One pediatrician considers four reasons why your kids should not be gluten-free.
1. Gluten is not naturally toxic For people with celiac disease, gluten is toxic and should be completely avoided in the diet. However, in almost all children, gluten travels through the intestine without causing disease and will never lead to problems. 2. A gluten-free diet may not provide balanced nutrition for children Gluten-free food is not the same as healthy food. 3. A gluten-free diet may actually make it harder for doctors to tell if your child has celiac disease If you are concerned that your child may have a problem with gluten, speak to your childs doctor before banning it from your childs diet. 4. A gluten-free diet is socially limiting and expensive Its not easy to be on a gluten-free diet as an adult, and its worse as a child. Most childhood activities revolve around food (think birthday parties, snack time and lunch in school, class trips, camp).
