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~ Back to Gluten-Free Living Information Page ~  Raising children can be challenging these days with the busy schedules we all have, but add celiac disease to the mix and you have one stressed family. There are many symptoms prior to a diagnosis of celiac disease such as, weight loss, constipation, diarrhea, or irritability and tummy aches. These symptoms are not easy for adults but when these symptoms affect your children it makes for one very unhappy family. Other symptoms associated with this disease, depending on the age of the child, can be delayed growth, failure to thrive or low bone mineral density. For these reasons, it is imperative your child be put on the gluten free diet to eliminate these symptoms. Not only will your child feel better on the gluten-free diet, your child’s body will start to repair the damage the gluten has caused to the small intestine and begin absorbing nutrients. Nutter’s not only understands the importance of the gluten free diet, they also recognize the restrictions associated with adopting this diet. The gluten free diet not only complicates a child’s life with meals in the home, it complicates life on a whole new level when you are invited to birthday parties, sleepovers, school parties or even daily school lunches. It really affects the whole family, as they must now accommodate for this dietary issue at meal times and snacks. Nutter’s is delighted to help ease this burden with the many products carried throughout their stores. 
With regards to adjusting to the gluten free diet with your child’s school, parents should meet with their child’s homeroom teacher, advising them of the dietary concerns and review lunch procedures. Most parents feel more comfortable making gluten free lunches themselves but find coming up with ideas for lunch quite difficult. Fruits and vegetables are an easy addition to any lunch menu and are naturally gluten free. An alternative to sandwiches, (as they need to be toasted) could be a ham and cheese tortilla? Gluten free tortillas are now available in the freezer isle as well as gluten free deli meat available in our stores. How about a homemade “Lunchables”? Try using Grimm’s gluten free honey garlic pepperoni and cubed cheese or even use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes on Grimm’s deli meat. Glutino have gluten free crackers that can be paired with tuna, chicken or egg salad and your child can build their own lunch. If it’s a party in the classroom? Don’t let your child feel left out. Take the stress out of baking. Nutter’s shelves are full of cake or brownie mixes that are easy to make and taste delicious. This will help your child to feel included rather than excluded while sharing with their fellow classmates. Thinking snack food, Nutter’s is the place to shop. Their shelves are loaded with gluten free pretzels, pizzas, cookies and doughnuts. For snacks on the run, Crispy Rice bars by Envirokidz or Glutino’s Chocolate Banana bars, which are individually wrapped for convenience, are great addition at a soccer games or by the lake. Check out Nutter’s large selection of gluten free cereals. Most kids love a bowl of cereal after school or even carry a bag of dry cereal for the little ones while shopping. You and your child can even make a few homemade treats like rice crispy cake using Kinnikinnick’s Kinni-crisp Rice Cereal. It is easy to see how Nutter’s can help take the stress out of the gluten free diet, especially for children. Notably, the rewards for adhering to this diet will be measured by the elimination of your child’s symptoms. The evidence of complying with the gluten free diet will be a growing, healthy and contented child as well as a very happy family. Christine Benson |
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