Just eat it

The kids have been on the gluten-free diet for 3 1/2 weeks. I've been surprised at how little they've resisted. They're both rule-oriented, black-and-white thinkers, so when I said, "This is what we're not eating anymore," they went with it. K. had a couple teary events where he saw someone else eating cupcakes or cookies and I didn't have the gluten-free version handy, but for the most part, it's been pretty painless.

(I can't say I've noticed a lot of change in their behaviour, but it can take 3 months to tell. And the summer is a low stress time. The proof will come when school starts.)

It's hard to get G. to eat at the best of times because she's so sensitive to tastes and smells, and it doesn't help that now I've narrowed her list even further. She used to eat a lot of rye bread and Kraft Dinner, which are now on the naughty list. She likes turkey bacon (if it has hidden gluten, I don't want to know), chocolate milk and peanut butter smoothies, mango yogurt, and fruit (preferable from a tin).

It's also hard to get her to sit still at the table long enough to eat much of anything. So here are some ideas I've learned for how to get kids like G. to eat:

Location, location, location:

If they won't eat much when they're at the table, give it to them where they'll eat it. Make them popcorn in front of the TV. Feed them in the car. When there's playing to do, it's hard to sit still and eat, but in the car, there's nowhere to go. I always take apples, bananas, and juice boxes, even on short rides to return library books or pick up T. from work. I know how easy it is to eat more than I mean to when I'm mindlessly watching TV or driving, so think of those times when you shouldn't be eating, and those are the best times to get kids to eat more.

Hands on experience:

I planted green beans, snap peas, and carrots this spring. We all know that homegrown produce tastes best, but I don't think it's just because it's fresh; I think being part of growing the food adds something sweet to the mix. We all love to enjoy the fruits of our labour. I make sure to advertise at the table that these are the beans you watered and your brother picked. Their own beans have a better chance of making it onto a fork. Same thing for the bread they baked or the cereal they chose.

What they don't know, won't hurt them:

You can hide veggies all over the place. For K.'s birthday cake, I made gluten-free dark fudge brownies that have a whole can of pureed black beans hidden in them! I tried hiding spinach in my meat sauce. It stuck out like a bunch of green leaves, actually, but it tasted really good. Shredded carrots camouflage better. Some cake recipes allow you to replace the butter with applesauce. A banana muffin is still healthier than a plain one.

A snack by any other name sounds grosser:

I learned this one from Calvin and Hobbs. If you tell a kid to eat a "rice cake" they will yawn; if you tell them you've invented edible Styrofoam, you'll have to run out for a second bag. "Drink you water" is boring, but "Drink your monkey spit" - now that's cool. We think up crazy names for everything. Not only do more things get eaten, but it releases pressure and lightens the mood for everyone.

The gluten free trial - order in my kitchen!

I started the kids on a gluten free diet the day they got back from camp. No wheat, rye, or barley. That means no tin soups, bargain cereals, donut shops, free wiener roasts, pizza parties, baking from the snack table after church, unless I bring all my own homemade/overpriced hot dog buns, wieners, pizzas, and baking.

(I'm not really a baker, but I have to admit the gluten free cinnamon buns turned out better than most things I've made. You can find the recipe here: http://iamglutenfree.blogspot.com/2007/03/cinammon-roll-of-your-dreams.html The dough (batter) is so sticky that I had to roll and lift the buns using plastic wrap, and the final version looks lumpy, but they taste oh so melt-in-your mouth good.)

This is so unlike me. People have been telling me for years that if only I'd get rid of food colouring/artificial flavours/preservatives/gluten/dairy that autism and ADHD would disappear and my family would walk hand-in-hand into the sunshine. And I got mad.

And I got doctors. I've been doing the medical thing for the past 5 years, particularly this year, since we've had weekly access to a child psychiatrist (who once played a Meti girl at Lower Fort Garry and has a twinkle in her eye like she still could). As the diagnoses piled up, it took me a while to get comfortable with her (Why do you see so many things that I'm not ready to accept yet?); once I did, I've come to trust her judgment.

But even twinkly, trustworthy psychiatrists make mistakes. Because with drug trials, no one knows the right answer till the test is done. We've had some frightening, frustrating (thankfully - temporary) side effects.

We're looking for something to "loosen the glue" of perseverations/fixations. ADHD medications can help kids concentrate, but they don't tell kids what to concentrate on! Kids on the spectrum feel more relaxed when they can draw/talk/learn/think/read about their own interest. But in order to feel successful at school, K. has to spend a least some time drawing/talking/learning/thinking/reading about what the teachers and classmates have in mind. He want to fit in and feel a sense of accomplishment, but that world-altering super ion suit will not wait in the corners of his brain until home time! It begs to be drawn....on a Dixie plate or paper towel if necessary!

The medication options are antidepressants, which can cause suicidal thoughts or aggressive behaviour, or atypical anti-psychotics, which can lead to tick disorders, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, cancer, breasts (!), and just generally: death. So either you want to be dead...or you are. Okay, I'm exaggerating: the serious side effects are very rare, usually only appear at high doses or over longer period of time, and most of them (other than the tick disorder and, of course, death) are reversible. But it doesn't keep a mother from lying awake worrying about them.

Lately, I've been meeting more people who've asked, "Have you tried gluten free?" One was a therapist and the sense I got was: if you're willing to take all these medication risks and expenses, why aren't you willing to try a little risk-free inconvenience? The other was a parent whose child was diagnosed overseas, and the leading autism specialist there told her to "Take him off gluten and come back in three weeks." It made a world of difference in the child's behaviour and character. Since then I've read books about kids who stop screaming and start making eye contact for the first time after a few weeks off gluten. Lately, autism has so crimped our quality of life, that having to carry my own cookies or hot dog buns in my purse feels like nothing!

Now, I'm not becoming a barefoot, bra-less, granola-chewing hippie (although, come to think of it, they were pro-drugs, weren't they?). I still believe medication can be safe and helpful. I'm just not ready to try another option on the antidepressant/anti-psychotic list. And I'd like to be able to tell the "Have you tried gluten free?" people: "Yes, and it was the best thing (or the dumbest waste of time) ever!"

I'll let you know which in a few weeks. By then I may be guilty of contempt of kitchen. If you need me, I'll be smothering myself in rice flour and cinnamon....