Gluten-Free Meals for Kids

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks – a local dietitian offers these gluten-free meals for kids with celiac disease and other special needs.

For those suffering from celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disease, eating foods with gluten can wreak some serious havoc on the small intestine.

Celiac disease affects 1 in 333 people, says Lana Coxton, a dietitian and nutrition support clinician with the Tri-County Celiac Support Group in Northville. And as for gluten itself? It’s a “protein found in wheat, rye, barley, triticale and often oats.”

From pasta to cold cuts to cake, gluten is found in a number of kid-pleasing foods, making it especially hard for kids with celiac disease to adjust to having a special diet.

And while gluten-free diets have become popular over the last decade, particularly due to those who suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity, it can still be challenging to find healthy and hunger-satisfying food options.

In the October 2017 issue of Metro Parent, we asked local parents to share some of their suggestions favorite gluten-free food suggestions – that are kid-approved.

When it comes to gluten-free meals, Coxton offers some ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks here. “Meals should include quality proteins, good fats, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals – and with fiber as tolerated,” Coxton says.

Peek at her suggestions below – and tell us which meal you’d like to try in the comments section.

Gluten-Free Meals

Breakfast: Waffles with Fruit, Sausage and Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • Nature’s Path Gluten-Free Homestyle Waffles
  • Sliced organic berries
  • Maple Grove Farms Syrup
  • Applegate Naturals Certified Gluten-Free Chicken and Maple Breakfast Sausage Patties
  • Organic cherry tomatoes

“This breakfast option provides protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber,” Coxton says.

Where to buy

Lunch: Chicken Fajita Wraps with Fruit Salad

Ingredients

  • Mission Gluten-Free Soft Tortillas
  • Gluten-free chicken fajita meat
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocado
  • Salsa
  • Fruit salad (assorted fruits)

“This gluten-free lunch option is a good source of protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals for children,” Coxton says.

Where to buy

Dinner: Fish Sticks, Fries and Broccoli

Ingredients

  • Ian’s Gluten-Free Fish Sticks
  • Organic baked sweet potato fries
  • Broccoli
  • Cheddar cheese (to melt on top of broccoli)

“This dinner option provides protein, good fats (omega-3 fatty acids), beta carotene with other vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber,” notes Coxton.

Where to buy

Snacks

Ingredients

  • Udi’s Gluten-Free Bagel with Daiya Cream Cheeze (dairy-free)
  • Granny Smith apple or celery with Justin’s Almond Nut Butter

Where to buy

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