Gluten Free. If this is the worst of my problems, I am lucky. However, I am overwhelmed. As a mother (like all mothers), I want my child to be happy, healthy, safe, humble, compassionate, smart and strong. Recently, my son presented with gluten intolerance symptoms. I am now on a mission to provide my infant with a Gluten Free (GF) diet full of nutrient dense foods.
For nutrient dense recipes scroll to the bottom of the post.
Our Story:
My son was breastfeed for 9 months as he weaned on his own and to my disappointment. Around 6 months of age, I started him on solids which I made myself with wonderful nutrient dense purees. Around 9 months of age, he began to eat foods from my plate which naturally has gluten. It was about that time my son started to have hard foul-smelling stools and/or diarrhea in the same day. His skin became a play ground for painful eczema and we had countless sleepless nights. One night his belly pain from gas was so bad, I thought we were going to the ER.
Of course at this time there were many suspects that could account for his symptoms: teething; weaning from breast milk to goat milk; new laundry detergent; new foods; etc. I bathed him in oatmeal flour and washed his clothes in vinegar. We gave him infant Advil for teething and had countless discussions with various doctors (friends and family). Nothing was making sense to me as a Dietitian. To me eczema is a sign of something internal. Please keep in mind, his iron level at the age of 9 months was outstanding (13) and he was growing normally. He had all indications he is and was not having a malabsorption issue. However, I also made his own baby food and he did not consume any commercial foods which means he did not consume gluten until about 9 months of age.
After much thought and two months later (11 months old), I suspected gluten as the culprit. I took him off gluten and within days his rash disappeared and within weeks he was sleeping and his bowels were normal. I waited a month and we reintroduced gluten. Sure enough, the eczema was back and my cranky boy reappeared with upset bowels. At this point, I had convinced my husband. We removed gluten and my boy is now happy.
After two elimination diets, I contacted the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University to make an appointment for my son. They informed me my son has to be on a regular gluten diet for at least 2 months before they will test him. I understand as a Dietitian gluten needs to be in the body for a positive test. However, morally and ethically I cannot justify feeding gluten to my son at such a young age for a positive test. He is growing and needs his nutrients and sleep to grow strong. 2 months of digestive issues is too long for an infant, in my opinion. I made a personal decision with my husband to maintain a GF diet for at least 6 months to a year. We will then revisit his diet in the future but for now- GF here we come!
Certainly, if you have suspicion of a gluten intolerance or celiac disease, please consult with your doctor.
GF Nutrient Dense Recipes:
My goal now is to concentrate on foods my son can have and maintain a positive attitude in this learning experience. The problem with GF diet is it lacks B vitamins, fiber, calcium and vitamin D according to The Celiac Diet, Series #1. The recipes I plan to post here will be nutrient dense, GF, and infant/child friendly.
Banana and Blueberry Covered Yogurt Frozen Treats
Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Bites (frozen treat!)
Cream of Chicken Soup: I use this to make my homemade Chicken Mushroom Skillet and other family recipes.
Granola Bar - High in Iron, Fiber and Healthy Fats
Oatmeal – Increases Calcium Absorption and Fiber
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I think I remember the night that you went though this… I’ve heard that I should really be on a gluten free diet because of my fibromyalgia and I’m considering it. I’ve been doing some reading and printing out recipes. Those are great recipes! I look forward to reading more from you with your Gluten Free recipes and how your son is doing. Best wishes to you and I think you made a wonderful choice for the best interest of your son!
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Yes, there are studies I have recently learned that connects GF diet with fibromyalgia. I am not going to lie, it is slightly stressful but doable! I encourage you to make the change as I think you might feel better. Either way- it is an all around healthy diet because you have to eliminate processed foods. You are encouraged to eat fresh produce, lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, rice, and most dairy which are all healthy foods. Good luck Carolyn!
Eating healthy isn’t the problem. I heard all the hype about WHEAT FLOUR and WHEAT this and that being oh so good for you and now today I watched a show and read an article that talked about the fact that Mexico has messed with the wheat flour. I always eat SUPER FOODS (don’t know if you’re familiar with them or not) and because my husband has high cholesterol we’re always watching that. I eat a lot of “clean” foods… will have to share that with you another time! We made strawberry ice cream with cottage cheese. Simple simple simple stuff! I’ll send the recipe to my blog on another day and share it on Karma Bloggers
I am not Gluten sensitive but I will say that once I cut out all the wheat and grains, I felt so much better. I was leaning out and losing weight like crazy. My skin cleared up and I had so much more energy. I have no idea why I stopped. Thanks for sharing your story.
Not sure if you have this address or not with recipes and he’s so much help with Gluten Free! http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/
Great post! As a dietitian I have seen many parents/families such as yourself in my office. These recipes are a great culinary inspiration! On another note my mom has fibromyalgia – do you know what journal it is in linking fibromyalgia to gluten free? I think it would be beneficial for her too. Thanks!
Melissa- I am curious on your thoughts with my decision not to test at such a young age. A am struggling with the fact I am not a doctor (but an RD) and what if I am wrong. My step father is a family doctor (DO) and he agrees with me. Yes, I have a ped but she wanted blood work a long time ago and we did not do it (could not draw blood before elimination diet). We will discuss our situation with her at our upcoming appointment. As for the resources relating fibromyalgia I would look at the following: http://stoppain.org/pain_medicine/; http://www.niams.nih.go/hi/topics/fibromyalgia/fibrofs.htm and the journal article “High Prevalence of Serum Markers of Celiac Disease in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”- Journal of Clinical Pathology. I hope this helps. I look forward to visiting your blog!
I just discovered your blog in my endless search to decide whether to introduce my 9 month old to GF grains or wait. Your post about waiting introducing grains makes SO MUCH sense! She’s been doing BLW for a few months now and enjoys sweet potatoes and various legumes without issues – so I think I will slowly introduce some quinoa, millet and brown rice! She is still breastfeeding but is showing signs of disinterest/weaning. I noticed that you weaned your child to goats milk, which is what I am planning to do. I do not want to give my daughter formula but everyone says milk (goat or cow) is dangerous before the magical age of 1 year. Did you do plain goat milk, or make it into a formula? I have been struggling with this for weeks now and I would be SO GRATEFUL for any advice. Thank you again!
Thank you for your wonderful comments! I never made my own formula and do not know if it would ever be right for my personal nutrition practice with my family (not that I agree or disagree with it). If you are interested, I would research it and I recommend starting with the Nourished Kitchen (they have a great post on it but I do not have the link).
My son literally stopped nursing at 9 months. He did not wean at all. After much thought and discussion with my doctor, I was given the OK to go on whole cow’s milk b/c he was eating a lot of food. Cow’s milk is low in iron which is part of the reason it is not recommended to use prior to 1 year of age. My son was at a good weight and had a great appetite. I did however make sure he ate high iron foods (egg yolk, black strap molasses, meat, etc) with a vitamin C rich food (mango, red peppers, applesauce, etc) to help with the absorption.
Instead of cow’s milk, I made the choice of whole fat goat’s milk b/c it has less casein and is easier to digest. He loved it. I was able to go breast to cup. He maintained a great appetite and is a healthy 15 month old boy now. My daughter who is now 3 weaned herself. During her weaning, I did give her goat’s milk in a cup but she still nursed at various times. We continued this until she completely weaned. She started goat’s milk around 11 months and cow’s milk around 14 months.
Make sure your daughter has a hearty appetite and concentrate on iron rich foods served with vitamin C rich foods. I wish you the best. Please email me at healthylivingrd@gmail.com, if you have any concerns or questions. Thanks again for your comments.
I am loving your blog! I am also an RD and recently found out my daughter has a sensitivity to eggs. She was having the same types of symptoms you describe. I had tried cutting out gluten and then dairy with no results so I did take her to an allergist and she had a positive skin test to eggs. But if I had good results with an elimination diet I would do just what you are doing. I would not want to put my baby through 2 months of pain to find out what you already know.