My doctor told me NOT to worry about my allergies and prescribed medication but my homeopathic doctor said it was absolutely imperative that I change my diet. I haven't had an ear infection in a long time. So guess who was right!!

Good luck!

Since your child was found to have mild allergies to the wheat, milk, and egg whites, remove them from his diet for at least ten days to see if his symptoms clear. Food allergies cause a variety of problems and the only treatment for FOOD allergies is elimination from the diet.

Food allergies are also cumulative meaning each exposure to an allergen produces a stronger response. Additionally, it will take at least ten days of strict avoidance of the allergy foods to see any improvements of symptoms, because allergy responses generally effect a child for 7 to 10 days.

When you eliminate his allergy foods, you do not need to go gluten free, because you will unnecessarily restrict many healthy food choices for your child like oats, rye and barley. Also, be prepared to read every label of every food your child eats. Do not give any foods containing his allergens and learn what I call the code names for wheat (semolina), eggs (albumen), and milk (casein, whey, and many others) so you do not accidentally feed him these foods.

It does not matter how mild the allergy is if it produces symptoms, so strict avoidance and keeping a food diary with notes of symptoms is how you can figure out if these foods are causing your child problems. Also, restricting the suspected allergens for 10 to 14 days and reintroducing them one at a time (i.e. Withhold all allergy foods two weeks and reintroduce milk but not wheat or egg for two more weeks).

Good luck. You are now a food detective. Keep notes of all of your clues and take your child and evidence to a good allergist.

A., mom of 7 year old with severe, multiple food and environmental allergies who's been there and done (still doing!) that :)

Has he been tested for celiac? If you want to do a true test, you'll probably need to buy a book that lists the foods that are gluten-free. There are a lot of flavorings and additives that have gluten in them.

As far as I've heard from other parents, kids allergic to wheat are not necessarily gluten-allergic. You might want to ask a dietitian, if you've been working with one for some ideas. It seems like his diet is already so limited that it would be so h*** o* you to take on gluten-free for no reason.

Greetings!! The difference between gluten free and wheat free is this: gluten is a wheat protein or derivative. A food can be wheat free but still contain gluten. I had my daughter on a completely gluten and casein free diet (due to a mild allergy, which she is outgrowing) until she was 18 months old. It wasn't too hard as the grocery stores now carry a lot of gluten free foods; some of her favorites were Veggie Booty (not the Pirate's Booty, it contains cheese), soy cheese, gluten free blueberry waffles, gluten free chicken nuggets,and soy yogurt. Finding things that were casein free was a lot harder then gluten free. I shopped mainly at Jewel. Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.

My daughter had digestive reactions to gluten and casein (diarreha) which she has outgrown but still vommits when she eats egg. It's definitely worth a try to see if changing his diet makes a difference. Her frequent ear infections stopped when I changed her diet. Best of luck!

Gluten consists of a lot of things including your rolled oats. I tried eating gluten free for a while and it is hard to find decent gluten free food that is not terribly expensive. You can make small changes, like chex makes gluten free rice and corn chex. I would try what Jillian Michaels suggestions, don't eat anything unless it comes from the ground or has a mother, this eliminates many processed foods and you would be surprised how many processed foods use wheat as a filler. It is in lunch meat, in ice cream, in so many things. I would cut back on some of the wheat based products and just try to go natural, lots of fruits and veges, lean meats, and you might see a change.
Good Luck!

Hi,
I was allergic to egg whites and wheat "mildly" too. My symptoms were constipation and asthma. Once I switched to a diet that eliminated wheat and eggs everything got better. No more constipation and my asthma significantly improved! I cut out all breads/flours except Spelt. It is a version of wheat, but doesn't cause the same reaction. You can get spelt bread and other gluten free flours/mixes at most health food stores or grocery stores.
The hardest part was eliminating eggs, cuz they are in everything! You can get egg replacer at the health food stores too so you can still make most things. Just no more mayonaise or custard ice cream. :)

~T.

You've gotten a lot of good advice here. I do also suggest you try the elimination diet for your son. I am taking my own son to the allergist to see if his ear infections are related to allergies.

I'm really interested in how things turn out for you. Could you send me a private message and let me know how it goes? Would also love to know the doctor you took your son to. I'm trying to find doctors that do testing other than the old skin prick test.

My daughter has an allergy to latex and it does not show up on any prick test, but only when you touch her with latex in the mouth, (dentist/doctor gloves) and her lips and tongue swells so bad it becomes very serious very quick, so believe me, the tests aren't always right. I, myself, have many allergies but one of the worst is eggs. It does not show up with either blood or skin testing. I will get hives, blood pressure drops dangerously and get hives all over, so again, tests are not accurate. I have been to many allergists and several of them have told me to take my pulse right before I eat a serving of a suspected food (with only that food in it- like for wheat- only macaroni). then take it every ten minutes after to see if it rises (while relaxing). If it rises by more than 10 points that is an indicator of a food allergy. It has worked for me. You have to eliminate all those foods from your diet.

I am gluten intolerant. This is different from celiac and wheat allergy--although they are all very similar.
A celiac test did not show me positive, but a gluten intolerance test done by an allergy specialty lab showed me moderate sensitivity(ImmunoLabs in Florida--my chiropractor sent my bloods there). Personally, my health took a BIG turn like from always sick with a sore throat or strep or ... to now just randomly sick (haha like now!).
Gluten is a protein in starches like wheat. It is different for every starch, but someone gluten intolerant (or has celiac disease) typically means that they cannot have wheat, rye, or barley. There are a few others that aggravate that person's immune system. It is an immune response, thus the other side effects.
For recipes, I LOVE using Carol Fenster's books Wheat-Free Living (you can get it used on Amazon).
Any other questions, I am certainly not an expert but I've been dealing with this for several years now and could help point you in some directions.
Also, gluten proteins are difficult for everyone to digest, so even limiting them once in a while can be helpful for everyone, even if not doing the whole diet.

good luck helping your son to figure out what is going on.
p.s. My MD told me to "go ahead and eat wheat" because I tested negative on the celiac test. She hadn't even done research. So be aware you may want to question your otherwise great pediatrician on this one.

My daughter was allergic to milk and corn when she was younger. Whenever she had anything with corn in it she would become a monster. Allergies can affect your behavior. It is hard for children to explain how they feel. I would begin by removing the easier foods like dairy first, which could be what is causing the ear infections and constipation, and cutting back on the other foods. Wheat is in many processed foods so try to stick to a more natural diet. Being gluten/wheat free is very hard for some people. It effects everything from eating out to what you eat at the holidays. If you decide to put your child on a gluten free diet here are some books that might help Living Gluten Free for Dummies and Gluten Free cooking for Dummies. Very basic and right to the point. Befreeforme.com and Celiac.com are great websites. Another thing to keep in mind is that many children with mild food allergies will out grow them. You will learn little tricks when you are on any kind of special diet. Like always having a snack with you, taking your own bread for sandwichs, sub. applesauce for eggs in recipes, and so on. At one time I was cooking for my daughter who was allergic to milk and corn, my other daughter who was vegan, my husband who has high cholesterol, and my mother who was a diabetic. Meal time was very interesting around here but we were able to do it. After years of suspecting I had celiac I finally went and was tested so now we are cooking gluten free. So when it gets hard just remember you are not alone.
Why is he on medicines for a dog allergy? Do you have a dog?
Best of luck!

The blood tests are not 100% accurate. We first did the blood test at the ped. then went to an allergy dr and the results conflicted. You should go see an allergy dr before you stress too much. For us, the blood said milk allergy and the prick test no milk allergy...go figure!