gluten free- need new utensils?

[gators]

Hello everyone, this is my first post, although I have been getting info from this forum since July.

A little background- my son has had a few tics over the years- nothing noticeable to anyone other than his parents- mostly sniffing fingers, widening his eyes. Over the summer he started blinking- but he winks his left eye, then right eye then left and right, etc. We tried the Magnesium and epson salts over the summer- we thought we were on the something and then right before middle school started (6th grade) they got really bad. I am sure the stress caused it. He is VERY anxious. Anyhow, it got to were he could not even do his school work. Went to the neurologist and started Tenex- did nothing. We are now on Topamax. That was going great until Dec. 10th he went to a school dance- lots of srtobe lights- came home ticcing badly. Has improved only slightly since then. Anyhow, a friend of mine suggested trying gluten free= her son is midly autistic with motor tics- she has seen a big improvement. She told me that you have to get all new utensils, toasters, pans, etc. so you do not cross contaminate= this seems a bit much. Is this the case. I already went to Whole foods and have to say I am really overwhelmed- things you would assume are not Gluten have gluten- I guess you have to check everything unless it says GF.

 

This is the hardest thing for me. I am so afraid- it is so hard not to cry all day. I do get hope from reading the posts, but it is very scary for me.

 

 

Any info is truly appreciated.

 

Leslie

[Ozimum]

Qoute: "She told me that you have to get all new utensils, toasters, pans, etc. so you do not cross contaminate= this seems a bit much. Is this the case. I already went to Whole foods and have to say I am really overwhelmed- things you would assume are not Gluten have gluten- I guess you have to check everything unless it says GF."

 

Hi Leslie,

 

First...Don't panic!

 

There are some who will tell you that about using different utensils...for those who are VERY sensitive to gluten. GFCF diets are useful for kids who have gut issues and hence problems digesting gluten and casein. Some find going gluten free/dairy/casein free/soy free/corn free/sugar free helpful too, as well as eliminating colors etc.

 

If you want to try a gluten free diet just start by steadily eliminating foods with gluten and substitute gluten free grocery items as you find them in the supermarket or healthfood store eg gluten free pasta, and just work up to total gluten free diet. It will take months to get gluten out of the gut anyway, so it has to be seen as a long term endeavour... but it can be done. And many say it is a healthier diet. You could also perhaps consider enzymes and probiotics. It helps if you have a health practitioner to help you.

 

But, before going down that road, it might be helpful to have your son tested for food sensitivities first...gluten may not even be a problem! Good luck!

Edited January 4, 2011 by Ozimum

[DoriansMom]

I agree, I would go at this slowly.

changing utensil is extrem imo.

Are you able to see a natropath in your area? or anyone who can do an intolerance test? It might be soemthing you want to consdier before yo go full force with it.

But if that isn't any option I think going gluten free slowly is your best bet. we have noticed huge improvments in just cutting out sugar and it isn't as hard as you might think.

[smartyjones]

But, before going down that road, it might be helpful to have your son tested for food sensitivities first...gluten may not even be a problem! Good luck!

 

i'd have to say i second what ozimum has said. my son has pandas, no tics. when we were first investigating causes for his behaviors, we saw a naturopath who ordered a food IGG test. it came back highly reactive to many foods -- all dairy, most grains, eggs, peanut. we immediately eliminated those foods. i have to say it is overwhelming, but can be done.

 

i have not seen results that i can pull back to the food issues. he has had exacerbations of behaviors and good times while eating a restricted diet. my thoughts now are that his immune system is screwy and i don't want to add to it with the foods. i think that he was overloaded with infections and just couldn't process those foods -- which many think are difficult for most of us anyway.

 

we are working to clear the infections and i hope to reintroduce foods when the infections are cleared.

 

yes, for a person with celiac, they must be super-vigilant -- one bite of pasta can cause problems. in that case, a person with celiac would probably need clean utensils, etc. we have not been so vigilant.

 

i also have to say that while not impossible (and actually, after a rather short time, it becomes fairly easy) it is quite an undertaking. i most likely would not have done it if i had not seen that test results with so many off-the-chart results. it's not that it's hard to find foods, it's just that it is so different from the way most people eat. my ds doesn't eat fruits and veggies. if you ate fruits, veggies,, it's much easier. we did the cold turkey approach and i think it seems easier than trying to do it slowly.

 

we consulted a traditional allergist who all but laughed at the result saying an IGG test means nothing. however, he certainly couldn't give me any good cause for my sons issues, so his opinion didn't carry much weight with me. i also know of a dr who works with autistic kids who says he cannot cite any studies that give results of GF/CF yielding results, yet he has a boatload of parents who swear by it.

 

another thing to think . . . is there any connection to tics and any particular food? i have a friend whose kid acted wild only at certain times. they realized it was when she had a day off or he went to his grandmother's. those days, he ate waffles with syrup that had high fructose corn syrup. they eliminated HFCS and corn and saw the troublesome behaviors resolve.

[mommyfor4]

Hi Leslie and welcome,

Our ds is gluten free and the furthest we went with utensils is buying a second cheap toaster that is only his. Other than that we don't use the same knife etc. for buttering toast and a separate plate or cutting board for preparing sandwiches etc. For him this seems to be enough as long as the product we use to clean is natural. He was reactive to cleansers ie. dishwasher detergent, dish soap etc. I agree with everyone else try elimination first to be sure and if you see results then investing in separate utensils may be necessary but for us at least we saw results initially even without. The toaster etc. came as a final clean up. But seeing as we all eat the gluten free pastas etc. most pots and pans are pretty safe. I wish you the best...it can be overwhelming at first but soon just becomes part of your everyday routine. Baking gluten free from scratch took some getting used to but even that now is second nature. If you suspect foods, trust yourself! Even the best meaning doctors are not experts in all fields, and far too many people are seeing results that are undeniable!

Best wishes...

Megan

[cloudy]

Hi there and welcome

I have looked into the gluten free diet but we live in the UK and it is not that easy here.

I have cut out all E numbers and trying to cook all organic meat and veg.

With regard to the gluten free - what about bread? I have seen in the supermarkets here some vacuum packed bread and rolls - havn't gone as far as buying them yet - is there much difference in taste?

 

Best wishes

Sal

[Ozimum]

Quote: "With regard to the gluten free - what about bread? I have seen in the supermarkets here some vacuum packed bread and rolls - havn't gone as far as buying them yet - is there much difference in taste?"

 

Hi Sal,

It is hard to replicate what gluten does in bread, pasta and cake etc, so you may find you have to try a few different brands until you find one you like. They are different. (We have one with quinoa seed which is really nice.)

 

My ds loves pasta so we make do with the gluten free pastas, but he doesn't actually like bread or any cereal, so breakfast is the meal most affected ...I had to re-educate my brain into thinking it was perfectly ok for him to eat lasagna for breakfast! (gluten free and dairy free!) I make lots of it (with loads of grated vegetables in the meat) and freeze it in portions just for him, so I know that what he's eating is healthy. Otherwise he can eat eggs or baked beans for breakfast! We also make lots of salmon bake, tuna mornay, spag bol with GF pasta and GF flour etc, etc...all frozen in portions (with no dairy in our case.) He won't starve!

Other meals are basically meat and veg/salad, fruit. I've just found a source of gluten free pizza bases and gluten free pastry...haven't tried those yet. It can be done!

Edited January 5, 2011 by Ozimum

[trggirl]

I have found that a lot of the gluten free products contain corn so be sure to watch for that if you have a corn sensitivity as well.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Trg girl

[gators]

Thank you everyone for your replies. We did start the GF and I am going to keep a log of what he eats. I did get Sheila's book and by reading it realized that one of the Doctors mentioned in the book and on line here is in my area. I have made an appt. in a couple of weeks for allergy testing and all that stuff. I atleast feel a little better in that I will have someone to guide me through all the possible tests, information, etc. It is so overwhelming.

 

For those that have done GF- am I correct in that it will take atleast 4 weeks to see any change??

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

Leslie

[Ozimum]

For those that have done GF- am I correct in that it will take atleast 4 weeks to see any change??

 

Hi Leslie,

 

We see a DAN!/Biomed doctor here because my ds has gut issues - I had no idea he had any. I'd been concerned about his immune sytem, but we found strep and staph in his gut, where they shouldn't be...hence the GFCF plus gut healing diet, and supplements, probiotics and enzymes. Many on the autism spectrum have gut issues resulting in difficulty digesting gluten and casein, which then break down to opioid peptides. This affects things like focus and concentration, and to make things worse our kids often crave these foods!

 

For those with casein sensitivity, the effects of removing casein can be seen within a few days. Gluten takes longer to remove from the gut...I understand it to be months, not weeks. For us the changes have been subtle and steady, others claim to see more effects and sooner, others see no changes. My son is particularly sensitive to casein and he knows that he feels better (more focussed) without it in his diet, so he's committed to no dairy products at all, including icecream (I make a coconut milk alternative...it's easy!) and milk chocolate (big sacrifice! but we can get gfcf chocolate!) He can tolerate soy cheese etc, but many can't tolerate any soy at all. Some find other grains such as corn, even rice can be problematic. Oh, and we're pretty much sugar free too. His gut is healing and he is better able to absorb the vitamin/mineral supplements etc he's taking and he's so much happier, healthier, has more energy, doing well at school...and much less anxiety and OCD! Something is working and I think it's the combination of things we're doing.

 

I think keeping a log is a really good idea - you may well see patterns developing. Gluten may or may not be an issue. If you haven't already, do have a look at other threads such as KevininMA's Detox Diet - Blogging Our Journey. Keep us posted.