How does one find out if gluten is a problem for someone's digestive system?
Are there symptoms? Diagnostic tests? What would be an indicator of someone having a problem processing gluten?

It depends what you mean by "problem for someone's digestive system". If you're asking how to diagnose celiac disease, then read this:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Diagnosing-Celia...y&id=239028

If you're asking how to diagnose dermatits herpetiformis, then read this:
http://www.alamoceliac.org/acaboutdh.html

However, many people are "sensitive" to gluten or avoid gluten for reasons other than celiac or dh, and not all of those reasons have diagnostic tests for them.

Celiac disease is actually more common than diagnosed....lack of weight gain can sometimes be a symptom.

Since this is in recipes: GF Chocolate Cake
Good for Pesach too

You should edit your title, it sounds like you're asking how to tell if certain foods are free of gluten.

I am sorry if it was unclear. What should I change it to and then I will ask a a mod (also the titles no longer appear on my screen, I just see a white box, ever since this morning)

You shouldn't need to ask a mod to change the thread title since you should be able to do that yourself, only to move it to the appropriate forum.

If you don't realize it's a problem, it probably isn't......

It's like the MSG craze, a very small minority of the population is sensitive to it, and suddenly there is a crusade against it.....

Um, I wouldn't exactly compare it to MSG. (And who needs MSG anyway? )
Many people do not realize they have a problem handling gluten. Read How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman (?): woman was dwindling away to nothing over 15 years and only diagnosed with anorexia nervosa before a doctor decided to check her for celiac disease.
Another book I read had an alarmingly high rate of infertility issues related to undiagnosed celiac disease.
Many children who have behavioral issues get better when taken off of gluten.
I don't know. Most people, correct, do not need to be on gluten free diets, but I wouldn't say that if you don't notice something, there is no problem. Many symptoms might seem unrelated to food but in actuality are caused by one's diet.

What percentage of the population has celiac disease???
And what percentage of the population decided that it would behoove them to stay gluten free??

I surmise the latter is significantly larger than the former.......

Not according to the statistics I read. But I don't want to quote them since I don't know how it's possible for them to surmise how many undiagnosed cases there are
Not that many people decide to go GF. It's not as simple as, say, keeping CY.

There are ways of doing it. For example, you take a random sample of 100 people and do the blood tests on them. There will be a certain percentage who test positive even though they had no signs or symptoms of celiac disease [or whatever disease you're testing for]. Another way is you look at stats for result of people who go in for another type of diagnostic test looking for something else, and you see how many of those people had previously undiagnosed disease. The point is, there are ways of doing it.

Depends how you define "not that many people". As for the difficulty, I suppose people cope. It's probably mostly lifestyle modifications in terms of diet, just like CY or chadash or kosher or anything else - all these things may seem daunting to someone not used to it, but just as with kosher, there are so many GF products and recipes and labelling these days that it's becoming easier and easier.


It depends how one defines "behooves".

I knew wheat was the problem when EVERY TIME i had something with wheat, I had horrible heartburn within 20 minutes. I started changing my eating habits and noticed I didn't get heartburn that much. I also had a blood test done that confirmed what I believed to be true, unfortunatly, I'm not that good at actually doing the good eating so I still get heart burn.

Let's say you're trying to decide for a child that is still working on verbal skills? (I.e. can't say a full sentence)

It depends what is prompting you to consider eliminating or limiting gluten or wheat from the diet.

As I pm'd you I'm a lot less worried now with the info you gave me. Originally it was that she is constantly starving and asking for food constantly. (someone told me that was how they discovered a child of theirs was having difficulty processing gluten.)

If you really want some MSG, go to Chinatown and buy a bag for $1.


I'm not knowledgeable in this area, therefore I ask this question-- is there a correlation?

Now that that's out in the open , the odds are very much against a real gluten allergy.


http://www.penny.ca/Celiacchild.htm

But that doesn't mean every irritable child has a gluten allergy. On the other hand, nor does it mean no irritable child has a gluten allergy.

That said, it's possible to improve health by eliminating or reducing gluten intake. The simplest thing for a mom to do is to eliminate certain foods and then see if there is an improvement, and then gradually re-introduce those foods and see the results, and then eliminate those foods again.

Also keep in mind that it's possible to have a sensitivity to gluten or wheat, or to see improved health by eliminating certain foods, in the absence of a true gluten allergy. As has been mentioned by others on h.com, diet modifications can have very significant health benefits. In our home, we will generally go the route of diet modifications before running to take every pill available.

There's arguably a correlation between attention deficit disorders and gluten, but typically kids who aren't verbal if they are below a certain age, we usually assume it's because of age. For example, if a one year old isn't so verbal, that's possibly a variation on normal and I'd think age before gluten, just as I'd think horse before zebras were I to hear hoofs pounding in the distance.

Not that I'm aware of.


I am sorry did I say something wrong? If so, I can delete my post. I apologize.

http://www.penny.ca/Celiacchild.htm



Can you give me some ideas of what to try?


She also doesn't seem to have the best attn span, but for a 2-yr old i don't think it's horrible. and her speech is steadily increasing, but she is only 2.

This isn't my forte, it's my wife's. She's the local expert on it. But I assume that if you suspect a problem with gluten, then simply eliminate everything with gluten for a couple of weeks and see if there is any improvement. Alternatively, maybe start with eliminating all wheat from the diet since that's a lot easier, more practical, and more likely to be an issue than gluten. If the kid is suddenly eating ravenously (and speaking in complex sentences), maybe you're on to something.

Anyway, why are you assuming gluten is the culprit and not something else like dairy?

It is one of a string of possibilities with delayed speech, correct? [Autism spectrum youngsters also often exhibit signs of delayed speech]

MSG (aka Aji no Moto) is the substance that causes food to have a savory (as opposed to salty) taste. Food cooked with MSG actually does taste better, and it really harms very few people. The anti-MSG crusade is just psuedo-science in the service of big business.

Yup, I think so.

I'm just concerned that every mom who thinks their kid isn't speaking early enough is going to suspect autism or celiac. On the other hand, no mom should automatically discount the possibility. Usually, most kids are a variation on normal, although that's obviously not always the case. In other words, don't go berserk, but also don't be in denial.

She doesn't eat much dairy, but does like bread/challah/etc. IT might be wheat. Can you ask your wife to pm me or email me or something for ideas of what to try?

Except for those with high blood pressure and/or other heart ailments.

By a factor of 100

How do you know you should eat a gluten-free diet.

1. A physician has actually diagnosed you with Celiac disease.
2. You're a pseudo-yuppie wannabe who loves paying 5 times the price for a crappier tasting version of the same thing.

In general her speech is picking up at a pretty rapid pace. ( a slow start, but picking up a lot each day)

People with high blood pressure should also avoid cinnamon. Why no anti-cinnamon crusade?

Very true. My son was tested for celiac disease, and B"H does not have it, though he has at least one cousin with it (not sure what the test results were for a different one).
But symptom wise, he had loss of appetite, growth failure, fine hair, luxuriant eyelashes, protuberant abdomen. Oh, he also was a late talker.
Interestingly enough, my younger son I was worried about for a bit based on other symptoms, but they have resolved now. So I'm holding off for now on any testing.

I do definitely think diet can affect a child's behavior. But to leap to celiac disease based on appetite and speech alone sounds extreme to me.

What's the connection between dairy products and delayed speech?

And isn't there a difference between lactose intolerance and a milk allergy... [the other thread mentioned goat milk- there are those that have allergic reaction to cows' milk but not to goat] - the two above mentioned issues with dairy can develop and not exist at birth- also you can at one pt in your life have the problem and at varying times it can subside.



MSG is so jam packed into so much processed (and restaurant) food.

Funny, because cinnamon is good for diabetics-- guess if you have high blood pressure and diabetes you have to choose. Also, tamarind and soy are supposed to be good for diabetics.

Why do you think she has a problem with food? Because of her speech? Or because she's hungry?
Besides wheat, too many carbs stam aren't so great. Give her lots of protein....but I wouldn't jump to think that later speech than her earlier speaking brother is necessarily an indication of something wrong.

None that I know of, but the issue for FYI doesn't appear to me to be delayed speech, it's simply that the kid isn't eating enough. So I'm wondering why to assume the culprit is wheat and not dairy.


Right. Just like there's a difference between an allergy to wheat and a sensitivity. And just like reducing wheat can have general health benefits, sometimes immeasurable, as can reducing dairy. For example, skin stuff.


They should both enjoy good health.


Yup.

Diet modification before medication-- unfortunately doctors in the past have been quick to medicate things like ADHD before analyzing diet.

A balanced diet within the framework of permitted food items.

I agree, but this was an acquaintance that made me nervous (also isn't celiac and not being able to process gluten the same thing,)


As I said BEFORE and will reiterate, I am NOT worried about her speech at the current time. I was just mentioning the fact as I can't exactly say 'do you have heartburn'?

Balanced diet- too many carbs are problematic, too- I'd guess most especially be concerned with a small person (defined by body mass, etc.) having too many carbs and protein for their size... children can have issues with keytosis- especially if there are other health concerns and over a long period can develop kidney issues.

Okay, I see. Is there some way to interrogate and get info if the child's chest hurts after eating X? Do you know if the child is in fact experiencing anything like heartburn, or is it a guess?

FYI, if you're concerned, speak to a holistic practitioner that specializes in kids' issues...some are chiropractors or whatever and recommend certain diets. Helps more than a lay person telling her anecdote in my opinion.

What is that?


How? I have no idea and never even thought it was a possibility UNTIL P'nina mentioned that was how she realized her problem. I don't think she has heartburn (I assume if she did she would tell me 'tummy huwt')

FYI, if you want to try something, try just cutting out wheat in your kid's diet for a week. Provide lots of different food options that are child friendly but just avoid wheat. I think a main component of food allergies, especially ones in which a symptom is undereating (since the assumption is that the child is either too uncomfortable to eat or knows this food has brought them discomfort in the past, even if they are too young to express it) is how their gut feels after eating these foods. Perhaps you don't even know, for example, that the child is having heartburn everytime they eat wheat because they don't know the word for heartburn, they just know it feels bad when they eat Wacky Mac.

With behavioural food modifications, using the Glycemic Index is most helpful. When correcting for ADHD, the assumption is that the foods they're eating are causing them to have sugar rushes and then profound dips giving them spurts of hyperactivity coupled with an inability to concentrate due to fatigue. The idea is then to cause the blood sugar to remain stable by avoiding foods that have a short lifespan in your bloodstream (i.e. sugar products) in favor of foods that give sustenance over a long period of time (i.e. meat or beans). Processed wheat (a simple carb) is one of the products that causes spikes in blood sugar so alot of time that is cut. Just something to think about, sometimes its not only wheat but the sugar it produces.

This is interesting. What is the glycemic indexe? I do think diet modification would be helpful for this child and while she does eat wheat, it's not like she's eating lots of cake/cookies, in general to give her sugar spikes. (She actually doesn't stand still, she jumps in place and has been this way since she was in my stomach)

I'm curious as to the composition of the diet of the child-- this probably isn't the place, but I'd be curious to see a listing of things consumed over a few day period.

It's not necessarily about cake and cookies though, it's about the fact that just eating a sandwich made on bread can cause a blood sugar spike. It's a little about insulin, the way that diabetics eat to keep their blood sugar stable. For the same reason, diabetics often choose to avoid products taht are too starchy. There's a book out there called the GI Diet which is very helpful.

I can try and note, but part of the day she is with sitter so while I might know her general lunch, but I won't know exactly what snacks, etc. she consumes.

That's a trick question, because everyone knows that the Gemara says that a kid can't talk until he has eaten WHEAT......

I am not everybody since I did not know that, but she has eaten wheat products?!?! so I am unclear on your point?