Maybe you've mastered eating gluten-free as a result of a celiac diagnosis. Maybe you're still figuring it out. Maybe you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), and are trying to navigate the medically mysterious lands between having celiac and not having celiac. Whatever your situation, you might agree that it's not always easy to maintain a gluten-free diet.
Now imagine what it's like to be a gluten-free kid. Be wary of pasta necklaces and play dough in art class. Sit there politely while everyone else eats cupcakes on the first day of school. Don't eat the pizza at the birthday party (or the cake).
If you have (or know of) a child who is gluten-free, you might know how hard it can be for kids to cope with their dietary restrictions. Thankfully, there are ways to make it easier on your child.
1) Turn it into an adventure.
Being a child who is gluten-free can be especially frustrating around the holidays, when cookies and candy are shared in abundance in school.
If your child is having a hard time accepting that she is gluten-free because it makes her feel different, check out "The Adventures of Celia Kaye," a kids' book that I wrote about a little girl named Celia Kaye who has something she thinks she needs to hide. She goes to great lengths to keep her mysterious secret concealed from her friends by becoming a master storyteller.
This book is designed to help kids cope with and understand not only celiac disease, but all differences, and goes beyond giving definitions and explanations--your child will follow Celia Kaye on her adventures as she creates stories about her limitations using unlimited imagination.
2) Talk to your child's teachers/caretakers so that your child has an ally when you're not around.
It's not only important that your child knows to screen for gluten in foods, but it's also important for those responsible for your child to understand what gluten-free really means. Wheat-free doesn't necessarily mean gluten-free.
3) Check out the Gluten Intolerance Group's Generation GF program.
The Gluten Intolerance Group offers programs that allow your kid to be a kid--not a "gluten-free kid." Between events, camps, and pizza kitchen tours organized specifically with gluten-free needs in mind, kids don't have to worry about being different.
4) Help your child understand that gluten-free food is real food.
It can be especially difficult for very young children with celiac disease to understand why they can't eat certain foods. If glutenous foods are considered the "normal" version, then aren't the gluten-free versions abnormal?
Brands like Smart Flour Foods, Russo's New York Pizzeria, and Lucy's cookies are not only trying to make gluten-free foods, but they are trying to make gluten-free foods that appeal to everyone--not just those with celiac.
Anthony Russo of Russo's New York Pizzeria says that families order his gluten-free pizza because it tastes so good even if there is only one child in the family with celiac. That way, that child doesn't need to order a special pizza, and no one else feels like they aren't getting "the real thing."
Dr. Lucy Gibney of Lucy's cookies uses nutrient-dense ingredients to create her cookies, which she thinks of as "good food," not necessarily "gluten-free food," even though, yes, her cookies are gluten-free.
It can be hard being different, and it can be hard being gluten-free. For kids, it's even harder. Knowing how to navigate celiac disease or other food intolerances can help your kid feel like a kid -- not a gluten-free kid.
Copyright © 2015 Celia Kaye
All Rights Reserved
Celia Kaye is the name under which writer-filmmaker Kaitlin Puccio pens articles about her experience with gluten sensitivity. Kaitlin has written a children's book, "The Adventures of Celia Kaye," on celiac and gluten sensitivity for the Celia Kaye lifestyle brand, and has been a contributor to MindBodyGreen. Follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, and visit her at celiakaye.com.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.