More on this hot topic: Veganism and Celiac Disease

[Guest guest]

I remember what it was like being a child with multiple food allergies. I

was allergic to eggs, nuts, fish, and seeds. I felt excluded at birthday

parties, recess, and other social events despite my mother’s attempts at

making delicious egg-free alternatives. A celiac child undoubtedly feels the

same way to a certain extent. There is nothing anyone can do about that. But

by adding even more limitations, a parent will be making it significantly

worse. Read more:

http://www.jensglutenfreeblog.com/hot-topics/veganism-and-celiac-disease/

 

--

Jennifer Ungar

www.jensglutenfreeblog.com

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Knowing all the pain I endured growing up because my mother didn't have

enough sense to not make me eat certain foods, I really wish I would have

had all those limitations as a child because I know I'd be a lot healthier

for it now! As a child, even without food limitations, you have to find your

place socially, and even the most popular deal with negative emotions about

themselves. Furthermore, food allergies are becoming a norm, as is meatless

diets. There's the Meatless Monday's Campaign and a lot of people are

flexatarians, in which they eat several meatless meals a week. Eating

meatless is the new eco-friendly campaign and a lot of people are jumping on

the bandwagon! As for filling limited and left out...well I eat better now

than I did as a kid! I would gladly go back in time and trade all of the

traditional foods for 1/2 of what I have now! I was the freak in school!

Regardless of what I ate, I would have always been the freak! I like being

the freak because it means I'm not a sheep! :-) Food plays a very small rule

in the chaotic world of growing up! In the end, we all grow up, and when we

do, which of us can comfortably look at ourselves in the mirror?

I recently had some schoolyard bullies add me as a friend on facebook. I was

amazed at how well they had turned their lives around. I am also grateful

for them because they helped me to become the person I am today! I wouldn't

trade my misadventures as the class freak for anything because even though I

was upset and cried a lot back them, I'm a stronger person with more

character now! Some kids are bullies and jocks while others are freaks and

geeks, and many are lost somewhere in between. You can't help where your

kids fall in the social hierarchy, and what they eat, it mostly only matters

to them! Why? Because we are conditioned to believe we need to fit in and be

popular.

 

 

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 4:21 AM, Jennifer Ungar <jensglutenfreewrote:

 

> I remember what it was like being a child with multiple food allergies. I

> was allergic to eggs, nuts, fish, and seeds. I felt excluded at birthday

> parties, recess, and other social events despite my mother’s attempts at

> making delicious egg-free alternatives. A celiac child undoubtedly feels

> the

> same way to a certain extent. There is nothing anyone can do about that.

> But

> by adding even more limitations, a parent will be making it significantly

> worse. Read more:

> http://www.jensglutenfreeblog.com/hot-topics/veganism-and-celiac-disease/

>

> --

> Jennifer Ungar

> www.jensglutenfreeblog.com

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

This is something that I discuss often on one of my other lists as

well, for a physical deformity/disability that I have (though I never

considered it such). There will *always* be things that make a child

different and that the child will suffer teasing/bullying/verbal abuse

because of. I don't think that any of us have grown up without being

" different " in some way. It could be red hair, glasses, big bust,

overweight or underweight, obvious physical differences, colour,

religion, clumsiness, voice pitch, whatever. Or it could be diet -

whether because of celiac, allergies, religious prohibitions, culture,

" granola " parents, whatever.

 

If my child suffers some teasing because he eats different foods, so

be it. He knows what eating gluten, dairy, and other foods do to him.

He knows that we choose not to eat animals, and that it makes both me

and my husband physically sick, and that having grown up vegetarian,

it would take some time before his body could adjust to eating animal

foods without discomfort. He is strong enough to answer the questions

other kids have, or shrug off any problems that they cause for him.

 

I share with him, as my mother shared with me, that everyone feels

different or like a misfit for one reason or another, especially in

the teenage years. Even those who appear confident, popular, and

" together " feel like they do not belong. We all have our own

strengths and weaknesses, and individual traits that set us apart.

Vive le difference.

 

Pam

 

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:16 AM, Jae Jones <recyclednew wrote:

> Knowing all the pain I endured growing up because my mother didn't have

> enough sense to not make me eat certain foods, I really wish I would have

> had all those limitations as a child because I know I'd be a lot healthier

> for it now! As a child, even without food limitations, you have to find your

> place socially, and even the most popular deal with negative emotions about

> themselves. Furthermore, food allergies are becoming a norm, as is meatless

> diets. There's the Meatless Monday's Campaign and a lot of people are

> flexatarians, in which they eat several meatless meals a week. Eating

> meatless is the new eco-friendly campaign and a lot of people are jumping on

> the bandwagon! As for filling limited and left out...well I eat better now

> than I did as a kid! I would gladly go back in time and trade all of the

> traditional foods for 1/2 of what I have now! I was the freak in school!

> Regardless of what I ate, I would have always been the freak! I like being

> the freak because it means I'm not a sheep! :-) Food plays a very small rule

> in the chaotic world of growing up! In the end, we all grow up, and when we

> do, which of us can comfortably look at ourselves in the mirror?

> I recently had some schoolyard bullies add me as a friend on facebook. I was

> amazed at how well they had turned their lives around. I am also grateful

> for them because they helped me to become the person I am today! I wouldn't

> trade my misadventures as the class freak for anything because even though I

> was upset and cried a lot back them, I'm a stronger person with more

> character now! Some kids are bullies and jocks while others are freaks and

> geeks, and many are lost somewhere in between. You can't help where your

> kids fall in the social hierarchy, and what they eat, it mostly only matters

> to them! Why? Because we are conditioned to believe we need to fit in and be

> popular.

>

>

> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 4:21 AM, Jennifer Ungar

<jensglutenfreewrote:

>

>> I remember what it was like being a child with multiple food allergies. I

>> was allergic to eggs, nuts, fish, and seeds. I felt excluded at birthday

>> parties, recess, and other social events despite my mother’s attempts at

>> making delicious egg-free alternatives. A celiac child undoubtedly feels

>> the

>> same way to a certain extent. There is nothing anyone can do about that.

>> But

>> by adding even more limitations, a parent will be making it significantly

>> worse. Read more:

>> http://www.jensglutenfreeblog.com/hot-topics/veganism-and-celiac-disease/

>>

>> --

>> Jennifer Ungar

>> www.jensglutenfreeblog.com

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Excellent thoughts, Jae. I agree with you. Thanks for sharing! I was

raised veg*n and that's how my children were raised. From a very young age

they were taught 'why' we chose the diet/lifestyle. It made sense to them

--- and thus wasn't a restriction, but rather a reason of conviction and

common sense. I think that if children understand why --- much of the

feeling of being different disappears. In this day and age --- what is

'normal' anyway? That's another concept to teach children --- that everyone

might look like they are the same, but they are not. Each individual is

unique and with different needs. It's the parents role to teach and

reinforce that principle.

 

Just my thoughts,

LaDonna

 

 

 

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:16 AM, Jae Jones <recyclednew wrote:

 

> Knowing all the pain I endured growing up because my mother didn't have

> enough sense to not make me eat certain foods, I really wish I would have

> had all those limitations as a child because I know I'd be a lot healthier

> for it now! As a child, even without food limitations, you have to find

> your

> place socially, and even the most popular deal with negative emotions about

> themselves. Furthermore, food allergies are becoming a norm, as is meatless

> diets. . .

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I relate to this discussion on all sorts of levels.

 

I was teased as a child myself because I was taller than all the other kids.

Later in life, I was envied for it. When I was a kid, I was teased for having a

loud, belly laugh. Once I began an older adult, my laugh won praise for

reminding tense adults who have forgotten how. We raised our daughter on a

gluten free vegan diet. She fought tooth and nail to eat all the foods the

other kids had that made them sick. She is 26 now and recently thanked me for

feeding her the way I felt was best for her and refusing to give her the animal

products and junk that she thought was cool. Now, thanks to movie stars and

famous people being very public about healthy diet and vegetarianism, it's cool

to be vegan.

 

Ironic, isn't it.

 

Deborah

 

 

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:16 AM, Jae Jones <recyclednew wrote:

 

> Knowing all the pain I endured growing up because my mother didn't have

> enough sense to not make me eat certain foods, I really wish I would have

> had all those limitations as a child because I know I'd be a lot healthier

> for it now! As a child, even without food limitations, you have to find

> your

> place socially, and even the most popular deal with negative emotions about

> themselves. Furthermore, food allergies are becoming a norm, as is meatless

> diets. . .