Convincing a child to eat much of anything is a chore, so how do you handle a child that has been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance or celiac disease? It isn’t easy, but there are ways to convince them that the benefits of a gluten free diet is not only best for their health but an enjoyable way to eat. Here is some inspiration for developing gluten free recipes for kids.
Always Be Educating
Don’t simply tell your child “you can’t have gluten”. Many adults have a hard time understanding gluten and what foods it is in, so it’s unrealistic to expect a child to do any better.
Raising Gluten Free Kids
Teach children the basic facts about the gluten-containing foods they must not eat and how to avoid them by modeling a gluten free diet plan. Explain to them the reason why they need to be careful and what exactly will happen to them when they eat gluten containing foods. Consequences speak volumes for children. Identify and offer gluten free food alternatives. Reward children for appropriate eating behavior. Spend time showing your child how gluten appears on labels and how to avoid it.
Create a notebook that your child can carry with them containing a list of foods they cannot have and a list of foods they can have. This will help when they go to a friend’s house or are in school where boundaries are often broken without your knowledge.
Finding Gluten Free Foods They Like
The real issue with a gluten free diet for children is finding foods the child will like. Especially if they were previously allowed to eat things like cake and bread, changing to gluten free products can be very hard.
It’s important to find and develop gluten free menu variations on kid favorites like macaroni and cheese, pizza, spaghetti, cookies and other sweets. Almost anything you can think of that contains gluten can be made gluten free in some form or another. Don’t allow yourself to think that they need to eat different foods – just different ingredients. At the same time, don’t pour money into processed gluten free foods which can be prohibitively expensive.
Develop habit of always having gluten free products as snacks available wherever kids go: rice crackers, fruit or veggies, homemade snacks and water. It doesn’t matter where they’re going, get them used to carrying a lunch bag.
Make and have specialty, holiday, or go-to gluten free treats that kids can eat or drink when out with family or friends such as gluten free cakes, pies or other gluten free desserts. Make sure these can freeze well so all you need to do is thaw and it’s ready to use or bring anywhere.
Develop good basic recipes for staples like gluten free bread, gluten free pizza, gluten free tortillas and wraps, gluten free cake, gluten free candy and other gluten free desserts. Consider buying a quality mixer, like a KitchenAid, bread making machine and other specialty cooking paraphernalia such as tortilla press, pizza stone, etc. Consequently, you will be able to derive the benefits of a gluten free diet and make much healthier, whole foods at home. You can never have too many recipes.
Host a Gluten free Kids’ Birthday
Develop gluten free plan for road trips, visiting, traveling or other event-related scenarios: Include bringing along your own gluten free products such as almond milk, bread, crackers, and snacks, as well as identifying gluten free friendly restaurants or restaurants that provide gluten free foods list.
Communicating with Other Adults
Once your child is out of sight, it’s very likely they will be presented with gluten-containing foods. While your efforts to educate them on the risks of eating gluten will certainly help, you must also talk to the adults they are with. Teachers, parents of their friends and family members must all understand the extreme health risk of eating gluten. Make sure they understand the severity (comparisons to diabetes or peanut allergies often get the point across) and ensure your child always has gluten free snacks on hand so they don’t get left out of class activities.
With the right level of communication and preparation, you can ensure your child is never left out because of their gluten allergy or gluten intolerance – life can be normal even if it is a little more complicated.
Finding gluten free recipes for kids with gluten allergy is not as difficult as most people think provided you adopt a structured approach to a gluten free diet plan. So, for instance, instead of fretting over the food your child can’t eat, focus on and reward kids for all of the food they can eat. Rather than worrying about how to manage these special restrictions, try focusing on and enjoying how much healthier your children will be.
For more information on gluten free, as well as on delicious gluten free food alternatives, click below:
Gluten-free Eating
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
Health benefits of a gluten-free diet
Problems associated with gluten-filled processed foods
Tempting guilt-free desserts
Delicious whole grain bread mixes,
Gluten-free bread mixes
Fluffy gluten-free pancake mixes
Gluten-free pasta
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