Newbie Need Help Please!

[niese]

I was just diagnose with Celiac through a biopsy. I have been Gluten Free for a week now.  I have questions and hope someone can help, I'm overwhelmed. For starters I cleaned out my pantry and frig of any gluten food, I blessed my son and his family since they don't have a gluten issue.  I went shopping and  I bought gluten free pasta,  gluten-free crackers, gluten-free hot rice cereal, quinoa I am in love with this looking for different ways to make it, stocked up on plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, only eat tuna, fish and chicken, I am worried about red meat so any advice is greatly appreciated on red meat, bread I haven't touched not paying the high price for a small loaf,  however I did buy gluten-free Bisquick found a cool way to make bread check out this link, I haven't tried it yet 

 

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So for my questions that I am concerned and confused on:

 

For starters I am a chocoholic my favorite is Peanut Butter M&Ms are they safe?  What do I need to look for in chocolate bars?

 

Breath mints and cough drops?

 

Baking soda and baking powder also yeast? I understand the flour.

 

Brown sugar and powdered sugar are they ok?

 

Modified food starch completely confused on that one.

 

Natural flavoring?

 

Caramel flavoring?

 

Is jello ok? 

 

Can fruit?

 

Fruit juice?

 

Also, my dr said I should stay away from milk products until my next appointment which is in 3 wks.  I Iove the gluten-free hot rice cereal but it needs a little milk what can I substitute with? I don't like the taste of coconut, so I figured the  milk taste just like it right? 

 

Should I stay away from eggs?

 

I'm not a soda drinker but I love ice tea, is it safe?

 

Coffee I miss my coffee I only drink decaf but I like it only with flavored creamers. Too scared to try  drinking coffee right now.

 

Bouillon cubes?

 

 

Corn chips and corn tortillas very confused on them. 

 

 

Can tomatoes, sauce and paste?

 

Spices and seasonings?

 

Thinking about starting my own herb garden that way I know what I am using, I love spices and worry whats in the blends.  Garlic is my favorite to use should I be using the stuff in the jar that's minced or is garlic powder safe? Prob should just buy fresh garlic and chop it myself.  

 

  Sorry for all the questions but this is all overwhelming for me.  Any help will be greatly appreciated.  Right now my body is going through gluten withdrawals but after recovering from 8 weeks of chronic diarrhea  and sever abdominal pain that no pain meds would help I am in panic mood of eating the wrong things and cross contamination.  Totally freaked out about ever eating in a restaurant again, missing Olive Garden so bad.  Already warned my family no more Buffets for this lady too risky for CC.  

 

Thank you

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kareng]

First....slow down! Take a deep breathe.

Here is a good place to start. Read ingredients. Wheat will be listed. Rye is in hardly anything but rye bread or rye crackers and will be listed as an ingredient. Barley is often listed as malt.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/page-2#entry851855

[cyclinglady]

While reading through all that material that Karen suggested, grab yourself a glass of unsweetened iced tea!  

 

I read from your earlier posting that you have thrush, so besides avoiding gluten, you should cut out the sugar and foods that contain natural sugars even fruit!  Just have a few pieces a fruit a week and load up on veggies, nuts, meats and fish.  Avoid lots of starchy veggies, and gluten-free breads and pastas.  Eat those only as a rare treat until your thrush is under control.  Is your doc providing any anti-fungals (e.g. Nystatin, Diflucan, etc.)?  Until then, you have to "starve" the yeast/fungus and they love sweets!

 

Take probotics too!  

 

Good luck!

[Adalaide]

Karen has good advice, that will really help get you pointed in the right direction and answer a lot of those questions for you.

 

My doctor told me at my appointment to stop consuming dairy products. After trying pretty much every milk substitute I could get my hands on and rejecting all of them I wondered why I was doing this. I poked around a bit on the internet and discovered that some celiacs have a problem with lactose that can be temporary and will go away as they begin to heal. I decided that I didn't even know if milk was a problem for me so why the heck should I not be drinking it? I simply watched as I did for any symptoms of an intolerance and found none. Removing a completely healthy food to replace it with a substitute that will never be as good for absolutely no reason other than the possibility that a person could be one of the people with a problem is, in my opinion, completely unnecessary. (Possibly even stupid.)

[niese]

While reading through all that material that Karen suggested, grab yourself a glass of unsweetened iced tea!  

 

I read from your earlier posting that you have thrush, so besides avoiding gluten, you should cut out the sugar and foods that contain natural sugars even fruit!  Just have a few pieces a fruit a week and load up on veggies, nuts, meats and fish.  Avoid lots of starchy veggies, and gluten-free breads and pastas.  Eat those only as a rare treat until your thrush is under control.  Is your doc providing any anti-fungals (e.g. Nystatin, Diflucan, etc.)?  Until then, you have to "starve" the yeast/fungus and they love sweets!

 

Take probotics too!  

 

Good luck!

DId realize thrush loves sugar and I drink sweet tea all day plus lots of water.  Guess I need to cut the sugar out. Yes I am on probotics and dr gave me prescription for thrush but had to get refill sure it is due to my tea.  Will cut that out along with the starchy veggies, breads and pastas.  This may seem like a dumb question is rice considered starcy or quinoa?

[kareng]

DId realize thrush loves sugar and I drink sweet tea all day plus lots of water.  Guess I need to cut the sugar out. Yes I am on probotics and dr gave me prescription for thrush but had to get refill sure it is due to my tea.  Will cut that out along with the starchy veggies, breads and pastas.  This may seem like a dumb question is rice considered starcy or quinoa?

You could use Sweet n low or Splenda in your tea.

[niese]

Karen has good advice, that will really help get you pointed in the right direction and answer a lot of those questions for you.

 

My doctor told me at my appointment to stop consuming dairy products. After trying pretty much every milk substitute I could get my hands on and rejecting all of them I wondered why I was doing this. I poked around a bit on the internet and discovered that some celiacs have a problem with lactose that can be temporary and will go away as they begin to heal. I decided that I didn't even know if milk was a problem for me so why the heck should I not be drinking it? I simply watched as I did for any symptoms of an intolerance and found none. Removing a completely healthy food to replace it with a substitute that will never be as good for absolutely no reason other than the possibility that a person could be one of the people with a problem is, in my opinion, completely unnecessary. (Possibly even stupid.)

I haven't tried any substitutes was to worried it would flare my diarrhea up.  Just thought since it went away I could now try substitute but you make sense, thanks. 

[niese]

First....slow down! Take a deep breathe.

Here is a good place to start. Read ingredients. Wheat will be listed. Rye is in hardly anything but rye bread or rye crackers and will be listed as an ingredient. Barley is often listed as malt.

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/page-2#entry851855

Thank you so much, this was very helpful.

[kitkatkid]

regarding labeling, I too was confused with modified food starch. My gluten free scanner told me it was bad because of this but then upon closer inspection I found it was FDA regulated labeling and wheat must be before or after "modified food starch" or in parenthesis.

 

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HTH