As my son's 18 month birthday approaches, we decided it was time to introduce wheat into his diet. At this point he has had little exposure to gluten - we started oats at 15 months, but he has otherwise had no other form of gluten. As mentioned in a previous post, infants can have a difficult time digesting wheat and wheat bran because of its tendency to irritate the walls of the digestive tract. Wheat is a rich source of insoluble fibre, but we also need the soluble fibre that we get from fruits, vegetables, oats, brown rice etc... A good amount of soluble fibre is always recommended and leads to good digestive health. That being said, a small amount of insoluble fibre can be introduced into your child's diet once they have established the starch-splitting digestive enzymes necessary to properly break it down. These usually develop along with molars and for this reason, most starches should generally not be introduced until your child cuts their molars.
Wheat, barley, rye, kamut and spelt are among those grains that contain gluten, although wheat does have the highest gluten count of any grain. Gluten is a composite of the proteins gliadin and glutenin - it is what give bread elasticity. Gluten also happens to be one of the most common allergies and food sensitivities out there and should be introduced carefully to young children. Once you have introduced wheat (try whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta or unsalted crackers), wait at least three days before trying again and watch your child for any signs of intolerance - this can be either to the gluten or to the wheat itself.
Possible signs of an allergy include: rashes, hayfever like symptoms, or breathing difficulties - note that these can be quite severe
Possible signs of a gluten intolerance (also known as celiac disease) include: diarrhea, weight loss or poor weight gain, anemia, lack of appetite, malnutrition, bloated stomach, restlessness or irritability, dermatitis
Even if your child has no reaction to the wheat, it is best to keep their intake to a minimum as it is one of the most difficult foods to digest.
Great wheat alternatives:
Instead of pasta = try brown rice pasta
Instead of wheat bread = try rice breads, buckwheat breads, quinoa breads
Instead of pizza crust = try a rice crust from the health food store, use polenta as a base, or make your own crust out of a gluten-free flour
Instead of flour = there are tonnes of different wheat-free alternatives - rice, quinoa, oat...
Instead of crackers = try rice cakes, millet cakes or puffed corn cakes
That being said, it was exciting to sit at the Thanksgiving dinner table last night and be able to give my son a helping of stuffing along with his Tofurkey! Next stop: his first ice cream!
