Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Food Social Relatives


Vasiliki

Recommended Posts

Vasiliki Rookie

How do you guys handle the upcoming holidays?

I have Christmas Dinner happening at my mother-in-laws place, and flour usually ends up EVERYWHERE! :( She does a whole bunch of baking and cooking that day, and often hugs everyone with her flour-covered apron on. Recently she exclaimed all happily that she made gluten free cookies specifically for me! Only after trying one and getting a headache did I realize she was preparing all the cookies on the same counter... with regular flour on the rolling pin to keep everything from sticking.  (I've noted my error in this, even though I triple-checked before eating it)

I've tried expressing my anxiety for Christmas to my husband, and he's not sure what we should do. My mother-in-law has very very beginning stages of dementia and doesn't remember everything when we tell her lately.

I've offered to make my own food and bring it with us to the entire event, but I feel like it's going to be a day of cross contamination. Like, bringing my own plate and fork kind of thing.

How do you politely tell people that you've just brought your own.... everything...? :lol:


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



icelandgirl Proficient

Gosh I don't know.  I have the same issue.  We went to my mom's for Thanksgiving and although I'm sure she did her best,  the chicken broth she used in the turkey and gravy was not gluten free.  I also saw her sampling the potatoes and stuff and resampling and asked what she had eaten prior...an English muffin.  I ended up only eating what I brought which was stuffing, cornbread, cranberries and dessert.  It kind of stunk...although much better than getting sick

  I'm not sure how to handle Christmas either.  I know it's just food...but I'd like to enjoy mine like everyone else.

bartfull Rising Star

I always bring my own food (yes, and dishes and utensils) when I go someplace. I just tell the people something along the lines of, "I get SO sick from gluten that I have made it a rule to never eat anything I didn't prepare myself." Then to soften it I admire all of the food the other folks prepared and tell them how much I wish I could eat it because it looks so good/or I remember how good it was. When they start feeling sorry for me I tell them it's the COMPANY that matters most.

Darren Apprentice

The above advice is best. Just say it and do what you need to do to stay safe. And for goodness sakes don't worry about offending anyone, it's your health not theirs and as long as you are polite and say how much you would love to try their food but simply can't, that's all you can and need to do. Everyone will be done eating soon enough and then you can just move into drinks! Don't sweat it just Have fun!

icelandgirl Proficient
19 hours ago, bartfull said:

I always bring my own food (yes, and dishes and utensils) when I go someplace. I just tell the people something along the lines of, "I get SO sick from gluten that I have made it a rule to never eat anything I didn't prepare myself." Then to soften it I admire all of the food the other folks prepared and tell them how much I wish I could eat it because it looks so good/or I remember how good it was. When they start feeling sorry for me I tell them it's the COMPANY that matters most.

You are so wise bartie!  I'd love to have dinner with you!  

ravenwoodglass Mentor

You could do a gluten free Christmas dinner at home on Christmas Eve and then load up a plate (with a microwveable cover) with your gluten free turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes etc and pop it in their microwave as all are sitting down to eat. You could even bring a small plate of cheese and crackers for yourself and a larger one to share before dinner. And don't forget a yummy desert.  You won't feel deprived and the others won't feel guilty eating their yummy poison in front of you.

bartfull Rising Star
4 hours ago, icelandgirl said:

You are so wise bartie!  I'd love to have dinner with you!  

No, not wise, just experienced. :D And you are welcomed to come to the Black Hills any time. We'll have dinner at my house because the only gluten-free restaurant in the area (that pizza place I always rave about) burned down the other day. :( I sure hope they rebuild.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - xxnonamexx replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      4

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

    2. - cristiana replied to sha1091a's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      Issues before diagnosis

    3. - chrisinpa commented on Scott Adams's article in Skin Problems and Celiac Disease
      2

      Celiac Disease and Skin Disorders: Exploring a Genetic Connection

    4. - knitty kitty replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      4

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

    5. - trents replied to sha1091a's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      Issues before diagnosis

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,694
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Aanhmcbride
    Newest Member
    Aanhmcbride
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • xxnonamexx
      I read that as well but I saw the Certified Gluten free symbol that is the reason I ourchased it.
    • cristiana
      I agree, it so often overlooked! I live in the UK and I have often wondered why doctors are so reluctant to at least exclude it - my thoughts are perhaps the particular tests are expensive for the NHS, so therefore saved for people with 'obvious' symptoms.  I was diagnosed in 2013 and was told immediately that my parents, sibling and children should be checked.  My parents' GP to this day has not put forward my father for testing, and my mother was never tested in her lifetime, despite the fact that they both have some interesting symptoms/family history that reflect they might have coeliac disease (Dad - extreme bloating, and his Mum clearly had autoimmune issues, albeit undiagnosed as such; Mum - osteoporosis, anxiety).  I am now my father' legal guardian and suspecting my parents may have forgotten to ask their GP for a test (which is entirely possible!) I put it to his last GP that he ought to be tested.  He looked at Dad's blood results and purely because he was not anemic said he wasn't a coeliac.  Hopefully as the awareness of Coeliac Disease spreads among the general public, people will be able to advocate for themselves.  It is hard because in the UK the NHS is very stretched, but the fallout from not being diagnosed in a timely fashion will only cost the NHS more money. Interestingly, a complete aside, I met someone recently whose son was diagnosed (I think she said he was 8).  At a recent birthday party with 8 guests, 4 boys out of the 8 had received diagnosis of Coeliac Disease, which is an astounding statistic  As far as I know, though, they had all had obvious gastric symptoms leading to their NHS diagnosis.  In my own case I had  acute onset anxiety, hypnopompic hallucinations (vivid hallucinations upon waking),  odd liver function, anxiety, headaches, ulcers and low iron but it wasn't until the gastric symptoms hit me that a GP thought to do coeliac testing, and my numbers were through the roof.  As @trents says, by the grace of God I was diagnosed, and the diet has pretty much dealt with most of those symptoms.  I have much to be grateful for. Cristiana
    • knitty kitty
      @xxnonamexx, There's labeling on those Trubar gluten free high fiber protein bars that say: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, milk, soy, fish, WHEAT, sesame, and other tree nuts." You may want to avoid products made in shared facilities.   If you are trying to add more fiber to your diet to ease constipation, considering eating more leafy green vegetables and cruciferous vegetables.  Not only are these high in fiber, they also are good sources of magnesium.  Many newly diagnosed are low in magnesium and B vitamins and suffer with constipation.  Thiamine Vitamin B1 and magnesium work together.  Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine has been shown to improve intestinal health.  Thiamine and magnesium are important to gastrointestinal health and function.  
    • trents
      Welcome to celiac.com @sha1091a! Your experience is a very common one. Celiac disease is one the most underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed medical conditions out there. The reasons are numerous. One key one is that its symptoms mimic so many other diseases. Another is ignorance on the part of the medical community with regard to the range of symptoms that celiac disease can produce. Clinicians often are only looking for classic GI symptoms and are unaware of the many other subsystems in the body that can be damaged before classic GI symptoms manifest, if ever they do. Many celiacs are of the "silent" variety and have few if any GI symptoms while all along, damage is being done to their bodies. In my case, the original symptoms were elevated liver enzymes which I endured for 13 years before I was diagnosed with celiac disease. By the grace of God my liver was not destroyed. It is common for the onset of the disease to happen 10 years before you ever get a diagnosis. Thankfully, that is slowly changing as there has developed more awareness on the part of both the medical community and the public in the past 20 years or so. Blessings!
    • knitty kitty
      @EndlessSummer, You said you had an allergy to trees.  People with Birch Allergy can react to green beans (in the legume family) and other vegetables, as well as some fruits.  Look into Oral Allergy Syndrome which can occur at a higher rate in Celiac Disease.   Switching to a low histamine diet for a while can give your body time to rid itself of the extra histamine the body makes with Celiac disease and histamine consumed in the diet.   Vitamin C and the eight B vitamins are needed to help the body clear histamine.   Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.