Recommended Starting Foods For Newly Diagnosed Celiacs

[valery]

Hi. My name is Valery and I was officially diagnosed with Celiac disease this past Monday. After having a virus that sent my fever over 105 degrees in February, I then started having a case of severe diarrhea for the past couple months. I was eventually sent to a gastroenterologist and found to have evidence of Celiac disease via blood tests, as well as elevated liver enzymes. I also have bloated legs and feet, in addition to a gallbladder filled with sludge and possibly gallstones (possibly only because I am not 100% sure what the Dr. said as this was during my recovery of a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy this past Monday).

I was told that eventually my gallbladder will have to come out. (I also have Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitis, but this has been very well controlled for the past 19 years.) I also have low iron (which I've had for so long that I do not remember when I didn't have it). I am writing in now because I know it has only been a few days, but I was released from my exam on Monday with the prescription to follow the gluten-free diet, with a follow-up recommended in 4 weeks. I have spent much time over the last week learning everything I can and have also ordered a couple books regarding the disease as well as some cookbooks. However, over the last couple days, although I have not had gluten, I am spending even more time in the bathroom with diarrhea and bloating than I did a week ago. I have 3 kids that are 5yrs, 3yrs and almost 8 months old. I breastfeed my baby, and have no plans of stopping this.

What I want to know is are there foods to avoid during the first month? I used to eat a fresh salad every night and started back on that this week since fresh vegetables are gluten-free. I have used gluten-free dressing on the veggies, so I know I didn't mess up here. I am wondering if my body simply can't handle the veggies since I couldn't eat them for 2 months (and maybe this is causing the bloating/gas and diarrhea), or maybe it is the gluten-free cheese I had with lunch, or maybe ??? what??? Am I eating the wrong foods? The one thing I couldn't find on the internet is a suggested diet for the first day, week, month - you get the idea. What foods are good to introduce first? Even though I could have made a mistake earlier in the week regarding gluten, I feel confident that I didn't eat anything with gluten today, yet am feeling sicker than I have over the last month (I was following a fairly close BRAT diet for diarrhea (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) which didn't help much since I was eating bread that contained gluten.

I hope someone can help. I know it has only been a few days, but I feel worse now than I did before. With 3 kids to care for and no family around, this is getting difficult to handle. I don't have my books yet, but are there foods that are safer than others when easing back into eating (and on the gluten free list)? My stomach is out so far I look like I am 6-7 months pregnant. Is this due to a non-functioning gallbladder or the celiac disease? I hope someone can help or provide a referral. I've been at my wits end several times over the last few weeks - I always thought I was healthy, and now my body has been beaten down over a 2 month period and I just want to get through this. I don't have a problem following the meal plan, just want to know the approriate foods to start with.

Thanks for listening. I would love to talk to someone who may understand what I am talking about and can point me in the right direction. I may have to set up a bed in the bathroom if something doesn't change soon. I just don't know what to change. Thanks, again...Valery

[Ursa Major]

Hi Valery, and welcome to our site. The salad might be perfectly fine........in a couple of weeks. I had chronic diarrhea for six months last summer, and ALL raw food would go right through me within half an hour, even after going gluten free. I found that I could only handle well cooked vegetables (nothing that bloats, either) like carrots, you might try potatoes (I am intolerant to them), green peas, things that don't have a very high fiber content and won't upset your stomach. Don't try anything raw (and that includes most fruits) for a couple of weeks to calm down your stomach and intestines. Go easy on spices, too, for a bit. Applesauce is fine, rice may or may not be (you need to test that).

I feel for you with those little ones, because I understand not having any energy at all. Is it possible to get some help for a while? If you get enough rest, so your body can heal faster, that would be good for everybody. But no need to stop breastfeeding.

Hang in there, it will get better!

Also, you need to not just look at food, but your surroundings, the things you use in the kitchen, and personal care products.

If you plan on eating gluten free bread, you will absolutely need a new toaster. It isn't possible to clean out an old toaster well enough to be safe for somebody with celiac disease. If you have wooden cooking spoons and wooden cutting boards, those need to be replaced (or if you still cook gluten containing foods for the rest of the family, you need your own cutting board, cooking spoons etc.). Any scratched non-stick pots and pans should be replaced (stainless steel is best, as you can scrub it properly). Don't bake yourself with gluteny flour, you will inhale the dust, it could make you sick.

You need to look at all your personal care products for hidden (or not so hidden ) gluten. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, lipstick, lipgloss, makeup, lotion etc. often contains wheat germ oil, or barley extract, or oat something (I can't think of it all). If it contains gluten, you shouldn't be using it.

[Guest Robbin]

Valery, My goodness, you have had an awful time of it. Besides the excellent advice from Ursula, I would also add the fact that you may be lactose intolerant right now because of all the gastro-intestinal upheaval. I definitely felt worse before I felt better (am still struggling). It is like a withdrawal. I highly recommend that you get a copy of "Dangerous Grains". As to your gallbladder, did they tell you to avoid fatty foods? My dr. advised me not to have fatty foods- Drink as much as you can to stay hydrated- with nursing, diabetes, celiac, and gallbladder, I would try to find a gluten free supplement like ensure. There is a diabetic supplement drink, I forget the name, but I am not sure if it is gluten free. Maybe some others here might know that? I bought them a couple of years ago for my son. Bananas can sometimes help with the D and rice cakes and peanut butter would be good if you can tolerate the peanut butter ok. Ursula is right on about the cooked vegetables. Sometimes they are much better tolerated. I hope you can find someone to help you with the children. Even just to stay there while you take a long nap during the day for a week or two. You really need to take it easy. (As if I need to say it, right?) Take care and keep us posted. Will say a prayer for you

[Guest nini]

it is usually recommended for all celiacs to take a good gluten-free multi vitamin AND a digestive enzyme with probiotics... these help to keep up your nutrients and help your system to function while you are healing.

I agree that initially raw foods might be harder to digest, also many Celiacs are lactose intolerant until their insides begin to heal. I would suggest a diet of baked lean meats like baked chicken or pork chops. Red meat might be too difficult to digest for a while. Give it some time and you should be able to reintroduce them. As for veggies, stick with mild things like cooked green beans, cooked carrots or peas, AVOID BEANS at first... too much fiber for your damaged intestines! Eat starches like rice (if you can tolerate it) and potatoes, a baked sweet potato is a really nice treat with butter and cinnamon if you can tolerate it. (I don't know how much starch you can tolerate with diabetes)... Cream of rice cereal might be a good choice for you for breakfast (again I don't know how much starch you can do) Bananas are the only raw fruit that is easy on the digestive system. Applesauce is a good suggestion, I wish you a lot of luck with this. And a lot of it is going to be "trial and error" you are going to have to try some things to see if they work for you, not everyone is the same so what worked for me, won't neccessarily work for you.

[TCA]

I am so sorry to hear how hard all this has been for you. I too am a breastfeeding mom to my daughter who's an 11 mo. Celiac. My son has it too and I think I have DH. My husband is also a type 1 diabetic. The hardest thing about this diet is trying to balance the high carb breads and such with the diabetes. Are you on the pump? I'm sure you know this, but your body is under extreme stree right now and your blood sugar will probably react violently with spikes and crashes. My husband just started the diet last month since he has a lot of symptoms and it took a while to get his blood sugar regulated, but he seems to need less insulin now. The pump has been a lifesaver for him.

I know your system is having a hard time right now. Let me know if I can help in any way. You can PM me any time. I have some recipes I can share if you want. Do you have any other food allergies?

Cross contamination was a big issue for us at first and still is sometimes. It was probably a month or so before we were truly gluten free. We were unknowingly glutening ourselves through mistakes with the diet. Maybe you should list the things you eat and we might could help you find some issues. It's overwhelming at first, but it does get easier.

I'll be thinking of you......

[valery]

My personal thanks goes out to Ursula, Robbin, Misla and TCA. I am just now able to get in and read your replies in detail, though I did get a glimpse of them earlier today. My sister (who lives 2 hours away) came over to help out for the day, but she has now left so I am catching up.

I have had insulin dependent diabetes for almost 19 years and am presently on an insulin pump and doing very well as far as the diabetes goes. I am always reading product labels as I count carbs and take insulin accordingly via an insulin pump. Now, I simply have to add reading the ingredients from the labels, but I have no problem with that.

I did suspect the fresh vegetables were a problem, but am delighted to have gotten the feedback from you on that. I will stay clear of fresh veggies (and most fresh fruit) for a couple weeks and then slowly begin to introduce them back into my diet (kind of like feeding my 7-1/2 month old baby his new foods). I am also going to wait on the pure milk, but am testing out gluten-free cheese.

I don't have any other allergies that I know of (though I recognize that this disease could have created some new ones for me). I have started a diary that includes foods that have been eaten and any adverse reactions that result. I just didn't initially realize that it was going to be an "ease into" situation, so to speak. How do you know just how "bad" your intestine is at diagnosis? I have a picture that shows flattened hills, so I know things are not good at the start. I just don't know how long it will be before typical gluten free food can be reintroduced - but I guess it is that way for everyone.

As far as the gallbladder, I am extremely disappointed that my gastroenterologist informed me of nothing as it relates to this organ. Fortunately, I was resourceful enough to have read somewhere on the internet about avoiding high fat foods because of the condition of my gallbladder. However, earlier this week I did not comply with this and was probably feeling the effects of that, as well. The biggest issue I have regarding the gallbladder is if I don't get it removed soon, how long do I have to suffer with it being full of sludge and potential stones? It doesn't actually physically cause any pain or soreness, but is it helping to cause some of the gas pain and/or diarrhea? I will have to call the doctor next week and see if they can offer any advice prior to my next visit in 3-1/2 weeks.

Well, I think that will be it for now. I appreciate all of the info provided and feel like I now understand what was going on the last couple days. If there are any recipes for a newby, feel free to send them. I am going to try to keep things fairly simple for now, but know I will eventually be looking for all the help I can get.

Thanks soooooooooo much.....Valery

[Guest Viola]

Hello Valery; I'm so sorry you are going through such a hard time right now. Hope it improves soon.

When I was really having major problems I went back to the very basics. I found eggs helped a lot as they are high in protiens and vitamins. I started out just having them boiled or poached as I thought they would settle better than fried when I wasn't feeling well. Also think about things like peanut butter for protien...and that little Yummy hit I'm not sure where you live, but here Kraft peanut butter is safe.

The rest are right, the high fibre stuff is pretty hard on the system right now. If you want the vitamins etc. from fruit, try the less fibris ones like cantaloup or honey dew mellon.

Hang in there, there are lots of super people on this board to help.

[whitball]

Hello Valery; I'm so sorry you are going through such a hard time right now. Hope it improves soon.

When I was really having major problems I went back to the very basics. I found eggs helped a lot as they are high in protiens and vitamins. I started out just having them boiled or poached as I thought they would settle better than fried when I wasn't feeling well. Also think about things like peanut butter for protien...and that little Yummy hit I'm not sure where you live, but here Kraft peanut butter is safe.

The rest are right, the high fibre stuff is pretty hard on the system right now. If you want the vitamins etc. from fruit, try the less fibris ones like cantaloup or honey dew mellon.

Hang in there, there are lots of super people on this board to help.

Great advice from everyone. I am a newbie and have gotten great feedback from everyone. I have accidentally glutened myself a few times, but was advised to eat veggies, fruit and fresh meat. I have followed that advice, but have added rice cereal for breakfast. I have found that the more simple I keep it, the better I feel. let your system adjust to your new lifestyle for awhile. Your body will appreciate it. Good luck. Tara

[happygirl]

Also-just remember, that even though you may be eating 100% gluten free, your body might just take awhile to heal. So, to some degree, no matter what you eat (gluten-free of course!), every so often your body might just decide not to like you. But, it doesn't necessarily mean you ingested gluten or have other intolerances. (This happened to me!)

Welcome to the board!!!!!!!!!!

[valery]

Thanks, guys! I have found this forum to be an invaluable source in a matter of only a couple days. Did well overnight last night for the first time in the last week. Omitting those fresh veggies was a HUGE plus. Not sure when to expect a "normal BM" (pre-Celiac), but am satisfied at how I am doing over the last day. Just going to take things one day at a time and keeping things simple for a while.

Another thought, though...How many eggs are too many initially? I have been eating 2 every day for breakfast (which I'm sure won't last forever), but they have been working in my system. I plan on keeping this up for a while, at least until I find some other options that work. I'm assuming 2 a day for the short term is okay. I've never had problems with high cholesterol, but just curious if this is hurting in any way.

I appreciate all of your warm wishes and generous caring concern. It means a lot to someone who only moved 4 months ago and with not knowing anyone in my new area (and not having family close enough to come over), having found this forum is awesome!

Valery

[TCA]

i personally don't think that 2 or even 3 eggs a day will hurt. Look at how many bad foods you have cut from your diet now that you're gluten-free. I think that would more than make up for anything!!! I'm so glad you're doing better. I'm also glad you're on the pump. It is wonderful!

Here is a very simple PB cooke recipe I make all the time in case you want something sweet:

1c. PB

1/4 c. sugar

3/4 c Splenda

1 egg

Mix well, roll into balls and press onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 mins. I make 4 batches at a time for our family!

The little bit of sugar is just to hold them together and it's not much spread over the whole pan of cookies, plus you're not adding any other carbs.

so glad you're dong better!

Thanks, guys! I have found this forum to be an invaluable source in a matter of only a couple days. Did well overnight last night for the first time in the last week. Omitting those fresh veggies was a HUGE plus. Not sure when to expect a "normal BM" (pre-Celiac), but am satisfied at how I am doing over the last day. Just going to take things one day at a time and keeping things simple for a while.

Another thought, though...How many eggs are too many initially? I have been eating 2 every day for breakfast (which I'm sure won't last forever), but they have been working in my system. I plan on keeping this up for a while, at least until I find some other options that work. I'm assuming 2 a day for the short term is okay. I've never had problems with high cholesterol, but just curious if this is hurting in any way.

I appreciate all of your warm wishes and generous caring concern. It means a lot to someone who only moved 4 months ago and with not knowing anyone in my new area (and not having family close enough to come over), having found this forum is awesome!

Valery

[Guest Viola]

I checked into the egg issue when I was eating so many. Eggs are fine as long as you are substituting them for other colesterol producing foods.

That means, if you eat eggs, don't eat meat with them. People who run into problems eat eggs, with bacon, ham, or sausages. That's not good, but if you are not eating meat at that meal, you can use eggs for your protien source. If you are using dairy...go down to skim milk, or at the very most 1%.

So glad you are feeling better!