Gluten-free and school lunches

[Caropooh]

DD11 was just diagnosed this week with Celiac. She starts middle school this year and I'm wondering about lunch time. Can anyone with experience tell me how they handle this? Will Nutrition Services do gluten-free meals or will she need to bring lunch from home every day? I'm planning on contacting the school district (school starts Sept 2), but wanted thought sfrom people here also!

 

[Piper]

I know that in our district, they provide a meatless alternative for those who don't eat meat for religious or other reasons. If a child has an allergy or other condition, the parent provides a safe alternative. Menus are sent home monthly and parents pick and choose.

I don't know how they would handle Celiac, but I don't think they are required to provide gluten free products.....I may be wrong.

I've just gotten that diagnosis as well, and I wouldn't trust the school cafeteria (which serves greasy, disgusting food IMHO) to get it right. I brought my lunch from home for years (as did the teachers I worked with) because the food in the cafeteria made me sick!

 

[hellokittiemama]

I am required to send in my own.

HOWEVER, a friend who qualifies for the free/reduced price lunch program gets her child's lunches provided for her (gluten free) - At one school in this area they provided her son lunch when the kids switched schools to a different elementary that one reimbursed her a set amount per week on lunch - the same as what the free lunch would be - so since GF food costs more it wasn't free for her but it did help out.

 

[es45]

What are some of the meals that you typically pack? My daughter has a gluten intolerance and I'm struggling with finding enough variety.

 

[C&G'sMama]

We've been doing GF for DS since April. He's only 7 and we have always packed their lunches. I do homemade chicken noodle soup. Really not hard. I'll cook it up and freeze it in individual bags. I heat it up and add GF noodles and put it in a Themos. We are very fortunate to have a great local place that does a great bread. It's an Italian pizza deli place where the wife who owns the place with her husband was diagnosed with Celiac about 7 years ago. They have a dedicated GF bakery for breads, rolls, cookies etc. So I am able to make him the standard sandwiches.

He eats a lot of fruits and veggies anyways so those are always part of the meal. For snacks we do GF pretzels, potato chips corn chips (always check the label etc.) Once you get used to doing things differently it's not that hard.

We also steer free of soy, dairy and artificial colors.

Good luck.

 

[1stluvispooh]

I would not trust the school to give my child food that had not at least been cross contaminated. My DD has been gluten free and casein free since she was 4 so she has always brought her lunch. Her big issue is she likes to have "what everyone else is having" And I hate how much processed food the serve but it makes her happy and feel like she fits in so I do it. When I make her chicken nugget (they serve them twice a week ) I make her GF nuggets and smiley fries, put them in a thermos and send in some ketchup. Pizza I make and wrap in foil (cold pizza is good right!) and so on. Occasionally I will send in some meat (she doesn't like bread) and fruit and some chips or crackers. The whole gluten free thing takes time, there is a learning curve.

 

[It'sJustPoints]

I agree that I would not trust the school to know what is OK and what is not. It is so hard because buying lunch is such a social thing at the elementary level. And not being able to heat up the food limits us too.

I make my daughter roast beef sandwiches on Tapioca bread. She could eat them every day. I try to change it up, but it is hard. Sometimes I will go a GF pasta with cut up tomatoes, cucumbers, sometimes I will hide some chicken cubes in there too.

 

[minniejack]

In our school district, you need to have something written from the doctor and fill out a form. Then the lunch was in a separate area, so my kids just take their own or eat a salad at school.

3rd day of school DS15 is already complaining about not having enough to eat.
He doesn't have the time for lunch because he took an orchestra class and a chorus class along with the required. So I need to pack things that he can eat during another class.
Today's lunch: 4 oz of salami--he said the Udi's sandwich was a PITA, apple slices with dip, trail mix, drinkable yogurt, water, payday bar.

DD doesn't like sandwiches anymore, so she always gets a lettuce roll up and yogurt--the Chobani from Sam's club has a ton of protein and really fills you up.

And I usually throw in some sort of chip--today I didn't, so I'm sure DS will come home "starving" (And this year, he probably is; Today up at 6:15. Cross country at 3 and then he has to wait for his sister who is taking a lesson for violing at 4:30.)

Those Think bars and bites are great, too--makes me feel like they have something to eat in the afternoon before the strenuous outdoor stuff starts.

For other lunch ideas and support, if you haven't checked out the www.celiac.com forums, then that's a great place to head.
http://www.celiac.com/articles/604/...he-Gluten-Free-Grade-by-Danna-Korn/Page1.html

 

[Caropooh]

Met with the school district dietician today and was VERY impressed! Kathryn and I talked with her for over an hour going over the procedures they have for special diets, Kathryn's likes and dislikes, if she has any other restrictions, etc. I have no worries about Kathryn and lunch!

They have one person that deals with the special diets and she has her own area where she prepares the meals. The area includes shelves, counter space, freezers. She does share ovens and mixers and a few other things but her meals are always in those areas first thing in the morning and they are cleaned and sanitized (not the oven) before use. When she uses the oven, her items are the only things in it and she has her own trays to use in them.

The meals are sent to the school in special trays and Kathryn's name will be on hers. Some meals (like a lemon herb chicken) will be specially prepared using ingredients bought for the special diets, others are gluten-free meals premade and bought. Basically Kathryn is in control of the menu and will letb them know if there is something she hasn't like. If she comes across a new recipe or entree that she really enjoys, we can let Nutrition Services know and they can add that to things they will prepare.

To meet Federal Guidelines and laws for nutrition in schools, we have to get some paperwork signed by her doctor and then she'll be set. The dietitian will come to her school at lunch the first day they set her up (probably the 2nd week of school) and walk her through everything.

Kathryn and I left VERY happy!

 

[minniejack]

Met with the school district dietician today and was VERY impressed! Kathryn and I talked with her for over an hour going over the procedures they have for special diets, Kathryn's likes and dislikes, if she has any other restrictions, etc. I have no worries about Kathryn and lunch!

They have one person that deals with the special diets and she has her own area where she prepares the meals. The area includes shelves, counter space, freezers. She does share ovens and mixers and a few other things but her meals are always in those areas first thing in the morning and they are cleaned and sanitized (not the oven) before use. When she uses the oven, her items are the only things in it and she has her own trays to use in them.

The meals are sent to the school in special trays and Kathryn's name will be on hers. Some meals (like a lemon herb chicken) will be specially prepared using ingredients bought for the special diets, others are gluten-free meals premade and bought. Basically Kathryn is in control of the menu and will letb them know if there is something she hasn't like. If she comes across a new recipe or entree that she really enjoys, we can let Nutrition Services know and they can add that to things they will prepare.

To meet Federal Guidelines and laws for nutrition in schools, we have to get some paperwork signed by her doctor and then she'll be set. The dietitian will come to her school at lunch the first day they set her up (probably the 2nd week of school) and walk her through everything.

Kathryn and I left VERY happy!

Wow! Congrats! You are one lucky mom.

Part of our problem is that all the meals for the entire county is prepared in one central location then delivered to all of the schools--the lunch ladies just serve it and the county nutrition person is just on the step ladder for promotion--just heard she became an asst. principal in one the schools.

My DS was in middle school when we started the gf diet and from there all of us, if you have any questions about good products and don't feel like trying some of the nasties out there, pm me.

 

[queenof3]

Wow you are very lucky to have such an amazing cafeteria system! Hope all is well with your daughter!