April in KC

You're sweet - my husband and I both have Celiac, and we hope when our sons grow up, they find such sympathetic girlfriends.

Find out whether she wants you to attempt to cook for her at first, or if it will just make her feel nervous and pressured. Better yet, offer to cook WITH her, i.e. you'll cook if she hangs around to supervises. We do get so tired of cooking sometimes!

Many times, the people in our lives who love us attempt to cook for us in their gluten-containing kitchens as a surprise, and once they have gone through the effort, we feel like we need to eat the food to show them how much we appreciate it. It's all well intentioned on everyones' part, but sometimes you get glutened this way. Then the person who is glutened is embarrassed to tell the well intentioned person that they were glutened by their food - afraid they'll be hurt or put off, scared to every try again - it's not good.

Typical newbie mistakes would be making gluten-free cookies on your regular cookie sheet - or a gluten-free cake in your regular pan - or gluten-free pasta using your regular pot and colander - or using part of a stick of butter that was used directly on a piece of toast. Unfortunately, gluten sensitivity comes from the part of the immune system that is used to fight bacteria and viruses, so it takes very little "contamination" to raise a response in some people. The first year after I was diagnosed, I was particularly sensitive.

I suggest taking things slowly with regard to cooking - use her kitchen, or use yours with supervision - until you get used to the type of issues that can pop up.

You're off to a great start - good luck!

If you're going shopping in a typical store (not a health food store with a special gluten-free section), here are some things to look for:

Breakfast
* Chex Cereals - there are five kinds that are gluten free. They will say gluten free on the box if they are gluten free.

Lunch
* Progresso Soup - if you do a search here, you can find out which Progresso soups are gluten free. Kettle brand potato chips.

Dinner Ideas
* Chili, Mexican (McCormick taco seasoning is gluten-free, read labels to find all corn taco shells or corn tortillas), pot roast, baked potato w/toppings, any grilled meat w/ veggies

If you have a health food section in your store, you can look for Tinkyada gluten-free pasta. Or try your favorite pasta sauces over rice for a risotto type meal.

If you find Udi's bread, buy it - you won't be sorry.

This is what i haven't been able to get a clear answer on.. if you still eat something but don't react from it, it still causes damage, and wht will this end u doing?? Like i know that Celaic's are at a 10% greater risk to getting cancer, but that's just from being Celiac not from eating gluten right? Like if you eat gluten sometimes but don't react that doesn't mean that you'll be at an even highter risk to get it does it???

Sorry for posting something technical, but since I'm not a doctor, I wanted to go with a somewhat trustworthy source.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20298806

I'm sure there are better sources, but the abstract for this clinical research seems to imply that the inflammation from Celiac Disease itself can be partly to blame for cancers. I do think some of the increased risk is from sharing certain genes, but other parts of the risk come from having chronic inflammation in your GI tract. So - avoiding mild glutenings is a good thing.

Welcome!  Sounds like you could definitely be gluten sensitive.  Yes, barley contains gluten, and yes, I think your old bread machine might have glutened you.  

The quantity of gluten Celiacs can safely consume is estimated by some as 20 ppm (parts per million) and by others as none at all!  Unfortunately, the human immune system can be very sensitive.  The part that fights gluten is the same part that fights tiny viruses and bacteria.  Right now, being newly gluten free, your immunne system is primed to put up a decent fight for any invading gluten.

My first year gluten free my reactions were quite severe, but they are less severe now (a blessing and a curse, because sometimes it's more difficult for me to tell exactly what glutened me now).  You may have to buy some new utensils and keep your own condiments, etc., to be safe in your kitchen.  I covered a lot of dishes and surfaces with parchment paper, aluminum foil or waxed paper until I had time to buy what I wanted.  Beware the strainer/colander.

Good luck.  Doesn't it feel good to feel better?

I went gluten free three years ago. I have Celiac Disease (30-lb weight loss) and DH, but some of my worst symptoms were neurological - dizziness, brain fog, stumbling, headaches, etc. When I first went gluten free, I felt great, but when I got accidentally glutened, the symptoms were terrible - I would fall asleep hard and have trouble talking/being coordinated for a few hours, then get moody, and then the physical symptoms would follow - GI problems, skin problems and muscle aches. That first year gluten-free, I joked that I had an 'early warning system' because I would get headaches while eating and know that I was eating something CC with gluten.

Now, a few years gluten-free, I am not nearly as sensitive. I think it's a blessing and a curse (mostly a blessing). I think my lower antibody levels must make the reactions less severe, but I have lost my early warning system and now I have more vague symptoms unless I eat something really contaminated. Sometimes I realize that I have been feeling 'off' for a while and have to go back to eating basics until I figure out what has been bothering me. I think I still get glutened too frequently.

My dad is also Celiac. He's older, and he cheats and eats gluten once every month or two. He says that his reaction is not bad if he only eats it once and then stops, but if he tries to eat gluten on two separate meals or two days, his reactions are much more severe. I don't at all recommend what he does (it triggers his psoriasis among other things), but it is interesting in that it supports the idea that peoples' symptoms can increase or decrease along with the levels of antibodies.