TOP 5 FOOD ITEMS GLUTEN SENSITIVE KIDS SHOULD AVOID

If you have noticed that your child is not eating enough and has a very slow growth rate, then these could be symptoms of Celiac Disease. Other than these, you will also be able to notice skin rashes, constipation, anemia, fatigue, and bloating. Children affected by it cannot intake gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The tissues inside the body get damaged as soon as the gluten enters it. The small intestine is affected the most, as it does not receive enough nutrients.

To be sure, you can always take the child for celiac disease blood test. The most common one is a tTG-IgA test. If the test reports suggest celiac disease then the physician will carry out a test for the small intestine. The only treatment that can effectively combat celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. Here are some food items to avoid and the alternatives that are available easily in the market.

FOODS TO AVOID AND THE ALTERNATIVE

• Barley, Wheat, Rye: These are not gluten-free. The only way to treat celiac disease is to avoid eating anything with gluten. Barley, wheat, and rye contain the protein called gluten. Therefore, you should not give your child anything made out of these three. Barley malt is also not gluten-free. If you find anything with the word ‘malt’ in the ingredient list then you need to avoid it. 
• Blue Cheese: The milk used to make the blue cheese sometimes contains bread mold. This, in turn, contains gluten. Therefore, you need to avoid feeding the child blue cheese. These days you can find gluten-free blue cheese in the market easily. 
• Pasta: If you find that the pasta is made from wheat, wheat starch, barley or rye then this is not for your child. However, the good news is that gluten-free pasta is easily available these days. It is made of corn flour, rice flour, and quinoa. It will be exactly the same in taste and your child will love it. 
• Cake Flour: It is strongly recommended to avoid cake flour in case your child have celiac disease. But that does not mean the child cannot have delicious desserts.  For gluten-free baking, you can use amaranth flour, millet flour, cornmeal, groundnuts, potato flour and rice flour. For the binding agents, you can go for arrowroot powder. To top it up, you can use raisins and cranberries. There is no way the child will not love it. 
• French Fries: Yes, you heard it right. The child should not be given French fries if he/she is gluten sensitive. This happens because of the fryer; you should not be using the same fryer for gluten-based products and for gluten-free products. If you visit a restaurant then make sure they are too not using common fryers for both. If you are buying packaged fries from the grocery store then you need to be sure that they are “gluten-free.” To be on the safe side, always use a separate fryer for gluten based and gluten-free frying. 

To know more about celiac disease symptoms, foods to avoid and celiac disease blood test visit Nutrition4kids. Here you will find everything you need to know about diseases and conditions in children of every age group. All the information provided has been gathered and written by medical experts.

Visit the website http://www.nutrition4kids.com/ for more details. 

All You Need to Know About Stomach Tube Insertion in Kids

Is your child experiencing a problem in feeding or swallowing food? Is He/she is unable to intake food or liquids properly? Then this may act as a hindrance in your child’s growth. In such cases, the doctors suggest inserting a Gastronomy tube also known as G-tube or an NG-tube through the abdomen to deliver the essential nutrients into the body. 

You might be thinking about the conditions that lead to Stomach Tube Insertion. Below are some of the common conditions that your child may require a G-tube:

1. Congenital problem- Problem in the mouth, stomach, intestine.

2. Swallowing issues- Mainly due to slow development, prematurity, brain injury.

3. Failure to thrive- Unable to gain weight and abnormal body growth.

4. Unable to take in medicines

5. Severe Abdominal pain

This insertion is a small procedure, which takes about 30 to 40 minutes and a max of 2-days stay at the hospital. The healing is fast and the kids can get back to their normal activities after the incision has healed.

How to take care of the tube and skin around after the procedure

The doctor will guide you on how to take care of the tube. Make sure to keep in mind these guidelines.

• Clean tube after and before use

This will help in the smooth flow of the food into the stomach and there will not be any blockage. Use 30 ml of water to clean the tube thoroughly.

• Unclog the tube immediately

If the tube gets clogged by any chance then immediately unclog it using 60 ml of warm water. Always use water or a soft brush to clear the passage. Never use a wire.

• Keep check on the length

Always check the length of the tube from the end till the point it goes into the body. If it gets longer, it may come out and if shorter then you should inform the doctor right away.

• Clean the skin around

Make sure to clean the skin around once every two days, there should not be any rashes or swelling around. Also, keep the skin around dry to prevent any infection.

• Use antibiotic  cream

Use an antibiotic cream as directed by your doctor around the tube area after you are done with cleaning.

• Do not remove stitches

The doctor will remove the band-aid and medical tape after the skin heals within 24 hours. Ask your doctor about when can the kid shower or bathe.

You can know more about Stomach tube insertion at Nutrition4kids. They have all that you need to know about G-tube, inserting NG- tube at home, symptoms, precautions and expert tips from the best pediatrician in the field. You can also know about various kids related health issues and the best solution.

 Visit the website http://www.nutrition4kids.com/ for more information.

In case you missed my previous post, read it here. Thanks!

Is your child Gluten intolerant? Find out with a Gluten Intolerant Test

What is Gluten?
Gluten is found in a variety of everyday food. It is a type of protein generally found in wheat, rye, and barley. It helps in retaining the shape of the food by acting as the adhesive substance that holds them together. Some people are intolerant to such protein. Hence, Gluten Intolerance Test will determine if your child has gluten intolerance or not.

What is Gluten Intolerance?
Gluten intolerance causes a person’s immunity to react against a kind of protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It starts showing symptoms right after ingesting any kind of gluten product. The symptoms include gastrointestinal problems to severe problems like anxiety, depression, etc. It is important to get a Gluten Intolerance Test and treat the problem rather than just symptoms.

Can Gluten intolerance be a serious issue?
It depends on the tolerance level. Most of the people are fine with gluten although it is proven to be bad for one’s health. For those who are intolerant to gluten may be prone to Celiac disease. Mostly, gluten insensitivity can act as one of the symptoms of other major diseases. It is important that you get your children a Gluten Intolerance Test before the problem becomes severe.

Can we avoid Gluten?
There is majority of products, which has gluten in it. It may not be specified in the ingredients of some products but it might be present in it. Food products like bread, soups, beer, baked goods, sauces, etc, contain gluten in their ingredients. Hence it is impossible to totally avoid gluten.

Are Gluten-free diets available?
Yes, it might not contain gluten. But one has to make sure that their diet must contain the nutrients that a gluten product may have. Since most of the food products have gluten in it, avoiding it may devoid your child of certain nutrients which is important for your child’s growth. Nutrition4kids will always guide you to maintain your child’s well being.

You can rely on Nutrition4kids to give you reliable information and expert advice on your child’s well-being. Gluten insensitivity or gluten intolerance can become a serious issue if it is not treated well. If a change in diet doesn’t surely indicate gluten intolerance, then you must get your child Gluten Intolerance Test to be sure about their medical issue and practice caution in their daily diet.

If you like this post, please also read my another post - SURVIVING THE STOMACH FLU 101

Gluten sensitivity advice at Nutrition4kids

Do you feel that something is not right with the health of your child? Have you been unable to figure it out? Is your child experiencing any of the following symptoms?

• Digestive issues such as constipation, gas, diarrhea.
• Feeling tired after eating a meal with gluten.
• Feeling dizzy often.
• Severe migraine headaches.
• Pain or swelling in joints.
• Mood swings, depression, anxiety.
• Craving for foods that are high in sugar.
• Weight loss
• Trouble in breathing

If your child is feeling the above symptoms then consult your doctor for gluten sensitivity.

What is Gluten sensitivity?

Gluten sensitivity is a condition in which a person’s immune system reacts after consuming gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye). According to specialists, after removing wheat allergies, celiac diseases, and gluten ataxia, the gluten sensitivity should be diagnosed. Gluten allergy in adults and children is different. Parents should carefully monitor the diet of their child and the behavior if they suspect gluten allergy.

How to treat gluten sensitivity?

• Elimination Diet- Removal of foods containing gluten such as wheat, pasta from the diet and notice the changes.
• Blood test for Gluten Sensitivity- Blood test like “SPT, prick in prick test and lymphocyte activation” can identify the possibility of gluten allergy.
• Supplements and medication- Taking supplements such as calcium, folate, iron, vitamin-D and zinc.
• Consider a dietician-If your kid face difficulty in following gluten free diet, consult a dietitian. They can help you identify better food options.
• Avoid Restaurants- Avoid eating out and prepare the meals at home as often as possible.

You can get expert advice about gluten sensitivity and celiac diseases at nutrition4kids.com. Here you will find advice and blogs from professional doctors. Parents can get expert guidance about the health of their children.

They offer blogs about health and lifestyle of newborns and toddlers. Advice about supplements, breastfeeding, eating habits and much more.

Read various blogs and articles about gluten sensitivity, symptoms, blood test for gluten sensitivity from the best and trusted doctors. Visit the website for more information.

Understanding Gluten and its effect on your child’s health

Before we get into the symptoms of allergy from gluten, we shall clear what gluten is and where is it found. Gluten is a type of protein found in grains of wheat, rye, spelt and barley. Food items such as bread, pasta, cereal, sauce, soup, salad dressing, malt, beer, food coloring, etc contain gluten. It helps in maintaining the shape of such food items by acting as the glue, which sticks the food molecules together to retain its elasticity. Wheat is not only the source of gluten. Some variety of Oats and Triticale also contains gluten.

Not everyone is allergic to gluten. But the ones who are allergic to gluten often show symptoms related to Celiac disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, irritable bowel syndrome and/or other types of wheat allergies. If you find the following symptoms in your child, they may be intolerant to Gluten. The symptoms may start to show within minutes or an hour after consumption of such products.

• Unexplained Weight loss, Depression, Anxiety, Headache, Migraine, skin rashes, etc are the symptoms related to Celiac disease.
• Abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas and diarrhea are some of the symptoms related to Gluten allergy.

You should get your child checked if such problem persists regularly. Blood test and Biopsy from small intestine might help in diagnosing such problems because of Gluten attacks and affects small intestine. It is important to get tested for Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that causes severe digestive disorder and other health problems.

It is difficult to go Gluten free because everything contains gluten in some amount or other. And going totally Gluten free will devoid your child of certain proteins that the food grain may contain which is essential for their body. Special attention should be given to their diet so that they don’t miss out on other nutrients that will help them in their growing period.

There are other substitutes that you can include in their diet and replace it from Gluten. Fruits and vegetables, beans, seeds, legumes, nuts, potatoes, eggs, dairy products, oils and vinegar, rice, fish and lean beef, chicken and other seafood may help you to maintain a Gluten free diet.

Grains and food such as amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, cassava, millet, quinoa, rice, sorghum, soy, and tapioca are also Gluten free and can be consumed for a maintaining a Gluten free diet.

Nutrition4kids provides you with the best expert advice on your kid’s nutrition and how to prevent disorder. Visit our website today to find answers to your child’s health related queries.

If you like this post, please also read my another post - Gluten Allergy Symptoms: Things You Need to Know

Top 5 Sugar Substitutes You Need to Know

A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides sugar like sweet taste; some of them are natural while others are made synthetically. Those that are not produced naturally are called artificial sweeteners. Sugar is an inseparable part of the food we consume. Some products that contain sugar substitute are diet soda, sugar-free syrup, gum, ice cream, fruit cups, yogurt, pudding and much more. Besides its benefits, it has been proven that artificial sweeteners prove out to be best in this case. 

In this guide we will discuss some of the best sugar substitutes:

1. Honey:

Raw honey is the best form of natural sweetener and is easily available al around the globe. It has been used as a sugar substitute for many centuries. It can be mixed with milk, lukewarm water or can be spread on bread for breakfast. For losing weight, you should drink or eat some amount of honey every morning. As honey is rich in antioxidants, so it proves out to be helpful in fighting a variety of diseases. 

2. Date Sugar

The sugar made from different kinds of dates have a good glycemic index which provides it with antioxidant properties. It contains very small amount of calories, but its taste is same as that of normal sugar. Due to fewer calories present in date sugar, it is helpful in preventing us from various diseases like diabetes, obesity and much more, thus helps a person to remain healthy and fit. 

3. Maple syrup

Maple syrup is the boiled-down sap of the maple tree. It is two times sweeter than the original white sugar and also has a mouth-watering caramel taste in it. Maple syrup is one of the best sugar substitutes and is good for things like pancakes and waffles. Being one of the healthier substitutes, maple syrup has many benefits because of its higher antioxidant capacity.   

4. Coconut sugar

Coconut sugar can prove out to be the best replacement of white sugar. This sugar won't increase your weight but give you perfect sweet taste. When baking, you can use coconut sugar as a replacement.

5. Stevia

The sugar obtained from stevia plant is 200-300 times sweeter than white sugar. You can replace one and a half cup of white sugar with one-fourth cup of Stevia in any food recipe and enjoy the sweetness in your life. 

Sugar substitutes can help people to lose weight as they provide sweetness of sugar to foods and drinks without adding extra calories. It can also help in preventing dental decay and in maintaining sugar level in people suffering from diabetes. In other words, artificial sweetener allows people to stick to a good diet for a longer period of time. They are called as free food as they don’t count as a carbohydrate, fat or any other exchange. With the wide selection of sugar substitutes present in the market, you have to be very specific according to your needs. Choose the one which suits best according to your diet and health condition.     

For more details to Sugar Substitutes click here