[Rothane]

My husband was diagnosed with celiac disease four days ago, which is when we went gluten-free in our house. He was diagnosed when a routine blood panel showed he was severely anemic, which led to tests, and more tests, and finally the celiac disease diagnosis. He had almost no other symptoms, which is fortunate.

I made the decision to go gluten-free with him at home ... mostly. The only thing I'm probably not going to go gluten-free on is breakfast cereal, because I don't really like corn or rice based cereal all that much. I've already discovered that Lundberg wild rice cakes are very yummy ... much better than the disks of styrofoam I remember as old style rice cakes and a more than suitable substitute for wheat crackers, which was a common afternoon snack for me.

We have some things going for us. First, we live in a fairly large urban area, with a lot of good groceries (yay Wegmans!), specialty stores, and a long list of restaurants with gluten-free menus. Second, we are both avid cooks who mostly cook from scratch anyway, so really about the only things we needed to evict from the pantry were my breadbaking supplies and our whole-wheat pasta (yay for Tinkyada!). Third, we like a wide variety of ethnic food, so we have a wide variety of choices. And fourth, we have no kids, so this means only the two of us need to switch.

And I do know I don't need to switch (well, as far as I know anyway), but I want to. It'll make cooking a lot easier. Though honestly, it's a short list of recipes in my usual stable that will need any real changes.

Tomorrow we're going on a tour of some of the specialty shops, and I've got a shopping list from a new gluten-free baking cookbook I bought (Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts). I was an avid breadbaker before all this, and hope I might be able to learn to make decent gluten-free breadlike products. I do understand that it's hard to adapt gluten free bread recipes to a bread machine, so that's a bit disappointing, but I'll learn to bake it the old fashioned way. Crusty bread and beer are going to be the two things we'll miss the most. We've tried several brands of gluten free beer (we started experimenting a few weeks ago when it became clear what direction all the testing was going), but when your benchmark is Goose Island IPA and Stone Arrogant Bastard ... well, we'll stick to hard cider. I know I can still have beer, but somehow it seems rude to drink it in front of him.

So, we've been at this less than a week for real, but my husband says he can already tell his digestive system feels better (I think his exact words were "I didn't even realize I was feeling bad much of the time until I wasn't"). I know this is just the beginning, but if it makes him feel better, I'm certainly game.

[celiac-mommy]

Welcome!! I sure wish more family members were as supportive as you, your husband sounds like a lucky guy!!

You will find many avid bakers here, so if you need help with a recipe, I'm sure you will get a lot of help! I bake my own bread regularly and it freezes well, so I can do a few loaves at a time. Instead of dumping all the ingredients into the bread machine, I dump them into my Kitchenaid mixer, proof in the oven, bake, and that's it! There are also some amazing crusty french bread recipes out there. I've got one for kalamata rosemary bread that is to die for if you want it

Take care!

[Rothane]

celiac-mommy, on Oct 9 2009, 07:52 PM, said:

Welcome!! I sure wish more family members were as supportive as you, your husband sounds like a lucky guy!!

You will find many avid bakers here, so if you need help with a recipe, I'm sure you will get a lot of help! I bake my own bread regularly and it freezes well, so I can do a few loaves at a time. Instead of dumping all the ingredients into the bread machine, I dump them into my Kitchenaid mixer, proof in the oven, bake, and that's it! There are also some amazing crusty french bread recipes out there. I've got one for kalamata rosemary bread that is to die for if you want it

Take care!

And me with fresh rosemary growing on the porch ...

Please send!!!

[misserinmog]

Hi there and Welcome!

I know what he means about not even realizing he was feeling bad until he wasn't. Part of what makes diagnosis difficult is that some symptoms are not things you think of as "symptoms" but as "normal" like bloating, indigestion, fatigue, headaches, etc. It's not something that's alarming, and so you don't even give it a second thought. Then when it goes away, you feel better, and suddenly you're like "woah, that really sucked before!"

It sounds like you really enjoy baking. I like baking too, but I'm not that great at gluten-free baking yet. What I did find was helpful in learning about how gluten-free flours and recipes work is that it's easier to do the first try with a ready-made baking mix, see how you like the results, and then use the Ingredients list to tweak a recipe from there. Since gluten-free baking is less "science" than glutenous baking is, this has worked out very well for me. If you're hankering for something sweet while trying to figure out gluten-free baking, I recommend Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cake mixes, and Betty Crocker's gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are good, though really different.

Keep in touch, I love these forums--TONS of good resources and support.

-Erin

Rothane, on Oct 9 2009, 03:43 PM, said:

My husband was diagnosed with celiac disease four days ago, which is when we went gluten-free in our house. He was diagnosed when a routine blood panel showed he was severely anemic, which led to tests, and more tests, and finally the celiac disease diagnosis. He had almost no other symptoms, which is fortunate.

I made the decision to go gluten-free with him at home ... mostly. The only thing I'm probably not going to go gluten-free on is breakfast cereal, because I don't really like corn or rice based cereal all that much. I've already discovered that Lundberg wild rice cakes are very yummy ... much better than the disks of styrofoam I remember as old style rice cakes and a more than suitable substitute for wheat crackers, which was a common afternoon snack for me.

We have some things going for us. First, we live in a fairly large urban area, with a lot of good groceries (yay Wegmans!), specialty stores, and a long list of restaurants with gluten-free menus. Second, we are both avid cooks who mostly cook from scratch anyway, so really about the only things we needed to evict from the pantry were my breadbaking supplies and our whole-wheat pasta (yay for Tinkyada!). Third, we like a wide variety of ethnic food, so we have a wide variety of choices. And fourth, we have no kids, so this means only the two of us need to switch.

And I do know I don't need to switch (well, as far as I know anyway), but I want to. It'll make cooking a lot easier. Though honestly, it's a short list of recipes in my usual stable that will need any real changes.

Tomorrow we're going on a tour of some of the specialty shops, and I've got a shopping list from a new gluten-free baking cookbook I bought (Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts). I was an avid breadbaker before all this, and hope I might be able to learn to make decent gluten-free breadlike products. I do understand that it's hard to adapt gluten free bread recipes to a bread machine, so that's a bit disappointing, but I'll learn to bake it the old fashioned way. Crusty bread and beer are going to be the two things we'll miss the most. We've tried several brands of gluten free beer (we started experimenting a few weeks ago when it became clear what direction all the testing was going), but when your benchmark is Goose Island IPA and Stone Arrogant Bastard ... well, we'll stick to hard cider. I know I can still have beer, but somehow it seems rude to drink it in front of him.

So, we've been at this less than a week for real, but my husband says he can already tell his digestive system feels better (I think his exact words were "I didn't even realize I was feeling bad much of the time until I wasn't"). I know this is just the beginning, but if it makes him feel better, I'm certainly game.

[Ahorsesoul]

For your crusty bread fix try 'Against the Grain' Baguettes.

[celiac-mommy]

Rothane, on Oct 9 2009, 05:06 PM, said:

And me with fresh rosemary growing on the porch ...

Please send!!!

I've also subbed the olives for whole cloves of garlic---LOTS of cloves!!! I also don't ever use the recommended flours in this recipe. I replace with whatever basic blend I have and it always turns out great!

http://www.recipezaar.com/Gluten-Free-Kala...ry-Bread-217977

[julesjewels]

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes because I had no idea a forum like this existed! Rachelle, thanks so much for posting the link for the bread recipe! I have had to change my eating habits drastically the past ten months and cooking has been turned upside-down in my house. I've never been the most confident of cooks and this disease has brought what I know to a halt. I can still prepare dishes for my family but then I'm left wondering what I will eat. Cooking two meals is not my idea of fun. I will be reading all the posts, looking for more recipes. I am so excited about this and about eating bread again!!!

[momxyz]

julesjewels, on Oct 12 2009, 02:17 PM, said:

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes because I had no idea a forum like this existed! Rachelle, thanks so much for posting the link for the bread recipe! I have had to change my eating habits drastically the past ten months and cooking has been turned upside-down in my house. I've never been the most confident of cooks and this disease has brought what I know to a halt. I can still prepare dishes for my family but then I'm left wondering what I will eat. Cooking two meals is not my idea of fun. I will be reading all the posts, looking for more recipes. I am so excited about this and about eating bread again!!!

Have you tried brown rice pasta yet? Its something you can cook for the whole family. Tinkyada brand is delicious!

[Rothane]

momxyz, on Oct 12 2009, 02:31 PM, said:

Have you tried brown rice pasta yet? Its something you can cook for the whole family. Tinkyada brand is delicious!

"Tinky pasta" is excellent ... just watch it carefully because it's really pretty bad when it overcooks. But then again, so is semolina pasta; it's just that with rice pasta there seems to be a shorter window of good vs. not good. Also, be sure to put a little oil in the water and stir often, because it does stick a bit more than standard pasta. One of those pasta servers (the big spoons with the prongs) helps a LOT for stirring it and keeping it separated. Other than that, you could probably serve Tinky pasta to people and they'd never even know they were eating non-standard pasta.

I definitely recommend the book GLUTEN-FREE BAKING CLASSICS by Annalise Roberts. I made the multigrain artisan bread over the weekend and it was wonderful -- the teff flour made it taste a bit like buckwheat. I'm told the other recipes are just as good.

Also, learn to love your slow cooker. I've been a big believer of the slow cooker for awhile, but the nice thing about it is that most of the recipes require little to no adaptation. Almost all the recipes use corn starch or tapioca to thicken recipes anyway. I very much recommend NOT YOUR MOTHER'S SLOW COOKER.

[kera87]

It is so nice to hear that you are going gluten-free at home for your husband...Celiac can be confusing and frustrating in the beginning and I'm sure you making that decision is helping him heal even faster. My boyfriend is just as supportive as you are and I can tell you it makes things 100 times better. When we go out to eat he is often the one reinforcing "no seasonings or flour" to the waiter haha.

I cook gluten-free dinners from scratch all the time and it is actually so much fun! You can modify basically any recepie to be gluten-free...I'm even going to be making crab cakes this week. Wegmans is AMAZING! It is so affordable because their brand always puts a little G on the package if it is gluten-free...some things off the top of my head I get there are their tomato sauce which is like 99 cents (thats good for being gluten-free! haha), syrup, marinades, sauces, pudding, brownies (they have a whole freezer section of gluten-free goodies!) Enjoy, this is going to be fun for the both of you.

[julesjewels]

momxyz, on Oct 12 2009, 01:31 PM, said:

Have you tried brown rice pasta yet? Its something you can cook for the whole family. Tinkyada brand is delicious!

I've only tried Mrs. Leeper's... not a huge fan. It's okay, considering I live in a small town with very few options. I was surprised to find ANY gluten-free pasta!!! I need to make a trip into the next city and get to one of the bigger stores. I'll look for the "Tinky" pasta! Very excited to try it! Thanks!

[carsondcat]

I joined this site a couple of days ago, and it was a big yay for me to find it having only just moved to the States 3 weeks ago. I love all the hints and tips people post, I know it will help me heaps in finding my way around the American gluten-free experience.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease 8 years ago and although my teenage children never got it my husband did, and he would monitor them when i couldn't so they wouldn't accidently cross contaminate my food.... Now the 'kids' are all grown up and left home my husband is gluten-free with me so i have no more worries at home, at all, anymore. I really appreciate that he has done this for me and to be honest for himself as well as it is a healthier way of eating and if I'm honest, it really simplifies things as you don't have to cook seperate meals or keep different cooking implements.

So good for you in going gluten-free as well

[Ahorsesoul]

Rothane, on Oct 9 2009, 05:43 PM, said:

My husband was diagnosed with celiac disease four days ago, which is when we went gluten-free in our house.

You are another one of my heroes for going gluten free with your spouse!

[Rothane]

Ahorsesoul, on Oct 28 2009, 09:23 PM, said:

You are another one of my heroes for going gluten free with your spouse!

Well, it may have been a very good thing. I started noticing my own digestive issues when we went gluten free, and then when I would eat gluten containing foods when we went out to dinner. I just got tested yesterday myself.

So it might have pointed out an issue I didn't even know I had. We'll see.

...Rothane

[Gemini]

Rothane, on Oct 9 2009, 06:43 PM, said:

My husband was diagnosed with celiac disease four days ago, which is when we went gluten-free in our house. He was diagnosed when a routine blood panel showed he was severely anemic, which led to tests, and more tests, and finally the celiac disease diagnosis. He had almost no other symptoms, which is fortunate.

I made the decision to go gluten-free with him at home ... mostly. The only thing I'm probably not going to go gluten-free on is breakfast cereal, because I don't really like corn or rice based cereal all that much. I've already discovered that Lundberg wild rice cakes are very yummy ... much better than the disks of styrofoam I remember as old style rice cakes and a more than suitable substitute for wheat crackers, which was a common afternoon snack for me.

We have some things going for us. First, we live in a fairly large urban area, with a lot of good groceries (yay Wegmans!), specialty stores, and a long list of restaurants with gluten-free menus. Second, we are both avid cooks who mostly cook from scratch anyway, so really about the only things we needed to evict from the pantry were my breadbaking supplies and our whole-wheat pasta (yay for Tinkyada!). Third, we like a wide variety of ethnic food, so we have a wide variety of choices. And fourth, we have no kids, so this means only the two of us need to switch.

And I do know I don't need to switch (well, as far as I know anyway), but I want to. It'll make cooking a lot easier. Though honestly, it's a short list of recipes in my usual stable that will need any real changes.

Tomorrow we're going on a tour of some of the specialty shops, and I've got a shopping list from a new gluten-free baking cookbook I bought (Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts). I was an avid breadbaker before all this, and hope I might be able to learn to make decent gluten-free breadlike products. I do understand that it's hard to adapt gluten free bread recipes to a bread machine, so that's a bit disappointing, but I'll learn to bake it the old fashioned way. Crusty bread and beer are going to be the two things we'll miss the most. We've tried several brands of gluten free beer (we started experimenting a few weeks ago when it became clear what direction all the testing was going), but when your benchmark is Goose Island IPA and Stone Arrogant Bastard ... well, we'll stick to hard cider. I know I can still have beer, but somehow it seems rude to drink it in front of him.

So, we've been at this less than a week for real, but my husband says he can already tell his digestive system feels better (I think his exact words were "I didn't even realize I was feeling bad much of the time until I wasn't"). I know this is just the beginning, but if it makes him feel better, I'm certainly game.

You are in exactly the same situation as my husband and myself, only I am the Celiac. However, my hubby has some symptoms which we are going to be looking into shortly. If you two are avid cooks, you'll have no problem with this. You also do not need to go completely gluten-free yourself but I commend you for doing
so. My husband eats gluten at breakfast and lunch (at work), which doesn't bother me in the least. Anything I cook and serve is 100% gluten-free and he eats it all with a smile on his face! Surprisingly, he likes the vast majority of it.

If you can find it, I would highly suggest a beer from a Belgian micro-brewery, available here in New England. The brand is called Green's and there are 3 different kinds. My favorite is called Green's Endeavor. I was NEVER a beer drinker and actually really like this one. It is expensive but I take it you may not have an issue with that, to some extent. There is also a really good gluten-free pasta, called Bi-Aglut, which is available on-line. It's from Italy and blows Tinkyada right out of the water. You are going to be surprised at how much stuff is available to make this diet manageable and as good as what anyone else is eating.
Living is a larger urban area doesn't hurt, either! I wish you continued success!