Dermatitis Herpetiformis

[Moe]

hi, New to the message board. I was just disgnosed with celiac/DH so I get the sores instead of being sick like most of the people on this board. I still have a lot of questions-like can I eat chocolate? What about modified food starch? bread is the hardest for me even though I am not a big bread eater-can I have Millet bread? Anyone else with GH-if you can give me any guidance it would be most appreciated. Thank you-Moe

[snipe12]

Hi.

I am still pretty new to this but you can eat a lot of brands of chocolate, you just need to be careful. People like Nestle and Cadburys list on the products and websites if they contain things like gluten, soy, nuts etc.

Another thing you need to be careful of is snack sized chocolate. I have found a few times the normal version is fine but a snack size is not.

Check out:

https://www.celiac.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_...-33104374558.f1

I have been gluten free for a few months and to be honest it is a pain in the ass but once you get used to it, it isn't too hard barring eating out.

The one thing I would suggest to you is research lots. You would be amazed at the things which contain gluten. Things which caught me out in the beginning were things like soda gun coke in certain bars (syrup contained wheat), sausages, chips coated in flour to stop them sticking together and even a wooden spoon which had previously been used for regular pasta as it is porous.

I don't bother with gluten-free bread at all. 95% of it tastes like crap and at the end of the day nothing will truly replace bread. I buy 100% corn crackers or corn wraps to make a kind of sandwich and it is great.

Companies often list what products have gluten in them on their websites or a quick call to them confirms it.

If I am not 100% sure it is gluten free I don't eat it. My diet started off quite basic and is now becoming half decent.

I would however kill for a bacon sandwich in white bread with brown sauce

[Pegster]

I agree with the last comment about bread! Most of it isn't worth eating. I know people with bread makers have luck making gluten-free bread, though. The best baked goods I have found are frozen tapioca-based products from a Canadian company called Kinnikinick. When thawed, it has a texture similar to "real" bread. A lot of chocolates are gluten-free. Hersheys is. I eat Hersheys kisses and M&m's when I need a treat. Research ingredients on line. The modified food starch question is tricky. It is generally corn starch, but not always. Some companies, like Kraft, promise to say if the source of the starch is wheat. Others don't, so I stay away from that ingredient unless I can verify the source. For example, Jello Pudding said their Modified Food starch is corn starch when I called. Once you are used to reading labels, things will be easier. Another great resource I just discovered is the magazine "Living Without". It has lots of information about food intolerances. Good Luck

[cdford]

We have DH and the gluten-free diet has worked wonders...if you stick to it faithfully. Many of the scars are now even beginning to fade. Just one mistake, though, and here come those itchy ugly sores again. Expect it to take a year or more to get it fully under control.

I agree with the earlier post. Research, research, research. Keep a notebook. A great resource for going to the grocery store is the gluten free commercial guide available from csaceliacs.org. I have added extra tabs to keep notes on store brands and medications. That book goes everywhere we go.

You will need to become your own best friend and research assistant if you want to do this to its best. It is tough for the first few months, but then you just know what to pick up at the store, double check every few months to be sure nothing has changed, and then go on with life.

Be sure to check carefully for anything that comes into contact with your skin. That includes soaps, lotions, shampoos, make up, household cleaners, etc. One of the best sources for household cleaners I have found is Shaklee. I used to be a distributor but am not any longer. When my sores are at their worst, I can put a capful of basic H into my bathwater and soak...ah the bubbles and what a change in the look and feel of the sores. Their dishwashing liquid, germicide, etc. all do not cause any reaction. We use All Free and Clear for clothes. The Shaklee was too expensive for a family our size. You may have to change for the whole family if your stuff is washed in the same sink or laundry (at least initially). You may also find as we did that the longer we are gluten-free, the fewer things trigger a problem. Even gluten-free stuff could be a problem at first if it was not really mild.

Just think how good you are going to feel and how beautiful your skin will be once you have done this for a while.

Donna

[cdford]

Oh yes, I forgot. Yes you can have bread made from millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, bean flours, rice, etc. as long as they do not also contain wheat, rye, barley, or oats. The ones with the best texture are based in the bean flours but have the other flours for flavor. There are some pretty good recipes out there. Keep looking.

Good luck!

[glen4cindy]

Actually, the gluten-free bread machine mix from Bob's Red Mill is delicious!

My wife has used several products from there to make biscuits, doughnuts, and such, and other than being more dense than regular bread, it is really good.

I have also run across several pre-packaged meals that you prepare at home with noodles and spices that are gluten-free according to the ingredients on the package. It actually states "GLUTEN-FREE" at the end of the list. These items are Thai Kitchen, and several of them are really great.