Praises for My Gluten Sensitive Son

Gluten free is easier than you think, and the benefits far outweigh the excuses.

Here I am locked in my bedroom at the crack of dawn with my nightstand light on, threw a pillow over my husband’s head because 7am is way too early for him on a weekend, trying to  put something substantial on paper.

The excuses have been endless about why I don’t have time and shouldn’t write this post, but alas, I am doing it! I realize that half ass is better than nothing at all, (at least in this case) and the perfectionist attitude I aspire to upkeep will slowly have to be thrown out the window if I want to continue sharing my experiences and my praises about gluten free and diet change. 

So, here it goes! 

You’ve been making excuses about why you shouldn’t try gluten free or why you shouldn’t put your child on a gluten free diet, and believe it or not, I did that too! 

“You, of all people?  Gluten Free B?  The, Eat, Sleep, Breathe Gluten Free Queen?”  

YES, ME! 

The, “It will be harder than pulling teeth if I don’t tell you right now that you would be symptom free of whatever your ailment is or at least on your way to a solution if you give gluten free a good try, I will try not to shove it down your throat,” gluten free girl procrastinated about putting her second son on a gluten free diet when he showed many symptoms she lectured about and when Celiac disease tests came back negative, she tried to push it out of her head.  

Why, you ask? Of all the excuses in my big book of excuses, the biggest reason was because I wanted to continue believing that tests predict everything and that doctors were right up there on that pedestal at the right hand of God. 

The second reason is because my middle son LOOOOVES food. When you talk about the route to a man’s heart through food that is my 7 year old all the way already. I’m not going to lie, temper tantrums in the back seat have lead mama’s car straight into the Dunkin' Donut drive thru line at least on one occasion.  And, I was already prepared to tell his future wife that the route to his heart is through bagels, donuts and pizza.  

Then, I decided I had to love my son more than he LOOOVES food and I fought through the excuses in my mind about how the two Celiac disease tests within the past 2 years were 100% negative. I made an appointment with the GI specialist in hopes that she would find a reason for his tummy aches and lethargy, only to hear that he may have acid reflux, so take an antacid for his indigestion and take xyz medication for his abdominal migraines. Abdominal migraines- that was a new term, but apparently it’s the term for a headache that someone gets due to a terrible stomach ache.

That day I told the GI specialist that I wanted to try him on a gluten free diet instead. I was looking for support, in my perfect little, high expectations world, I wanted her to initiate that discussion because for some reason in my mind that would make doing the diet easier, because “The doctor said so.” 

She asked me why I hadn’t done that before and I admitted that even though my oldest son and I have Celiac and have been gluten free for the past 2 years, it was going to be hard for me to implement a diet with my food loving son without having a diagnosis. 

In other words, it was still hard for me to try something without the doctor’s approval. I wasn’t looking forward to the whining and crying and him wondering why he couldn’t eat certain foods. But, like most things, the anticipation was worse than the follow through. Like taking his pacifier away at 2 years old, it was rough for about a week and then it was like he never knew what a binky was.

To combat the fear in my head about appearing to him like a mean mom demanding that he MUST be gluten free, I tried to help him make the connections about how he felt when he ate bread and crackers and how he felt lethargic, whiny, unmotivated and plain old not well afterwards.

For the first 2-3 weeks I saw minor improvements, but at the teacher conference I was disappointed that she hadn’t really noticed a change at all. The next week though, she called to tell me that she was amazed at what a profound turn around there had been in just the last week. She said, “He has more color in his face, he looks awake and even his eyes are wider and brighter.” And, he hadn’t complained of a tummy ache or headache that whole month. 

He’s now been gluten free for 2 months and things only continue to improve. He used to struggle with reading and writing and visit the nurse at least once a week. I dreaded homework time and was ready to throw in the towel and accept a son that was just not interested in academics. But, all of this has honestly changed! I’m seeing 90’s and 100’s on his spelling tests and where he was on the border of needing extra help for reading, he has improved leaps and bounds. He’s more interested in school, he’s participating in class and at home he’s just an easier, more playful child all around. 

The other night we went to a Mother and Child book talk at the library and he took it upon himself to ask the librarian if the snacks were gluten free. He’s not only accepted this I think he’s embraced it, (sort of like his mama), and he’s excited that he feels better too! Now, the route to my boy’s heart is still food, but dear future wife, it will have to be gluten free!  

If you’ve been making excuses about starting a gluten free diet, start thinking now about changing your diet in the New Year. Notice, I don’t recommend a lifestyle change at the heart of the holiday season, unless you have strong will in which case you probably would have already tried the diet by now.

If you want the best results when you do start your diet, I would recommend you do the following now: 

Educate yourself!

Don’t know where to start? I can help you!

I have a new email address for your convenience: gfwellness@gmail.com.