wondering...do we have gluten intolerance?

[mommabeehilly]

so my daughter is 2.5 and is very very small for her age. doc is not concerned as long as she is gaining...which she is. she was a full-term baby 7lbs. 7oz. and now at 2.5 weighs 22.4lbs. she's had one anemia prick and her iron levels were "normal." just doing some reading and wondering about gluten. other things...she has a round belly and no real other symptoms. her hair is long and healthy, no strange stool patterns, sometimes her skin gets a bit dry...but not all the time.

to back it up a bit. i was tiny too as a child/toddler. was tested at the age of 4 for who knows all what...and was "normal". so really i am just wondering if there is anything that i could be doing better for my daughter and for myself. i am thinking of trying gluten-free.

what do you think? how long should we try for? any ideas? recommendations? stories?

thanks.

[kjbrown92]

If you do try gluten-free, make sure you get it ALL out, and I believe it has to be out for 2-4 weeks, at least, to make a difference. If weight gain is the only issue, then it may take you a little longer to see a difference.

Can you give us an average day of what she eats?

[tanyalynn]

One thing that's been really helpful to me is adding my health issues, major AND minor, to the picture with the kids (I have two, do you just have one? because sometimes another child will manifest an issue in a slightly different way). Weird stuff that's not really a problem can sometimes be a clue (though you usually have to read lots of possible answers until you start seeing overlap). Things like my stretch marks, which I got insanely early with my first child.

So what's your health like, now and as a child? Anything strike you in terms of things unfolding/changing over time?

[mommabeehilly]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

If you do try gluten-free, make sure you get it ALL out, and I believe it has to be out for 2-4 weeks, at least, to make a difference. If weight gain is the only issue, then it may take you a little longer to see a difference.

Can you give us an average day of what she eats?

thanks for your reply kjbrown92.

so what does she eat {ok now laughing, well not too loud, at all of the gluten }

breakfast: homemade muffins or pancakes (with no refined sugar, flax meal, whole wheat, fruit and nuts) topped with earth balance or peanut butter, water to drink

lunch (this is our big meal of the day): beans/rice/salsa/avocado, veggie soup/hearty whole grain bread, veggie burgers/potatoes/veggies, curry/rice, pasta dish with beans/veggies. you get the picture?

dinner: eggs/homemade mac & cheese/veggies

snacks (all day): raw nuts, fruit, yogurt (with agave).

i try to bump up the nutrition wherever possible...adding sprouts, seeds, etc.

**on a side note: i was talking with my dh about this and we were sort of shocked in thinking that maybe this is why dd does not eat bread or crackers. i've always said she sees them as utensils...eating off the peanut butter/hummus/spread and giving the bread or cracker back for a "refill."

[mommabeehilly]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

One thing that's been really helpful to me is adding my health issues, major AND minor, to the picture with the kids (I have two, do you just have one? because sometimes another child will manifest an issue in a slightly different way). Weird stuff that's not really a problem can sometimes be a clue (though you usually have to read lots of possible answers until you start seeing overlap). Things like my stretch marks, which I got insanely early with my first child.

So what's your health like, now and as a child? Anything strike you in terms of things unfolding/changing over time?

one kid here. hmm...no stretch marks here (i know, don't hate me).

as a child i had lots of sore throat issues therefore had lots of antibotics. never had any allergies until i went off to college then diagnosed with allergies...dust, mold (all indoor)...thank you dorms. have not had any problems since moving out of the dorms.
i had a kidney stone when i was 14...which is really strange apparently. no cause was ever determined.
gosh, i don't know. if you have specific questions...that might be more helpful. i am just bumbling around over here .

[tanyalynn]

Not specific questions, it's been a part of my path to understanding our situation.

For example: in my family, there is a lot of allergies, anxiety, depression, thyroid troubles,

In DH's family, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, obesity (more than typical), high blood pressure, keratosis pilaris (the bumpy skin on upper arms),

For each of us, multiple people in the family have these things, but there's not a lot of overlap. There are different nutritional deficiencies and fundamental strengths/weaknesses that are part of these, and it's been helpful to me.

This is what I was thinking of. And now that I know why I have my stretch marks, they don't bother me anymore. I just wish I'd figured it out 6 years ago when I was pregnant with DD.

[fyrebloom]

A gluten trial would not be amiss, although you might want to check other foods too. Ones that cause the most probs are peanuts, corn, soy, milk and wheat (and other glutenous foods). She sounds VERY tiny. My twins are 26 months old and a good 23-24 lbs each. In two weeks since getting off gluten they have gone from having little potbellies to having flat ones. They have lots of other symptoms too which have resolved or shown considerable improvement. It's a tough diet but What a difference! Good luck!

[luminesce]

Enterolabs has a stool test that might help identify gluten intolerance but of course, the only real way to know is trying to eliminate. We didn't see real improvement in DS until we got the wheat/gluten out. We are still struggling though because he seems to have so many other sensitivities as well (we are currently corn, dairy, soy, egg, wheat/gluten, nightshade free)

DS is small too. He is super tall but weighs about 26 lbs at 2.5. He's always been thin but it is in his genes - both DH and I were tall and pencil thin kids.

[dollyanna]

Interesting. I didn't know having a pot belly was a sign of gluten intolerance. Or is it just a sign of intolerances in general?

[kjbrown92]

I had a belly even though I'm 5'7" 116 lbs. When I went off gluten, soy, dairy, it went away, even though I didn't lose any weight. And now I've put on a couple of pounds and I still don't have a belly. It's kind of weird. So I don't know if for me it was gluten, or general intolerance.

[mommabeehilly]

thanks for the thoughts and ideas everyone.

we are going to try a gluten free round here in the next few days...when we go shopping again.

any "must get at the store" suggestions?

thanks and i'll be back, i'm sure.