You wouldn’t stand by idly while your child deals with constipation and diarrhea, would you? Of course not. So you should know the symptoms and effects of gluten intolerance in your child’s life and get a doctor’s assistance in detailing it.
There are distinct ways to diagnose gluten intolerance in children. Methods include an intestinal wall biopsy, elimination of gluten from the diet and a blood test. Only one method, a true gluten-free diet, will give you a vivid answer for all gluten intolerance issues. While your child may test negative for the two clinical tests for celiac disease, they don’t necessarily rule out all potential of a gluten intolerance.
So even if all tests come back negative after your doctors appointments, you still want to prepare yourselves for the transition to a strict gluten elimination diet.
While it is less difficult than it once was, adjusting to a gluten-free diet will still inject some new challenges into your daily life. It may take some out of the box ideas to add different nutritious foods into your child’s regular diet. Gratefully, both grocers and manufacturers are increasingly more accommodating now than ever before when it comes to correct labeling for food sensitivities like gluten. But don’t ever assume they’re perfect.
Merely a decade ago we lacked the understanding and awareness of the number of people who struggled with the inability to process gluten and the serious effects of not eliminating gluten from their diets. Now it’s known roughly one in 130 people experience some type of gluten sensitivity. And we know that celiac disease has a variety of long-term effects that may be dangerous, from malnutrition to cancer.
Fortunately greater awareness has enhanced our doctors’ ability to properly diagnose this condition and has greatly improved the volume and choice of foods we have available even in our mainstream markets.
Just over 10 years ago many of us would have felt quite isolated as we confronted the thought of adapting to a distinct gluten-free diet. These days it simply requires a minute or two to get support and help through forums and blogs online.
It can be difficult to watch your son or daughter struggle. It can be even more frustrating to see your own child suffer while not understanding why. If your child has digestive issues, I encourage you to seek a physician’s assistance in determining the possibility of celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
You will want to learn more about the many ways that gluten can be found in unlikely foods, and not simply food products. But stay positive, numerous people have successfully adapted to a gluten-free lifestyle and now lead healthy, happy lives.