One the hardest things that I have to do in my practice is too tell the parents that their child needs to go gluten free. There is normally a brief moment of silence as I watch the cogwheels of the parents brains whizzing around as they begin to look at what seems an impassable gluten mountain they need to surmount. The task ahead for the parent is not easy but not impossible as I have seen many families before them succeed in making the change and most importantly a resolution in the child's symptoms.
To help your child and family climb that gluten mountain here are some useful tips:
1. Take time to explain why they're eating gluten free
Children never like to be seen as different and going on a gluten diet sooner or later they are going to notice the limitations. Try to explain why they are on a special diet - in age appropriate language that they can understand - and give details on things you might not think they care about. A good approach is to talk about why other children they know may or may not need to eating gluten free.
2. Strength in numbers
Being the only one in the family that is on a gluten free diet may make your child feel ostracised. If there is one thing I know is that if your child needs to be gluten free then there is high possibility that the rest of your family needs to be as well. Making the change and together what going gluten free entails makes the task a lot easier.
3. Lets get cooking and eating together
The first thing I explain to anyone who is going gluten free is that it is not just a case of changing gluten for gluten free products. To really safely avoid gluten you need to avoid as much processed food as possible and cook much more from fresh. Try to get your children fully involved in that whole process from going grocery shopping, getting them help in meal preparation and sitting down and eating together as a family.
4. Show them they are not alone
Try and introduce them to children that are already on a gluten free diet. This can go along way towards making them feel less different and a little more "normal". If you do not have any friends or family with children that are gluten free then look for local gluten free support groups.
5. Treats are still on the table
Kids and adults love the occasional treat so it is important for them to understand that going gluten free does not mean that their treats will disappear. Explain that you are not giving up on things but simply substituting to something that is safe for them to eat.
6. Focus on the positives
When making any big change any one whether they are a child or adult needs to feel that it makes a difference in their life. This can be both feeling better but also what this means thay can do in there life again including playing with their friends, being able to play hockey or soccer again. Be sure to remind your child of all the positives that going gluten free has brought.
Finally
I hope you found these ideas useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with them.
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