When my 15 year old was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease 12 months ago, I just needed to talk with someone, a parent who was in or had been in the same situation. I found that most of the literature was tailored to the adult or the child, and as I stumbled through our first 12 months, I came to realize that teenage coeliacs have their own specific needs.

Twelve months later and we are settling into a routine with tried and tested meals and products and my son has never intentionally strayed from his gluten free regime.  We have taken a family approach to gluten free with a couple of exceptions  for my other teenager and at times we appear a little obsessive when eating out.  My husband is chief scout at supermarkets outside of our suburb looking for gluten free product options and I am chief baker.  My son’s friends and parents also look out for him by providing GF snacks when the sleep over is at our home and GF meals when he visits friends.  Team work and honesty have been integral to my son’s acceptance of Coeliac Disease and the transition to a gluten free diet.

I still don’t have all the answers or the recipes or the product information, but I hope that Australian parents  of teenagers diagnosed with Coeliac Disease not only find this blog useful but also share their tips and successes to build up a relevant and useful resource.

Joanne

Always a Mum

Townsville

Australia

alwaysamum2012@gmail.com