Is It a Gluten Allergy???

I'm a mother of 5 beautiful children, 3 of them have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. I put them on a gluten and dairy free diet 3 1/2 years ago and the results have been amazing. Two of my children are now officially diagnosised with celiac disease and two more are being tested (You must be eating gluten in order to do the testing so one of my children will never be tested. I know, regardless of what a medical doctor would say, that gluten effects him so we don't feel it necessary to do testing). I joined my children on their diet 2 months ago and also have noticed significant improvement in my own health. Gluten free did not take away their autism. But it did make several symptoms fade and even disappear. It is not an easy diet to follow. You can't just eat some gluten free things and expect to feel better. You must be completely gluten free, absolutely no cheating. And it is extremely difficult to eat out. But it is do-able . . . and easier today than it was even 5 years ago. There are many wonderful gf products available in grocery stores and alot of really good cookbooks. You may email me privately if you have more specific questions.
L.

Go to www.befreeforme.com for lots of good info.

I think you are getting some great responses. I agree that it does not hurt to try, especially if you feel that it could possibly be a reaction to the gluten through your research. Doing it really is not too difficult to do; you just have to be aware of the food you serve and the ingredients. Did you know that vanilla extract has gluten, (but you can buy gluten free vanilla)? Anyway, with my own experience and eliminating gluten in my son’s diet I personally think I see a change is in behavior, and digestive system. But this is my own opinion. I still have not been able to get my arms around doing a casein free diet, as some of my research has suggested, but I am working at it. Continue to do your research, there is a lot of info out there, don’t let it scare you, and don’t give up on it either.
Side note: If you buy pre-packaged foods they can be pricey (Ian’s chicken nuggets, my son’s favorite, are pretty expensive. I could save money if i'd just make my own. =)
If your family loves baked goods as much as mine do there are classes available to learn to bake gluten free; pancakes and cookies are a love for my son and I learned to make them gluten free. I took a class at the Merc (grocery store) in Lawrence and came home with some wonderful recipes that actually taste good. I would think Whole Foods should have some type of classes for gluten free baking. The classes I took consisted of baking breads, pizza crusts, cookies and granola bars.
In addition to the many other books I checked out for research, I found a book called Special diets for special kids: Lewis, Lisa S. Once you read some of the recipes you can see that it isn’t too difficult to provide gluten free foods to your family. I wish you the best on this and I can’t wait to hear if you notice any difference in your child as you change his diet.
Take care
S.

Definitely try it! My friend was teased for years about her "behaviors". It was only when she was in her 20s that she was diagnosed with Celiac disease. She is doing great now!

Some other GF ideas: Many Asian foods (but check soy sauce, as it might have some... the cheaper ones usually are GF), Mexican food without tortillas (Chipotle burrito in a bowl, etc, or use corn tortillas), and cooking things from scratch really helps. My friend would make baked chicken, steak, potatoes, GF pasta, GF bread, etc.

Good luck!

Ditto, Shelby! I'm ready to go gluten free - L., let us know how this works for you. I may need some tips to convert the family, but it can't hurt to try!

Good luck!

by all means try a gluten-free diet to see if you notice a change in your son. But, please be very aware that when faced with a diagnosis, many people (myself included) will search for other "less scary/involved" answers. That doesn't mean that I think you're in denial, it means... please pursue all available options for your son. Keep the door open! I wish you Peace....& I must say, after reading Shelby's response.....I'm ready to try gluten-free, too!