How would you approach gluten & dairy elmination

[LaughingHyena]

My 8 year old has been complaining of tummy aches for several years, they are not constant and have been hard to pin down despite various food diaries, testing etc. However we're now thinking about trailing gluten & dairy free for a while and seeing if that improves anything.

She has tested negative on a milk allergy blood test at 4, though she defiantly had issues with milk when she was younger. At a year it would make her sick almost immediately, by 3 she was eating small amounts with no instant problems but still it makes me wonder if it is still a problem.

She's also tested negative on the celiac screening. Apart form her digestive issues she also has discoloured teeth and I'm diabetic (T1) which I believe is also a risk factor.

So where do I start, she's coming round to the idea of dairy free and I'm more confident with that as we've done it before. I'm not sure where to start with gluten though.

Also she doesn't want to go gluten free, is it worth doing dairy alone or should we keep trying to talk her into both.

Finally how long would you anticipate needed before we see whether it's improving anything, especially given we're not really getting immediate symptoms to start with.?

[earthmama4]

Its really so much more challenging when they get older, isn't it? We did a strict GFCF trial with my then 13, 11, and 9 year old. It was tough. All I could do was tell them the research, and why I wanted to try it with them. I got them to commit to strict 100% GFCF for two weeks. Nope, not enough time, I know it. But it was all they could take without full-on freak outs (they are on the spectrum). I think once they reach a certain age you really have to have their consent, barring life-threatening issues of course. I would discuss the research with her and ask if her stomach issues are bothering her enough that she wants to do something about it. At 8 she might be old enough to consider giving up some "comforts" (ie favorite foods) for long term comfort (ie no stomach aches). 

[LaughingHyena]

It is definitely more challenging than when she was younger. It's something I've been considering for a while but we talking about it with the doctor a few weeks back and I think it has come better being a suggestion from someone else.

She's talking about dairy free but she's still not sure about gluten, though she has asked a few questions like what she would eat for breakfast and so on.

I guess it's mostly a case of gathering recipes and waiting till she's ready. Oh and probably finishing the Chirstmas chocolate .