6 Tips to help your children go gluten free

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.

Why Our Children Are Becoming Obese.

The documentary Killer at Large investigates the topic of obesity, a problem of truly epic proportions where misinformation is a major driver of its skyward trend.

Conventional diet and health recommendations are grossly flawed. Obesity and related health problems are directly attributable to improper diet—a diet too high in carbs and poor-quality proteins, and too low in healthy fats.

Calorie counting has been firmly debunked by science. It is FAR more important to look at the source of the calories than counting them. You get fat because you eat the wrong kind of calories.

First and foremost, a healthy diet is based on fresh whole, preferably organic foods, and foods that have been minimally processed.

Dominick Hussey

Osteopath and Functional Medicine Practitioner

Osteopathy and Functional Medicine

Ottawa Holistic Wellness Centre

Source: Mercola.com

Electromagnetic Radiation and Your Childrens Health

A panel of experts presented a wide range of scientific evidence that electromagnetic radiation from cell phones and other wireless technologies has indisputable biological, health and mental health effects, and are of particular concern for children.

Radiation from cell phones and Wi-Fi has already been shown to cause diminished reaction time, decreased brain motor function, social and emotional problems, and inability to focus on complex and long-term tasks in children.

Cell phone use has been linked to nine types of cancer and to declines in sperm count and fertility.

The evidence clearly supports the need for Wi-Fi-free or low-Wi-Fi areas where pregnant women, children and others sensitive to EMFs can be protected, and for precautionary education for these audiences.

Based on the well-established DNA impacts, there is sufficient evidence now to take proactive action to protect children, and this is especially important since DNA mutations are irreversible, as well as passed down to future generations.

Young children should not use cell phones except in an emergency; nor play with cell phones like toys. While one can put the phone in ‘airplane mode,’ which disconnects it from Wi-Fi and the Internet, the cell phone still emits magnetic fields from the battery, shown to have equally important biologically consequences, including links to childhood asthma and obesity from fetal exposures.

Overuse of the internet and multitasking in children has also been linked with social, emotional and relational underdevelopment and a chronically distracted view of the world.

Dominick Hussey

Osteopath and Functional Medicine Practitioner

Osteopathy and Functional Medicine

Ottawa Holistic Wellness Centre

Source: Mercola.com