Sunday, January 30, 2011

Our Gluten free journey

So our Gluten free journey started almost 4 years ago. A preschool teacher of E's gave me a bunch of information on how the GF diet can help children who are on the Autism spectrum. As we started to eliminate gluten from E's diet, I was totally overwhelmed. It was a whole new world of learning for me.  I would stand in the grocery store reading labels and trying to figure out what to feed my dear child.  I wanted to give in so many times and let him eat whatever he wanted, but my dear husband kept cheering me on and encouraging us to not give up. About 3 weeks after eliminating Gluten we were amazed at the changes in our little boy! His once glazed over eyes cleared up, he became less puffy and red faced, he also became much more aware of the world around him. His sleep pattern was much better, he started waking up less through the night! It was amazing, I feel that it also helped him to learn and make the progress he has made. We also eventually eliminated Casein, which is the milk protein in dairy products. Again seeing amazing results in our little guy! He started to be interested in communicating, he had more regular bowel movements and became potty trained :)

At the beginning the variety of products was much less than there is now. It has been hit and miss with some foods, but he never complains and is happy if he has an alternative to what others are eating around him. It means planning ahead sometimes, taking food with us everywhere but again it has just become part of our life.

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