Gluten and Dairy Free at School
Gluten and Dairy Free at School
Article by NJ Shelsby
It’s hard to imagine that feeding your family Gluten and Dairy Free could get any more difficult, but when you send your kids off to school you lose absolute control over what they eat and you need to make adjustments for that – which means more work for you. There is always a kid with a Twinkie who is willing to trade for an apple.
And as scary as it sounds, there are lots of parents who think it is okay to bring cupcakes into class to celebrate their kid’s birthday. And while you have to protect your child, it is best if you can use strategies that don’t always make him appear too “different”. After all, we have to care about their social development too!
1. Call the school and talk to the nurse about what policies are in place for the school. With peanut allergies causing such extreme reactions some schools are putting rules in place about snacks in the class room. After you know the schoolÂ’s policy, talk to your childÂ’s teacher. Ask them if they already have any rules in place so you can work within what has already been established. I know you wouldnÂ’t do it, but someone who thinks the world revolves around them and their child (ok, that is me) might call the teacher and start telling them what they need to do. And the more allies you can gain on this, the easier it will be.
2. Food sensitivities are becoming so common that it is very possible your kid isnÂ’t the only child in the class affected. If you can band together with the other parents and come up with a list of snack options that all the kids can eat, you make things easy for the non-affected parents to accommodate everyone and you keep the food sensitive kids from standing out. Include both store bought options (list specific brands) and recipes for home made snacks. Make sure they are tasty snacks too! Otherwise this will backfire and everyone will hate your kid for making them eat yucky snacks.
3. Provide some emergency snacks to the teacher in case there is an unexpected treat in the class. I recommend making this something special that your child likes but you donÂ’t normally buy so they are looking forward to it and donÂ’t mind skipping the treat everyone else is eating.
4. Teach your child to be able to evaluate what they can and can’t eat. A good rule of thumb is if it comes in a box don’t eat it unless it says “gluten free” and “dairy free”. If it is a fruit or vegetable with nothing else added, it is okay to eat.
5. Forget letting them buy their lunch. Even if your child isn’t gluten and dairy free, the school lunches I’ve seen aren’t very healthy. They seem catered to what they think kids will eat – pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs. If you make your child’s lunch special they won’t want to buy. It’s amazing how a little thing like putting a personalized note in their lunch can make a kid want to pack their lunch.
6. Break out of the “sandwich for lunch” habit and get creative. Store bought gluten free bread can be as much as a loaf! If you have the time, you can make your own but corn bread is an easier to make gluten free alternative. Remember that Thermos from when you were a kid? Leftover chili, stew, soup, gluten free pasta and tomato sauce, etc. are great for hot lunches. Gluten free wraps are a snap to make and can house leftover roasted chicken and veggies. Roll it up like a burrito to keep the goodies inside. Have chicken or turkey salad with rice crackers instead of bread.
7. Add a variety of sides to the lunch. A smaller serving of a variety of foods is more exciting. Instead of splurging on the wide array of gluten free and dairy free products available, spend the money on fresh fruits: kiwi slices, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, melon, etc. Making your own fruit salad will just take a couple of minutes and is MUCH tastier than the packs you can buy – and it doesn’t have added sugar. Apple slices which have been coated with pineapple juice won’t oxidize as much. Add a little container of almond butter to dip the slices in. Make your own trail mix from the bulk food section of the grocery store. Alternate the ingredients so the kid doesn’t get bored – dried cherries, dried blueberries, and dried figs are special treats.
With just a little thought, planning, and creativity, you can ensure your kid eats healthy at school and feels especially loved!
NJ Shelsby is founder of, MealPlansWithout.com, the premiere interactive meal planning web site for people with restricted diets, offering a wide variety of allergy-friendly menus that can be customized to suit individual needs. Using an extensive database of custom-created recipes along with a friendly user interface, members can plan up to two weeks of meals in just minutes and generate categorized shopping lists and integrated cooking instructions to save time, money, and improve their health and quality of life. Try our Gluten Dairy Free Meal Plans. Download our complimentary Gluten Dairy Free Product Directory
About the Author
NJ Shelsby is founder of, MealPlansWithout.com, the premiere interactive meal planning web site for people with restricted diets, offering a wide variety of allergy-friendly menus that can be customized to suit individual needs.
As the show lifts off into season one, Michael and Joey argue over where the trio should live: Joey’s sprawling downtown loft or Michael’s swank uptown pad? A choice of apartments in New York? Nicole doesn’t know how good she has it. Watch hundreds of free full-length streaming movies and TV shows on www.crackle.com TWITTER twitter.com TAGS: watch free streaming television tv video my two dads minisode paul reiser mad about you Staci Keanan father pop pa dead mother sitcom 80s school home apt
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Leave a Reply