One year from now....

One year from now, this GF diet thing is going to be no big deal.  I am positive.  Right now, it is not so easy.  I really feel like it should be, but it is not.  This is another post for my own personal reflection - mainly so that in a year I can look back and say "YES - we have this figured out!!!!"

I have had a few people ask me if we are eating a lot healthier now that we are all GF (more or less) in our house.  The answer to that is a giant resounding NO.  We are eating more processed food than we have in years.  YEARS.  Cooking is ridiculously overwhelming..... mostly because we have cut out way more than just gluten.

Here is the deal.  Celiac disease actually damages the villi that absorb nutrients in the intestines.  Which means that while switching to a GF diet is the most important part, there are other foods that Gavin really can't eat right now.  I have this amazing book "Real Life with Celiac Disease" that has been my saving grace at the moment.  A quick summary of our dietary restrictions:

Dairy:  Damage to intestinal villi is making it so that G has a negative response to dairy (negative response = intense diarrhea.... or as he calls it "more, more poop".... as it is ending up all over everything).  Anyways, issues with dairy is really common when first diagnosed with Celiac disease.  The pediatrician, Pediatric GI doctor, and gal at the Celiac support group all recommended steering clear of all dairy for at least 6 months.  But I just read today in that amazing book that the issue is LACTOSE, not dairy itself.  So, I just gave G some Colby Jack cheese (really small amount of lactose) and we have not had an incident yet.  Which means we could add some cheese to his diet.  That would be HUGE.

Oats: This has been a big deal for us.  Even GF oats are out of the picture for a least 6 months, and then he will likely only tolerate small amounts of them.  Prior to a few months ago, we ate oatmeal or granola nearly every day for breakfast, but it causes that aforementioned intense reaction in G.  This has made breakfast a real challenge for all of us since I don't like making oatmeal for the rest of the family and telling G he can't have it.  Stink.  The reason is that there is a protein in oats that can cause the same response as gluten in people affected by Celiac.  (Another thing I learned in the amazing book).

Soy: Soy causes a pretty intense reaction as well.  Uck.  From what I have read, it is just a difficult protein to digest in general.... than you add to it some intestinal damage and you get some messy results.    I am amazed at how many things contain soy.... A LOT of GF items are made with soy flour or soy oil..... which has limited buying some pancake mixes, cereals, etc.  I tried a new cereal last week that had soy oil pretty far down on the list.  Let's just say it didn't go so well.

Then there is the GF aspect: The gluten free part isn't terrible.  Nor is it great.  Turns out, no one in our family loves quinoa for breakfast.  Cream of rice cereal also has not been a big hit..... no matter how much syrup I put in it.  Baking GF is getting easier but also presents a challenge.  All of the GF flours contain more fiber than white or wheat flour.... white flour has 3.5 grams of fiber/cup and on the far other end is coconut flour with 50 grams/cup.  The recommended amount for a kiddo G's age is 19 grams/day (more info from fantastic book).  Which means if he eats pancakes or a cupcake.... well, too much fiber is not a good thing.

But you know what, we will figure it out.  There is really no other option.  G eats a lot of bananas and peanut butter.  Lots of popcorn.  Chex cereal.  Meat - he loves meat.  Chicken, steak, lots of stuff. And I order more pizza than I ever have in my life because I just don't know what else to do.   That is obviously just for the rest of us.... then G has something different.  Maybe I'm a bit dramatic, but for me it is overwhelming.

That is my rant for the day.  And it is going to get better!  I have it all in writing and in a year I can reflect on how much easier it is.  :)