Reader Q & A: How To Deal With Gluten and Lactose Free Kids

Dear Whitney,

My cousin has lactose and gluten intolerance so my aunt is also wondering if you have suggestions for child friendly dishes, both alternatives to bread because sometimes she is tired of gluten free bread, and also dinner alternatives. Of course she usually cooks normal food using gluten-free substitutes such as gluten free pasta. But she would like some other alternatives that don't require substitutes. I don't think my cousin is particularly picky, but he is quite young, only 3 years old, so he might not enjoy very "advanced" gastronomic experiences.

Sincerely,

Lactosed Out and Gluten Fed Up 

Dear Lactosed Out and Gluten Fed Up,

Thank you so much for your email.

I’d love to help you and your aunt out with some tips on navigating a lactose and gluten free lifestyle for families with small children. While I am not gluten allergic, I was lactose intolerant as a child and remember the hassle my parents faced trying to keep me fed and happy.

I’d offer your aunt some of the same advice I passed along in my blog post about dealing with picky children at mealtimes from a few weeks ago.

Know Your Audience - Consider what your child already likes and adapt your food strategy accordingly.

oat based dairy alternatives

Give Them What They Want (But Control the Choices They Choose From) - Prepare foods or dishes that your children are already familiar with but make gluten & lactose free versions. Good examples of this are vegan lasagna and my vegan chocolate banana peanut “ice cream”. Fruit smoothies are a good way to “hide” healthy foods if your cousin doesn’t like vegetables and fruits on their own.

Some gluten and lactose free options out there can be expensive, so make your own if you can.

vegan margarine

Ketchup and the One Spoonful Rule – Use a portion control rule and limit your child’s intake of condiments to one teaspoon per meal or use a bigger spoon for other foods. One can also use this rule to help introduce new foods and dishes to children.

Soy "milk"

Avoid Guilt, Begging or other Forms Of Bribery – In a phrase, just don’t do it. Use positive reinforcements to help motivate behavioral changes.

soy based yogurt

When Needed Seek Help – And Early – Ask friends, family and others such as food bloggers for their advice, tips and recipes.

Plan Ahead – Plan ahead using tools like meal planners and schedules, but only if they work for you and your family. Experiment a little to see what works.

another oat based alternative to dairy

When All Else Fails, Use Humor or aka Be Sneaky – Using a little humor to get to your goal never hurt anyone! Try mixing in goodies like spinach or squash puree into dishes when you can instead of cream, or using flour for thickening.

  

Here are my other tips for your aunt -

Try bread alternatives such as:

• quinoa based crackers
• rice cakes
• boiled rice
• boiled quinoa
• gluten free oatmeal porridge
• lettuce or cabbage for wraps
• Vietnamese spring roll wraps

Try gluten and lactose free child friendly dinner options such as:

Allergic to eggs? Try this soy based alternative.

• noodleless vegan lasagne (use zucchini or squash instead of normal lasagna sheets)
• Shepard’s Pie (naturally gluten free and dairy free if you substitute in oat, almond or soy milk)
• Cabbage Rolls
• Roast Meats like roasted chicken and beef shoulder
• stews like lapskaus (made with pork or gluten free hot dogs) 

I’ve created a pin board called Gluten Free Goddess on Pinterest with more recipe ideas.

Other Tips

• Consider maintaining a gluten and dairy free diet for the entire family, too. This makes meal planning a lot easier and means that you can enjoy meals as a family with less hassle.

• Buy a rice cooker. Rice cookers can be bought from 200 NOK and up online or in electronic stores. Asian food stores also stock a few models too. These are normally of higher quality but more expensive than the ones bought in electronic stores.

• Crock-pots aka slow cookers are now sold in Norway, and offer you a way to get gluten and dairy free meals on the table fast (and save LOTS of money along the way). One of my favorite food bloggers Stephanie O’Dea has a GREAT blog called A Year of Slow Cooking about the year she spent cooking in a slow cooker every single day. All of her recipes are gluten free and many have optional dairy ingredients.

German cherries are always tasty for the gluten free kiddie crowd

• Coconut milk is my favorite substitute for cow’s milk. It can be bought in cans in most stores in Norway and in powdered form in most Asian and African food stores in Norway. Use coconut milk as you would cow’s milk in sweet and savory dishes. 

• Some lactose intolerant people find success with raw (non-pasteurized) cow’s milk, sheep milk or goat’s milk cheeses. These are more commonly found in health food and organic stores.

Good luck!

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