For a child a diagnosis of celiac disease can seem like the end of the world. We live in a world saturated with ads touting how cool it is to eat the latest cereals and the new fruit snacks that are all the rage. Our children are bombarded with advertising and peer pressure for products which almost all contain gluten. Kids go to school and are offered candy for rewards or gum from their friends and sadly most of these items are off limits to them. This makes it very hard for them to comply with a strict gluten free diet especially if they are new to the this sort of diet.

The best strategy in dealing with this constant temptation is to replace as many of their favorite snacks with gluten free alternatives that will not leave them feeling deprived. While as parents we all want our kids to eat healthy, realistically we know they will not always do so, the older they get the more opportunities they will have to come in contact with foods we would rather they did not eat. This becomes even more problematic for the child with celiac disease since these foods can make them sick.

These days there are is a huge variety of snacks on the market that are designed for the gluten free child and while they may be considerably more expensive than their counterparts they are life savers that can keep your child healthy and happy in a pinch. Gluten free cereals make a tasty snack and usually have more than the average amount of nutrition in them making them a good choice for snacking. Fruit snacks are another good choice as many brands purchased at the health food store are not only gluten free but are made with fruit juice rather than sugars.

There are gluten free rice crispy bars that can substitute for a candy bar; they come in assortment of flavors including chocolate, peanut butter and fruit flavors. Energy bars are another good choice but not all of them are gluten free so be sure to check the labels. Health foods stores often sell candies that are gluten free, and there is no limit to the variety of gluten free cookies available.

There is a growing number of mixes for cakes, brownies and cookies as well as recipes that no longer taste like cardboard as many gluten free snacks in the past have. If you would prefer to bake your snacks from scratch the list of available tasty options is quite long.