Calling on Health Gurus! Dairy Free, Gluten Free Question

hi-
One way to get calcium (besides dark leafy veggies, calcium chews, etc) is Vance’s foods (potato based “milk”) - it has the same amount of calcium as milk (see: http://www.vancesfoods.com/darifree.htm)

I find that the impact of wheat vs. dairy depends on the child - I've seen some kids do better with eliminating wheat and other dairy. You can always try an elimination diet to see what maybe effecting him.

good luck!

This year we cut out wheat (not gluten)and sugar from my son's diet. I also increased the meat protein in his diet. All these things helped with attention. He gets 1oz of meat at every snack, usually chicken. We also cut out drinking milk BUT he eats cheese and yogurt. I use plain yogurt and add fresh fruit, sometimes honey to sweeten. We also make a lot of smoothies, frozen yogurt, and sorbets to get extra fruit and calcium. I puree the fruit in plain yogurt and put in the ice cream maker. You can add carrot juice or whatever you put into your juicer too. No kids turns down ice cream. :) I just use fruit, yogurt or milk and blend till smooth and then add to ice cream maker.

Homemade hummus and rice chips or veggies is a great snack for the lunch box. Rice cakes to dip in peanut butter or sun butter. My son loves broccoli slaw and poppy seed dressing in his lunch. Most of what I purchase, cereal bars and frozen waffles are gluten free. So we are almost GF, it is just easier to buy GF products for lunch boxes.

Hope these ideas help.

Hi T., I'm with you. There is so much garbage in our foods that you have to be vigilant at making sure your children eat a good meal.

My problem with this is, sometimes we cut things out of our diets that we need and only time shows the repercussions. Unless of course, we are educated nutritionists and have the proper access to this type information. This may be you, but I take it is not.

Maybe about 10 years ago, everyone went on a no starch & gluten free diet and bumped up the proteins, to lose weight. Everyone made profits from various books written, providing recipes and guidelines. It worked and worked fast, but once they began to eat starches again, all their weight came back, even in moderation. It takes balance and a consistent regimen to remove weight.

I hardly use salt, as I don't crave it and cringe at too much. I usually only cook with salt and don't add anything after that. I recently purchased a kosher salt that has no sodium. My thoughts were, I don't need all that sodium anyway. Once I read the box I noticed a note that it states "Not a Source of Iodine". That prompted me to look up the need for Iodine and I read that in adults, the lack of iodine can cause thyroid problems and in pregnant woman, the lack of iodine can cause mental retardation in their unborn child. I had NEVER heard such a thing, nor have I ever heard that we need iodine or certain amounts of salt in our food. I asked several people if they knew why we needed iodine in our diets and no one knew about this.

Now that I am 40+, my weight/figure is not what it used to be. So I don't eat potatoes like I used to. My feet cramp like you wouldn't believe! I need that potassium in my diet, which comes from banana's & potatoes.

With that said, I just want you to take care not to cut things out of the diet without full research. We even need a little sugar in our diet. However, on the other hand, some of our food has natural sources of this stuff. Carrots and bananas have natural sugars, without that pretty white crystal that makes our kids so happy and hyper. Fish and some chicken and beef have iodine as well, but it is difficult to judge how much iodine you receive, unless nutrition is your study.

Nutritional yeast. Look into it. No, it is not brewers yeast or bread yeast. You can get it at Sprouts and Whole Foods.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast

Hi T.,

I'm going to go against the flow here a little and say that I don't think dairy and gluten are our enemies. They can be if we let them. There are over 50000 new synthetic chemicals on the market today and they will continue to break our immune systems down. Food is not our only resource for health. It is a tremendous part but if we don't avoid the synthetic chemicals that we are able to, our immune systems will weaken and food allergies and reactions to natural things...like dairy...will be rampant. I don't think we should be on a dairy overload like the bulk of our country but I don't think that it is so bad. We keep organic whole milk in the house. We don't buy the processed grocery store brands. You probably understand this because of the way you eat, but the chemicals in the milk are much more dangerous than the milk itself...

If you haven't detoxed your home (not just buy good stuff but remove residues from the bad stuff) that would be my next step. Then try omitting the dairy...then the wheat...

God bless!

M.

I'm also going to very much against the grain here. Before you consider remove certain things altogether you need to consider the long term effects. You can take calcium supplements, but calcium alone is not enough if your body cannot absorb it. Also, too much soy in your diet can be incredibly unhealthy.
Anything that you remove from your diet for any length of time you will no longer be able to digest. You can create your own food allergy.
Gluten free diets are intensely difficult to follow. I know two people with a gluten allergy, and their diets are both very strictly limited, and very expensive to maintain.
If your son has attention problems and you've already removed all but natural sugars then the path you want to take is not diet, but daily routine. Cut video games and tv time. One of the best things you can give a child with attention problems is a yard.
If you are simply looking to have the healthiest family you can have, then look to removing things that are processed and stick to organic foods. Remember the old saying 'all things in moderation'. It does not refer to some things in large amounts and some things not present at all; even wine and chocolate have good effects in small amounts.

IMO, first cut the dairy and the wheat. The majority of people can not properly digest them & it causes a number of problems. I cut it out 12 years ago & couldn't be happier. My only exceptions are nice restaurants and special occasions. For birthday parties, I find out what is going to be offered. If it won't work for us, then I'll bring a dish that will, & enough for the whole party.
Secondly, getting your calcium from dairy is one of the biggest myths out there. It's right up there with the food triangle- it's the same one they use to fatten the pigs before they slaughter them, and today's current corn advertisements. Stick to your greens and herbs for your calcium. I also buy packets of highly absorbent calcium that I mix with water. I only have the personal info of the woman I get it from but if you give me your email address I can email you her private info. I do not have her authority to post it, or I would.
As far as wheat substitutes go, I tend to avoid potato flour and choose spelt or buckwheat, or other high protein flours.
Children respond instantly to this change in diet. Adults take longer bc their systems have been out of balance a lot longer but a simple detox will help. In addition, Adults may consider cutting the beer (wheat) and white wine with malolactic fermentation (dairy).
Btw, we may eat actual corn on occasion but do not do (or limit as much as possible) corn oil, corn sugar, etc. and do not eat pork ever.

Hope this helps!

I would suggest eating REAL food. A lot of people cut out things in their diets and sub in processed, new foods not familiar to the human body. Soy alternatives are a good example. Research how soy has been eaten through history and it is NOT in the form of soy milk and "cheeses."

If you truly have dairy issues, real bone broth is the best way to get your calcium.

Look into a traditional foods diet. Ask yourself if your great grandmother would recognize what you're eating and use that as a guide. See http://www.westonaprice.org for more information.

My son is allergic to dairy, so he does not have any in his diet at all. For calcium, he drinks fortified soy milk and also eats soy yogurt. We buy him calcium-enriched orange juice as well. He also eats green veggies like spinach, but it takes A LOT of spinach (or other greens) to equal a cup of milk.

I recently read that figs have a lot of calcium, though I have not bought these yet. Check this out when you have a chance: http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/calcium_non_dair...

Good luck! Oh, and sorry but I don't know much about eliminating gluten or wheat.

K.

http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

One way to see how one reacts is to cleanse out all the top allergens and cleanse in general.

Wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, some say corn, red meat, yeast, processed sugar...gluten possibly...with attention disorders and delays I have heard it can really help some.

Then you add non likely offending foods, and then expand slowly over time to see if there is a change. The cleansing time seems to vary with opinion...my experience was that 3 weeks was a good amount of time.
I ate brown rice, salad greens, for a week, and added a new fruit or vegetable every 3 days after. After the 3 weeks, I tried the offenders. I found how things are cooked can make a difference as well. I.e. I do well rotating hard boiled, or eggs baked in things....but when I have invertase, or plain egg white (found in some GF cookies) or mints, I will get a really bad headache. So I try to be careful about "treats".

Check out elimination diet and paleolithic diet.

Anyone can have allergies ...or sensitivities. Some foods some can rotate, others not a good idea at all.

It helps if one keeps a food diary. I found I can rotate nightshade, but I just break out and itch with baker's yeast. Second time around on wheat was really hitting me so I don't eat wheat, and think I could be fine with gluten (had numerous celiac blood tests all negative and no reaction so to speak of from rye or barley), but with my older son's sensory processing issues and speech difficulties, I am going GFCF with him and the house. I admit I will drink coffee with some real cream now and then, and occassionally eat white cheese, such as mozarella or farmers.

Sunflower seeds and many nuts, if one is not allergic can provide minerals.
Some take vitamin drinks or mineral mixtures such as Cal Mag blends. A nutrition almanac can be a useful tool to compare what is in foods and their amounts.

So...cleansing, elimination diet, food diary, and nutritional almanac,...would be what I would recommend as reading material to help one find out offending foods and create an understanding of how to supplement.

Hope that helps...good luck with your choice to eat healthy. Wish the schools would be more aware.

Calcium - you can get calcium from milk alternatives such as soy milk, soy yogurt, soy cheese. Many foods are calcium fortified, in particular, my pedi recommended fortified orange juice. But the orange juice gives one of my sons canker sores. Costco carries a children's chewable calcium supplement. I do give that to my kids.

Gluten - I think gluten is evil ;) not really, but I do think it is a really good idea to stay away from it. It is in everything processed these days. Stick to wholesome foods; meats, fruits, veggies.

Personally I think the wheat would be more likely to cause attention problems than milk. I would eliminate that one first.

I am very allergic to milk and 3 of my 4 kids are milk intollerant. One of my kids is also allergic to wheat. It is a struggle, but I try really hard to keep us all milk and gluten free. Good luck!

Hi T.,
I didn't have time to read all the responses, so I apologize if this repeats what has already been said. My son has dairy and corn sensitivities. Corn is actually worse than dairy, and is in most processed foods, and now in almost every boxed cereal. He is almost 3, so the gastric issues caused by dairy and corn are not as bad as when he was an infant (exclusively BF, but I was eating dairy and corn for the first 3 months). However, dairy and corn particularly make him into this crazed singing energizer bunny. He is a totally different kid when he accidentally gets corn (it hides everywhere!!!). He isn't crabby, but just hyper. It is really amazing to see.

So, dairy and wheat are big culprits, but I would look hard at corn as well.

Good luck,
C.

I don't consider myself a health guru, but my son has been on a gluten and dairy free diet for two years due to digestion issues. As far as calcium, fresh greens are great, as you said, and I give him rice or almond milk that is enriched with calcium, vitamin D, etc.

I don't know the relationship between dairy/gluten and attention issues. It may be helpful to consult a nutritionist. Our Naturopathic/Homeopathic doctor has been our guide with our son's diet and the changes are helping with his digestion and other issues he is having. I would say it makes the most sense to cut out one thing at a time to see if that helps him, but a health professional may be a better guide.

We eat/drink fortified foods, like rice milk and soy milk and dairy-free yogurts. We also use calcium-fortified juices, like orange juice. Combined with greens and tofu, our family seems to be getting enough calcium without dairy. If you're looking for recipes, my friend (a R.D.) and I write a blog that features recipes that are all vegan, allergen-free and gluten-free. www.welcomingkitchen.blogspot.com

In my situation, gluten was the most important thing to omit. My son has a serious speech delay and after finding out that my husband and I both are allergic to wheat, we cut it out of our son's diet. It's been about a month and a half since we cut it out of his diet and his speech has sky rocketed. He's 4 and is finally being able to string sentences together and we can understand most of what he is saying. He's also understanding what we are saying and can actually comply. I'd say that since eliminating wheat from his diet, his speech and understanding abilities have more than tripled.
If you are suspecting food sensitivities as part of your son's problem, then take the necessary steps now to eliminate them from his diet while he's young. Their are plenty of alternatives to both wheat and dairy, that he won't know the difference if you start now rather than wait.
As far as which one to do first, I think it's entirely up to you.