Many parents have heard about the benefits of the gluten free diet or the GFCF (gluten free, casein free) diet for children with autism, sensory processing problems, ADHD, delayed language skills, and other learning problems both major and minor, but many also feel overwhelmed at the prospect of actually putting it into place. Some parents are daunted by the reality that gluten- and dairy-containing foods are the only foods their child eats, so eliminating them seems impossible! Others fear it will be too expensive to implement. Still others think it will be too much work.
The reality is that many children who would benefit from the diet do crave milk and gluten-containing foods, but great kid-friendly substitutes can be easily made. In addition, the GFCF diet can be expensive–but it doesn’t have to be. It can also be a lot of work–but with strategic use of your time it doesn’t have to be, and might even be less expensive than your old mainstream wheat-based diet.
How do you start? Look for good substitutes to your child’s favorite foods. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Pasta: Ancient Harvest Quinoa Supergrain Pasta (www.quinoa.net). The first time our family had this pasta, we decided we liked it better than wheat-based pasta. It dehydrates slightly when it is exposed to the air, so the best way to reheat any leftovers is to plunge it in hot water for about a minute.
Hot dog buns: Kinnikinnick Foods Tapioca Rice Hot Dog Buns. My son loves these! The company also makes hamburger buns. They are sold in the freezer section of many supermarkets.
Tips for smart shopping:
Buy in bulk. If you have a little room to store bulk goods, we have found these two suppliers of gluten-free products to be a wonderful resource: Ancient Harvest Quinoa at www.quinoa.net and the many organic flours and other products at Azure Standard. I have had some trouble getting my complete order filled at Azure when they are out of stock. In addition, I have been thoroughly enjoying buying whole grains and grinding them in my Vita-Mix Professional blender and baking them up into breads. Sorghum flours make the bread particularly wonderful, but Azure has been out of stock on this item for months. I found it at a fantastic price at Twin Valley Mills. I may have found a wonderful new source for grains. I am still looking for an source of organic whole grain sorghum flour. I’ve asked Azure Standard to carry it, I’ll post here again if they let me know they have it in stock.
The GF/CF diet does amazing things for most children on the spectrum and those with AD(H)D. It is beyond me why there are still people who would dismiss something that is non-toxic and relatively low cost. According to ARIs survey of parents who tried the diet in their kids with autism, two-thirds of the kids benefited from the diet. No drug that was used even came close to helping that many kids. Thanks for the great blog, Ann. Keep it up!