New To Celiav

[runner girl]

Hi, I was just diagnosed with celiac two weeks ago. I am one of the lucky ones, with my only symptom was anemia. I was tested because I was having other labs done and figured I would have a celiac panel run because of a family history (my aunt and grandmother). I was shocked to learn I came back positive and when my boipsy was done, I was told I had moderate to severe damage. I started the diet 1 and 1/2 weeks ago (had to have my last hamberger, girl scout cookie, etc for closure).

I am struggling a bit with the diet, more because it is a pain to eat out, then anything else. I have a couple of questions, maybe someone would be kind enough to answer.

1. Are marshmellows ok? Are there any brands that are ok? According to the ingredients they look ok, but then I saw something calling fo gluten-free marshmellows?

2. Are there any breads or flat breads that actually taste good? Lunch seems to be the hardest as I miss being ablt to eat a sandwich.

Thanks in advance for youre help.

[Susanna]

Hey, runner girl--welcome to the boards! Sorry you are celiac, but since you are, I'm glad you know about it so you can live gluten-free and maximize your health.

Yes, marshmallows are generally gluten-free--I have never found any that have gluten, but of course you ALWAYS have to read labels to be sure.

Yesterday was my one-year anniversary of gluten-free living--I feel great and have adjusted pretty well. But, in the beginning, before I had figured out what I could eat, it was really hard--I'd be hungry and people at work would bring in bagels or donuts--that sucked! A stragegy that REALLY helped during that time was to bring gluten-free treats (Baby Ruth bar, Snickers, Health bar, etc.) that I could stash in my desk (purse, car, secret drawer at home) that I could pull out and eat whenever I was feeling deprived--this really helped with my feelins of isolation during that time.

Lunches at work are a challenge. Here are some ideas:

Hard boiled eggs

string cheese

rice crackers (Nut Thins, Trader Joes Savory Thins, Mary's Gone Crackers, etc.)

lettuce wrap: big leaf of lettuce rolled around cold cuts and cheese and a little tiny bit of dressing

corn tortilla warmed (for softening) in microwave, then use to wrap cold cuts, cheese, burger patty, etc.

rice cakes and peanut butter with raisins sprinkled on top

rice cakes and cottage cheese with cherry tomatoes on top

leftovers from last night's dinner--I cook extra, and pack individual meals in plastic containers to bring to work.

Some Amy's frozen meals are gluten-free

Some Thai Kichen meals are gluten-free, and these don't even need refridgeration.

Beef jerkey-(read labels--some have teriyaki sauce, which is a no no. Bridgford Original is OK though)

Dried fruit, fresh fruit

I always bring a little treat in my lunch too (a Dove dark choc. square, or something) so I feel like I'm not missing out on anything.

I haven't found a store-bought gluten-free loaf of bread yet that I've totally loved, but if you have a bread machine, ALL of the gluten-free bread mixes are really good--my whole family is hooked on gluten-free bread now. If you can't afford a new bread machine, you can pick up a used one at the Goodwill for really cheap.

Good luck!

Susanna

[kbtoyssni]

All the marshmallows I've seen are gluten-free. A lot of recipes say use gluten-free everything, which I always think is kindof silly because I wouldn't put something with gluten in a gluten-free recipe! Do they honestly think we're not going to check the gluten status of the ingredients?

I really like Food for Life brand bread. It's pretty common in mainstream grocery stores. Except the mainstream stores always have the brown rice kind which I don't like. I like the red and black rice so I have to go to a gluten-free store. You could also try making your own bread. I recommend any of the breads in The Gluten Free Gourmet Cookbook. I recommend all the cakes and cookies in that book, too

[runner girl]

Thanks so much for the advice. I just ordered that cookbook a couple of days ago. I did make one loaf of bread in my bread machine and it wasn't as bad as the ones you get in the stores.

[larry mac]

...... Are there any breads ... that actually taste good?.....

Hi rg,

Welcome to the forum, I just joined a couple months ago myself. Seems there's more & more of us every day. Pretty soon we'll have enough people to get a gluten-free voter registration drive going & get us somebody elected, maybe a gluten-free vice president or something. Yeah, then they'll pay us some attention & invent a decent gluten-free bread. We need some legislation to take the malt extract out of all the freakin cereals. Don't get me started.

Here's what I recommend. Make some muffins. They're fairly easy, very tasty, freeze extremely well, and are quite nutritious. Throw all kinds of stuff in there. The learning curve is short & the success rate is high (unlike bread imho & I use to be mr. bread man). I have a recipe if you'd like to try it, but all I really did (& I do this all the time), was go to a recipe website (as in allrecipes.com). Sort through about a dozen promising (ie. reasonable sounding) recipes, say for instance banana nut muffins. Make a list (tabulate the results) of all the major ingredients. Record the amounts for each common ingredient. Make a master recipe by averaging each ingredient, applying your preferences of course. You'll learn a lot about the recipes just by reading the comments about each one.

That's all I got for now. best regards, lm

p.s., I know it sounds dumb, but I highly recommend the book "Living Gluten-Free for Dummies" by Danna Korn. It's not just a cookbook.

[sophie-skate]

Hey!

I am new to this whole gluten free thing as well and am having heaps of problems. I am still really dizzy even though i have been gluten-free for a month now. Does anyone else have that problem and if so how long did it take to go away?

Im also a sales rep so im travelling a heap and having to eat out every night is a huge problem considering there arnt that many options in New Zealand.

Its nice to read about the problems other people are going through as well because i can certainly relate!

Thanks for the lunch ideas above they are really good. I was feeling like i had to JUST eat healthy but now I also carry my favourite chocolate bars around to help me out and keep me smiling.

[NoGluGirl]

Hi, I was just diagnosed with celiac two weeks ago. I am one of the lucky ones, with my only symptom was anemia. I was tested because I was having other labs done and figured I would have a celiac panel run because of a family history (my aunt and grandmother). I was shocked to learn I came back positive and when my boipsy was done, I was told I had moderate to severe damage. I started the diet 1 and 1/2 weeks ago (had to have my last hamberger, girl scout cookie, etc for closure).

I am struggling a bit with the diet, more because it is a pain to eat out, then anything else. I have a couple of questions, maybe someone would be kind enough to answer.

1. Are marshmellows ok? Are there any brands that are ok? According to the ingredients they look ok, but then I saw something calling fo gluten-free marshmellows?

2. Are there any breads or flat breads that actually taste good? Lunch seems to be the hardest as I miss being ablt to eat a sandwich.

Thanks in advance for youre help.

Dear RunnerGirl,

When I went gluten free six months ago, I spent all of my time on the phone with manufacturers, cooking, and cleaning. To spare others the exhaustion, I decided to put together a begginer's list. I want to make this as easy as possible for others. This is a difficult disease. Life is complicated enough, why make it harder? I hope this helps you out.

1. There are a number of things in the regular grocery that are safe. Some things are labeled already. Wal-Mart's Great Value brand has numerous things you can eat.

2. For the love of God use Coupons on items you are allowed to eat. People can get them and print them out online even. Call some of the local stores and ask if they accept online coupons.

3. Check the ads online and in the newspaper. You would be surprised how many people do not do this.

4. Some items like rice flour and rice noodles are safe to buy at the Chinese or oriental market. The merchants are more than happy to help you if you cannot read the label.

Now, here is my list of great things to get you started:

Condiments:

Smart Balance Margerine

Crisco Shortening

Crisco Oil

Pompeiian Olive Oil

Great Value soy sauce

Heinz Ketchup

Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce

Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce

Kraft French Fat-Free Salad Dressing

Kraft Thousand Island Fat-Free Salad Dressing

Pace Picante Sauce

Ortega Salsa

All Classico Red and White sauces

All Jif Peanut Butters including Smooth Sensations

Welch's Grape Jelly

Cool Whip

Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Miracle Whip

Daisy Sour Cream (fat-free, low-fat, regular)

Snack Foods:

Fritos

Tostitos

Lay's Original Potato Chips

Cool Ranch Doritos (Nacho cheese has gluten)

Act II Microwave Popcorn

Cheetos

3 Musketeers candy bars

Butterfinger candy bars

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Meat and Protein :

Eggs

Great Value Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Extra Lean ground beef

Carl Buddig lunchmeats all are safe

Johnsonville Original Bratwursts

Kraft Cheese Shredded or sliced (Kraft is a great company, they never hide gluten in their labels. If it does not say wheat, barley, oats or rye, then it is not in there!)

Cereals:

Cocoa Pebbles

Fruity Pebbles

Dora the Explorer Cinnamon Stars

Seasonings:

Durkee Cinnamon-ground

Durkee Ginger-ground

Durkee Chili powder

Durkee Vanilla Extract (in fact, all of their liquid flavorings, food colorings, and extracts are g.f.)

Emeril's Essence - Asian, Italian

Ortega Taco Seasoning (In fact, since they are under a very strict labeling policy, all of their products are gluten free at this time)

Miscellaneous:

Ortega Taco Shells

Starkist or Great Value Tuna

Butter Buds

Great Value Soy Milk

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Apples

Pears

Carrots

Great Value Canned Fruits and Vegetables

Del Monte Canned Fruits and Vegetables

Ore Ida Tater Tots

Ore Ida French Fries

Comstock Pie Filling

Recently, some other members told me these are also gluten free:

LaChoy Sweet and Sour Sauce

A1 Steak Sauce

Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl