Do You Have A Gluten Sensitive Child?

There are several cases of children who show an allergic reaction to the protein present in cereals and grains. Unconsciously, many mothers feed their child with the allergen, since gluten is present in most cereals or anything made from brown or white flour. A child with gluten sensitivity will initially show a failure to thrive, which means that the child may not be as energetic as you would expect. The gluten sensitive child may be a little sleepy and not show as much weight gain as quickly as one would expect.

Other tell tale signs include the stools passed by the child would vary between a fatty Consistency meaning staying afloat despite flushing or could be quite loose. The reason is that the allergic reaction in the bowel lining does not facilitate proper digestion and absorption of fatty substances. Thus, you may find your child suffering from frequent spats of diarrhea and subsequently the child will become quite irritable.

If this condition goes undetected in girls, it can lead to a delay in the onset of menstruation. In advanced stages of gluten sensitivity, one can observe an abnormal body contour, with bloated stomach area with hardly any kind of fat in the hands, feet or other body parts in noticeable. The muscle mass of the arms and legs become wasted. Such children have quite elongated eyelashes, their tongue becomes smooth in texture and there might be a swelling found in the ankles.

Gluten sensitivity is still not very common and the fact that it is caused by food products which are consumed on daily basis should not make one jittery. One need not get overanxious of the child’s diet, but rather consult your dietician or pediatrician for the right gluten-free diet which means avoiding oats, rye, barley and wheat. You might have to adopt this lifestyle for lifelong.

With a gluten-free diet that is well adhered, one can expect noticeable improvement in the child’s mood. One will notice a change in the appearance of the stools and the frequency of the bowel movements, which may take weeks to improve. There will be a consequential improvement of appetite and resulting weight gain. As one continues to follow the gluten-free diet, one can notice that within a period of a year’s time, one’s child’s weight will be in the ideal range. However, the ideal height gain would take nearly two years to happen.

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