Food allergies..... any great snacks or food WITHOUT wheat??

Joan - posted on 01/12/2013

The fact that Keifer LOVES wheat just might mean he is allergic to it, because wheat is highly addictive when a person is allergic to it.
Consider yourself lucky because this can be an early sign and if you get him to "get off the wheat" now, you can avoid problems later on (usually digestive).
There are so many kinds of hummus now and it is so easy to make, that this can be a great alternative. You can put it on rice crackers, (I use Brown Rice Snaps) or celery. Celery and almond butter is also a great snack. I am a teacher and my 2nd graders always LOVE sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Goldfish can be a serious problem. If I remember correctly, goldfish has trans fats. If they are less than 500 mg, the company doesn't have to list them as an ingredient BUT if your child eats more than one serving of goldfish, then he can be taking in one or more grams of trans fats which is basically toxic. Same goes for some other crackers. All processed foods have ingredients that sound a lot more like chemicals than food!!!
There are great recipes for muffins that are easy. I make one with brown rice flour and almond flour/meal. It tastes great and has no wheat/gluten.
Congrats to you for paying close attention and wanting to do something about his not-so-healthy food choices.

Julie - posted on 10/04/2012

I have a blog that gives recipe and information for those with or for those who are caring for people with one to all of the top 8 allergens that may help you out. I even have a list of gluten-free pages and links. Here's a link to the main page: http://naturalandfree.blogspot.com/

Any of my recipes that contain wheat, you can sub gluten-free items for. In the case of replacing flour with gluten-free flour, you may have to add xanthan gum (not my first choice) or ground flaxseed (what I prefer to use) in a ration of 1/4 teaspoon per cup GF flour used to get the texture you want. Any recipe that calls for nuts/peanuts, you can most certainly use an appropriate substitute (i.e. seed or tree nut butter that he can have for peanut butter) or leave it out entirely. Also, any recipes that call for eggs, you could use an egg substitute with success.



Here's some other links you may find helpful:

Enjoy Life: http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/ (I hear amazing things about this brand!)

King Arthur Flour's GF Line: http://search.kingarthurflour.com/search... (I highly recommend this line because the head baker for their GF line is gluten-intolerant herself, so you know the products taste good!)



Hope that helps a little! Let me know if I can be of any further help. :)

Christina - posted on 07/17/2009

My daughter has eosinophilic esophagitis, so we have to avoid milk, wheat, soy, egg, corn, nuts (tree and peanuts), and fish. We stick to fresh fruit and veggies for snacks for the most part, but for a special treat, we'll go to Sunflower Market or Sprouts for rice crackers and such. When there's more than one food to avoid, it's nice to have very clearly marked packages!

Lea - posted on 07/17/2009

Try the Celiac association website. My nephew and sisters are all celiac (unable to process wheat) and I guess it has some pretty good suggestions.

Anne - posted on 07/16/2009

Elisabeth from the t. v. show The View wrote a book G-Free Diet. You might want to check this book out for some great ideas.

Tracy - posted on 07/16/2009

I was at walmart last weekend at the deli and noticed they have ham that is gluten free no MSG's.

Heather - posted on 07/16/2009

If you are looking for sweets cookies, cakes, specialty birthday cakes look to www.libertybakery.com. They have outstanding products and are all gluten free, casein free and allergen free!

Sharon - posted on 07/15/2009

if snack time is the problem, whats wrong with fresh fruit? That's what my kids get for snacks.

Adje - posted on 07/14/2009

I live in Colorado Springs and we have a local bakery that specializes in allergy baked goods. My daughter and I have multiple allergies including wheat, milk, and beef. They are very friendly and will ship products. I recommend the imagine bread. It is soft like white (wheat) bread. The website is www.outsidethebreadbox.com. They also have some cheese, garlic, plain and even graham crackers, cookies, pizza crusts, and my daughter loves their cakes. They supply to the local natural food stores here.

Rebekkah - posted on 07/14/2009

if you are looking for snacks, Wal Mart carries a really good rice chip. It's like a tortilla chip...also Whole Foods has a ton of wheat free products. Vans carries wheat free waffles and they aren't bad

Rebekkah - posted on 07/14/2009

Tamari is a wheat free soy sauce and it's pretty good

Debbi - posted on 07/14/2009

popcorn grapes sliced, gluten free pretzels, chips etc.. carrot chips, sweet potato chips, yogart pops, italian ices, apples, carmel apples, I made some great cookies out of rice krispies (organic, not with a flour base) pickles, olives, cheese

Rebecca - posted on 07/14/2009

fyi, soy sauce has wheat. Rice and corn chex are gluten free

Erin - posted on 07/14/2009

Annie's Homegrown Rice Pasta & Cheddar (mac & Cheese) is Gluten-Free. also fruit snacks. My duaghter is highly allergic to gluten and is in love with fruit. cheese sticks are also one of her favs.

Rebecca - posted on 07/14/2009

My sister has celiac so can't have gluten and I also don't eat it for medical reasons. Whole Foods has a ton of foods. The hardest thing to replace is crackers, yuck. If you are in tulsa there is a support group that meets bimonthly. Also can go to the american celiac disease web site, lots of links. Tons of recipes on lines too. Bob's Red Mill is an excellent mix for many things. alrebeccabrown@windstream.net

Joanna - posted on 07/14/2009

My son reacts with wheat as well. I have found the following for snacks:

Rice cakes

Graduates brand Veggie Dip puffs (they are like cheetos but made for kids from corn)

-On the corn note I am sure you could give him corn chips although I have not tried this and you would have to be careful of salt

Dehydrated fruit

Cherrios (these are also really nutritious...surprisingly)



As for foods I have found the following:

Canned sweet potatoes

Canned potatoes (diced work great)

Canned beans

Frozen peas, carrots, corn

Rice (my son loves fried rice)

Asian Rice noodles (these are like spaghetti but made from rice) (you can find it by the soy sauce in the store)

I also found pasta in the "organic" section of my grocery store that is made from rice. If you find a store with a good selection of "gluten free" foods you would be surprised all the stuff they have...cake mix, gravy mix, snacks, etc.



I know how you feel, it sucks and you feel bad for the little one for missing out on all that stuff but hey who knows he may be healthier for it!

Shannon - posted on 07/14/2009

check your foodstore alot are now carrying gluten free foods and the brownies are actually good!!! I have wegmans and whole foods also shoprite that carry some but you can check your local health food stores

Therese - posted on 07/14/2009

Oh, and jerky.

Therese - posted on 07/14/2009

dried fruit, veggie chips, yogurt, applesauce, and check the gluten-free section of the supermarket. Good luck!