Talking to Kids About Celiac

Maybe you've mastered eating gluten-free as a result of a celiac diagnosis. Maybe you're still figuring it out. Maybe you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), and are trying to navigate the medically mysterious lands between having celiac and not having celiac. Whatever your situation, you might agree that it's not always easy to maintain a gluten-free diet. Now imagine what it's like to be a gluten-free kid. Be wary of pasta necklaces and play dough in art class. Sit there politely while everyone else eats cupcakes on the first day of school. Don't eat the pizza at the birthday party (or the cake). If you have (or know of) a child who is gluten-free, you might know how hard it can be for kids to cope with their dietary restrictions. Thankfully, there are ways to make it easier on your child. 1) Turn it into an adventure. Being a child who is gluten-free can be especially frustrating around the holidays, when cookies and candy are shared in abundance in school. If your child is having a hard time accepting that she is gluten-free because it makes her feel different, check out "The Adventures of Celia Kaye," a kids' book that I wrote about a little girl named Celia Kaye who has something she thinks she needs to hide. She goes to great lengths to keep her mysterious secret concealed from her friends by becoming a master storyteller. This book is designed to help kids cope with and understand not only celiac disease, but all differences, and goes beyond giving defin...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news