For many people it’s difficult to imagine how food can have a powerful and significant influence on a child’s behavior.  After all, how could a cookie, cracker or even pasta make that great a difference in how a child behaves from day to day. Surprisingly enough, foods can have a tremendous effect not only on your child’s behavior, but their emotional, physical and intellectual well-being. That is, if your child is sensitive to gluten.

Gluten is the protein found in foods containing wheat and is responsible for giving food that nice gluey consistency. Gluten is also found in oats, barley and rye.  It’s found in many foods including packaged and processed foods. Gluten can damage the small intestine and also play havoc with the brain including the “feel good” messenger, dopamine. When the intestinal walls are damaged, the body is unable to absorb essential nutrients including vitamins/minerals, protein, fat and carbohydrates.

By all estimates, 1 in 133 people in Canada are sensitive to gluten. There are different degrees of sensitivity including those with the most severe form known as celiac disease.  Someone who is sensitive to gluten will react in a number of ways including diarrhea, stomach aches, congestion, ear infections, eczema, muscle aches, poor focus, poor memory, depression, low energy, restless sleep, hyperactivity and tantrums. 

Even though someone may test negative for celiac disease, this doesn’t rule out the fact that they may still be reacting to gluten. Take my son’s case for example. He tested negative for celiac but when he ate gluten, he had diarrhea and stomach pains, he was irritable and unable to focus, he was highly impulsive and engaged in inappropriate and aggressive behavior.

Within 48 hours of taking our son off gluten foods, we saw a dramatic change. The difference in his behavior, mood and attention was almost unbelievable. He was happy, even-tempered, attentive, and engaging.  Gluten not only changed his life but consequently, the whole family’s.  As a result of the remarkable transformation in our son, I chose to eliminate gluten foods from my own diet. It totally changed my life. My brain is no longer foggy, I can focus for long periods of time, and I now have oodles of energy and the patience of a saint (comparatively speaking ofcourse).

Not everyone will see results as quickly as we did. It generally takes approximately 3 months for gluten to be removed from the body. 

In many cases, a gluten-free diet also includes a diet which is casein-free. Casein is the protein in dairy products. The reason why gluten and casein go hand-in-hand is because the molecular structure of casein is almost identical to that of gluten.  Therefore, for some, they act on the body in a very similar fashion. Our son is on a gluten-free, casein-free diet.

A gluten-free diet has been shown to have exceptional results in children with autism and also “achieves a high rate of positive response among kids with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and asthma” according to Dr. Kenneth Bock. He enthusiastically states that “the GF/CF (gluten-free/casein-free) diet turns lives around.” There’s no doubt about the power of this particular diet.

Some people might feel a bit intimidated by a gluten-free diet. When someone commits to this diet, they eat foods which are very close to food sources – and that can only be good for your health and that of your child’s. A lot of vegetables, fruits, fish, chicken, beans and legumes. And the great news is that most grocery stores today have a wide variety of gluten-free foods that are very tasty and attractive.

For more information on gluten, check out www.celiac.ca.