Gluten-free questions

[2boyzmama]

So we're trialing a no-gluten diet for Ian to see if it helps his sensory stuff and tantrums. We started on Sunday, so it's been 5 days. So far it's going well, although it's too soon to say whether there's a definite difference in his behaviors (the last two days have been really good days, but he has done that before where he has several good days then a bad day or two, so I'm not going to call it a success until we have several weeks of no flare ups)

Anyway...this morning he accidentally ate half a piece of wheat toast. My husband made him his breakfast sandwich with rice bread, and made Connor his sandwich with wheat bread. Connor didn't finish all of his, and Ian asked if he could eat the rest. My husband said yes without even thinking (Ian often eats Connor's leftovers, no problem, but we've never had Ian on any kind of restrictive diet before!)

SO...thoughts? First of all, does this mean that we have to basically "restart" the clock? Do you think that we'll see some behavior issues from this little slip-up, and if so, would it be right away, or delayed??

I guess it's different kid to kid. I was just looking for your experiences.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I would say, yes, you need to restart the clock. He hasn't been off long enough that the antibodies he may have built up to glutens to be out of his system anyway. I think I read it can take up to 3 months for the antibodies to go down. Does anyone know how long it takes?

[nayma]

i feel like i've heard something about 3 months being a fair trial period, as well. with my dd, we had several slip-ups, and it was about one month after being gf that i started to see changes. for her, it was two things - one, her ability to engage in imaginary play just exploded, and two, she started being affectionate (verbally and physically). can i prove these were related to gluten being pulled?- of course not. but she doesn't complain of her belly hurting all the time any more, so i'm game for a while longer.
good luck with your trial. i think it's a good thing to try for any kid. i'm gf now, too, and i think i feel better, as well.

[kme]

I was told you have to do it at least 6 months and preferably longer to gauge results.
Unfortunately, yes, you do pretty much have to "restart" the clock when there is an infraction so early on.
But it happens. My son is casein free and we have slip ups from time to time. It takes a while to get into the swing of it.

[2boyzmama]

I know a little guy locally who is GF, and the changes in his behavior were obvious in days after starting the diet. Also, if he has a slip up, he regresses within hours, but then in a day or two is over it.

I was kinda hoping that Ian would be similar...that the reaction was more immediate (at least behaviorally) vs long-term

But we'll stick with it for a while, it's worth it if it helps him!!

It does get challenging, Connor is off of all dairy and most soy, and Ian is off gluten...I suppose the whole family should just be gf/cf/sf to make things easier!

[raelize]

i have celiac, and i know within hours if i have acidentally eaten gluten. also, once i am 2 days off gluten i feel INCREDIBLY better.

[2boyzmama]

One more question...those of you who follow a gluten free diet...do you eat oats? I keep reading conflicting into on that... Is it just wheat, barley, and rye? Or wheat, barley, rye, and oats? I've been letting him have oatmeal...

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Originally Posted by rachel_eva

i have celiac, and i know within hours if i have acidentally eaten gluten. also, once i am 2 days off gluten i feel INCREDIBLY better.

Yeah, my nephew has celiac, and it's painful for him if he gets any exposure to glutens. Poor kid!! My kids only have a sensitivity to glutens, so after we did 6 months totally free, they can have a little gluten now and then without getting sick or seeing differences in behavior.

Oats don't actually have glutens. But there is a huge amount of cross contamination with grains that do, so if you want to have oats, look for oats that specifically say gluten free.

[FuzzyOne]

the only oats that are acceptable are ones that are specified as gluten free - bob's red mill has some.

our boy is GFCF. removing casein had very noticeable positive effects for him behaviorally as well as health wise. gluten did not have any noticeable effects when we removed it, but when he has an infraction, it is bad! so, for some, the benefits may not be immediately noticeable. it can leave the system very slowly - for some, it can even take up to a year.