Gluten-free

Our family is in the process of going gluten-free after finding out our little guy has celiac disease. It was pretty daunting at first, but the more we learn about it, the less scary it seems. We thought about just giving Leo a few gluten-free alternatives and keeping our diet the same, but the risks are too great. If Leo digests just a really small amount of gluten, his body attacks his intestines and he suffers the consequences for a few weeks. The scariest consequence right now is that if he has gluten, he isn't able to absorb the nutrients and fats of whatever else he eats until his intestines heal. That's why he was losing so much weight before his diagnosis. So, since a crumb can set him off, we decided we'll just rid our house of any gluten. The cupboards were easy - I just looked everything up online that wasn't clearly labeled or I wasn't sure about. Other things that we've had to replace have surprised us. Our toaster, little oven, plastic cooking utensils and strainers, etc. Anything that gluten could hide in had to go. So, buying some new stuff has been kind of fun. I also got a new bread maker for gluten free loaves that I'm really excited about! We cleared out some play-doh and finger paints, so we're on our way to a totally gluten-free house. Now that we've conquered it in our home, we've just got to worry about the big, scary, gluten-filled world outside. Leo got offered some Nilla Wafers by a very nice mom in playgroup the other day - sorry bud! 

Leo's change with the new diet has been sudden and really positive. He's been gluten-free for about 2 weeks now and we've noticed a big change in him. He's got tons of energy and doesn't ask to be carried as much as before. His appetite is huge. He's gained two pounds already! He now regularly eats more than Wilson, which for those of you who have seen Wilson know that is quite a feat! I once was on a diet that had the tagline, 'Enjoy foods for the first time!' I thought was pretty funny at the time, but I often think that must be how Leo has felt these past few weeks. He's also just been the happiest kid in the world. He wakes up happy, giggles when we put him down to sleep and runs around with a smile all day.  I think the poor kid didn't know how good life could be!

Here's Leo showing off his gluten-free pizza in our hotel the first night he was diagnosed. It was just so-so and I was a little worried about our gluten-free prospects. We've had two other duds in rice pasta and cheese crackers. Most of the gluten-free foods we've tried are pretty good, though.

It was nice to see a lot of restaurants in Hawaii that had gluten-free options. Our favorite was Wolfgang Pucks that had a half page menu devoted to gluten-free items! Below Leo searches for a gluten-free beer at Chili's.

We made a few trips to Whole Foods to have some gluten-free items for the trip home and some new stuff to try. Please note Leo was as unimpressed with their high prices as I was. I've since found some great alternatives on amazon that I can buy in bulk. We've also heard our commissary will also special order for us here in Japan.

Our biggest surprise in our whole plunge into gluten-free has been how many things are already gluten-free. Most of our pantry items are good, and we're only replacing a lot of condiments because of possible leftover crumbs. Nathan is happy because although many of his beloved sugar loaded cereals didn't make the cut, some actually did!

Thanks to all of you who have sent tips and messages about gluten-free stuff. We're still learning and really appreciate the help and support!