It seems "Gluten Free" is more popular than ever. In addition to Celiac disease and gluten intolerance parents put their kids on Gluten free diets for a host of issues, ADHD, Autism and just general behavioral issues. There seems to be no clear data that indicates gluten is responsible for these issues but if you are left with few options to help your child why not.
I have often questioned a wheat/gluten intolerance for my daughter. She has always had a very large belly and I have asked several doctors about a possible wheat/gluten intolerance. My husband has an aunt that has a wheat intolerance and I have an egg intolerance so I didn't see it was out of the realm of possibility. I was always given a resounding NO. Kids with a gluten intolerance are emaciated, not over weight. I let it go since I was feeling completely crazy but it always stuck in the back of my mind. That is until I read a blog post from a mother who has her children on a gluten free diet. Her daughter has Hypotonia and she changed to a gluten free diet because her son was sick. Turns out the gluten free diet also helped her daughter.
When I read the post it was as though she was talking about my daughter. Similar symptoms, physical features, etc. Since I had always wondered about gluten/wheat this was the tipping point for me. I started doing more research about gluten intolerance and was stunned what I found out. 70% of kids with an intolerance are obese. I also found out that there 5 different types of gluten intolerance, celiac disease is just one.
1) Celiac
2) Non- celiac gluten sensitivity
3) Germatitis herpetiformis
4) Gluten ataxia
5) Wheat allergy - a true allergy
It seems that Gluten ataxia can cause neurological issues like Hypotonia. So I decided I was going Gluten Free right then and there. With all of the Gluten Free options at the grocery store how hard can it be? And it wasn't hard. We don't eat a ton of pasta or bread so it was pretty easy to make the switch short term.
I do offer a word of caution though.....even making a short term switch be careful your child is getting enough fiber. Gluten is in Wheat, Barley and Rye so eliminating gluten means eliminating some vital nutrients including fiber. Short term it shouldn't be an issue but the lack of fiber in our diet was evident within a couple of days. There are plenty of Gluten Free products that use Flax Meal and Quinoa to offer the fiber, just make sure you look for them. I also added beans to our diet to help fill the void. If I decide to adopt this diet into our lives I will have to do my home work to make sure our diet is complete.
So far we have been Gluten Free for 3 weeks and I am not sure it is having an impact. I guess I have been looking for a big change but I am not getting one. One thing I have noticed is her mood. She cooperates, is more independent and doesn't yell and scream. I am just not sure this is Gluten or just a coincidence. I also noticed she seems to have more energy but she was coming off an antibiotic when I started the diet and she always seems to have more energy after being on an antibiotic. Her sleep has not changed.
I have decided to go Gluten Free for one more week and then go back to our old diet. I want to see if I see a difference. As far as I am concerned even if the difference is a little more energy and better mood sign me up. It seems a small price to pay. Either way when you don't have any answers looking into an intolerance is worth while. Since it isn't an allergy there is no real way to "test" a food. I have an egg intolerance and although my body is not allergic (meaning it doesn't produce histamine when I consume egg) the symptoms I experience are enough to steer me clear of any and all egg!
Once again, I don't have any answers just some food for thought. No pun intended!
Hello there,
ReplyDeleteI am a Graduate Student at Rochester Institute of Technology getting my Master's degree in Industrial Design and I've just found your blog. I'm working on my graduate thesis right now and I'm trying to find a way that design can have a positive impact on children with low and high muscle tone. I really need some input from parents of children with abnormal muscle tone and have put together a quick survey for them to take. If you wouldn't mind taking a look at it and possibly sending it a long to anyone you know who might be of help I would appreciate it more than you know. I would love to give you more information on my project if you're interested! The link to the survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/T5B7NSV.
Thank you!
-Liana
http://lianabeer.wordpress.com
Liana,
DeleteI am sorry I haven't replied sooner. You comment didn't show up on my alerts. I am happy to take the survey. Do you still need feedback or is it too late?
Sorry again,
Sarah
Hi,
ReplyDeleteAm wondering did you continue the gluten free diet and has it been of any benefit? My son has hypotonia and was thinking I might try a gluten free diet.
I did not continue the gluten free diet. I actually found that while she was gluten free she had more energy and was able to move her muscles more easily but I didn't think gluten was the culprit. When we first went GF I bought all sorts of GF items which made it a very easy way to quickly get gluten out of our diet. I did find that most of the items had a lot of corn in them and weren't really checking the fiber box. I then decided to eliminate gluten by taking out most carbs and replacing the remaining with items made with rice flour and quinoa flour. This is when I saw the biggest change in her. So I didn't feel it was necessarily the gluten but the carbs that made the difference. In the end I had to put carbs back into our diet b/c she became obsessed with things like gold fish and rice crispy treats. I also worked with a friend of mine who is a nutritionist and she suggested organic wheat products. She said some people have a sensitivity to the pesticides in the wheat. So now I buy sprouted wheat bread and organic snacks. My daughter still struggles with hypotonia but her energy level is so much better. I don't regret trying a gluten free diet. After all if eliminating one item from your child's diet gives them more mobility I think it is worth a shot. I also think after a week or two you will see signs that it is making a difference. You can also try cutting back carbs. With out a doubt my daughter has issues with sugar and carbs. My husband has diabetes in his family and she going down that road. On top of not being very mobile so I am sure she will end up with type 2 at some point. I hope this helps. I would love to know how it works out if you decide to try a GF diet.
DeleteSarah