Inviting Gluten Free For Kids Recipes
Steve Wisley
Diets that are gluten free for kids are just as important, or more so, than for adults. A child’s digestive system is still developing and needs all the good quality foods they can get. What happens to the child’s digestive system now will follow them through the rest of their life.
There are three things to consider when planning a gluten free for kids diet. How intolerant they are to the gluten protein now, is it tasty and easy to prepare and what about birthdays and holidays?
Just how intolerant to gluten is the child?
The level of intolerance will determine the changes that need to be made in their diets. It could be just switching from a gluten grain to a non-gluten grain will be all that is needed. But, if the kid is having problems with foods that you are not sure about, then you need to dig a little deeper.
You see, there are many foods that do not appear to be gluten free, but actually contain some type of gluten. Take ice cream for instance. You might consider ice cream to be safe, and sometimes it is, but some companies use flour in their ingredients to thicken the mix. Almost all flours used like this are wheat flour.
You really must become a label cop and read every label very carefully. Even if you check every label gluten can still slip pass you as a safe food not even listed in the ingredients.
The foods in the diet need to be tasty and easy to prepare.
You know that a child is not going to eat something because you set it in front of them a tell them to eat it because it is good for them. It has to taste good or it is not going down. Knowledge of the gluten free diet has been available long enough that several very good guides have been prepared showing how to prepare tasty meals for children.
The next thing to consider is the easy of preparing, especially if the child is the only one who is eating the gluten free diet. It will get tiring if the diet plan is complicated. Look for easy to fix meals. Check for gluten free diet plans for children. They are out there if you look.
Birthdays and holidays.
Special dinners and parties can be difficult when on a special diet. When you are a kid this is magnified. All the other kids are diving into the cake and ice cream and you are saying …”wait until I read the label”. If the party is at your home that is lesser of a problem, you can prepare the same meal for everyone. But, if it is somewhere out of your control that is a different story.
If the child is only slightly intolerant to gluten it may be ok just to let them dive in, but if the allergy is sever then adjustments will have to be made. You may try taking your own foods with you. Try sorting through what’s available and only allowing that to be consumed.
We must understand how hard it is for the child and make the event go as smooth as possible. Use your best judgment for the situation you have at hand. Try to have fun too.
There is a very good package of information on going gluten free with a child that includes suggested meals. For more information justclick here. You can also visit http://glutenfreedietplan.org .
