Child's ailments caused by foods
Gluten intolerance means many foods could be sickening
Child's ailments caused by foods

Jaylie Farmer is 7 years old, but the Choctaw first-grader knows more about gluten than many adults. Jaylie has celiac disease, and she knows she can't pick up a piece of pizza at a birthday party or grab a handful of Goldfish crackers.

Featured Gallery

 

Advertisement

A simple slice of bread can cause misery for children and adults with celiac disease, a condition that leaves them unable to digest gluten.

Julie and Jason Farmer searched for the first 18 months of Jaylie's life to determine why she was malnourished, underweight and couldn't walk or talk. Jaylie had chronic diarrhea and was an unhappy, fussy baby. Her worried parents couldn't get a diagnosis for their baby.

Finally, after a week of hospitalization, Jaylie was diagnosed, and her parents experienced a huge sense of relief when they realized their child's condition was not life-threatening.

"It is amazing how a diet change can affect a person,” Julie Farmer said. "We changed her diet, and Jaylie's recovery was like night and day. She was walking and talking within a week after we removed gluten from her diet. I read food labels, and I can look at the back of a box and spot wheat in a second.”

When most people think of wheat, they usually think about bread. But it's more than bread that sickens the millions of people diagnosed as gluten-intolerant.

The diet change is not as simple as avoiding sandwiches, cakes and pizza. Proteins common to wheat and other grains are part of a wide variety of products ranging from soy sauce to cereal, ice-cream cones and pancakes. Julie Farmer said she benefits from the many resources avail-able to her through the Oklahoma Celiac Support Group. Members share recipes, information about new gluten-free products in grocery stores and health food stores, and tips on local restaurants that have gluten-free foods on their menues.

Neither Julie Farmer nor her husband has Celiac disease, but their three children all experience reactions to some foods. Jase, 8, is allergic to milk protein; Jaylie and Jett, 2, have celiac disease.

"We are pretty positive about how we approach this,” Julie Farmer said. "It's a matter of changing your attitude about food, and we don't refer to it as a disease. We call it gluten sensitivity. I'm a busy mom, and I cook a lot, and that's hard to do with full-time work. We try to have healthy meals all of us can have. It's an inconvenience because we don't have the option to throw a frozen pizza in the oven, and gluten-free foods can be expensive. ”

Julie Farmer said she packs school lunches; that assures her about the food her children eat away from home. She supplies gluten-free foods, especially cupcakes, for birthday parties her children are invited to attend. She has help from her mother, Rita Moore, who bakes homemade, gluten-free cinnamon rolls, muffins and cookies for the family.

Julie Farmer said Jaylie has a wonderful time at the annual Oklahoma Celiac Foundation Thanksgiving dinner, where everything on the menu is gluten-free.

"She asks me if she can really eat everything she wants to eat,” Julie Farmer said. "She is so happy about it, and that just brings tears to my eyes.”

Leave a Comment

Life Photo Galleriesview all

partiesextra0705

View extra pictures from the Casady picnic, party honoring Beaux Arts Ball debutantes and escorts, a cocktail party and a private dinner.

33 photos

Oklahoma City Summer Classic Dog Show: Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Oklahoma City Summer Classic Dog Show at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Sunday, June 28, 2009. Photos by John Clanton

14 photos

Parties Extra: June 28, 2009

View pictures from the Thompson-Felton wedding, a summer tea, a party in honor of newborn Mariana Elizabeth Hoffman and an anniversary celebration.

41 photos

Parties Extra: June 21, 2009

View extra pictures from the Prix de West preview party and a wedding shower.

27 photos

Page 1 of 5

Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next