Your child is not alone in coping with celiac disease or other medical conditions caused by the inability to digest gluten. According to a report in the February 2007 issue of "Practical Gastroenterology," celiac disease ranks as the most common chronic disease among children worldwide. Use a variety of gluten-free products and safe, but tasty foods to fill your child's lunchbox so she doesn't feel deprived or different from the other children.
Use Gluten-Free Products
With more foods available on grocery shelves labeled gluten-free, filling your child's lunchbox isn't as hard as it once was. Use gluten-free bread to make roast beef or chicken sandwiches, sliced from meat you have cooked yourself -- the meats add iron to your child's diet, a nutrient of concern for those with celiac disease according to the article in "Practical Gastroenterology." Or, use a gluten-free cereal to make trail mix with almonds, raisins and peanuts, adding calcium, iron and folate.
Getting Enough Fiber
Because gluten-free diets omit wheat and other grains, other sources of fiber become even more important. If your child is able to eat whole oats, add oatmeal cookies with raisins and chocolate chips to his lunch. Try brown rice salad or a corn salad combined with his favorite vegetables, such as celery, carrots or cucumbers, tucked into a colorful container. Or, buy brown-rice pasta and serve a pasta salad with corn and other vegetables.
Experiment with New Foods
If your child is willing, try unusual choices for lunch. Buy or make sushi with brown or white rice and vegetables, or pack a container of hummus, made with chickpeas, and an assortment of vegetables and pure corn chips for dipping. Experiment with puddings made from silken tofu blended with a banana, honey and chocolate powder. Or, serve any fruit or vegetable with a dip make from yogurt or sour cream. Try a hard-boiled egg with a packet of salt and pepper or a lunch-size can of tuna or chicken with gluten-free crackers.
Treats
All children appreciate an occasional treat added to their lunchboxes. The "Practical Gastroenterology" article suggests gluten-free brands of small chocolate bars, except those with crispy bits, hard sugar candies, jelly beans and marshmallow candies. They caution that you need to stress to your child that look-alike treats, such as rice-cereal marshmallow bars made with gluten-free ingredients, are not the same as the marshmallow bars they may be offered at a friend's house.
References
- "Practical Gastroenterology"; Kids and the Gluten-Free Diet; Mary K. Sharrett, et al.; February, 2007
- American Institute for Cancer Research; AICR Health Talk; Karen Collins; May 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Going Gluten-Free: Reflections on What Works; Jennifer Nelson, et al.; January, 2011
- Children's Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation; Gluten-Free Diet Guide for Families; 2005
