[christopher]

...so i joined this forum to get as much info as possible. shes really scared and worried, and shes waiting for test results so i want to be as educated as possible.

anyone have any advice about cooking? she loves baking and she loves hefeweizen beer, but i know its ridiculous to ask about beer but, i dont know.

thanks. im hoping to post here often and learn a lot.

-christopher

oh damn, the post title is supposed to say "gluten-free,", you know, like girlfriend? haha thats funny.

[missy'smom]

Welcome. Post away! No need to worry or be scared. celiac disease is very treatable. Amazingly the villi in our small intestine can regrow! Our gluten-free diet takes time to learn and adjust to and for some at the beginning it seems limiting but we really have so much variety available to us. The fact that she likes to bake may be a great asset to her. gluten-free baking is different chemistry however, so she will learn new methods. Many of us have been able to easily convert our old meal recipes to gluten-free with a substitution or two and some of the foods we ate everyday were already gluten-free. There are some gluten-free beers available now. In addition to learning the basics of the diet(ingredients),she will need to address the issues of cross-contamination, label reading, eating out and possibly replace some kitchen eqipment or get her own that are for gluten-free use only. This community is a good source of support and information so we can help with all of that.

[mamaesq]

There are some beers that she can drink too, like RedBridge and Bard's Tale.

[lizard00]

Hefeweizen beer... I'd almost forgotten about that. Certainly is mighty tasty... and as of yet, I've not had something comparable.

Welcome to the forum! This is a great place for both of you! I want to say how great it is that you are trying to learn beforehand, so you can help her. If she has to go gluten-free, then support, especially in the beginning, is critical. So, props to you!!

It can be really overwhelming in the beginning, but it gets easier as every day passes. A word of advice though, don't rush out and try all the "substitutes". Most of the time, they're just not the same, and one can easily be disappointed, especially if you've just had the "real" thing a week ago.

That being said, I eat a ton more stuff than I did last year. Which is very cool, because I've had to learn about new foods that maybe I wouldn't have known about a year ago. And I eat much healthier because of it. For me the hardest adjustment to make was that I can just eat something when someone says, "here, try this." Reading labels will become second nature to you both.

Anyway, please ask whatever questions you come up with. Someone here will always be able to answer.

[ang1e0251]

Welcome to the forum! You are a big sweetie to check this out for her!

It would be nice to get her some written info like my fave book "Eating Gluten Free for Dummies"

[April in KC]

Ha - funny about the title of the post changing from G F

Bard's Tale is very good...very available where I live in the midwest. Redbridge is a "mainstream" gluten-free beer.

[minton]

For cooking I really suggest using a mixture of rice flour, potato flour, and tapioca starch. I bakes as close as possible to regular flour. Almond flour works well for breading. Kinnicknick (Sp?) foods makes excellent products. bob's red mill is another good one. their brownies are to DIE for. She will need to experiment alot but she will soon find alot of great foods out there. There are even donuts and muffins! As for the beer, I have heard that if the company gets enough pressure, they will start looking into gluten-free products. Call them, write them, etc. Let them know there is a big market out there that they are missing.

Most supermarkets I have dealt with are very understanding. Most items are put in their natural foods section and if you find a product you really like, see about talking to store managers to see if they will carry it. Most store managers/owners have realized that there is a market for food allergy safe foods and are open to suggestions.

A celiac diagnosis should not be such a scary thing. It looks limited at first, but look at it as a challenge. She gets a nice challenge in baking to find new foods that are just as good. And if she is sick right now, a celiac diagnosis may be a blessing because it may resolve her illness (not immediately but in good time). Try to keep her positive and experiment with her.