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In the next couple of weeks we're hoping to find out for sure what is causing Braeden's digestive system to act so crazy.

One of the possible issues he could be experiencing is a gluten allergy. So this weekend I went shopping and was able to find gluten free flour, gluten free brownie mix and other gluten free items at Wal-Mart. I don't remember seeing those products there before, but this weekend they sure were.

This morning my co-worker Jim brought in MI-DEL gluten free chocolate chip cookies. How sweet of him! So I looked up this MI-DEL brand and found they are currently having a promotion where if you buy two packs of their cookies they will pay for a quart of milk for you.

Read more about the MI-DEL promo at their website.

If you're wondering about this gluten business, here's what I know so far. Gluten is the elastic protein in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten is also one of the big elements of MSG, which many of you probably are more familiar with.

And in the craziness of our bodies is an enzyme which has the sole job of breaking down this gluten protein. Well, some people are lacking the essential tools for their body to properly breakdown the gluten proteins. When this happens the person can become very sick or subtly so depending on their sensitivity. So from person to person there will be a variety of symptoms and degrees at which those symptoms are even noticed.

With Braeden he did have a hard time gaining weight but I thought it was because he is so active. And Braeden is sick a lot so I thought perhaps his splattering bowel movements were from being sick or from antibiotics (which still might be part of the problem) but it didn't cross my mind that he could have food allergies.

This is why it pays to be a great parent detective when it comes to finding out how to help your children. In my searches and readings I have learned a great deal about nutrition and just how important the nutritional role is in aiding your immune system.

Having a gluten allergy or intolerance plays a huge part in impairing your digestive system. It effects bowel movements, but it also effects the absorption of nutrients from everything else you eat. What you feel can range from being bloated, having indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, mouth ulcers, muscle cramps, stools that float and even skin issues. As you can see the range is wide and so many times people are diagnosed with something else entirely.

You can test for a gluten allergy with blood work, specifically an IgE test or Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay, (ELISA) testing which can give a doctor detailed information about specific allergies to foods such as eggs, peanuts, wheat, etc.

Here are some more links for where you can buy gluten-free foods.

Gluten Solutions

Gluten Free Gourmet

Jake Bakes

Double Dipped Sweets

Labels: children, diet, gluten free, MIDEL, nutrition