We learned when my younger son was about 1 year old that he was severely allergic to peanuts. It was hard letting him go on play dates and he learned to always take his epipen with him. He did have a few unexpected exposures to peanuts and he actually became afraid to eat a snack at school. When we learned he had to be gluten free (he was 7) he was able to relax a bit because many of the foods that "may contain peanuts" were now off limits anyway. He learned to bring his food everywhere. He just turned 12 and in the past year we have learned he has delayed food allergies to dairy, soy, legumes, citrus and eggs. He can still spend a day out and about with his friends and fend for himself. He was thrilled a few years ago when he realized he could buy just one apple at the grocery store. He may end up eating salad, fruit, chips and some candy if he buys his lunch but he is very educated for a young kid. We sometimes laugh about the comments/questions others ask with regard to food. He has heard things like "Oh this does not have wheat--it is only flour".

My 15 year old daughter has been gluten free for 3 years and is in many more social situations where she has to make decisions regarding food. She plays a sport every season in high school and the girls always have team dinners the night before a game. We rotate houses for hosting the dinners so I always send out an e-mail at the beginning of the season telling the parents that she can not eat gluten and that it would be nice if they could have fruit and or a salad without crutons so she can eat something along with her team mates. Sometimes she comes home starving from these dinners and other times the parent has prepared something she can have. Then of course there are times she has made the wrong choice. One night she said she had salad and meatballs. I said that meatballs were not gluten free and she said "but we eat them at home". I explained that I make them from scratch using crushed cornchips or cereal as a filler. Another time a parent made soup and bread. One loaf of bread was gluten free but there was a mix-up and my daughter ate the wrong bread. Two days after both of these incidents my daugter was very fatigued (as in can barely get up off of the floor fatigued) and extremely thirsty. She is just beginning to see a cause and effect. We will probably do a gluten challenge on her this summer but I doubt that she will put herself through it after a couple of days.

I think that both of my GF kids have friends that would also watch out for them. I do not think that they would be tempted to sneak a gluten food on purpose. It is nice to see my daughter and some of her friends cooking some GF brownies or making sushi together. As kids get older some decide to become vegitarians and others may be lactose intolerant or on a diet so making food choices because of medical reasons does not stand out so much.

--Judy