As I’ve written about recently, our 15-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with celiac disease.
When we first heard this, I was extremely anxious because Z already has major sensory issues around the appearance, smell and taste of many foods. This can be true for kids with anxiety, autism, ADHD or high sensitivity.
Z is not quite at an ARFID level of food selectivity, but trust me, there have been times I’ve wondered if she was ARFID-adjacent. Her high sensitivity causes her to reject many foods at first bite – and to be unwilling to try most new foods at all.
At first, when we got the celiac diagnosis, I was so worried. How was I going to get her to eat a whole new world of gluten-free foods when I can barely get her to eat typical/regular foods on a good day?!
But the joke was on me. Actually, being a selective eater made going gluten-free less of a hardship for our daughter than it would have been for anyone else.
Instead of suddenly being cut off from dozens or even hundreds of gluten-containing foods she once loved, she only had to cut out a couple of things. We joke that she used to eat about ten things, and now she can eat about six things. Thankfully, many of her favorite meals and snacks were already naturally gluten-free!
But in all seriousness, because her palate was limited and she was only willing or able to eat a relatively small number of things, and usually very plain things at that, going gluten-free has not been as difficult as it otherwise might have been.
The biggest thing has been cutting out bread and pasta, which were two of her weekly staples. I’m sure we’ll find replacement gluten-free pasta and bread eventually, but for now, she’s not too hung up on missing them because she wants so much to feel better.
There are several beloved restaurants and fast food places that we won’t frequent anymore. She adored Panera Bread, Italian food from Giammarco’s, and the delicious rolls at Texas Roadhouse. She also used to love the mac and cheese at City BBQ, but they happened to change their recipe right before her diagnosis, so she was already rejecting that.
Thankfully, she has plenty of foods that she loves to eat at home AND we’ll save money as a family by not eating out as much!
Her favorite meals at home include steak and rice or chicken and rice. She has never liked most sauces or condiments, so that’s not something she’ll miss. She loves one particular brand of ranch dressing and ketchup, which are still okay for her to eat. And she does like teriyaki sauce, but we were able to find a gluten-free version and she barely notices the difference.
Her favorite snacks include Pirate Booty, fruit snacks, hummus, chips and salsa, fresh fruit and cucumbers or carrots with ranch – all of which are still fine to eat. She also loves cheese, yogurt, cheese & nut pouches and, of course, plain vanilla or chocolate ice cream. We had to replace her old favorite ice cream sandwiches with Fudgesicle bars, but she’s actually happy about the switch-up.
I never thought I’d be thankful that Z is a sensory selective eater, but it made the gluten-free switch a little easier. Not only that, but I have a new appreciation for her brain and body for being so selective about food for all these years. After all, she was literally being poisoned by some of the foods we were giving her – so there was a legitimate, biological reason for her to be picky and selective!
I also don’t want anyone to think that we are resigned to having a picky eater or that we’ve stopped encouraging her to try new things. It’s been a lifelong journey for Z and she does try new foods all the time; she just has to do it at her own pace and in her own way.
We have found that respecting her autonomy is the best approach in this and most things. There was a time when she never would have been in the same room with teriyaki chicken, and now it’s one of her favorite foods. When she was younger, we tried every strategy under the sun to get her to try new foods, but the best way has always been to let her go at her own speed and choose to try new foods in her own time.
Little by little, we’ve moved from all food items having to physically separated or in different plates/bowls, to her being okay with food touching on her plate and even, in some cases, mixing foods together while eating them. I’m confident that one day Z will eat pad thai – a longtime dream of mine – which also happens to be gluten-free!
And in the meantime, I’m just thankful that our daughter was diagnosed with celiac relatively quickly so we were able to swiftly get our whole family on a path to healing and better health. I can’t wait to see all the positive changes in store for her as her gut heals and her symptoms resolve. She’s going to be a whole new woman and I can’t wait to see what that looks like for her!
If you or a family member are newly diagnosed with celiac disease – or if you have a picky/sensory eater of your own – drop me a note in the comments or over on Facebook or Instagram. I’m always up for swapping food tips, best practices and recommendations!
