Gluten Free Foods for Kids

With a high metabolism and constant use of energy, children need healthy snacks to help them focus, especially when in school situations where growling tummies make it difficult to focus on studies. For children with celiac disease---a complication that makes it impossible to break down the wheat protein, gluten---it can be even more of a challenge to find those healthy snacks.

Dried Fruits

Dried fruits are excellent for children, because they are sweet and chewy, and can easily be mistaken for a candy treat. Choose an array of fruits, like pineapple, mango, apricots and bananas.

Fresh Fruits

When the child is able to sit down and have a snack, fresh fruits are appealing. Fresh fruits, because of their juices, can get a little messy, so for the sake of stain-free clothes, this should be a sit-down snack. Fresh fruits are often the best choice when it comes to nutrition, as many of the natural nutrients are still in, as opposed to cooked fruits or canned fruits, where some of the important vitamins and minerals have been cooked out of the fruit.

Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter

Due to the popularity of health foods, gluten-free rice cakes are available for purchase at almost every grocery store, but their bland taste can be a bit offputting. Spread a thick layer of peanut butter, which is also gluten free, on the cakes, which will make them a bit more appetizing.

Fruit and Fruit Sauce Cups

For a lunch treat, give your child a peel-back-top fruit cup or fruit sauce cup, like applesauce. Keeping fruit in a gluten-free diet keeps children away from different high-calorie snacks. Keep an eye on labels when purchasing fruit and fruit sauce. Some blueberry sauce cups (like Blue's Clues blueberry applesauce) are high in calories, sugars and dyes. Some fruit cups come in heavy syrup, so try to avoid sugary syrup, or only purchase cups with natural juices as syrup.

Gluten-Free Groceries

Grocery stores sell a number of gluten-free items, such as tortilla chips, dry cereal, candies and cookies. Pay attention to the label on the box, as it will say gluten-free if it is. If it does not have a clear gluten-free label, don't buy it for your child.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

These delicious bits of protein are good to munch on, but probably only if the child is at home. Around Eastertime when hard-boiled decorated eggs are aplenty, you can know your child is safe eating this treat. For cholesterol-avoiding parents, tell your child to skip the yolk.

Baby Carrots

Paired with a gluten-free dip, these crunchy snacks are a fine treat for the summer, especially if they've been kept nice and cool. Carrots are also an important part of a child's diet, and keeping a child's diet balanced properly with fruits and vegetables can keep them growing. Carrots, specifically, are helper foods when it comes to eye health.