Going Gluten free..how Long Berfore We See Results?

A.,
My son is now 6. Around 18 months of age, I began to notice a significant change in behavior and inability to sleep whenever we gave him medicine with dyes. After some research, I learned that some kids cannot handle red dyes (particularly #40) and yellow dyes (particularly #5). These dyes are found in so many foods that don't suspect like pancake mix, oatmeal pies, etc. For occasional treats, I give him organic candy and I make a lot of snacks from scratch. I also buy dye-free meds and vitamins. If you look up the Feingold diet, there are also some tips available. It is a very stringent diet so I don't follow all of it. Basically, you just need to monitor the amount of processed food that they eat and that will take care of most food related issue unless it is a gluten issue, then there are additional steps needed.

I think it was around 2 weeks after we went GF with my son that we noticed less irritability, explosiveness, etc. Hang in there. The lifestyle change and all the label reading felt really overwhelming at first but after a few weeks it started to feel more natural. Now it's second nature. On a selfish note, the energy I spend managing a GF diet is nothing compared to the energy I was spending dealing with a cranky kid.

I should add though that it wasn't a total, miraculous turnaround. He still has his challenges. But going GF "took the edge off" and made it easier to figure out what other help we need.

Hello A.,

There is no telling how long since gluten stays in the GI track for a long time. Just hang in there. it's a challenge because you have to read every label. Let me recommend a website:
www.reallygreatfoods.com
They have AWSOME cakes. My favorite one is the pineapple flavor. I use rice milk instead of pineapple juice. and their devil food cake is so moist and delicious! I've been using their cakes for our birthday parties for the last 7 years.
you can find nice rice pasta at the asian markets.
The good thing is that many more stores are starting to carry gluten-free products. Good luck! ~C.~

Everybody is different. I have Celiac Disease and I saw a big change in how I felt and in my physical symptoms at around 2 weeks. Things just keep getting better I've been GF for 8 months now. At 40 I feel better than I did at 20!
As for the hyperactivity, for my oldest son who has ADD (he is not hyper) I found that fish oil helped a lot. We also keep sugar down to a minimum. Lots of lean protein and veggies helps. His sister always did better (she's 22) when she had a snack high in protein before she went to bed.

Good Luck!

A.,
definitely 86 the sugar. There's Stevia available for sweetening things. I'm not up on gluten and gluten free. I have my own health issues. But one thing you and other moms facing issues with their kids' health is considering switching from pasteurized dairy to raw dairy. Honestly I can't taste the difference between raw and pasteurized milk. And there's a world of difference in how it affects our health and body. Pasteurized, for all the good it has done, is also like using white wheat flour, and kids are more likely to develop diabetes (at least that) if not other disorders. All the scares of raw dairy are gone as the standards have gone up. It costs more, just like any organic product, but for what is paid out in meds and doctor bills for all these disorders, it might make a difference financially. But health-wise would be the most favorable difference. I would at least consider it. I can give you links. Sounds like some of the other moms could benefit from it too! good luck.

Here's something we're about to try - the Specific Carbohydrate Diet - http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ There's a book about it and also a cookbook with lots of recipes that I just got from the library.

My daughter is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, has asthma, environmental allergies, juvenile arthritis, uveitis and was just diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Her illnesses started before she turned two (she's almost 6 now). I took her to a nutritionist who ran a blood test that indicated my daughter is "allergic" (though not anaphylactic like she is to nuts) to almost every food and she suggested we take her off all of it. We were desperate to do anything given that the medications my daughter had to go on were scary. We took her off all sorts of foods, but we saw no changes. Doctors said we were going to jeopardize her health/development. So after four months, we stopped.

I kept thinking in the back of my head that there was a food connection even though doctors said there wasn't. My daughter was having all sorts of GI issues, but doctors dismissed my concerns until she started having blood in her stool.

She had two Celiac blood tests that came back negative and during the colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist took a biopsy that also came back negative for Celiac. But the SC Diet has helped many people who have inflammatory bowel issues without Celiac, and it has helped people with autism and unexplained illnesses. I have been told that we should start seeing results within a week and my daughter should get better over the course of a year.

I don't know if the SC Diet works for hyperactivity, but I thought I'd mention it.

Hi A.,

I was diagnosed with Celiac recently and me and my 11 year old daughter are both dairy and wheat intolerant. One product line that we enjoy is Kinnickkinnick. It has english muffins to die for once toasted.

I admire the fact that you are trying natural alternatives towards your son's hyperactivity. One thing for sure, all additives aren't good for nobody.

Hopefully reading you soon,

M.

Gluten can stay in the body for up to 6 weeks, but the benefits should be present before that! Every little bit helps. All of the suggestions were great. There are some good books out there that really help. Gluten and diet might not necessarily be 'causing' the hyperactivity but eliminating it can definitely help curb symptoms. good luck!

IF you see results, that is. Wheat isn't always the culprit with hyperactive children. I'd worry just as much about sugar and artificial coloring.

My daughter is five years old and on the autistic spectrum. She has been on a GF/dairy free diet for a year and a half. We haven't noticed a radical change, although she does seem more focused. It took about three months before we noticed it. There are times she's eaten contraband and gotten cranky, but the constipation a GF diet gives her makes her irritable also. Was it the pretzel rod she ate at some kid's party that was making her irritable, or was it being in a strange home with children who don't make an effort to play on her terms? Until she starts talking more, we don't know.

A friend of mine has a daughter with celiac. She said it took almost 6 weeks exactly for the digestive end of it to change radically. Of course, she is having a different issue. I gave up gluten three weeks ago and noticed a huge change in my energy levels within a week (much more stable instead of ups and downs throughout the day). Good luck!

Good luck, A.. Making the change to a restricted diet for some or all of your family members can be a challenge. All of the recipes on our website, www.welcomingkitchen.blogspot.com are gluten-free (and also free of the top 8 allergens, including eggs and dairy). We also have some product reviews and tips that might make the transition a little easier for you.

I have been eating gluten free for a while now, due to a wheat intolerance. I have found a brand called UDI'S that has wonderful bread, muffins, and pizza crust. (UDI'S is out of Colorado.) I would save the rice bread you bought in the freezer and use to make stuffing at Thanksgiving. Season it with some basil and other flavors you like. I discovered that the brown rice bread is really gross as a sandwich but makes good stuffing. There is also a lot of great cookies, pasta and pretzels out there. Check your health food store or coop to see what they have available. Trader Joe's also carries some Gluten Free items. I hope this helps!
M.

I have Celiac and I like the flax seed bread by Glutino(sp?) they also have great pretzels. I noticed a change within the first week after going gluten free. When I first started I also started with all the rice products until I realized they were also bothering me. There are many gluten free products out there. I found the book Gulten Free for Dummies to be a great place to start.

I have been eating gluten free now for over a year and I noticed a HUGE difference in just 2 weeks! I wasn't totally healed but my digestion issues were resolving themselves quickly and I was so relieved! After about 4 months being gluten free (yes, it does get easier) I noticed that the symptoms were "coming" back, but since my diet was so limited to begin with I could spot real quickly the OTHER culprit foods! I am lactose intolerant, more than likely because of the damage to my gut from the gluten. Hopefully that will resolve itself in time but if not it's no biggie. I found the BEST lactose intolerant supplement ever. It's called Lacto by Enzymedica. It is $18 for 30 capsules but they work like a charm. Lactaid did nothing for me.
The other culprit is eggs. I had suspected over the years this may be the case, but now I knew for sure. I cannot eat any part of an egg. Sometimes if it is mixed in a food like a cake or something i will be OK, but other than that I steer clear of them. For recipes that NEED eggs I use an Egg replacer by ENER-G. It's the only one I've tried and it's OK, I'm still looking for something else, it's kinda rubbery when used to cook with.
But what I am trying to get at is that once you remove the worst of the allergen foods from the diet (gluten) you will become aware of what else it was masking. After a year I do not yearn for too many things and have found healthier alternatives to eat, even better tasting! I cook gluten/egg free for the family even though I am the only that has to eat that way. They do not complain and prefer it! It makes for less of a chance of my ingesting gluten and being sick for over a week before it all leaves my system.
I also has less issues with my seasonal allergies..that in itself is gold! Keep researching1