Eating gluten-free is not easy for anyone and that includes kids. Depending on their age and how long this diet has been going on it may be easier for kids to eat gluten-free than it is for adults. Here are a few suggestions to help your kid to eat gluten-free easily.
Peer pressure will cause defeat almost every time with kids, but if you purchase foods that aren’t noticeably gluten-free it won’t be so bad for them. Wrappers can also cause issues with kids, so you may find it’s easier for them to not have the wrappers when eating in front of others. It’s also important to not mention gluten in front of their friends.
School parties can be the worst for gluten-free kids. It’s hard to sit back and watch the other kids eat cookies and cupcakes, if you can plan ahead or if you’re told when the party will be you can have something for your kid to eat that won’t stand out and make them look bad. Preparing ahead of time is the key.
School lunches are another area that is hard for kids, especially the older they are. For the elementary school kids, packing a gluten-free lunch will work, but that’s not so easy for the older kids. Most junior high kids eat the school lunch and most high school kids go out for lunch so eating gluten-free is not the easiest thing to do. It will be a challenge for the older kids, but it can still be done if you educate them and they understand why they have to eat gluten-free.
Having friends over after school and serving gluten-free snacks is another area you may have trouble in, but planning properly, you can get the job done without anyone knowing what you’ve done. Manufacturers have created gluten-free cakes, brownies, cookies, and other treats. They also have popsicles and other frozen desserts you can offer and the other kids won’t know the difference.
A kid’s attitude is one of the most important things to control when it comes to a gluten-free diet. If the attitude is negative it will be the most difficult thing you’ll have to deal with, so it’s important to do what you can to keep it positive. Never talk about how bad it is or how difficult it is. Remind your kid that gluten-free is the right way to go and it’s important to their health.
Gluten-free kids have issues when it comes to eating the right way. It’s possible this type of diet will be an embarrassment to them and they may feel like it’s not worth it. They may feel like they can’t do certain things because of the special diet, but that’s not always the case. When you show your kids it’s no big deal and that they can still do what they want to do they’ll begin to see eating gluten-free isn’t so bad. They’ll see while it is a different type of lifestyle it’s one they can deal with no matter if they’re with friends or by themselves.
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