EDMONTON — The diagnosis of celiac disease in a child can be overwhelming for parents, but a new gluten-free food guide created for kids by University of Alberta researchers aims to remove some of the worry about whether their child is getting the nutrients they need when they eat a gluten-free diet.
Celiac disease is a disorder that causes the body to overreact to gluten in food such as barley, rye and wheat. It damages the lining of the intestines, preventing proper absorption of nutrients critical to good health, and requires fundamental changes to a person's diet.
The new food guide, created by registered dietitian and nutrition researcher Diana Mager, pediatrics professor Justine Turner and their colleagues, addresses the nutritional needs of children with celiac disease, including limitations in the gluten-free diet that could affect those needs.
"There are so many changes to make, with cooking, recipes, food shopping and questions about ongoing development and growth of children, so we wanted to provide a nutrition-based tool that provides ongoing resources in collaboration with dietitian support," Mager explains, adding the 40-page document saves families from having to scour the internet for answers.
The guide contains recipes, shows how to read nutritional labels, and offers tips on grocery shopping, dining out and preparing healthy school lunches and snacks.
For meals, it recommends filling just over half the plate with fruits and vegetables, and eating gluten-free grains such as pasta or rice, along with proteins like seeds, nuts, fish, eggs and other animal proteins, with a serving of unsweetened milk or a fortified plant-based beverage.
The guide contains a comprehensive outline of gluten-free diet essentials such as iron, fiber, pulses, healthy fats and natural sugars, because Mager notes meeting the nutritional needs of children with celiac disease is especially important.
"It's a pivotal period of growth and development. Children who remain undiagnosed into adulthood often experience poor bone health at very early ages, which places them at long-term risk for bone fracture."
A gluten-free diet is the key to treating celiac disease, but processed gluten-free foods often include high fat or sugar content, and low levels of folate, a vitamin important to healthy cell growth and function. The new guide includes what foods to pair together for better nutrient absorption.
"We wanted it to be user-friendly so a six-year-old could identify different foods... Kids want to fit in with their peers, so they want to know what they can eat, not what they can't have," said Mager.
More information can be found here. To speak with Diana Mager, please contact: Sarah Vernon | University of Alberta communications associate | svernon@ualberta.ca