Q: How can my coeliac daughter have fun at friends' birthday parties without worrying about food?
Answer by Gemma Hurditch, CNM.
Gluten is so prolific in our diets, especially in party food, it is unrealistic to expect lots of choice for your child without you providing it. Even gluten-free versions of party foods, such as biscuits and cakes, are highly processed, devoid of nutrients, and full of refined sugar; plus the rice flour in these products increases arsenic consumption.
Your daughter could choose (or make, with your help ) a few special treats she can safely have that she can take along in a special party food lunchbox, with a few extras to share if friends want to try what she is eating. Nowadays, with more and more children having some form of allergy or intolerance to food, your child may not feel too left out, after all. When it is your turn to host, make it all coeliac-friendly using a coloured plate system where, for example, all of the foods that are gluten-free are on green plates and the foods she must avoid are on red.
Are you interested in changing your career, or gaining new skills? CNM trains students for successful careers in a range of natural therapies in class and online. Attend the next free CNM open event in Galway — call 01 878 8060 or book online at www.naturopathy.ie
Naturopath Gemma Hurditch lectures with the College of Naturopathic Medicine.
