Why We're Here

I think that most, if not all, people would benefit from this diet. I've seen a remarkable change in my own son, who is on the autism spectrum.

My mom has gone GFCF and has experienced wonderful results. She no longer has seasonal allergies or digestive troubles. My 8 month old is also GFCF (why not?) and I hope to transition the entire family (my husband and I are the holdouts, we're weak and love cheese) to GFCF soon.

Many parents have expressed to me that it would be impossible for their child to go GFCF because:

1. All they can get their kid to eat is wheat and dairy and if they take that away, their kid will starve.
2. It's too expensive to go GFCF.
3. It's too hard to go GFCF.

Our family is proof that that isn't true. We spend about $300 a month on groceries for four people. At first, shopping GFCF was very difficult because I either had to read labels or go to specialty (higher priced) stores.

Over time, I've found inexpensive substitutes for almost all foods kids "not on the diet" eat. This blog is a daily food diary of what Sam eats to show you that it IS possible, that GFCF foods are available at even big retail chains, and that he hasn't starved to death. (And he's been GFCF for over 5 years!)

For those thinking about trying the GFCF diet but think that your child will refuse to eat, they won't. They may test you and put up a fight, however. Sam was only 16 months old when we transitioned him but he still expressed his preference for the foods he used to have. (Goldfish crackers were a big deal.) I made it easier for all of us by slowly introducing the healthier foods, as well as the ones whose taste is very different from their non-GFCF counterparts. Your kids might not even notice the change if they get to have slightly different versions of their favorite foods!

And for those who look at Sam's menu and think "Yeah, right. My kid would never eat grilled fish and vegetables." I said the same thing about Sam. We overcame that the way you would overcome eating struggles with any kid, offer him healthy choices, let him decide how much he eats (while enforcing reasonable time limits for meals) (Sam would take 2 hours to eat a meal if we let him.) and if the child doesn't eat, save the food for when they complain about being hungry later and offer it again.


Each day's entry will include what Sam ate and drank, brand names for specific GFCF products, and recipes for the stuff I make myself. I will link to websites where you can learn more about the products where I can. At the very least, you'll know what the packaging looks like when you go into the store. If you're a take-charge kind of person, you can call or email the companies to find out where their products are available near you. I have spoken to customer service at each of the companies and every single one has been incredibly helpful.