| When your child is first diagnosed with celiacs | | | | the cost. If pre-prepared meals are a large part |
| disease, one of the biggest questions is 'Should | | | | of the diet, or if you buy a lot of gluten free |
| the whole family go gluten free?' | | | | cakes and biscuits, this can be an incredibly |
| Certainly there are advantages to this option: | | | | expensive option! Specialist products are generally |
| equally there are disadvantages. It is a question | | | | quite pricey and for the whole family to eat it |
| that needs discussing and working | | | | unnecessarily will cost! You may also get |
| through,preferably as a whole family, as everyone | | | | complaints from other family members who |
| is affected, the earlier the better. | | | | neither want nor need to eat a gluten free diet. |
| The first option is for only the affected family | | | | We, like many other families I have talked to, |
| member to go gluten free, and the rest of the | | | | have settled for the middle option. We all eat... |
| family to eat as they always have. | | | | mainly gluten free! |
| This may be the most popular option if brothers | | | | Everything I bake is gluten free: the whole family |
| and sisters object to eating gluten free food - | | | | has homemade cakes and biscuits in their |
| especially if they object to giving up certain gluten | | | | lunchboxes and there have been no complaints |
| containing favourites such as cakes and biscuits! | | | | about this at all. Family meals are also free from |
| As my daughter used to say on occasion, 'I'm not | | | | gluten: this is very easy as I do not rely on |
| celiac- why am I not having my favourite food | | | | pre-made sauces etc, and there are so many |
| because he is?' So this option would in some | | | | meals that are naturally gluten free that it really |
| ways maintain family harmony, although it does | | | | doesn't take much planning. |
| continually point out the celiac child as being | | | | However, because of the expense (and my |
| different. It also means that whoever is cooking | | | | complete failure with the bread maker) my son |
| for the family will often have to make multiple | | | | has his own gluten free bread while the rest of us |
| meals which is both time consuming and difficult. | | | | have sliced (to avoid contamination) bread. We |
| Another argument is that if the rest of the family | | | | also have a separate tub of margarine with a big |
| are eating gluten all the time it is incredibly difficult | | | | red cross on it for using on wheat bread, and two |
| to avoid cross contamination for the celiac child. | | | | toasters. Also because of the expense, my son |
| The whole family needs to be very aware of | | | | will have things like gluten free fish fingers while |
| contamination issues but mistakes happen - | | | | the others have normal, and the normal ones are |
| especially when children or teenagers are in a | | | | cooked on a special baking tray. |
| hurry! | | | | In fact it is the gluten things that are singled out |
| On the other end of the scale, the whole family | | | | as being different in our kitchen, because most |
| could go gluten free. | | | | foods and kitchen areas are completely gluten |
| This has the great advantage of eradicating gluten | | | | free. It has worked for us. My son never feels |
| from the kitchen completely, so cross | | | | any different, and the 'gluten things' are kept |
| contamination is not an issue at all. The family can | | | | separately and carefully. |
| eat together, the cook only has to prepare one | | | | It is an issue that needs thinking through. But life |
| meal, and the celiac child is not the 'odd one out'. | | | | gets so much easier when the whole family |
| This can work well in a family where someone | | | | knows where they stand with it. And |
| does most of the cooking and also bakes gluten | | | | compromises can be reached to ensure that |
| free cakes and biscuits on a regular basis. | | | | every member is happy. |
| The big disadvantage of this option, however, is | | | | |