MumTee Report post Posted April 20, 2006 Hi all, I've had the results back to suggest my little one would benefit from gf/cf diet. To help get me started, does anyone know where I can get a list to help me looking at what the ingredients of food actually are? For example, there are so many different types of starch - which ones are ok and which ones arent? I've bought a couple of books on the subject - they give recipes but not really advice about the ingredients..and my first look through my cupboards has just left me feeling baffled to be honest Thanks in advance Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted April 20, 2006 (edited) Hi mum tee -- First thing, whatever supermarket you shop at they will produce a list of OWN BRAND products that are GF and/or dairy free... Depending on the store, this may be two seperate lists which need to be cross referenced, but once you've gone through that process once you'll be sorted for all of your staples... Starches ARE difficult, 'cos sometimes it will say 'modified starch/modified maize starch' or some such and there's no indicator of what they mean by 'modified'... Much more stuff is now labelled for allergens - and says what it DOES contain or may contain, but this can be a bit misleading with gluten, as the 'permissable level' for coeliacs MAY have an effect on our kids... best way to go is be really strict about this type of labelling initially (while trialing the diets), but then work on a 'trial and error' basis to find your particular childs tolerance levels... doves farm flours range are great for home cooking... Also, contact all of the manufacturers (DS/Glutafin/Glutano etc) and ask for trial packs... most will be happy to send you a parcel, and you can try your kids out to find which variety best suits for (i.e.) pasta or bread... Bread 'tip' - Dietary specials multigrain (is available on scrip, too if your GP is supportive!) Butter 'tip' - Pure sunflower is nicer than pure soya (and lets face it, soya is showing up so much as an intolerance these days it's worth avoiding anyway if you can!), and the organic sunflower (blue tub, organics section) is best of all... L&P BD Edited April 20, 2006 by baddad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stephanie Report post Posted April 20, 2006 Yes I wondered about this too, is there a website or anything that says "you can eat this" and "you can't eat that" .. like a simple list you could put inside your kitchen cabinet etc? I am just finding out about everything and it is so confusing, I don't know where to start. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted April 20, 2006 Yes I wondered about this too, is there a website or anything that says "you can eat this" and "you can't eat that" .. like a simple list you could put inside your kitchen cabinet etc? I am just finding out about everything and it is so confusing, I don't know where to start. There is one website/group that does exactly that... Unfortunately, everyone i know who's been there has ended up being completely put off of the whole idea, as they are very 'militant', very opinionated and very intolerant there... If you start with a good GF/DF cook book ( or GF, as dairy is generally much more easy to 'spot') you should find a reasonable easy reference page of the type you mention. You could also try the coeliac associations website... hope that helps BD PS: Initially, just worry about Dairy/Gluten (or if your not in a huge hurry, do dairy first for a couple of months while you ready yourselves for gluten too): Don't worry about additives or other intolerances until you're sure of your ground on these two. Trying to do too much too quickly is just likely to muddy the waters so you don't know what is helping and what isn't.. BD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kazzen161 Report post Posted April 20, 2006 www.autismmedical.com has some useful info. It does go into a lot of in depth scientific stuff, and is very pro dietery control of autism, but you can take what you want from it. Karen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
call me jaded Report post Posted April 20, 2006 GFCFKidsUK has fizzled out, but there is the original US-based GFCFKids yahoo group. The problem is that they talk about a lot of US products which is why the UK version set up. If it's anything like it was a few years ago you'd never be short of a recipe on there. I would save autism medical for what I would call 'advanced diet' as you now have to pay for access to the forum (a big mistake on their part, I feel). I personally prefer ANDI-ADI, another yahoo group, for advanced stuff because people like Lisa Lewis and Karryn Serroussi post there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Infojunkie Report post Posted April 20, 2006 I would recommend 'Dietary Intervention and Autism' by Marilyn Breton. A little dated but has good, straight forward lists which are very useful for a beginner. The recipes are straighforward as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MumTee Report post Posted April 21, 2006 Cool. Cheers guys! Wish me luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
on the edge Report post Posted April 21, 2006 Good luck!!!!!!! I am sure you will see some good results! It is sooooo daunting at first, but you will soon have yourself a big old list of things that your child likes and that are easy and quick to make/or get hold of. The Doves flour is great - and the fairy cakes recipe on the packet are quite delicious! I also used the autism medical website, and read both AiA books as well as using the ANDI website. Dont forget to look out for the hidden MSG because this makes a big difference too I think. My son improved loads, but even more when we realised he was reacting to soya too (which has since been confirmed via allergy testing), and that is in loads of GFCF shop bought products. All the best xxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
