Often in children after the introduction of complementary foods, parents note the appearance of loose stools, increased gas formation, and sometimes vomiting. The child refuses to eat, is naughty. These symptoms can hide a serious disease - celiac disease. If it is diagnosed in a child, then he needs a special diet for life, which completely eliminates gluten.
What is gluten and why does gluten intolerance occur?
Gluten, which is found in almost all cereals, is essentially a protein. It's called gluten. It contains almost 75% of all cereals. It is gluten that causes special gluing of grains during cooking.
It should be noted that gluten intolerance does not occur in all people. Some people cannot perceive the components of gluten and digest them.
When gluten enters the body, a real allergic reaction is triggered. There may even be manifestations of autism, neurological disorders. In some cases, people are faced with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
A gluten-free diet is great for providing nutritional support to children with autism or mental health problems.
How does celiac disease manifest itself?
Celiac disease is a disease in which the intestinal villi are damaged after exposure to gluten. Intestinal functions are disturbed. He no longer copes with his main task: the absorption of nutrients from food.
Experts say that celiac disease can be a hereditary disease. It is more common among Europeans. This disease is especially common in Western Europe. Every year there is a significant increase in the number of children with intolerance to cereals.
The most common symptoms of gluten intolerance include:
- Stool swelling. It becomes liquid, even a little frothy. Very copious, with a strong irritating odor. May be greasy and not rinse well from the pot. During examination, pathogenic microorganisms are often found in it, which begin to actively multiply when the intestine is damaged.
- Loss of body weight. Usually, after the introduction of the first complementary foods, the baby begins to gain weight, grows faster. With intolerance to cereals, he practically does not gain weight. Many children begin to lose weight.
- Mood change. Such kids are often naughty, become more withdrawn. Immediately after eating cereals, sick children may feel weak, very sleepy. They smile less. When playing, babies can touch the tummy. Parents should pay attention to such behavior of children who have not yet learned to talk. This may be one of the manifestations of the disease.
- Abdomen greatly swollen after eating. The baby's tummy becomes like a watermelon. With a less severe form of intolerance, gas formation increases. At the same time, the abdomen does not swell very much, it can retain its normal appearance.
- Often such children are short in stature. Usually they say about them "do not grow." It is especially worth paying attention if the child's parents are tall. Perhaps this is due to a pronounced deficiency of nutrients necessary for growth and development.
List of allowed foods for children on a gluten-free diet
Making a diet for a child with gluten intolerance is a very important and paramount task for the mother. You need to understand that now her child will not be able to eat food that is familiar to many children for the rest of her life. Do not fix the attention of the baby on this! It is enough just to gradually instill in him the right habits. Then he will perceive his diet as just ordinary food.
Allowed products:
- Various soups in meat or fish broth. Any type of meat or poultry is suitable for making soups. It is better for kids to choose chicken or turkey, for older children - veal or lean pork. You can add vegetables or boiled cereals that do not contain gluten (for example, corn or rice) to the soup.
- Cereals that do not contain gluten. Kids can cook dishes from buckwheat. Perfect for corn or rice porridge. If desired, you can add a little milk, but it is better in the form diluted with water. Dilute milk 1:1 or 1:2.
- Any dairy products.
- Meat or chicken (in any form). In this case, only the age of the child should be taken into account.
- All fruits and vegetables.
- Steam omelette or hard boiled eggs. Eggs can be added to various dishes.
- Tea, cocoa, various fruit drinks and compotes.
- You can include in the diet a variety of commercially produced versions of gluten-free bread or pastries, pasta.
- Flower or linden honey.
- Various oils: vegetable or butter.
Sample menu for the week
The diet of a child with gluten intolerance is quite varied. Worrying that the baby will die of hunger is definitely not worth it. There are many options for preparing various delicious dishes.
Often children have intolerance to dairy products. In such cases, a casein-free diet is needed. Its other name is dairy-free. Only a doctor can determine the need for her appointment.
What to cook for a child for a week?
On Monday for breakfast, you can eat corn porridge in milk with butter. In addition - sweet cocoa. For lunch - fish soup with rice and a couple of gluten-free breads. For dessert - cottage cheese casserole with raisins and tea. For dinner, make a broccoli and chicken casserole. Sprinkle everything on top with cheese. Your little one will definitely love this dish!
The next day- omelette with tomatoes and herbs for breakfast. Lunch will be borscht with a small piece of veal. For dinner, you can cook stewed meatballs in a creamy sauce, as a side dish - boiled rice with a salad of fresh vegetables.
Midweek will meet you with a delicious breakfast of buckwheat porridge with a boiled egg. For lunch, make mushroom soup with gluten-free noodles. For dinner, bake trout with potatoes in the oven. A salad of fresh tomatoes and parsley will help diversify the table. For dessert - baked apples with walnuts and honey.
On Thursday Prepare your child for breakfast apple-banana pancakes with sour cream sauce. To do this, add sugar, a little vanilla to sour cream and mix thoroughly. Decorate with fresh berries in season. At lunchtime, the baby will eat turkey meatballs with buckwheat. For dinner - a delicious curd casserole with dried fruits and candied fruits.
On Friday it is worth pampering your baby with cornmeal pancakes for breakfast. Add honey or your favorite jam to the dish. Lunch - baked chicken legs with zucchini and carrots. For dinner - cod and rice cutlets.
Saturday morning you can cook pear rice casserole. For lunch - eat vegetable soup with cauliflower. For dinner - low-fat pilaf with chicken thighs.
On Sunday make rice pudding for breakfast. For lunch - chicken cutlets with a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes, seasoned with vegetable oil. For dinner, you can have corn porridge with fish cutlets.
Gluten Free Recipes
Omelette roll with red fish and vegetables
- Take 2 eggs and ½ cup milk. Mix everything well with a whisk. Salt a little. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a hot skillet. Pour in 1 ladle of cooked egg mixture. Bake pancakes on both sides.
- Wash and dry fresh tomatoes well, peel cucumbers. Cut vegetables into long thin strips. You can use a Korean carrot grater. Finely chop the greens. Cut the boiled red fish into long pieces. For babies under three years old, use white fish. For an older age, pink salmon or chum salmon is suitable.
- Take the resulting pancake, put some vegetables and fish on it. Spin the roll. Start on the side of the filling and move to the free edge. If necessary, secure everything with a toothpick or skewer. Be careful with sharp objects if you give them to small children! Decorate the dish with sour cream and serve.
Corn pancakes with sour cream and jam
- Take 1.5 cups of cornmeal, add 1/3 cup of sugar and one chicken egg. Extinguish the soda with vinegar and add it on the tip of a knife. Vanilla can be added to taste. Add milk and a little boiled water at room temperature to get the consistency of thick sour cream. Mix everything thoroughly, beat a little with a whisk.
- Heat up a frying pan and grease it with vegetable oil. Bake pancakes on both sides until browned completely. Lay them out on a plate. The kid will especially like dishes with a pattern or a funny animal. Add some sour cream and jam. If desired, you can decorate the dish with banana slices or fresh berries.
Rice casserole with turkey
- Boil a cup of rice until fluffy. For babies up to a year old, rice should be rubbed a little through a sieve. Salt it.
- Separately, boil the turkey (until fully cooked). Clean it from films and skin. Grind in a blender to the state of minced meat. Mix rice with minced meat. Add 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons low fat cream. Once again, mix thoroughly. Top the casserole with an egg and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes in a well-heated oven (at a temperature of 180-200 degrees). The dish can be served with sour cream and fresh vegetable salad.
Easy and quick banana muffins
Puree 1 banana in a blender. Add 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix thoroughly. Pour into silicone molds, previously greased with butter. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes (at a temperature of 220 degrees). Ready-made muffins go well with strawberry yogurt or honey.
Monitoring the diet of a child with gluten intolerance should be daily and thorough. Doctors say that with the correct preparation of the menu, the negative consequences of the disease should not be feared. Such a diet is not a tribute to fashion! This is an important part of the treatment for children with special perceptions of certain cereal products.
