part time gluten free

[nick's mom]

i watch my two grandkids monday through friday, 7:30am til 6pm (or later). they don't have the greatest diets at home (they are 2 1/2 and 11 months) and mom, unfortunately, is a vegan. she buys and eats tons of processed vegan foods and feeds the kids some of it too. for the most part, they eat all their meals at my house but lately the 2 1/2 year old is getting up before it's time to leave in the morning, so they give him a poptart or donut to eat on the way to my house. my plan is to keep them gluten free at my house but i'm wondering if that would do more harm than good. if they end up eating most of their food with me all week then eat pretzels, donuts and sandwiches all weekend, will that make them sick? i don't want to them to be miserable all weekend because they're getting wheat. although i'm guessing they'll still get it before bed at night and sometimes in the morning.

it's unlikely that they'd agree to remove gluten from their diet because i've talked to them about it already. dexter (the 2 1/2 year old) has dark circles under his eyes, tends to be very moody and randomly throws up (not daily but probably weekly). now that i've typed this out, it seems like it can't hurt to keep them off gluten at my house and might even make them feel a little better? what do you think?

[annelb]

I don't think it will hurt to keep them gluten free at your home, but sadly, I may not help either if they are getting wheat in the evenings and weekends. Are the children on a vegan diet too? Sorry to hear the mom is on a processed vegan diet. A nourishing vegan diet would take careful planning and cooking to be sure all the nutrients are there. Even doing that, there could be vitamin deficiencies.

[jamietwo]

I would feed them gluten-free just to keep the gluten out of the house! It is too bad that the mom feeds them junk food. I know I'm in the minority here, but I believe a whole foods, low-fat, plant based diet is one of the healthiest diets on the planet. No need to "plan" as long as you're eating healthy whole foods! :) But any diet of processed foods can't be healthy.

[nick's mom]

disappointing that it probably won't help but i'll feel better keeping them gluten free during grandma time. i'm not sure a vegan diet is all that healthy but i'm more of a carnivore and truly believe you can get all the vitamins and nutrients you need from fatty meats. i do agree with you on the whole foods jamie but i'm on the opposite side of that. fortunately mom is fine with me giving them meat and dairy and eggs, so i do. they even feed them chicken and cheese at home but i'm not sure how often. i guess i'll just keep doing what i'm doing.

[annelb]

Since you cannot control the whole diet, I think it is wonderful that you are adding in some nutrient dense food into their lives. You can do only so much.
Anne

[Purpel1]

There's nothing wrong with a good vegan diet. I know several vegans who are healthy and hearty. I'm not a fan of processed foods, however, and wonder if you have a veggie garden that they could help out with. Fresh fruits and veggies are good. Having said my .02 about the vegan diet, I'd say go with gluten free, and even pull mom off to the side and have them tested for allergies (all allergies, not just gluten). Tell her what you suspect. It might even be genetic, if it's celiac disease. Also, be nice about it. Don't bomblast mom and dad--they're busy (it sounds like) and may not have a lot of time for meal fixings--by them a slow cooker (crockpot) and tell them you'd be happy to help with meals, if it comes to that. Good luck with everything.