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October 1, 2014

Gluten Free Guide To Dining At Disney World’s Value & Moderate Resorts

Finally, rounding out the Gluten Free Guides To Disney World are those for Disney’s moderate and value resorts. On two of our Disney vacations in the past 2 years we stayed at Art of Animation, an amazingly themed resort that offers family size suites and standard rooms. While the four movie themes, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, and Cars, are perfectly portrayed in the scenery, pools, playgrounds, and rooms, I have to admit I’m mostly taken aback by a resort’s ability to feed me. Gluten free dining at Art of Animation lived up to the high standards that Disney has set everywhere else on property. From daily breakfast to an occasional dinner or lunch, I certainly never went hungry thanks to the help of the chefs at Art of Animation who I met with before each and every meal. So without further delay, here are my final Disney Gluten Free Guides for Moderate and Value Resorts, split up into four separate guides because there’s just so much gluten free fun that they offer! Gluten free donuts anyone? How about some allergy free breaded chicken tenders? Maybe some BabyCakes gluten free cupcakes? Take your pick in gluten free drinks and ice cream too!

As you can see Disney resorts offer tons of gluten free dining options, and what they can put together with this list of gluten free ingredients is really impressive. So make sure you pick a few restaurants out to try while your on your Disney vacation and use these lists to do just that!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

September 30, 2014

Back To Disney World For The Last Of My Gluten Free Guides, This Time We’re Going To The Resorts!

No, sadly we’re not really going back to Disney World, but rather I’m getting in touch with my Disney side, yet again, to finish off my gluten free guides with the resorts. With my Disney theme park gluten free guides so far, you now can find your favorite gluten free products when you’re making your way around any of Disney World’s main theme parks. But what about the resorts? Home to many a character meal, quick service option, and sit down dinner, the resorts make up a large portion of dining options in Disney, so of course a gluten free guide would be coming your way for all of your favorite places to stay and dine in Disney!

For each of our recent vacations as a family of three, we’ve dined in Wilderness Lodge, the Contemporary, and the Polynesian, all of which are home to multiple restaurants that each offer a variety of gluten free dishes. Since we usually call Wilderness Lodge our home for the week though, this is where we predominantly eat breakfast and occasionally lunch. During our stay at Wilderness Lodge, every morning, with the exception of a character breakfast morning, we would head to Roaring Forks for a quick service breakfast. Dan would go straight to the counter and pick out a plate of hot food for little one and he to share, while I would wait with our little girl to place my order with the manager. Sometimes I’d have to wait a bit, especially in the morning as we’re early birds, but never too long, and soon enough my order is placed for whatever gluten free option my heart desires, usually a breakfast sandwich is my breakfast of choice on vacation. Once we pay and pick out our table, I get our little girl started with her breakfast. By the time she moves onto her banana, a delicious plate of gluten free breakfast sandwich arrives for yours truly, a heaping portion of carefully cooked eggs, crispy bacon, and cheese is placed between Udi’s bread. Oh how I wish I was in Disney enjoying one of those instead of the rice cake I just forced down! Quick service meals are not the only dining options available at Disney resorts; in fact, a large portion of their meal offerings come from sit down, table service meals. Usually during our stays in Disney, we use at least one or two of our meals at resorts, either for breakfast or dinner. We love picking out at least one character meal that we can treat our little girl to, but right now, since she LOVES Mickey and his friends we tend to go with Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary for breakfast. The buffet spread at Chef Mickey’s is huge and offers anything you can imagine, from hot to cold to savory to sweet. But for me, even though the chef offered to escort me around the buffet line to point out the gluten free choices, I always opt to have my meal prepped in the kitchen away from the inevitable cross contamination that happens at buffets. For this meal, I usually go a little crazy and request a few different items, including gluten free Mickey Waffles, eggs, bacon, and my favorite, their cheesy hashbrowns. With hardly any wait at all, my plate arrives just as my husband and little girl are starting on theirs and soon enough the stars of the morning make their grand entrance too, bringing smiles all around the table. There’s many a meal at home that I wish Mickey or any of his friends would jump off the tv screen to make my little girl that happy again! After a long day of trekking around Disney theme parks in the hot and humid Florida air, we certainly are well prepared for our dinners. We plan our dinner reservations 180 days out and look forward to each and every one of them. While we love dining in the parks, we usually find ourselves for one or two of our dinners at the resorts. One of our favorite resorts to dine at is the Polynesian. Dan has fond memories of staying here when he was little and we just love walking around the resort and enjoying the greenery and water features. We’ve had great gluten free experiences at both Ohana and Kona Cafe and really love both of them for different reasons. Kona Cafe though, has become one of our more recent favorites, thanks to their gluten free Chicken and Noodle dish, something I can only get while in Disney, not to mention my daughter loved the Mickey shaped raviolis and sweet Hawaiian bread there too! But really whether we dine at Kona Cafe or Ohana, I’ve had some amazing gluten free food with even better company and scenery. For the foreseeable future, I think we’ll probably revisit either Kona or Ohana each time we go to Disney, so we always get our Polynesian fix each vacation. There’s so much in a Disney vacation that makes it as special and amazing as it is, but one of the highlights for us are all of the great meals we get to share and even better food that we don’t have to cook ourselves. Each time, after we get home from a trip, usually within a day or so, and that’s being generous, either myself or Dan asks when we’re going back next with a smile. We love going to Disney and we love even more that our little girl loves it so much too. No sooner having asked the question of when we’ll go back, do we follow it with “well, when we do go back, where do you want to eat?”. After every vacation, we create mental lists of where we want to go back to and where we haven’t yet been, we always like to try one or two new places when we go. We definitely have a growing list of places to visit that we’re slowly chipping away at, a number of restaurants of which are at resorts. Disney dining for us are the kings of gluten free eating in my book, and offer allergy free options flawlessly wherever you go. They really make sure to give each vacationer a great experience from start to finish, and that includes dining. What you eat, as a gluten free guest, is a priority to them and I for one am so glad it is! Thank you Disney for making our vacation dining so simple and easy!

So if you have a Disney vacation approaching or just dreaming of your next one, pin or print these guides so you can spot your favorite gluten free items while you’re out and about. Also, you might have noticed that there’s only the deluxe resorts listed on these guides; since there’s just so many resorts and so many gluten free food options, I had to split them up, so stay tuned for the moderate and value resort guides!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

July 28, 2014

A Gluten Free Guide To Navigating Disney’s Hollywood Studios

During our last few Disney vacations, our Hollywood Studios’ days have typically been cut very short. Usually, we only designate one day and maybe one or two dinners of our trip to Hollywood Studios. While my husband loves the thrill rides, as a family we typically enjoy the Toy Story ride, Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast show, Studio Backlot Tour, and a few other attractions. Sadly we’ve barely touched the iceberg of Hollywood Studios it seems the past few years, thanks to my pregnancy sciatica flareup and little girl’s ear infections on our last trip.

Coming up very soon, we’ll be revisiting Disney for our entire family vacation. I for one am crossing my fingers that this trip is uneventful in the health department and that we get to enjoy an entire day in Hollywood Studios. My little one would just love to see the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows again, not to mention the spectacular Frozen attractions going on this summer.

As far as our dining plans at Hollywood Studios are considered, well that’s where my guide will definitely come in handy. Using lots of reviews and past experiences, we pre-planned our dinners as always, but now we’re left with the ever so intimidating meals and snacks on the go. I for one am a planner, so even though lunch reservations aren’t made, I still like to have an idea ahead of time of what locations are best able to cater to the gluten free diet. This guide, as well as some reviews online, will help me to pick the best locations for us that offer my favorite gluten free products.

Gluten Free Guide To Disney's Hollywood Studios. Click to enlarge. — Gluten Free Guide To Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Click to enlarge.

After a long morning of Hollywood Studios fun, it’s time to refuel and find the best lunch spot. In the past, I’ve tasted some amazingly good gluten free chicken strips at the Backlot Express, which according to the guide are offered in a couple of other spots too. They were so crispy and delicious, not to mention the legendary Disney fries that accompany them. Not the healthiest lunch I know, but we’re on vacation and how often can you order some crispy chicken strips at a restaurant at home? For me, never. So why not enjoy Disney’s unbelievable abilities to pamper the dietary restricted guest.

While the chicken strips are pretty darn good, I’ve read some great reviews on gluten free dining at the Studio Catering Co.. According to my research online, it appears that they offer some gluten free salad and sandwich options, a welcomed departure from your typical theme park food. Using Udi’s gluten free bread, as stated on the guide, they should pretty much be able to put together any of the items on their menu, sans some ingredients that may have gluten lurking in them. I for one am very excited to give this one a try for lunch on our upcoming trip!

When it comes to dinners though, there’s no denying one of our favorite dining locations is 50s Prime Time Cafe. From gluten free milkshakes and a scrumptious ice cream brownie dessert to gluten free fried chicken, this restaurant straight from a 50s kitchen had a stellar track record for gluten free diners that was undeniable. Sadly, if you didn’t catch my review from our previous trip, we were sorely disappointed in the entire dining experience resulting in a sad salad and even sadder mommy whose belly was not filled with crispy and delicious fried chicken. Since our encounter a few months back, I’ve heard from some of my readers that many have still successfully enjoyed the gluten free fried chicken at 50s Prime Time Cafe, so it appears that your success depends greatly on which chef is present that night in the kitchen. Despite our last experience, we’ve decided to give it another shot on our next trip, making sure to give ample advance notice, and hopefully the right chef is there that night too because this mommy needs a gluten free fried chicken fix.

While you can tell which places are some of my favorites, just wondering which are yours? We’ve tossed around dining at the Hollywood Brown Derby and Hollywood & Vine, anyone have gluten free success there?

Hollywood Studios offers so many great spots to grab your favorite eats and treats, so make sure you scope out some possibilities ahead of time and pin or print this guide too for on the go choices.

Sincerely,

Lindsay

July 22, 2014

Gluten Free Guide To Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Lots of animals, good food, great shows, and some rides mixed in (along with lots of shade!) makes for a great day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom for our little girl. She LOVES animals, laughing at everything they do, pointing and talking to them, and always saying hi and bye when we see each of them. Animal Kingdom for us is a great, relaxing day of our vacation where we can wander through the park on shady paths spotting different animals throughout and even experience some entertaining shows and a few rides along the way. Let’s not forget that in that schedule somewhere though we manage to squeeze in some great food too!

Animal Kingdom is home to so many unique dining experiences, but one of my favorites is Flame Tree Barbecue. Here you can get barbecue of all kinds, from ribs, to pulled pork, to chicken, each as delicious as the other and gluten free! I usually prefer the pulled pork sandwich with Disney’s fantastic fries along with the OMG cookie as a dessert and let me just say it is a perfect lunch. We just love lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue, where you can hide away from Florida’s hot sun at a table nestled in the shady grove right by the river. All in all, it’s safe to say that it’s our favorite place to have lunch and thankfully offers so many gluten free and allergy free menu options along with some of my favorite gluten free products like the OMG cookie. But Flame Tree Barbecue isn’t the only location where you can grab OMG snacks, Enjoy Life Cookies, Silk Soymilk, or even BabyCakes treats. Check out my Animal Kingdom Gluten Free Guide to see where you can grab your favorite gluten free products.

Animal Kingdom Gluten Free Products. Click to enlarge.

Along with lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue, we’ve found another great gluten free dining spot offering fantastic snack and quick breakfast options. Animal Kingdom’s Garden Kiosk, located right by Flame Tree Barbecue, is a Garden of Eden if you will for the allergy folk. As you can tell on my guide, they offer everything from sweets and salty snacks to fresh produce and even gluten free alcoholic beverages. One of my personal favorite snack/breakfast options at this stand is the BabyCakes chocolate donut, it’s divine. Take a peak at my review to catch a glimpse of this amazing breakfast treat, along with my go to lunch at Animal Kingdom.

The addition of the Garden Kiosk to Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a fantastic decision on Disney’s part and I’m hoping that they follow suit and add a similar stand to all of the other parks as well. It’s just nice to have a stand that’s made just for you and has a menu filled with all gluten free products. Fingers crossed!

So next time you’re headed to Animal Kingdom print or pin this guide so you know exactly where you need to go to grab your favorite gluten free snacks, rolls, drinks, and even a quick breakfast. But don’t forget that this list only tells you what gluten free brands they offer in Animal Kingdom, not necessarily the menu options that are available, which are many many more.

TIP: If you’re planning on dining at Flame Tree Barbecue for lunch get there a little before opening time. The lines can be very long and when you’re ordering gluten free and requiring a manager’s help the wait can be pretty painful. We arrived at about 10:40 and stood in the shade while our little one napped. At 11:00 the counters opened and we were first at our register to place an order. Getting there early was a must for us, especially since the lines can get pretty tight and partially in the sun.

Sincerely,

Lindsay

July 15, 2014

Gluten Free Guide To Navigating Disney’s Epcot

Personally my little family loves dining in Epcot. We always enjoy meandering around the World Showcase and ending a few of our vacation days with a dinner in one of the countries. While my husband would certainly love to hop between the different cuisines, we usually make our dining decisions based on the gluten free offerings at each restaurant. Although we haven’t dined at nearly all of them, out of those that we have, some are certainly better than others at putting together a tasty and diverse gluten free menu.

A day in Epcot for us usually starts bright and early and begins with ride hopping through Future World. My little girl’s favorite is Nemo and Friends and the amazing aquarium that surrounds the ride, not to mention her meet and greet with Mickey, Minnie, and some of their pals at the Character spot. After a full morning of meeting friends and riding rides, we either grab some lunch in Future World or head straight over to the World Showcase and grab something to eat later on our walk.

Lunch for me is always our hardest meal, mostly because dinners are organized and planned months in advance but lunch is on the go and we’re stopping in to restaurants that haven’t been notified ahead of time of my gluten intolerance. No fear though, Disney has made things so simple for allergy diners these days that all you really have to do is request to speak with a manager at any dining location that you choose and review your options with them. Also, thanks to Disney I put together a Gluten Free Guide To Epcot Dining that shows you what gluten free products they offer in the park and where they can be found.

Epcot Gluten Free Products. Click to enlarge.

As far as gluten free dinners go, with our advance dining reservations we’ve enjoyed a couple of meals, that you can check out my reviews on by clicking the restaurant names, at Rose and Crown Restaurant in United Kingdom and La Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico. Each was delicious in their own way and we definitely plan on returning to both in our future vacations. While these dinner’s were fantastic, it makes me wish that I could place advanced notice for quick service locations too. However, even though lunches are more spontaneous, after scouting out great places ahead of time, I’ve never had an issue finding something good and safe to eat in any of Disney’s parks, hence where my guide comes in handy.

For a midday meal, this guide will certainly be even more valuable to the gluten free diner. You can spot where your favorite rolls and sandwich bread, as well as desserts are located in both Future World and the World Showcase. When we traveled to Disney pre-baby, actually baby was in Mommy’s belly at the time, we had our little food allergy nephew with us at the time. We decided to have lunch at Sunshine Seasons in Future World on our Epcot day and I just remember how excited he was to find out that they had his favorite Enjoy Life Chocolate Bar (one of the only sweets this little boy can enjoy). Using this guide, you’ll know exactly where you can snag your favorite gluten free drinks, treats, pastas, breads, and chicken fingers (Note: a lot of these are free of many other allergens as too).

A newer dining location that wasn’t indicated on this guide, but can absolutely accommodate a gluten free diner, is Italy’s Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. They’re open for lunch and dinner without dining reservations, so anyone can just stop in and get an authentic Italian dish along with a wonderful glass of wine off of their a humongous wine list. Check out my gluten free lunch at Tutto Gusto from our most recent Disney trip! It was a such a refreshing sit down lunch experience, a little different from your standard quick service, and I for one fully intend on stopping in again for a lunch or dinner on our next trip coming up later this summer.

So make sure you pin or print this guide for your next Disney vacation so you’re armed and ready to tackle Disney dining in Epcot. There are so many dining locations to choose from in Epcot, but with a little homework of reading restaurant reviews online and this handy guide by your side you’ll be good to go. My recommendations, go for a quick service lunch at Sunshine Seasons and maybe a dinner at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

July 11, 2014

Gluten Free Guide To Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park

Today marks the beginning of a series of posts that I’ll be doing highlighting some truly fantastic information that I received from Disney. Thanks to the power of the internet, traveling with any kind of dietary restriction is much less overwhelming than it once used to be. When traveling to Disney World though, guests can be reassured of safe dining in their upcoming travels by not only Disney’s fantastic reputation but also by the countless allergy free dining reviews that are scattered online. I for one scour the internet before choosing my Disney dining reservations and tend to choose restaurants that other gluten free diners have had overwhelming success at. While reviews are incredibly helpful, not to mention reassuring of Disney’s impressive abilities to accommodate all of its diners, it’s always nice to have a list of some sort to guide you through the parks to your favorite gluten free products. I for one know that after a morning of trekking through the parks, it would be so great if I could easily get my hands on my favorite brand of gluten free chicken fingers, pizza, rolls, and the best one yet cookies or a brownie. Disney has shared their go to allergy free brands and where you can find these products throughout the parks. I’ve condensed all of this info into park or resort specific guides that you can print or pin so they’re on hand at all times.

Magic Kingdom Park Gluten Free Products, Click to enlarge.

Check out my first guide of Magic Kingdom’s go to gluten free products! As you look through the table, remember this isn’t necessarily a menu but rather a list of only the specific gluten free brands of items that they carry at these table service and quick service locations; this list does not include menu items that are inherently gluten free or that can be made to be gluten free, i.e. a hamburger, hot dog, turkey sandwich, salad, and drink. Thanks to this list, now I know where I can grab a sandwich on my favorite Udi’s bread or rolls, at either Be Our Guest in Fantasyland or Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland, and my favorite gluten free brownie or chocolate chip cookie by OMG, also at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland or Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland. Now with this guide, just pick out your favorite gluten free eats and you can easily navigate through dining in Magic Kingdom to find them. Enjoy! Note: The products listed in this post and future posts in this series consist of items that may be available at these specific dining locations. Disney does state that product offerings are subject to change at any time without notice, so that being said some products may not be available at the location that is suggested on this table. For a dinner reservation, you’ll always want to note your allergy ahead of time in your reservation, but also you can ask to speak with the restaurant directly, see if a specific product is available, and if not, maybe put in a request. As far as lunch, just ask at the counter before ordering just to make sure that they have your favorite products on hand. From personal experience, I do know that while I’ve enjoyed a sandwich at some locations on one type of roll on one trip, the next one I may enjoy it on another type of roll that is listed, it all depends on availability I suppose. Nevertheless, start your dining search using this guide to navigate you through Magic Kingdom Park and pick out some great dining locations. Sincerely, Lindsay

July 29, 2016

Plan Your Disney Vaca Today With Disney’s Free Planning DVD!!!!!

And my least favorite part of vacation has arrived, the return. While we love our house, family, and fur baby that we leave behind, leaving Disney World after a week of magic makes the return home so hard. It was an amazing vacation from start to finish and we officially have another Disney darling in our midst. Our sweet baby girl fell in love with the sights, sounds, and tastes that Disney World showed her and I for one can’t wait to see her love grow just like her sister’s. So what do you do whenever you return from an amazing vacation? Yup, start planning your next! And as DVC members we’ve already got our next vaca on the books!

I think my favorite part of Disney vacations is that they’re for the young and young at heart. No matter your age or stage in life Disney’s magic works every time leaving no vacationer without a photo album full of memories. Even pre-babies Dan and I vacationed to Disney, mind you it was a totally different trip with a few less character interactions and a few more Epcot cocktails but even then being Disney kids for a week was right up our alley. We’ve had a lot of people ask us what we love about Disney and why we keep going back and it’s kind of a simple answer. A Disney trip is so much more than just the week your sleeping in a hotel; it’s the year before you’re picking your resort and room out, the months before you’re choosing your dining, the weeks before you’re picking your fastpasses and magic bands, and the days before you’re packing your best Disney attire, and then finally that epic week in the most magical place on earth has arrived. A Disney vacation gives you magical memories from Day 1 of planning and beyond.

And since Disney World is a labyrinth of fun, food, and festivals they help you plan every detail of your trip. Their free planning DVDs are an amazing guide to what your Disney vacation could look like, from where you could stay and what experiences they offer to which rides you could pick up fastpasses for and the restaurants that you can choose from. Four theme parks, two water parks, over twenty amazingly themed Disney resorts, and over a hundred restaurants, there’s a lot to navigate through and this DVD does a great job in helping with those fun but tough choices. Huge planning helpers yes, but this DVD/online video is even better at building up the anticipation and excitement for your upcoming trip. I just got back and within the first 30 seconds of watching the video I found myself excited for our next vacation.

So if you’re planning or just counting down until your next Disney vacation, take a look at this planning video. It’s FREE and gets you in the Disney spirit for all that’s in your future!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

June 8, 2016

Get Your Free Disney Planning DVD Today!!!!

And my least favorite part of vacation has arrived, the return. While we love our house, family, and fur baby that we leave behind, leaving Disney World after a week of magic makes the return home so hard. It was an amazing vacation from start to finish and we officially have another Disney darling in our midst. Our sweet baby girl fell in love with the sights, sounds, and tastes that Disney World showed her and I for one can’t wait to see her love grow just like her sister’s. So what do you do whenever you return from an amazing vacation? Yup, start planning your next! And as DVC members we’ve already got our next vaca on the books!

I think my favorite part of Disney vacations is that they’re for the young and young at heart. No matter your age or stage in life Disney’s magic works every time leaving no vacationer without a photo album full of memories. Even pre-babies Dan and I vacationed to Disney, mind you it was a totally different trip with a few less character interactions and a few more Epcot cocktails but even then being Disney kids for a week was right up our alley. We’ve had a lot of people ask us what we love about Disney and why we keep going back and it’s kind of a simple answer. A Disney trip is so much more than just the week your sleeping in a hotel; it’s the year before you’re picking your resort and room out, the months before you’re choosing your dining, the weeks before you’re picking your fastpasses and magic bands, and the days before you’re packing your best Disney attire, and then finally that epic week in the most magical place on earth has arrived. A Disney vacation gives you magical memories from Day 1 of planning and beyond.

And since Disney World is a labyrinth of fun, food, and festivals they help you plan every detail of your trip. Their free planning DVDs are an amazing guide to what your Disney vacation could look like, from where you could stay and what experiences they offer to which rides you could pick up fastpasses for and the restaurants that you can choose from. Four theme parks, two water parks, over twenty amazingly themed Disney resorts, and over a hundred restaurants, there’s a lot to navigate through and this DVD does a great job in helping with those fun but tough choices. Huge planning helpers yes, but this DVD/online video is even better at building up the anticipation and excitement for your upcoming trip. I just got back and within the first 30 seconds of watching the video I found myself excited for our next vacation.

So if you’re planning or just counting down until your next Disney vacation, take a look at this planning video. It’s FREE and gets you in the Disney spirit for all that’s in your future!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

May 13, 2016

If Mommy’s Gluten Free, Will Baby Be Too?

Gluten free while baby was in my belly. Gluten free while I was breastfeeding. So now that baby is ready for food, does that mean they need to be gluten free too? The questions never stop for any mother, but for us gluten free mommies we’re hyper-critical of our baby’s eating phases for so many good reasons.

Seeing as we ourselves live strictly gluten free lives, that certainly doesn’t change when baby comes into the picture. In fact it becomes even more important to avoid gluten like it’s a plague since the last thing you need while your pregnant is a violent glutening. So it only makes sense that since our babies aren’t ever exposed to gluten from conception on that they may themselves be gluten free when the time comes for food. Trust me, this question was top of my list while I was pregnant.

Sure there’s a million genetic reasons why our babies are what they are. But I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a genetic lottery alone would determine my baby’s food future. That my dietary restrictions would have no conceivable effects on my unborn baby’s future with food. After all, she was eating and not eating everything I was, it was a travesty. Both of my little girls missed out on gluten filled donuts, bagels, hoagies, and pizzas galore while they were in utero and beyond, fun for them huh? Don’t worry, both of them were born a healthy 8 lb and change, early to boot, so this gluten free diet does something for baby’s growth, like miracle grow. But I nevertheless couldn’t help but wonder if they ever would taste the delicious Italian flavors I grew up with.

Truth is, since very few of us are able to see the future and know exactly what our children’s lives will look like, those questions are still questions. And the best part, even if they eat gluten from their first bite of cereal there’s no telling if one day they’re story will be just like mommy’s. After all, I woke up to a total body change, that took years to diagnose yes, but a drastic change that made a whole grocery store off limits. Prayers that that future they escape. But all I can tell you is what they’re life with food looks like so far.

My toddler is living a half and half life, filled with gluteny snacks, pastas, and breads, and plenty of gluten free meals too, not out of necessity but merely by convenience. For my safety we limit how much gluten cooking and baking touches our kitchen, not to mention cooking and baking twos of everything is exhausting. As a gluten free mommy to a non-gluten free little girl I’m trying to introduce her to both worlds. She tastes flavors from mine and gobbles up parts of her daddy’s, getting the best from both. And even though food seems to be worry free for her now, I’m on heightened alert at all times. I watch her every bite like a hawk and am ready at any point if we need to make a change.

For my baby girl, well she’s just starting out. We started her just like her sister, under doctor’s advice, to slowly introduce new foods, giving two to three days between newbies to watch for reactions. And so far, oatmeal, puffs, fruits, and veggies, gluten and gluten free, all seem to be safe. She’s loving it all, except oddly not the fruity flavored oatmeal which I thought would be a huge hit but instead I get that adorable stink face and shutter with disgust. And just like her big sissy, we’ll be keeping her under a microscope too. Her first birthday cake, first solid food dinner, and first Disney snack will all be free of gluten for now!

Truth is when it comes to our girls we don’t have all of the answers. Actually not even half of the answers. I’ve interrogated the doctors at every appointment about their food habits and each time I’m reminded how well they’ve taken each food so far. Nobody has the answers of what will come but we just take it slow and steady. So maybe their future will be different than mine? Who knows, but I’m here, they’re built in gluten free guide, just in case they need to join mommy on my lonely gluten free boat.

Sincerely,

Lindsay

March 3, 2016

If I’m Gluten Free, Will My Baby Be Too?

Gluten free while baby was in my belly. Gluten free while I was breastfeeding. So now that baby is ready for food, does that mean they need to be gluten free too? The questions never stop for any mother, but for us gluten free mommies we’re hyper-critical of our baby’s eating phases for so many good reasons.

Seeing as we ourselves live strictly gluten free lives, that certainly doesn’t change when baby comes into the picture. In fact it becomes even more important to avoid gluten like it’s a plague since the last thing you need while your pregnant is a violent glutening. So it only makes sense that since our babies aren’t ever exposed to gluten from conception on that they may themselves be gluten free when the time comes for food. Trust me, this question was top of my list while I was pregnant.

Sure there’s a million genetic reasons why our babies are what they are. But I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a genetic lottery alone would determine my baby’s food future. That my dietary restrictions would have no conceivable effects on my unborn baby’s future with food. After all, she was eating and not eating everything I was, it was a travesty. Both of my little girls missed out on gluten filled donuts, bagels, hoagies, and pizzas galore while they were in utero and beyond, fun for them huh? Don’t worry, both of them were born a healthy 8 lb and change, early to boot, so this gluten free diet does something for baby’s growth, like miracle grow. But I nevertheless couldn’t help but wonder if they ever would taste the delicious Italian flavors I grew up with.

Truth is, since very few of us are able to see the future and know exactly what our children’s lives will look like, those questions are still questions. And the best part, even if they eat gluten from their first bite of cereal there’s no telling if one day they’re story will be just like mommy’s. After all, I woke up to a total body change, that took years to diagnose yes, but a drastic change that made a whole grocery store off limits. Prayers that that future they escape. But all I can tell you is what they’re life with food looks like so far.

My toddler is living a half and half life, filled with gluteny snacks, pastas, and breads, and plenty of gluten free meals too, not out of necessity but merely by convenience. For my safety we limit how much gluten cooking and baking touches our kitchen, not to mention cooking and baking twos of everything is exhausting. As a gluten free mommy to a non-gluten free little girl I’m trying to introduce her to both worlds. She tastes flavors from mine and gobbles up parts of her daddy’s, getting the best from both. And even though food seems to be worry free for her now, I’m on heightened alert at all times. I watch her every bite like a hawk and am ready at any point if we need to make a change.

For my baby girl, well she’s just starting out. We started her just like her sister, under doctor’s advice, to slowly introduce new foods, giving two to three days between newbies to watch for reactions. And so far, oatmeal, puffs, fruits, and veggies, gluten and gluten free, all seem to be safe. She’s loving it all, except oddly not the fruity flavored oatmeal which I thought would be a huge hit but instead I get that adorable stink face and shutter with disgust. And just like her big sissy, we’ll be keeping her under a microscope too. Her first birthday cake, first solid food dinner, and first Disney snack will all be free of gluten for now!

Truth is when it comes to our girls we don’t have all of the answers. Actually not even half of the answers. I’ve interrogated the doctors at every appointment about their food habits and each time I’m reminded how well they’ve taken each food so far. Nobody has the answers of what will come but we just take it slow and steady. So maybe their future will be different than mine? Who knows, but I’m here, they’re built in gluten free guide, just in case they need to join mommy on my lonely gluten free boat.

Sincerely,

Lindsay

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