Gluten, or scientifically gluten, is a protein found in cereals. We all eat it daily. However, unfortunately, allergies to wheat in children are increasingly being diagnosed. In this case, a special diet is needed.
Gluten intolerance: how is it manifested?
Medicine does not stand still. Now, doctors at an early age can detect such an unpleasant disease as celiac disease (gluten intolerance, allergy code according to ICD 10 - T 78.1, section "Other negative reactions to food"). This is an autoimmune disease, which is characterized by a violation of the processes of assimilation of vegetable protein. Children suffering from this disease should not eat foods that contain wheat. The composition of many dishes includes this component. As a rule, the symptoms of celiac disease first manifest themselves during the introduction of the first feeding. Usually young parents use porridge for these purposes.
Signs of the disease
This issue should be given special attention. As practice shows, not all parents immediately understand that their child is allergic. It is best at the first signs to seek help from a qualified doctor.
The main symptoms of celiac disease include:
- decreased appetite;
- vomiting
- increased gas formation, flatulence;
- slowdown in weight gain;
- tearfulness.
If the above symptoms appear, you should definitely contact your pediatrician. The doctor will prescribe an appropriate examination and make an accurate diagnosis. If celiac disease is nevertheless confirmed, this is not a reason for despair. Many people live with gluten intolerance for many years. It is enough to just follow a special diet and not eat gluten. What products contain this component? How to explain to the child that he should monitor what he eats? Parents must from an early age accustom the baby to proper nutrition, so that in the future he can easily make their own diet.
Gluten free diet
So what is she like? It should be noted right away that a diet for celiac disease is not a treatment method, but only an opportunity to get rid of unpleasant symptoms of the disease. What to do if a child has an allergy to wheat? What to feed? The list of products unacceptable for use with celiac disease is quite wide.
It includes the following products:
- bread, flour and other products based on cereals such as barley, oats, rye and wheat;
- pearl barley and semolina porridge;
- noodles and pasta;
- dishes in breadcrumbs;
- any canned food;
- mustard, mayonnaise and other industrial sauces;
- sweets (gingerbread, sweets, cakes);
- semi-finished products (sausages, dumplings, sausages, sausages);
- fast food;
- crab sticks;
- bakery products.
What can be eaten?
Let's dwell on this in more detail. In fact, the list of allowed products is rather big.
Gluten-free menu may include:
- Meat and fish in any form. Ready-made protein foods are better not to buy, since gluten can already be added to them.
- Fruits and vegetables, including potatoes.
- Buckwheat, rice, millet and corn grits.
- Legumes
- Nuts.
- Dairy.
- Vegetable and butter.
With a gluten-free diet, there is often a shortage of essential nutrients and vitamins. It is best to give them in the form of tablets or capsules. Gluten-free diets are especially difficult for children. Which child does not want to try fresh pastries and sweets. Parents will need to convince the child from early childhood that all these products pose a risk to his health. If you develop the right eating habits, then a gluten-free menu will not cause much trouble. Parents have to do everything so that the child feels full. Perhaps with age, he will begin to show his character and will deliberately eat prohibited foods. In this case, it is necessary to conduct a preventive conversation with the child. Most likely, the help of a psychologist will be required. However, it should be borne in mind that a diet with celiac disease is the only possible way out.
Sample menu
What if the child is allergic to wheat? What can not be eaten in this case? A gluten-free diet for children is practically no different from that for adults. The only difference is the calorie intake. Children just need smaller portions.
The following is a sample menu for older children:
- 1 day: for breakfast - egg casserole, cocoa; for the second breakfast - an apple; for lunch - pea soup, pilaf and compote; afternoon snack - yogurt; dinner - fishcake and buckwheat porridge.
- 2 day: for breakfast - pancakes, sweet tea; for the second breakfast - an orange; for lunch - cabbage soup, mashed potatoes with chicken cutlet; for afternoon tea - cottage cheese and fruits; for dinner - vegetable stew with beef.
- 3 day: for breakfast - cottage cheese casserole, tea; for lunch, fruit; for lunch - borsch, buckwheat with stew, stewed fruit; at midday - fruits with yogurt or sour cream; for dinner - cabbage rolls.
- 4 day: for breakfast - cheesecakes with cocoa; for the second breakfast - fruit (pear or banana); for lunch - mushroom soup, pea puree and tea; at midday - fresh berries and yogurt; for dinner - stuffed peppers.
- 5 day: for breakfast - gluten-free cookies; for the second breakfast - fruit (pear or peach); for lunch - fish soup, potato casserole with chicken; at midday - a banana and a glass of milk; for dinner - vegetable salad with a fish patty.
- 6 day: for breakfast - omelet, tea, marshmallows; for a second breakfast - kiwi with yogurt; for lunch - pea soup, potatoes with fish; at midday - fruits (apple or pear); for dinner - stewed cabbage with meatballs.
- 7 day: for breakfast: casserole and tea; for a second breakfast - a glass of milk with nuts, for lunch - a vegetable soup, chicken breast with buckwheat noodles, for an afternoon snack - apple juice and orange; for dinner - fish salad with vegetables and herbs.
How to feed babies?
Most severely, there are allergic reactions in young children. Therefore, follow their nutrition with special attention. During feeding, it is worth avoiding the use of prohibited cereals. Try to enrich the diet gradually, making sure that it does not contain gluten. Always study the composition of the product indicated on the package. The ingredients that should not be eaten by the child should be hidden in inaccessible places. In addition, with a baby, other members of the family should not eat them.
Recipes
Let's look at the simplest recipes. Even if a child is allergic, this does not mean that he cannot eat tasty and varied. Many people believe that with celiac disease this is impossible, but if you take the right approach, you can make a complete diet.
Here are some recipes for allergy sufferers to help diversify the menu:
- Pancakes. The main thing is to use gluten-free flour. Rice or corn is suitable. Add to it a half glass of kefir, a pack of cottage cheese and five proteins. The resulting composition is thoroughly mixed and baked, like ordinary pancakes.
- Cheesecakes. You need to take one pack of cottage cheese, an egg, a spoonful of sugar, three tablespoons of gluten-free flour. All components are thoroughly mixed. From the resulting mass, it is necessary to mold small cakes and fry them on both sides in a pan. Cheesecakes are best tasted with sour cream.
- Buckwheat / rice noodles with meat. Celiac disease does not mean that your child cannot eat noodles. The main thing is that it is not wheat. Slices of meat must be thoroughly fried with bell pepper and onion. Also boil buckwheat or rice noodles until cooked. Then add it to the meat. Spices, soy sauce and garlic are placed in this dish to taste.
Main dishes
What are they like? All the usual dishes that are present in the child’s diet are served in the same form. It is worth paying attention to the preparation of soups: they should not contain prohibited cereals and pasta. Salads can not be seasoned with mayonnaise. As side dishes, you must use potatoes, buckwheat or rice. As for meat, the main thing is that it is fresh. The basic rule is no semi-finished products. So you can be sure that there are no preservatives or harmful ingredients in the food. Sweets for the baby can be prepared independently. Children really like traditional lollipops - “Cockerels”. You can even bake cookies, just use special gluten-free flour for this. It is also worth preparing special bread for the child. Here are some simple recipes for such dishes.
Gluten Free Chocolate Pie
Wheat allergy in children does not mean a complete rejection of sweets. You can please the child with a real chocolate cake. To prepare this dish you will need:
- 200 grams of brown sugar;
- 125 grams of butter;
- 125 grams of dark chocolate;
- 20 grams of cocoa;
- 50 grams of rice flour;
- a quarter spoonful of gluten free baking powder;
- three eggs;
- nuts to taste.
In a water bath, melt the butter, add brown sugar and dark chocolate to it. The resulting mixture must be stirred until all components have melted and combined into a homogeneous mass. Rice flour, cocoa, baking powder are poured into it and thoroughly mixed. Add eggs and nuts. The dough is poured into a pre-prepared form and baked at 180 degrees for 35 minutes. Ready dessert should be cooled before serving.
Gluten Free Bread
What is the feature of this product? When it comes to such a component as gluten (which foods it contains were discussed earlier), the first thing that comes to mind is bread. However, an allergic reaction to gluten does not mean that the child will not be able to eat it throughout life. You just need to cook the bread. Use the recipe below.
Two teaspoons of dried yeast should be diluted in 125 ml of warm water. Add one teaspoon of sugar. This mixture should be left for a while, so that it foams. Pour 300 grams of rice flour and one teaspoon of salt into a bowl, in the middle of the flour hill, make a small indentation and break the egg into it. Add yeast here. Mix all the ingredients. Pour a small amount of liquid if necessary. It can be plain water, milk or yogurt. Then the dough must be poured into a mold and left to wait until it doubles. Bread is baked for half an hour at a temperature of 200 degrees. It must be cooled before use.
Banana bread
This dish can also be prepared for children who are diagnosed with allergies (according to ICD-10, the code was presented above). It is a cross between dessert and bread.
100 grams of pre-softened butter is whipped with 4 tablespoons of sugar. Two eggs are added to the resulting mixture. From two bananas it is necessary to prepare mashed potatoes, which are then added to the dough. Then pour 150 grams of rice and 2 tablespoons of cornmeal. Add 30 grams of gluten-free baking powder and a pinch of salt. The dough is poured into a parchment baking dish and placed in the oven. Prepares the dish for an hour at a temperature of 180 degrees. Served chilled.
Cookies
Allergy to wheat in children does not at all mean that it is necessary to deprive a child of simple children's joys. All kids love cookies. If your child is allergic to gluten, use this simple recipe.
Grind 100 grams of almonds and mix with a glass of sugar and a tablespoon of rice flour. Two eggs are added to the resulting mixture and beat well. After this, the dough is left for 20 minutes. After this time, it is necessary to beat it well again. The resulting dough is placed in a pastry bag and squeezed onto a baking sheet in the form of small circles. You can also just lay the cookies with a spoon. Put one almond nut on top of it. The dish is baked for 20 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees.
Conclusion
Wheat allergy in children is a rather unpleasant, but not the worst, pathology. The main task of parents in this case is to try to make the kid’s menu rich and varied. The child must understand that in the choice of food he is not very limited. You can cook and invent new gluten-free dishes together. So the child will learn to live with his illness and eat right, and you will establish close contact with him. Many parents in this situation are concerned about one question: "How will the baby eat in the school cafeteria?" Try to discuss in advance with the management of the institution the possibility of providing an individual menu.