Looks like my Great Gluten Free Experiment is back on for a couple of reasons.  With a new baby on the way, I’d like to have some go-to recipes ready to rock once she starts eating solids.  One of the most kid-friendly things out there is banana bread–this version has been created with a mixture of quinoa flour, oat flour, and tapioca flour.  The verdict?  Eh.

Why a gluten free diet for baby?  It’s a wise move to steer clear of all allergens for the first year of life.  Allergies are essentially the body’s immune system rejecting something that is being introduced into the system and the human immune system doesn’t quite finish developing until somewhere between the age of one and two.  These allergens include the big ones like dairy, wheat, and soy.  Given the opportunity to fully develop, baby’s chances of being allergy free increase significantly especially if there is a history of allergies in the family.

One of the key indicators of a sensitivity to a certain food is eczema.  Nico had flare ups of eczema in his early months while breastfeeding–the elimination of dairy from my diet cleared it right up and he now has no problem with it.

Looks like wheat has begun to give him some trouble however.  Like most tots, he is incredibly picky and has recently refused to eat anything aside from cereal, crackers, pretzels, yogurt with granola, and raisins.  That’s pretty much it.

As a result of this overload of wheat products and refined carbohydrates, the eczema has returned in full force.  We’re going back to gluten free to help diversify his diet and to ensure that there are no problems down the road.

And honestly, there’s nothing that makes you feel more like a badass than making your own granola bars.

Related posts:

1. The Great Gluten-Free Challenge, 2008
2. More From the Front Lines: Gluten Free Baking
3. Grrr, Grrr, Gluten Free
4. From the Studio: Plans for the Next Two Weeks
5. A Recipe and Some Rest