Entering the Gluten-Free Zone

Y'all may remember that we had Elliot's blood drawn a few weeks ago for a food allergy panel. We got the results back this week, and we are about to enter the gluten-free zone. The panel tests allergies to about 100 different kinds of foods which are then rated on a scale of 0-3, 3 being the most allergic. Elliot didn't have any 3's, which is great. His level 2's were to peas (bummer, cuz he likes those!) and all of the glutens: wheat, barley, rye, and malt. He also had several 1's, but we're not going to worry about those just yet. Those included all meats, peanut, corn, and soy, as well as some foods I can't imagine any kid eating anyway, like lobster and eggplant.

So here we go on the gluten-free adventure! We're already quite familiar with the lifestyle adjustment this diet entails, since our niece has been GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) for a couple of years. Luckily, Elliot eats so few kinds of foods to begin with that taking a few of them away isn't such a big deal. We're now working on finding acceptable substitutes for items he loves like crazy - crackers, in particular. I see a lot of baking in my future.

On the up side, while Elliot did have a level-1 allergy to cow's milk, cheddar cheese checked out a-ok. And he LOVES cheddar cheese. So he's happy as a clam to be getting to eat it again (we had eliminated all dairy recently). And we're also lucky ducks to have an amazing, independent, locally-owned grocer a few blocks away from us - New Season's Market. They have plenty of gluten-free options.

Hopefully we will see big changes in Elliot's moods and behavior over the next few months as the gluten leaves his system. We'll keep everyone posted! Until then, here are some pictures of the kiddos. First is Elliot doing one of his favorite things - kissing Imogen. And next is little miss Idgie trying out Elliot's old exersaucer for the first time so that Mama can write this blog.


We have another big weekend of fun ahead, so stay tuned for more pictures next week!