Celiac Disease?

Question

I just found out that my daughter (19 months) has Celiac Disease. She prefers sweet food over salty. I made sweet potatoes last week and she really liked it. I am having a really hard time getting her to eat anything. I am wondering if there is any one out there who can tell me something that I give her which she will eat. She has lost a lot of weight in the last 6 months because we didn't know why she is not eating and losing weight. Now that we know why she is losing weight and not eating I can't still get her to eat anything. I am willing to try anyting. Please help me in finding foods she might eat. I would really appreciate any websites or support groups for parents, that are out there which will help me in dealing with this problem.

Answer 1

Hi, I am a fellow celiac and I know there are loads of places that sell tons of gluten free foods and you are very likely to find something that your daughter will eat. Also there is a lady by the name of Bette Hagman who has some wonderful cookbooks for gluten free foods and one of them is dedicated to all sweets. Also, I would recommend joining some of the parent support groups for children with celiac disease, you can find a lot of them by searching in the yahoo groups. Also, a lot of states and cities have local support groups where groups of people meet and talk about life, share recipes and stuff like that. It's a lot of fun. Another thing I would suggest is getting a subscription to the magazine called Living Without. It's a magazine dedicated to people with celiacs disease and other food allergies. It's a great resourse of information. Here are a lot of links for you. If you need anymore help just email me:
[e-mail]

Answer 2

Celiac disease is always inherited. It is a genetic, and is triggered by an event in one's life, such as an illness, stress, pregnancy, divorce, etc. It can kick in at any point in one's life, and can have symptoms, or it can have no noticeable symptoms. With or without symptoms, celiacs does damage to one's small intestine, causing malnutrition and a long list of other problems. There is no known cure at this time other than a gluten free diet, which takes a bit of work, but is very manageable. I have two children with celiacs, and they are happy, healthy and thriving on the GF diet.

Answer 3

Just wanted to add another couple links to the answerer above me, who has a great list.

http://www.glutenfreeforum.com

http://www.celiacforums.com

My kids (ages 3 and 4) and I are gluten-free. It can be difficult to feed kids who are on a restricted diet on top of the normal time when kids are not only picky, but just naturally not needing as many calories.

Going through finding out I have celiac as an adult gives me a perspective on the low-appetite issues that some kids go through. Honestly, for the first six months after I was diagnosed at age 36, the only reason I ate was because I had to. I had no appetite whatsoever and if I tried to eat I got nauseous. Not fun at all.

What I did for myself when I was going through that was get as much nutrition per bite of food that I could.

For example, if she likes hamburgers or any type of ground beef, take some fresh spinach, grind it up in a food processor (or chop it very fine) and mix it into whatever -- taco meat, hamburgers, meatballs, spaghetti sauce.

To be honest, my kids hardly eat anything either, although they do fall for the spinach thing most of the time. I wish I had more advice on that front...

Nancy

Answer 4

My grandsons LOVE sweet potatoes... I bake them the old fashioned way then peel and scoop out the center into a dish to keep in refrigerator for any meal. (I baked several at a time)
They can be slightly sweetened to entice flavor for little ones. I believe brown sugar is OK in moderation. (I am not totally informed about Celiacs but I think these are permissable)
Also soaking raisons in apple juice and adding them to most meals... can make items appealing to that age group. Please do not ignore finger foods. Broccolli flowerettes just steamed slightly to soften some then cooled can be dipped in a little milk mixed with some "ranch flavoring" added. (always check the ingrediances of course before using) use your own mixture of flavorings.
Little people love flavors just like we do. Please use lots of items like dried apricots that have been soaked in juice also. Cutting those up and adding to regular foods can make them so appealing.
Warn daycare and or baby sitters of your childs needs also. And some churches that supply snacks may need a store of some items they can give to your child too.

Answer 5

You need to try to think back to what foods she liked when she was just learning to eat. Also fix foods that you like that she can handle and eat with her. Show her how good things taste by eating a spoonful of whatever you are serving her. Also consider trying finger foods that she can handle. Go to the celiac sprue website and gather some recipes for things you can make that would be considered finger foods like homemade breadsticks or cookies etc.

Answer 6

http://www.moilas.com/eng/cfmldocs/index.cfm

My mom has celiac disorder, and the main thing to stay away from is gluten. Lots of good treats can be made with rice flour, such as cookies etc. Any veges she likes and fruits and nuts as well. Does she like peanutbutter?It is a life commitment, but one of the easier disorders to deal with

Answer 7

isn't celiac disease an inability to process and digest wheat products? my recommendation is to avoid wheat and most grains in general. focus on appropriate foods that she enjoys eating. i'll look for a good website and post if i find anything helpful.

Answer 8

Check out celiac.org they have a kids korner to help parents who have children with the disease. Csaceliacs.org has recipes for kids, also go to mayoclinic.com.
Hope this helps.

Answer 9

You might find this article helpful. It has some options for gluten-free dining out. Maybe you could make some of these types of dishes:
http://www.helium.com/tm/135723

Answer 10

i notice two things here-which are not connected whatsoever...c.disease is one thing...if you talked to doctor and he explained it-then you know it's because of intestines reaction to certain parts of flour...so it's not connected with food your daughter likes to eat...two completely separate things...so,as long as the food is not containing gluten-responsible for coeliac disease...she can eat anything she likes...keep in touch with doctors,check packages for word gluten and that's roughly it...good luck