I have never thought of living gluten-free as a deprivation. But the day I followed a bizarre craving for lemongrass, right that instant, I realized that eating while pregnant might be a bit more challenging. Scanning the shelves of my favourite grocery store, I found that everything I wanted contained gluten, while the celiac-friendly options left me feeling nauseated. Pregnancy, it seemed, was going to be a fascinating food journey.

During my first trimester, I woke up exhausted and went to bed tired. In between came several bouts of nausea. I didn’t want to eat much through the roiling motions of my stomach. There would be no saltine crackers for me, so I lived on gluten-free toaster waffles for a while.

Thankfully, the powerful food aversions disappeared in my second trimester, while the cravings continued. No longer nauseous, I just wanted food, all the time. Not just any food, however. I wanted protein.

Beef called to me. I drank three large glasses of milk a day, after an entire adulthood of staying away from the stuff. Roasted chicken breast, handfuls of almonds, bowls of yogurt – these foods filled my days. Cheese became my best friend. I nibbled on French feta, tangy Brie, and gluten-free mac and Manchego cheese.

As my belly ballooned to eclipse the view of my feet, I wanted to experience as many aromas and tastes as I could. Starting in the fifth month, fetuses experience what their mothers smell. I knew this was true when my husband put a sizzling hot pork roulade under my nose and the baby kicked me. By the seventh month, the amniotic fluid changes taste according to what the mother eats. So I ate spicy Thai food, homemade gluten-free bread, Ethiopian-spiced lentils, lamb with harissa, and roasted peppers. My baby was going to love food long before she was able to eat it herself.

Not once was I tempted to eat gluten. Not only because I know that just a smidge of it will make me sick, but also because I was not alone in my body anymore. I knew that every bite of food I ate made my child grow. Eating anything from a selfish craving could hurt her. I wanted to eat everything mindfully, and with great gusto.

Going gluten-free three years ago helped me to be re-born. Throughout my pregnancy, I was healthy and fit, gaining only as much weight as the doctors suggested. It wasn’t until the very end that my ankles swelled, or I felt short of breath. By the time our dear daughter was born, I was eating better – and feeling more alive – than ever in my life.

And then our lives opened entirely, when we held her in our arms.

For Shauna’s “Pan-roasted Chicken Breast with Orange-honey Sauce” recipe – see Allergic Living magazine’s Fall 2008 issue.
To order that issue or to subscribe, click here.

Shauna James Ahern’s first book is Gluten-Free Girl, published by John Wiley & Sons. Send Shauna your comments at editor@allergicliving.com

Shauna James Ahern’s and Daniel Ahern’s new cookbook is Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, published by John Wiley & Sons. Their blog is Glutenfreegirl.com

Janet Smith was sure she wasn’t overreacting. Her 18-month-old daughter Heather had terrible symptoms: she was throwing up eight times a day, her stomach was bloated, and her diapers needed to be changed constantly. The pediatrician had told Smith it was the stomach flu. “But how long does stomach flu last?” she recalls wondering. “Four months?”

Finally, at her wit’s end, Janet took Heather to a gastroenterologist. He took one look at the tiny girl with skinny arms and legs who, at a year-and-a-half had only gained six pounds since birth, and knew the problem: celiac disease.

How celiac disease works

This autoimmune disorder affects the small intestine. When someone with celiac disease eats gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye – the immune system attacks the small intestine and progressively destroys the villi, tiny finger-like projections that absorb the nutrients in food.

Heather was sent to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto for a biopsy, which confirmed the diagnosis. She was immediately put on a gluten-free diet, and the symptoms reversed. She’s now a healthy 9-year-old who loves to swim and has a passion for dogs.

But her disease isn’t gone; when Heather accidentally eats gluten, she vomits within the hour, and has diarrhea for weeks. Still, her mother considers her one of the lucky ones, because she was diagnosed early. Many children suffer for years with unrecognized celiac disease symptoms.

The gastrointestinal symptoms that Heather endured – vomiting, diarrhea and a bloated stomach – are typical of celiac disease in kids, says Dr. Stefano Guandalini, founder and director of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program and a renowned researcher.

The intestine is inflamed, and the body isn’t absorbing the food that the child is eating, which results in malnourishment, weight loss, lack of growth, and personality changes such as sadness and crankiness. Other symptoms include anemia, fatigue, low bone density and short stature. The trouble is, these symptoms are either hard to spot, or could be indicative of other conditions.

Timothy Cooper didn’t have the typical “celiac baby” look and his mother, April Cooper says he was a very happy infant. But from the age of six months until he was 11 years old, he only gained 30 pounds. He suffered from diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting to the point of needing an intravenous drip to stop dehydration.

“He had all these symptoms that nobody saw,” says Cooper, who lives in Whitby, Ont. Finally, after Timothy didn’t gain any weight in six months, a pediatrician ordered blood tests for celiac disease, which came back positive, as did an intestinal biopsy.

Today, after being on a gluten-free diet for three years, Timothy’s weight has almost doubled, and he’s catching up in height to the shorter students in his class. “It really does make a difference when you absorb the food that you’re eating,” notes his mother.