GFCF – All for One and One for All VS mixing it up

If you have a child with autism or ADHD, you might have decided to implement some dietary changes and even a GFCF or gluten-free, casein/dairy-free diet to help your child. However, when it comes to the rest of the household, is it better to all join the GFCF bandwagon, or have just your GFCF child do it?

 

The case for GFCF – Having the whole family ‘go GFCF’ or make diet changes shows solidarity and complete support for the child that’s suffering with a difficult syndrome. There are also additional wellness factors that the whole family can benefit from, as there are over 300 symptoms of gluten intolerance. You’d be surprised how much your wellbeing could improve simply by removing gluten and dairy. Finally, it also simplifies things down to just one meal, shopping list, set of cookware etc. and eliminates the risk of cross-contamination when you are preparing, cooking and serving foods that contain these ingredients.

 

The case against GFCF – Though you could generally benefit from a GFCF diet, you might be unnecessarily eliminating these foods for others who can function perfectly well with gluten and dairy. The family might resent having to cut out the foods they enjoy unnecessarily and blame or resent the child who needs to, though you could try informing the family that these changes are for everyone and not pin it on one child. Also, purchasing GFCF speciality items is expensive, and these costs will increase if everyone is eating them.

 

The case for a mixed diet household – Having other foods in the house means you can be more flexible, especially with dinner guests who aren’t used to GFCF alternatives (although you can impress them by how good they really are). If you have more than one child, it’s sometimes simpler to only have to organise GFCF meals and snacks for the child who needs it, although it’s easier to implement for everyone once you’ve got over that hurdle. Having mixed foods in the house can help you and your child become more aware of cross-contamination issues, when around foods not in your diet, and it’s easier on the shopping bill.

 

The case against a mixed diet household – There is a high risk of cross-contamination, especially with little ones who don’t clean up after themselves, spill and make more mess when eating. Also, your GFCF child can more easily sneak other foods, and he or she might feel left out when the family’s eating something else. There is also a more complicated and expensive situation of organising separate meals, labels and places for foods, and cookware, whilst always remaining diligent not to use the wrong items with the wrong foods.

 

As you can see, there are pros and cons for both sides of the argument, so it’s really about doing what works for your family, and making changes if need be.

Comments are closed.