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The G-F diet and socializing
A
The Gluten-Free (G-F) Diet
The last thing you want to dwell on with a newly-diagnosed Celiac is a list of foods he or she can no longer eat.
The book, “Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?” puts the focus on what Celiacs can still eat, as opposed to what
they can't. Try to keep that focus going. Attitudes of parents, siblings, friends and relatives will be important as well.
It will be much easier for the child—now and later in life—if family members and friends can accept celiac disease
and the G-F diet as a way of life.
Truth be told: the gluten free diet is for life, 24/7. To a certain degree, you must change the way you interact with
food, some of the places you visit, and the way you approach some of life. But, when faced with a positive attitude,
there is hope and encouragement for those who make this commitment. Remember that you are not alone. I hope
that this website is encouraging for you, and I hope that it makes your life a little easier, and seem a little brighter.
Once you get used to it, the gluten-free diet becomes very manageable. Your child can still enjoy most of her
favorite types of food. You just need to make a few minor adjustments to the ingredients. You do need take a few
precautions, and become an avid label-reader. With practice and time, screening for gluten becomes second
nature. As you are learning about what is safe and what is not, it may take a while to find a safe version of all their
favorite foods. Hopefully the “Our Family's Favorites” page at the end of the book will get you started with tried and
tested gluten-free favorites from our family to yours. We have tried many gluten-free products over the past three
years, plenty of which were duds, to be quite frank. I wanted to save other parents the time and money that often
goes into the trial and error of finding favorite G-F basics.
Kitchen Basics
Kitchens must be set up carefully to avoid cross contamination of gluten into gluten-free foods. Some families go
100% gluten-free, but for economic reasons, our household is not. My husband and daughter Lindsey still eat
wheat bread, but that’s about it. Other than that, everything else is G-F. The main reason that 99% of our food is
G-F is so that Morgan won’t feel different in our own home, plus we've all come to love the diet overall. If you
decide to also prepare both gluten and gluten-free foods in your kitchen, take precautions to eliminate cross-
contamination. Make sure you have designated strainers, cookie sheets, pizza trays, frying pans, cooking pots,
toasters, etc. and that everyone knows which ones are only for gluten-containing foods and which ones are
dedicated to gluten-free foods. Make sure everyone knows that it’s not okay to “double dip” knives into mayo jars,
peanut butter jars, mustard jars, etc. when they are using knives that were in contact with gluten bread. Better yet,
use squeeze bottles so no knives are dipped in, and label peanut butter & jelly jars as G-F. It does take some
getting used to, but you need everyone on board, because even crumbs of gluten can cause damage. When we
make sandwiches, Morgan’s and mine are made and set aside first, so that wheat bread crumbs on the counters
aren’t cross contaminating our G-F food. Sometimes we end up using a few knives in order to avoid double-
dipping. After a while it becomes second nature, though.
Restaurants
Don’t feel like you can’t eat out. Getting a G-F meal in most restaurants is usually not that difficult. Staple choices
include fruits, grilled meats, vegetables, salads, eggs, and potatoes. Check out web resources to find restaurants
with gluten-free menus. Some chains that we frequent are: Uno Chicago Grill, Chilis, Chipotle, Bonefish Grill and
Outback Steakhouse. If you go to a restaurant that doesn’t have it’s own G-F menu, stick to basics like grilled
chicken over a salad, or a burger made without a bun. We sometimes bring our own salad dressings and extras
like slivered almonds or G-F croutons. Generally, french fries and corn tortilla chips are NOT considered gluten-
free at restaurants. In and of themselves they usually are G-F, but unfortunately, they share a deep fryer with foods
like chicken fingers, which are breaded. Therefore the french fries & tortilla chips become gluten-contaminated.
Instead, let your child enjoy a treat of oven-baked french fries & nachos at home once in a while.
Check out the restaurant BEFORE you go there. See if they have an online menu or food allergen listings. Call and
speak with the manager. Do your homework so you can enjoy the restaurant experience once you get there. When
you tell the waitress your need for a G-F meal for your child, do it discreetly so the child doesn’t feel like she’s in
the spotlight, and don’t make a huge deal out of it. You want your family to feel as normal as possible.
Teach your child to become self-sufficient by helping him learn how to make wise menu choices. Try to focus on
all the things that your child can have instead of crossing off all the things which he can’t have. Help your child
come up with menu cards for frequently visited restaurants. Include the name of each restaurant and a list of a few
good food choices for him to alternate between. Have him bring them along when he eats out, and this will give
him a feeling of independence instead of feeling like he needs mom and dad to navigate the menu for him. Of
course, this level of independence will take time and experience, but it is a good goal to strive for.
School tips
Write a letter to your child’s teacher explaining Celiac disease and what it means for your child. Or meet with her in
person to discuss it. Give them printed literature about CD and a list of acceptable foods. Make sure she e-mails
you about any questionable foods they might be arranging for snacks, and that she gives you a few days notice for
birthday parties and special occasions for which you’ll need to send your child a G-F substitute. Send in a bag of
G-F treats for those times when parents send in treats unannounced, so your child will always have something for
herself. And write a letter to the school office, too, so they can put it into your child’s official records. Make sure that
the school nurse and cafeteria monitors are informed as well. Speak to each person directly or write a letter, with
your child’s photo on it.
It’s important that everyone knows about your child’s gluten-free diet, for various reasons. For example, one time I
accidentally sent my daughter Lindsey’s lunch bag in with my daughter Morgan. Lindsey’s sandwich was made
with whole wheat bread, so my daughter Morgan raised her hand and told the cafeteria monitor that she had the
wrong lunch, and they were able to switch back. If the monitor hadn’t known Morgan was a Celiac, she might have
just told her to eat her sister’s lunch and she would have been glutened. It’s also important to make sure your
child has bathroom privileges as well, especially if they are in the initial healing phase where potty problems still
exist. Make sure your teacher lets them know that they can go to the bathroom whenever they want, instead of
trying to “hold it” which may be impossible for them. Last but not least, consider purchasing an extra copy of this
book and/or other books, and donate it/them to your school’s library to increase awareness. And why not lend it to
your child’s teacher to read to the whole class, or visit the class and read it to them yourself, along with other
teaching tools.
School birthday parties
Option 1: Send a letter to all class parents to inform them of your child's dietary restrictions and ask them to
please let you know when they are bringing in treats for the class, so that you may bring something comparable.
Option 2: Work something out with the teacher where she makes sure parents give her notice before allowing
treats to be brought in, so that she can, in turn, give you the notice you need.
Keep a bag of treats at school in case something falls through and you are not alerted. If she comes home saying
someone brought a treat and she had to have something from her bag, keep all talk positive with your child. Say
something like, “Oh, good, I’m glad you were able to do that, and that we had extra treats there for you!” Be
proactive with the teacher if she is not keeping her end of the plan. Keep a few pre-made frosted cupcakes or
brownies in the freezer so you are always prepared. Add sprinkles the morning of when the cupcake is being sent
in so the top looks fresh and different every time.
Pizza parties
Kids’ parties often include pizza. We make a Chebe pizza here ahead of time and I send in a few slices for
Morgan. There are frozen pizzas you could keep handy as well. Consider helping to plan certain parties (like
school parties) and see if you could do something different like hardshell corn tacos or nachos instead.
Let your child choose
Generally, when Morgan is invited to a party, I talk to the parent when I RSVP, asking which foods will be served so
that I may bring something comparable for Morgan that is GF. I usually send a cupcake and slice of pizza. As your
child gets older, sometimes he or she may want to eat something at home before going out to a social event. You
might find that a person or people make it uncomfortable for your child to bring her own food. Try to make them
feel proud of themselves and to feel lucky that they know they have CD. Try to get your child talking about it, and
make sure that you keep the talk as positive as possible. Let it be your child’s choice as to whether she wants to
eat something beforehand and sit empty-handed when everyone else is eating pizza and cake, or if they’d like to
bring pizza and a cupcake. As hard as it is to think of your child going to a social event and not being able to eat
while there, the most important thing is ownership of the diet. Support them by telling your child that whatever
works for them is fine with you.
Holidays
Easter & Halloween: Let your child “trade in” all suspect candy (often there are no ingredient labels on candy and it
is NOT okay to just guess) for gluten-free candy after all their loot is collected. Same goes for pinata candy and
goodie bags.
Thanksgiving & Easter meals
Remember that you cannot stuff a turkey with gluten-containing bread and safely serve a slice to your child. It will
be contaminated. Prepare the stuffing separately and use gluten-free bread. (See our recipe section for an
incredible stuffing recipe.) Or make an alternative to stuffing such as rice, G-F cornbread, or G-F dinner rolls.
Delicious G-F gravy can be prepared with cornstarch and pan drippings rather than wheat flour.
Appetizers
Make sure family members know that cheeses should be kept on one tray and crackers on another. Provide your
child with G-F crackers and keep them separate. Our families still bring regular crackers but everyone makes a
conscious effort to keep things separate. As far as dips go, you must make sure there are spoons in every dip and
ask people to spoon dip onto their own plates before dipping crackers into it. Always keep G-F tortilla chips around
for safe dipping. Make sure your child knows which Doritos, etc. are G-F and which are not, or to ask you, instead
of guessing.
The last thing you want to dwell on with a newly-diagnosed Celiac is a list of foods he or she can no longer eat.
The book, “Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?” puts the focus on what Celiacs can still eat, as opposed to what
they can't. Try to keep that focus going. Attitudes of parents, siblings, friends and relatives will be important as well.
It will be much easier for the child—now and later in life—if family members and friends can accept celiac disease
and the G-F diet as a way of life.
Truth be told: the gluten free diet is for life, 24/7. To a certain degree, you must change the way you interact with
food, some of the places you visit, and the way you approach some of life. But, when faced with a positive attitude,
there is hope and encouragement for those who make this commitment. Remember that you are not alone. I hope
that this website is encouraging for you, and I hope that it makes your life a little easier, and seem a little brighter.
Once you get used to it, the gluten-free diet becomes very manageable. Your child can still enjoy most of her
favorite types of food. You just need to make a few minor adjustments to the ingredients. You do need take a few
precautions, and become an avid label-reader. With practice and time, screening for gluten becomes second
nature. As you are learning about what is safe and what is not, it may take a while to find a safe version of all their
favorite foods. Hopefully the “Our Family's Favorites” page at the end of the book will get you started with tried and
tested gluten-free favorites from our family to yours. We have tried many gluten-free products over the past three
years, plenty of which were duds, to be quite frank. I wanted to save other parents the time and money that often
goes into the trial and error of finding favorite G-F basics.
Kitchen Basics
Kitchens must be set up carefully to avoid cross contamination of gluten into gluten-free foods. Some families go
100% gluten-free, but for economic reasons, our household is not. My husband and daughter Lindsey still eat
wheat bread, but that’s about it. Other than that, everything else is G-F. The main reason that 99% of our food is
G-F is so that Morgan won’t feel different in our own home, plus we've all come to love the diet overall. If you
decide to also prepare both gluten and gluten-free foods in your kitchen, take precautions to eliminate cross-
contamination. Make sure you have designated strainers, cookie sheets, pizza trays, frying pans, cooking pots,
toasters, etc. and that everyone knows which ones are only for gluten-containing foods and which ones are
dedicated to gluten-free foods. Make sure everyone knows that it’s not okay to “double dip” knives into mayo jars,
peanut butter jars, mustard jars, etc. when they are using knives that were in contact with gluten bread. Better yet,
use squeeze bottles so no knives are dipped in, and label peanut butter & jelly jars as G-F. It does take some
getting used to, but you need everyone on board, because even crumbs of gluten can cause damage. When we
make sandwiches, Morgan’s and mine are made and set aside first, so that wheat bread crumbs on the counters
aren’t cross contaminating our G-F food. Sometimes we end up using a few knives in order to avoid double-
dipping. After a while it becomes second nature, though.
Restaurants
Don’t feel like you can’t eat out. Getting a G-F meal in most restaurants is usually not that difficult. Staple choices
include fruits, grilled meats, vegetables, salads, eggs, and potatoes. Check out web resources to find restaurants
with gluten-free menus. Some chains that we frequent are: Uno Chicago Grill, Chilis, Chipotle, Bonefish Grill and
Outback Steakhouse. If you go to a restaurant that doesn’t have it’s own G-F menu, stick to basics like grilled
chicken over a salad, or a burger made without a bun. We sometimes bring our own salad dressings and extras
like slivered almonds or G-F croutons. Generally, french fries and corn tortilla chips are NOT considered gluten-
free at restaurants. In and of themselves they usually are G-F, but unfortunately, they share a deep fryer with foods
like chicken fingers, which are breaded. Therefore the french fries & tortilla chips become gluten-contaminated.
Instead, let your child enjoy a treat of oven-baked french fries & nachos at home once in a while.
Check out the restaurant BEFORE you go there. See if they have an online menu or food allergen listings. Call and
speak with the manager. Do your homework so you can enjoy the restaurant experience once you get there. When
you tell the waitress your need for a G-F meal for your child, do it discreetly so the child doesn’t feel like she’s in
the spotlight, and don’t make a huge deal out of it. You want your family to feel as normal as possible.
Teach your child to become self-sufficient by helping him learn how to make wise menu choices. Try to focus on
all the things that your child can have instead of crossing off all the things which he can’t have. Help your child
come up with menu cards for frequently visited restaurants. Include the name of each restaurant and a list of a few
good food choices for him to alternate between. Have him bring them along when he eats out, and this will give
him a feeling of independence instead of feeling like he needs mom and dad to navigate the menu for him. Of
course, this level of independence will take time and experience, but it is a good goal to strive for.
School tips
Write a letter to your child’s teacher explaining Celiac disease and what it means for your child. Or meet with her in
person to discuss it. Give them printed literature about CD and a list of acceptable foods. Make sure she e-mails
you about any questionable foods they might be arranging for snacks, and that she gives you a few days notice for
birthday parties and special occasions for which you’ll need to send your child a G-F substitute. Send in a bag of
G-F treats for those times when parents send in treats unannounced, so your child will always have something for
herself. And write a letter to the school office, too, so they can put it into your child’s official records. Make sure that
the school nurse and cafeteria monitors are informed as well. Speak to each person directly or write a letter, with
your child’s photo on it.
It’s important that everyone knows about your child’s gluten-free diet, for various reasons. For example, one time I
accidentally sent my daughter Lindsey’s lunch bag in with my daughter Morgan. Lindsey’s sandwich was made
with whole wheat bread, so my daughter Morgan raised her hand and told the cafeteria monitor that she had the
wrong lunch, and they were able to switch back. If the monitor hadn’t known Morgan was a Celiac, she might have
just told her to eat her sister’s lunch and she would have been glutened. It’s also important to make sure your
child has bathroom privileges as well, especially if they are in the initial healing phase where potty problems still
exist. Make sure your teacher lets them know that they can go to the bathroom whenever they want, instead of
trying to “hold it” which may be impossible for them. Last but not least, consider purchasing an extra copy of this
book and/or other books, and donate it/them to your school’s library to increase awareness. And why not lend it to
your child’s teacher to read to the whole class, or visit the class and read it to them yourself, along with other
teaching tools.
School birthday parties
Option 1: Send a letter to all class parents to inform them of your child's dietary restrictions and ask them to
please let you know when they are bringing in treats for the class, so that you may bring something comparable.
Option 2: Work something out with the teacher where she makes sure parents give her notice before allowing
treats to be brought in, so that she can, in turn, give you the notice you need.
Keep a bag of treats at school in case something falls through and you are not alerted. If she comes home saying
someone brought a treat and she had to have something from her bag, keep all talk positive with your child. Say
something like, “Oh, good, I’m glad you were able to do that, and that we had extra treats there for you!” Be
proactive with the teacher if she is not keeping her end of the plan. Keep a few pre-made frosted cupcakes or
brownies in the freezer so you are always prepared. Add sprinkles the morning of when the cupcake is being sent
in so the top looks fresh and different every time.
Pizza parties
Kids’ parties often include pizza. We make a Chebe pizza here ahead of time and I send in a few slices for
Morgan. There are frozen pizzas you could keep handy as well. Consider helping to plan certain parties (like
school parties) and see if you could do something different like hardshell corn tacos or nachos instead.
Let your child choose
Generally, when Morgan is invited to a party, I talk to the parent when I RSVP, asking which foods will be served so
that I may bring something comparable for Morgan that is GF. I usually send a cupcake and slice of pizza. As your
child gets older, sometimes he or she may want to eat something at home before going out to a social event. You
might find that a person or people make it uncomfortable for your child to bring her own food. Try to make them
feel proud of themselves and to feel lucky that they know they have CD. Try to get your child talking about it, and
make sure that you keep the talk as positive as possible. Let it be your child’s choice as to whether she wants to
eat something beforehand and sit empty-handed when everyone else is eating pizza and cake, or if they’d like to
bring pizza and a cupcake. As hard as it is to think of your child going to a social event and not being able to eat
while there, the most important thing is ownership of the diet. Support them by telling your child that whatever
works for them is fine with you.
Holidays
Easter & Halloween: Let your child “trade in” all suspect candy (often there are no ingredient labels on candy and it
is NOT okay to just guess) for gluten-free candy after all their loot is collected. Same goes for pinata candy and
goodie bags.
Thanksgiving & Easter meals
Remember that you cannot stuff a turkey with gluten-containing bread and safely serve a slice to your child. It will
be contaminated. Prepare the stuffing separately and use gluten-free bread. (See our recipe section for an
incredible stuffing recipe.) Or make an alternative to stuffing such as rice, G-F cornbread, or G-F dinner rolls.
Delicious G-F gravy can be prepared with cornstarch and pan drippings rather than wheat flour.
Appetizers
Make sure family members know that cheeses should be kept on one tray and crackers on another. Provide your
child with G-F crackers and keep them separate. Our families still bring regular crackers but everyone makes a
conscious effort to keep things separate. As far as dips go, you must make sure there are spoons in every dip and
ask people to spoon dip onto their own plates before dipping crackers into it. Always keep G-F tortilla chips around
for safe dipping. Make sure your child knows which Doritos, etc. are G-F and which are not, or to ask you, instead
of guessing.
fter your child is diagnosed with CD, you and your family might feel like you’ll never be
able to socialize, travel or eat out normally ever again. As a parent, being responsible for
keeping your child healthy and on a gluten-free diet is a stressful thing at first. There are
many T’s to cross and I’s to dot in terms of making sure your child avoids gluten. It is
totally normal to feel overwhelmed at first, and feel safer at home where you are in
complete control. But over time it gets easier. Really. With learning and experience,
families are able to go to restaurants, parties, travel—do pretty much anything. It is very
important to be sensible about the whole thing and to let your child socialize normally. Let
your child maintain normal social activities, so they won’t reject the diet at an older age.
able to socialize, travel or eat out normally ever again. As a parent, being responsible for
keeping your child healthy and on a gluten-free diet is a stressful thing at first. There are
many T’s to cross and I’s to dot in terms of making sure your child avoids gluten. It is
totally normal to feel overwhelmed at first, and feel safer at home where you are in
complete control. But over time it gets easier. Really. With learning and experience,
families are able to go to restaurants, parties, travel—do pretty much anything. It is very
important to be sensible about the whole thing and to let your child socialize normally. Let
your child maintain normal social activities, so they won’t reject the diet at an older age.
Your child will find
plenty of things to
celebrate about
the G-F diet as
long as everyone
around her is
positive and
supportive.
plenty of things to
celebrate about
the G-F diet as
long as everyone
around her is
positive and
supportive.