new to celiac help.

[partnerofaceliacperson]

my ex boyfriend but very close friend (we might get back together and were together for so long but i still care for) has been recently diagnosed with celiac disease. his whole diet has been pretty much excluded from his life,, he’s very young too(17) so his parents aren’t very too involved in it since he’s very independent. he feels as if the things in his household that he CAN have aren’t very filling or he doesn’t have much in the house he can even have,, ive been doing my research and i ordered a lot of snacks/ pre made or makeable food for him because he just wants to eat whatever he feels as if the pain and aches are whatever as long as he gets to eat and feel full,, he’s very underweight for his height too so this is causing a lot of stress on him and his mental. and sad for me to see him kinda not be used to this. what are some good meals or foods i can get him? i’m not sure what to do. he’s not allergic to anything,, but going from fast food while on lunch at school and snacks from hoke to a whole new diet is stressful for him. i just want to make it easier for him and find him things he can have and that won’t hurt him and will fill him up. any suggestions on food or advice?

[trents]

Welcome to the forum partnerofaceliacperson!

Many mainstream foods can be eaten by a celiac. You just need to make sure they don't contain wheat, barley or rye. Those are the three grains that contain the kind of gluten that do harm to celiacs and make them ill. I mention this because ready made gluten free foods and snacks tend to be expensive. The key is to focus on fresh meat, fruit and vegetables prepared in a simple way. It's really important to read ever ingredient label when buying canned and boxed food items. Especially read the allergen label as if wheat is an ingredient it will be listed there. Another issue to be aware of is CC (Cross Contamination). Some simple foods may have gotten some wheat, barley or rye mixed in, not intentionally but accidentally in the growing, transport, storage or processing stages. A good example would be Quaker oatmeal which will not list wheat as an ingredient on the label but it may accidentally contain wheat through CC. Dried lentils is another example of a simple dried food that typically has a significant degree of wheat through CC. Having said that, many of the mainline cereal companies do offer gluten free products - like Cheerios. It will be important for your friend to take ownership of his need to eat gluten free and not take that casually. Also, this might help:

The one thing that might be necessary to purchase ready made so you can make sandwiches for your friend is gluten-free loaf bread. It is spendy compared to wheat bread but it's really hard to make gluten free bread that holds up and can be sliced. The big companies do a much better job of that.

[Scott Adams]

Making the transition to a gluten-free diet can be difficult for anyone, and especially a teenager. If you live near a Trader Joe's, Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, etc., you should have access to many high quality gluten-free products, and I've found that some of the best deals are at Costco (they offer 2 packs of gluten-free pizzas and Franz gluten-free bread). Trader Joe's has excellent gluten-free hamburger buns which I often take to restaurants if I want a GF hamburger and they don't offer a GF bun.

[RMJ]

It’s so great that you’re supporting him in his efforts to eat gluten free.  

I know some teenage boys need to eat a lot.  We never had leftovers when my brother was that age. Some ideas to fill him up and/or get calories into him:

Potatoes, perhaps baked with butter and cheese.

Hamburgers, although no bread crumbs in it and no bun.

Fresh fruit, like apples, bananas.

Nuts, like peanuts, or almonds. Peanut butter (that’s what I use when I need to gain weight).

Are there any foods he particularly likes or misses?  Perhaps someone here can come up with a substitute.

 

[partnerofaceliacperson]

5 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

Making the transition to a gluten-free diet can be difficult for anyone, and especially a teenager. If you live near a Trader Joe's, Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, etc., you should have access to many high quality gluten-free products, and I've found that some of the best deals are at Costco (they offer 2 packs of gluten-free pizzas and Franz gluten-free bread). Trader Joe's has excellent gluten-free hamburger buns which I often take to restaurants if I want a gluten-free hamburger and they don't offer a gluten-free bun.

thank you,, ive been seeing stuff about the gluten-free pizzas and buns online and i was telling him to ask for no bun and just put the burger on the gluten-free bun since the cross contamination or whatever it might be might effect if maybe they put it on the regular bun (i’m just trying to be as careful as i can with him idk if it’ll effect him but i wanna make sure it doesn’t)

[Scott Adams]

I think your approach is a good one. It's always safer to eat at home and prepare the food yourself so you know exactly what is in it.