Having written about Jamie’s gluten free day last Wednesday, I did get to thinking about the impacthis celiac disease, and gluten free diet has on me!. So here is a day in the life of my celiac child from the point of view of the one who feeds him.
Early morning: I’m packing up the lunch boxes (I hate that job!) I can’t really do the rolls the night before as the gluten free ones taste nicer if they are heated n the microwave for 30secs first, then they still taste fresh at lunchtime. Making sure we always have enough gluten free bread in the house is a challenge sometimes. I don’t like to ration him on bread/toast etc, but it is sooooooo expensive, even though in the UK we get some help with gluten free food on prescription. Jamie has a roll, slice of gluten free cake (homemade), bag of ‘snackajacks’ and some grapes.
I take the kids to school and his teacher informs me they will be baking next week. Nightmare! I have three choices. Do I:
a) Let him bake the same as everyone else but not eat it. Seems cruel! And there will be flour flying everywhere anyway because that’s how baking goes with nine-year olds.
b) Not let him bake. Seems crueller! I don’t think he would mind especially so it could be an option on that basis but I don’t want him to be left out of activities and he does need to learn to cook!
c) Get hold of the recipe, work out gluten free alternatives to the flour and anything else gluteny and send him in with his own (ready weighed) and with xanthan gum already added. Ask the teacher to keep him slightly apart so the flying flour might not land in his bowl and send him in with his own utensils to work with because the school ones will be contaminated. He will feel a bit different, and it will mean more work for the teacher and some teachers might not quite understand the dangers of cross contamination… but Jamie’s teacher is wonderful so I’m going to take the risk.
And I’m going to watch him carefully for tummy aches the day or so after.
Still thinking about the cooking-at-school issue, I head for Walmart for the weekly shop. When Jamie was first diagnosed with celiac disease it took me hours to shop, checking every single label and comparing all products with the lists I have from Coeliac.co.uk It doesn’t take so long now I am more familar with what I can buy.
I did spend a long time at the deli counter though, while the very helpful staff checked their manuals to see if a certain ham was gluten free. They established that it was… but before they put it on the slicer I realise that the last thing on that slicer was breaded ham. I apologize and walk away.
I spend the afternoon baking again. I tend to bake about three times a week now, because Jamie likes to have a cookie when he gets in from school, cake in his lunchbox, treats around the house etc. I’m not just baking for him: the whole family eats the gluten free baking because it ensures my cooking utensils etc do not get contaminated. So with a family of four and frequent visitors I do need to bake regularly. There are plenty of easy gluten free recipes out there; today I am making gluten free brownies and choc chip cookies
I collect the kids from school. Someone is selling cupcakes for charity on the playground. My daughter has one (‘I’m not celiac. Why do I always have to miss out?’) Jamie can’t… and I feel like the world’s worst Mum because I came unprepared and do not have anything for him in my handbag.
Home to find warm choc chip cookies on the cooling tray. How many of those will be left for lunchboxes this week?
Dinner is the easiest meal. We all eat gluten free so I don’t really think about it anymore. Tonight it’s gammon, leek and cheese casserole followed by a meringue nest with cream and grapes (I am trying to up their fruit and veg intake!)
Thinking about it, Jamie’s gluten free diet does have quite an impact on the day. But not so much that I have ever even realised it before! And he is happy and healthy so I wouldn’t have it any other way.
