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Oh - PS: Also tell him why you suspect there might be a problem i.e. your childs bowel/toileting/vomiting/eating disorder problems... if your child has none of those symptoms it's unlikely (but not impossible) that intolerances are a big factor for them...

 

 

Was just thinking of going down this route but my son has none of these problems quoted, only behaviour! only! could this not be a sympton/problem? Enid

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Does anyone use Oat-based cereals on GF diets?

 

I know oats themselves don't contain gluten, but there is a considered risk of contamination.

 

I'm thinking of Rice Krispies Multi-grain which only contain an allergy warning of "contains oats" and appear to be GF/CF in all other respects.

 

I've heard a lot of comments about Rice Krispies also - but most I've seen use Barley Malt Extract. Are there any out there (other than Envirokids which my kids don't like) that are like "real" Rice Krispies without barley malt?

 

Thanks

flipper

You are right in that studies suggest that oats are safe for celiacs. Celiac.com has a lot on this on its site. Whether children with autism who react to gluten can take oats is probably untested - celiacs and autistics don't necessarily have the same reaction, I suppose. The answer would be to try a diet that excludes all gluten and then try an oat biscuit and see if there is a reaction, I guess. You are right about contamination as well - some farmers who grow oats may have grown other grains on the same field in the past, and there may be small patches of the old crop in there. However I am very sensitive to wheat/rye/barley and blow up like a six month pregnancy when I eat even tiny amounts, (eg in raw almonds which have been dusted with the stuff) and I've never had that reaction with the best known brands of Scots oat biscuits - the farmers probably grow them on the same land year after year. I can eat main brand oat cereals too.

Barley malt is a real pain, isn't it. Smuggled into the most unexpected foods.

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Hi all

 

I thought I'd update you on this, just in case it's of any help to other people on the diet.

 

As most of the diet/autism information I'd read listed gluten as the offending part of wheat, I decided to give gluten-free wheat starch a trial. (My boys did not like the regular wheat and gluten free bread and were fed up with the diet)

 

I found a couple of suppliers of inexpensive, gluten free wheat starch based mixes and tried them out with my sons.

 

The bread produced by these mixes was great. It looked and tasted pretty much like normal bread and was even good enough for sandwiches for one or two days. The cake mixes were even better, producing cakes indistinguishable from regular ones.

 

We were delighted - unfortunately, after a few days, my sons started having stomach aches again. I put them back on a wheat -free diet again and they felt better. After a while, I tried them out again with the GF wheat starch based mixes, again they had stomach aches after a few days. In total, they tried it out three times, each time they got stomach aches, so it seems that wheat (whether gluten free or not) does not agree with them.

 

Still, some good has come out of this. I've found an amazing online shop, based in Germany, which sells a vast range of gluten free products at very reasonable prices and I've found a WF/GF/DF bread mix which the boys like. So, now they're happier with the diet and feeling well.

Edited by Elaine

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hi all.

about this time last year i start the gf and weet free diet i flet a lot better then i did before i now over any headacs,migraines i even read that it post to help this as well. but i'm not on the gf at the momet but been thinking about going back on it i had a lot of migraines this year and can last about 2-3 days the last 3 i had have started with headacs and then woke up in the night in a lot of pain. so dont now what to do about that at the momet half the time my meds dont work. may talk to my mum again.

 

take care

caz

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The supermarket where Every Little Helps have a number of new gluten free products, including Bob the Builder pasta shapes, crackers and a victoria sponge!

 

It's likely the other supermarkets will follow suit within the next few weeks. A major supplier of Free From products has launched a number of new products recently as well, so it seems there are a lot of new products about generally.

 

There is also a new GF bread mix made by Mrs Crimbles which is the nicest GF bread I have ever tasted and the only one I like eating un-toasted. It only comes in a white variety (so far), but you could mix in some seeds or something. It's extremely expensive though.

Edited by Tally

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Hi tally - meant to mention too so thanks for the reminder -

 

Kallo have introduced a range of instant gravy granules for red meat and for poultry. Not actually branded df/gf, but i checked with them 'cos the ingredients looked okay and they confirmed that both are completely GF/DF. I've spotted them so far in Tesco's, Waitrose and Sainsbury's, but my local tesco's never seems to have stock any more :angry:

ready made sliced bread that's nice to eat straight from the packet - have you tried EnerG's 'gluten free' loaf or 'flax loaf' (not the rice loaf it's actually called the 'Gluten Free Loaf'). Both are lobvely jubbly :) Toasted, they are very crisp - almost like melba toast!

 

:D

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I quite like the EnerG breads toasted, but no better than the supermarket own seeded loaf. I wouldn't eat it straight from the packet as it tastes stale to me. Not worth the money in my opinion.

 

GF gravy for red meat though, most of them only seem to be for poultry, so that's good :)

Edited by Tally

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I quite like the EnerG breads toasted, but no better than the supermarket own seeded loaf. I wouldn't eat it straight from the packet as it tastes stale to me. Not worth the money in my opinion.

 

GF gravy for red meat though, most of them only seem to be for poultry, so that's good :)

 

I reckon you're thinking of the Rice Breads or one of the others - The gluten free loaf is luvverly!

 

:D

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No, I am definitely thinking of the right ones! Someone obviously likes them though, as they are very popular. Just not me :)

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They changed the ingredients, I am so mad! It was the only GF pasta my son ate because it didn't become glue like some others. They have changed the ingredients to just corn and rice - it looks bright yellow and turns chewy. Why?? :wallbash: I wanna cry.

 

Which GF pasta do you use?

Edited by V1971

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My favourite is corn pasta from Sainsbury's or the new Dove's Farm corn pasta. They are bright yellow but they fade when cooked. I don't find them chewy.

 

I think the Morrison's GF pasta is similar to how the Tesco one used to be. Not that that's much help to you if you live in London.

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Thank you very much!! I have never been to Morrison's, but there is one 10 mins away, I'll have a look.

Edited by V1971

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Picked up son's scrip stuff from chemists this arvo, and on the side of one of the packs there's a teeny ad for Dietary Specials Frozen Puff Pastry (Millefoglie) wot's Gluten, wheat and lactose free!

I've had a quick blimp at their website but they haven't got it listed there and i've never seen it before so i'm guessing that the packaging with the ad on beat the product to the UK shelves(?)

I've e-mailed them for more info, but if anyone's found this anywhere/tried it I'd be interested to know. Perhaps beef Wellington can go back on the menu after all :pray:

 

:D

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Wot, don't make your own? :P

 

I think I saw this in Sainsbury's but couldn't imagine it being anything like the real thing so passed it by. Besides [altogether now] it's really bad for your heart. That was during our 'norovirus month' so I might look at it bit more favourably now we've come out of that black hole.

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Wot, don't make your own? :P

 

I think I saw this in Sainsbury's but couldn't imagine it being anything like the real thing so passed it by. Besides [altogether now] it's really bad for your heart. That was during our 'norovirus month' so I might look at it bit more favourably now we've come out of that black hole.

 

 

I make my own shortcrusts but steer clear of puffs. When you say really bad for your heart, do you mean it has nasties in or just that pastry is bad anyway? I can't eat much of the stuff at the best of times (heartburn - old age :() but will put up with a nights indigestion for the occassional Beouff en Croute or Fruits de mer vol-au-vent (the latter demands antihistamines too as i've a mild seafood allergy but I'll take a night of itchy and scratchy now and then in exchange for a handful of prawns and scallops! Besides, Ben thinks it's hilarious when i blotch up and it makes him feel better about GF/DF!). Have you got a recipe for 'rolling-pinable' shortcrust or do you sculpt it with your fingers?

Also - we 'challenged' ben's diet over christmas and he had real beef wellington then... he really, really loved it, so if this stuff isn't completely evil I owe it to him to give it a go...

 

L&P

 

BD :D

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Update on above: I heard back from DS and they don't market it in the UK :(

So, anyone know a recipe for a GF/DF puff/flaky pastry I could try for a beef welly-goggle?

 

:tearful:

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BD I don't get it, if you can make shortcrust OK, why not puff? The method is actually easier than shortcrust. You need a bit more fat but the ingredients are the same. :unsure:

 

K x

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BD I don't get it, if you can make shortcrust OK, why not puff? The method is actually easier than shortcrust. You need a bit more fat but the ingredients are the same. :unsure:

 

K x

 

 

You can't really make shortcrust okay - it's almost impossible to roll out without breaking, because it bakes 'dry' so you have to start wetter and all sorts... I do make it occassionally, and then sort of 'assemble' a pie base (for a tart) or crust like a jigsaw, but TBH i can't eat pastry anyway without getting heartburn so it's only an occassional special treat for B. I couldn't be ar*ed to make puff with regular flour, so if i'm gonna try FF I want to find a workable recipe to begin with! Go on, oh queen of the puffs, buy a packet of Doves farm GF flour and some Pure margarine and do some experiments for me (us)... you're probably the only person left in the UK who still makes their own anyway, so who better to devise the FF recipe?

Actually, once you've devised it, roll it out into beef wellington sized sheets and freeze it then deliver it to my door in bulk! :lol:

Actually, if this was America i could probably sue DS for having the ad on their packaging when they don't sell it - I remember years ago a woman successfully suing a pizza chain because they had run out of pineapple and couldn't do her hawaiian. She claimed on the grounds of 'emotional distress'...

 

Right, get weaving - or i'll be telling ben it's your fault he can't have BW for his xmas dinner. :devil:

 

:D

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You're on - I'll give it a go. :)

 

I couldn't get my shortcrust to work with Doves either - it was impossible to roll. :wallbash:

 

K x

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You're on - I'll give it a go. :)

 

I couldn't get my shortcrust to work with Doves either - it was impossible to roll. :wallbash:

 

K x

 

Seeeeeeeeeee Great that you're on the case, though, will keep up the pester power from now on. If Dove's dunt work you'll have to try all the other brands and/or some home made blends... experiment with xanthum gum too. We don't mind strong flavours so if you find a faux 'wholemeal' flour with (i.e.) flax or something in you can give that a go too!

 

That should keep you busy! :lol: You've got until xmas - then I bring the lawyers in :devil:

 

 

L&P

 

BD :D

Edited by baddad

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And I need to keep busy of course - make a change from lying around all day painting me toenails.... :P

 

Just realised I'll have to carefully measure the quantities won't I? I haven't followed to a pastry recipe for years, just rely on instinct and natural talent mostly. :whistle::whistle:

 

K x

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I make shortcrust pastry with baking margarine and a combination of flours from the flour drawer, often buckwheat combined with something much lighter like potato or tapioca. Mine rolls out well enough to make a base for a pie, and then I attach the sides separately.

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i'm going on a wheat free thing next month to eliminate that as a cause for my current digestive issues. anyone got any suggestions?

 

i normally live off of pasta and bread, so its going to be a shock to the system. also, i'm on a pretty tight budget, so i can't afford to buy lots of different products to try out the taste, unless obviously i see a marked improvement and it becomes a more permanent change. i know if anyone wants to make specific recommendations it needs to be by PM, but does anyone have any siggestions for low-cost alternatives?

 

are all stupermarket wheat free pastas alright, or are there some better than others for example? i'm very texture sensitive, and while i dont mind things which are completely different, i wouldn't want 'wrong' white bread or pasta... i'd rather just not have them at all (for the month at least!)

 

(i have 2 other eliminations to try if the wheat doesn't work so it could get pricey). on top of this i'm also avoiding lactose, which has already given me some improvement.

 

i had VEGA tests done yesterday, and while i remain somewhat skeptical, it did pick up the problems i already knew about with some very specific food groups, so who knows. worth a try, i think.

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Forget about bread, it all tastes like cardboard.

 

I pick up whatever supermarket brand of pasta, but like the corn-and-rice flour ones best. Rice noodles from the 'chinese' food section are nice, need to be left a little chewy. I thoroughly recommend Antoinette Savil cookbooks - can put those recipies by 'normal' people and they're unaware that they're eating 'special' food.

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I find the supermarket wheat-free pastas perfectly nice. I think they taste fairly similar to ordinary pasta. It is quite crumbly and you will find that it will start to break up if you mix it with sauce, or try to eat the spaghetti by twirling it around a fork. The Sainsbury's one is different as their GF pasta range is all corn pasta. It's also nice, but slightly different to the others. The only problem I find is when freezing. I tend to make large batches of food, and then freeze it in meal-sized portions. It tends to go a bot gloopy if left for more than a couple of weeks.

 

I have found bread really problematic. Most of the shop-bought ones are perfectly nice toasted, but taste a little stale eaten cold. The only one I have found which remains soft is Mrs Crimbles bread mix. You have to cook it yourself, but it is really simple. As soon as it is cool, I slice it and put it in the freezer.

 

As an alternative to bread, you can get some tasty GF crackers which go nice with pate. Remember that rice and potatoes are gluten-free. Baked potatoes can be a nice lunch instead of a sandwich.

 

If you like baking cakes, the GF flours available in most supermarkets is suitable, though I find that rounds cakes sink in the middle. I stick with loaf cakes or fairy cakes. If you find you get into it, then you will find that certain flours seem to go nice with certain flavours of cake.

Edited by Tally

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If you are doing wheat free (not gf), there are lots of lovely oat cakes/biscuits. Corn cakes and crackers are nice too. I don't like rice cakes, but the ones with marmite on are OK. Oat flake cereal is nice too.

 

I have found that I can eat granary bread occasionally without any problems.

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you could try rye bread is very dense but I really like it .you coudl try buying the Carol Vorderman detox book as that is wheatfree is also vegan but you can adapt that bit

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you could try rye bread is very dense but I really like it .you coudl try buying the Carol Vorderman detox book as that is wheatfree is also vegan but you can adapt that bit

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Does anyone use Oat-based cereals on GF diets?

 

I know oats themselves don't contain gluten, but there is a considered risk of contamination.

 

I'm thinking of Rice Krispies Multi-grain which only contain an allergy warning of "contains oats" and appear to be GF/CF in all other respects.

 

I've heard a lot of comments about Rice Krispies also - but most I've seen use Barley Malt Extract. Are there any out there (other than Envirokids which my kids don't like) that are like "real" Rice Krispies without barley malt?

 

Thanks

flipper

 

The only way to find out is to try and contact the company. What does google say if you try and find "gluten free oats; UK" ?

 

Alexis (gave up on waiting for a reply from an irish company).

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The supermarket where Every Little Helps have a number of new gluten free products, including Bob the Builder pasta shapes, crackers and a victoria sponge!

 

It's likely the other supermarkets will follow suit within the next few weeks. A major supplier of Free From products has launched a number of new products recently as well, so it seems there are a lot of new products about generally.

 

There is also a new GF bread mix made by Mrs Crimbles which is the nicest GF bread I have ever tasted and the only one I like eating un-toasted. It only comes in a white variety (so far), but you could mix in some seeds or something. It's extremely expensive though.

 

Thanks tally, i found a victoria sponge cake mix in one tescos but not my home tescos

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That's pretty much the situation... the actual 'guidelines' GP's have to work by are fairly ambiguous (sort of 'where the patient will benefit from/where the patient needs') so it's a matter of your doctor agreeing that there is a benefit or need.

I always think it's a good idea to start at the GP - let them think it's their idea - and also ask them to fund the urinary analysis via Sunderland as a starting point. If the results from Sunderland come through showing 'spikes' the GP's really (logically) gotta go with that recommendation. Also worth pushing at that point for blood tests to confirm there aren't other problems...

If the urinary analysis shows no peaks - problem solved and you've saved your child the invasive blood tests :)

Going to the GP without the urinary analysis (or to request that) is really a non-starter, as without those results anything you tell him is basically 'anecdotal evidence'...

 

hope that helps

 

:D

Oh - PS: Also tell him why you suspect there might be a problem i.e. your childs bowel/toileting/vomiting/eating disorder problems... if your child has none of those symptoms it's unlikely (but not impossible) that intolerances are a big factor for them...

 

The urine analysis arent as reliable as you think. i went gluten free without the tests as i knew the only real test is trying the diet.

 

Wondering if i could try the IBS route as an improvement on the diet requiring gf/cf products?

 

Alexis

 

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Welcome to gluten free living

 

Yes it does happen this fast, within 4 days (of removing milk) my buzzing head problem had gone, a week later i could remember things better, 8 months later and i was no longer experiencing constipation, belly pain and knew i needed a poo quicker.

 

Alexis

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My boy has been on the GF diet for a while now and wow the differences were amazing it was like one week he was hell child spawn of satan and the next calm and happy. He gets a GF prescription and through the dietician she told me about http://www.coeliac.org.uk/ and I got one of their directories which gave a list of most of the GF foods from various supermarkets and it was amazing. I still have difficulty with the codex part of it as apparently some wheat is allowed but its got to be in the codex allowance which does make things slightly confusing.

 

 

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I have a question on this topic,do all of you eat more now you/or your kids are on the GF diet?My two boys eat very little and wondered if I change will they possibly eat more?My mother is on GF/DF/WF diet she has been so for 10 yrs now,before that she suffered extreme migraines colon pain and bad nights sleep,all of these problems have dissappeared,she does cheat now and again eating burgers when she visits us because of the kids,she always regrest it the next day!She is really thin and has always been but I feel she has lost way too much weight since the diet which is what I fear for my boys.I also wondered did you all get allergy testing? a gp recommended this last year said all my boys and myself need testing cause they all inherited my asthma.

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I have a question on this topic,do all of you eat more now you/or your kids are on the GF diet?My two boys eat very little and wondered if I change will they possibly eat more?

 

Hi Justine - can't answer for anyone else, and my son started the diet too long ago to remember, but I think this probably varies from person to person.

People who are gluten/dairy intolerant tend to have bowel problems of one sort or another: with my son it was constipation/vomiting but some others report diahhorea. Either of those things is likely to make the child feel uncomfortable, and if that discomfort is relieved then the liklihood they will eat more 'naturally'. Many kids with intolerances become 'hooked' to the substances they are intolerant of (it's a chemical reaction in the brain), which can lead to 'faddy' eating - 'he'll only eat weetabix or yoghurts...'

Allergy testing: you are looking specifically at two types of proteins - I'd be wary of the kind of widespread 'allergy testing' sometimes offered privately, but it is certainly a good idea to get urine analysis done via sunderland university where they are testing to look specifically for the protein molecules implicated. They can also advise on how best to implement the diets and getting information on identifying problematic substances from food labels. the latter is really difficult initially, but soon becomes second nature.

One other thing - if the kids are faddy eaters then obviously the diets can only work by challenging that. Many parents lose that battle trying to get their kids to eat a more generally healthy diet, without adding in the complication of eradicating gluten and casein.

 

Hope that's helpful

 

BD :D

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Hello Everyone,

 

hope you are all well and had a nice Easter.

 

I've decided to try Alfie on Gluten free foods, i really didnt realise how much gluten was in EVERYTHING he ate!

 

So, i've been weaning him down, and used a lot of free from stuff in tesco/sainsburys.

 

the thing is, its only been 6 days and the change in Alfie is incredible. Hes had one outburst in that time, and he is communicating more and understanding loads more.....and understanding requests too. Hes less resistant to changes if i just explain....he just seems so much happier, willing to communicate, and calmer.

 

Wow that is a big change and it happened with me as well. Since hes a small kid it will take him less time for gluten to get out of his system than me.

is it just a placebo thing as in i feel more positive so he does too?

 

or can it just be a coincidence?

 

or can it happen this fast???

 

No not a placebo at all, he has less gut pain so can concentrate on what you are saying to him. i found when i went to the canaries recently my initiative worked as my fibro pain went! i was still on the same supplements and eating almost the same food but once we got back on the plane and took off i was in pain again.

sorry if this sounds random, he was only diagnosed 5 weeks ago....its all still very new. Plus, i am struggling to find "accessories" for meals as he doesnt like pasta and i cant find gluten free chips! Plus he wont eat veg. grrrrrr.

 

any advice/experiences would be so gratefully received.....thank you x

 

He is trying to blackmail you into giving him is addictive gluten back. You are the parent so keep him off the stuff. Gluten is in all sorts of things including glue, playdoh, stamps even one brand of fish oils had gluten in them! If he appears to regress later on then post in here and ask what sort of supplements you can give him. It will take him sometime for his palate to adjust to his new diet. i know of one autisitc who had nothing but soy milk for weeks.

 

Are you also going to try milk, msg and aspartame free? Will he eat fruit? What about smoothies? Im sure some parents will be able to tell you their inventive ways of getting veggies into their kids diets.

 

"dietary intervention and ASD" is a good book. A less scientific one "User guide gf/cf diet for autism/aspergers and AD(H)D" and that's funny and written by an asperger teenager. i want him to sign my copy as i couldn't contemplate this way of living until his book came out.

 

Alexis

 

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Hi PA :)

 

I've not heard of really rapid changes like this with gluten (when trying the diet it's recommended that you give it at least six months, but I guess that's working the other way when initially you don't see a change, IYKWIM), but for my son cutting out dairy 'fixed' his bowel problem within a matter of days, and that had benefits on behaviour because (I assume) he wasn't in so much discomfort... maybe it's a bit of that combined with the placebo effect you mention, and a reduction in gluten levels (peptides won't have completely cleared his system yet)?

 

Dairy does take a matter of days to work. Agreed it was due to less bowel problems as pain is distracting for us. i was much more easier to get along with post diet whereas before i was "permanent PMT"! Going off liquid risperidone (was reacting to benzoates in it) had an immediate effect. i think it depends on the persons age and metabolism.

Either way, you're off to a good start, so the next month or so should give you more insight as to whether it's an ongoing change or temporary coincidence :)

Gluten free chips - I'm assuming you mean oven chips? Look at the supermarket own brands rather than the branded ones - particularly the 'value' ones... oddly, given that the 'official' FF ranges are so expensive, you'll find the really cheap stuff is often okay because they haven't added all the extras like MSG/Wheat (flavour enhancers/added texture). Avoid any 'curly fries' too! After a while you may be able to turn him onto jacket spuds or 'skin fries' (basically quartered lengthways, rolled in olive/sunflower oil and roasted), which give you far more flavouring options ('cos you're adding them and you know what they consist of) and are healthier too :thumbs:

Good luck, and i hope it helps :)

 

i found McCain Smiley faces to be safe at the time. Not chips i know but still a potato product. Would he accept home made chips?

 

Alexis

 

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My boy has been on the GF diet for a while now and wow the differences were amazing it was like one week he was hell child spawn of satan and the next calm and happy. He gets a GF prescription and through the dietician she told me about http://www.coeliac.org.uk/ and I got one of their directories which gave a list of most of the GF foods from various supermarkets and it was amazing. I still have difficulty with the codex part of it as apparently some wheat is allowed but its got to be in the codex allowance which does make things slightly confusing.

 

If hes ASD and celiac as well then no wheat at all should be in his diet.

 

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