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[rosbury67]

I was just diagnosed with celiac disease in nov 2006. I was doing ok on the gluten-free diet until a couple of weeks ago. I'm suddenly SOOO frustrated and am having a really hard time. I don't know what to do. I know for sure I do not want to go backwards.....being exhausted and sick all the time... Anyone have any ideas to give me a jump start??

[alyssasgabby]

I was just diagnosed with celiac disease in nov 2006. I was doing ok on the gluten-free diet until a couple of weeks ago. I'm suddenly SOOO frustrated and am having a really hard time. I don't know what to do. I know for sure I do not want to go backwards.....being exhausted and sick all the time... Anyone have any ideas to give me a jump start??

I would first suggest keeping your pantry stocked as much as you can. That way, food options are right there. (I am the only Celiac in my household, so the temptations are right there in front of me and I have to be really careful.)

When I find myself getting in a rut, I go back to the basics, such as rice and fresh fruits and veggies. I keep safe chocolate as a treat when I am feeling frustrated. Also, even a nice relaxing bath with candles is a way that I refresh myself. At one point when I was feeling frustrated and very upset, a great friend simply said to me: "OK, so what are you doing to make yourself feel better? You've done a good job! You can do this!" and that made me kick myself in the butt and get back to LIVING! I was so sick with celiac disease for so many years, had so many misdiagnosed illnesses, that it is easy for me to fall into depression so I have to stay up all of the time! I hope some of these suggestions will help you! Let us know how you are doing!

[NoGluGirl]

I was just diagnosed with celiac disease in nov 2006. I was doing ok on the gluten-free diet until a couple of weeks ago. I'm suddenly SOOO frustrated and am having a really hard time. I don't know what to do. I know for sure I do not want to go backwards.....being exhausted and sick all the time... Anyone have any ideas to give me a jump start??

Dear rosbury67,

I get tastebud boredom. I have to have taste! There are a number of things that we can have you probably do not know about! I was lucky enough to find out about some mainstream stuff that is allowed. I am the only Celiac in our household, so I have to stare at Cheez-Its, cookies, and other things I miss. However, considering I get violently ill from a microscopic amount of gluten, cheating is not tempting.

I have a list that should really help. This is overwhelming. I went through this with myself six months ago. You spend most of your day cooking and cleaning obsessively. The rest you are on the phone with reps from companies trying to find out what is safe. I decided to save you the trouble!

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

Hormel Chili

Hormel Spam

Hormel Turkey Spam (Oven Roasted and Smoked)

Hormel Beef Au Jus Entree

Hormel Pork Au Jus Entree

Jimmy Dean Fresh Taste Fast Sausage (links, rolls, and patties)

Plumrose Bacon

PAM Non-Stick Cooking Spray (all except for PAM for baking; it has flour)

Beverages:

Coca-Cola (Diet, Regular, Vanilla, Caffeine Free)

Diet Rite

Folgers Coffees (all including Cappuccinos)

Luzianne Tea (We get decaf)

Arizona Teas

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice

Some Household Items that are safe include:

Cascade Dishwashing Detergent

All Laundry Detergent

Wisk Laundry Detergent

Dawn Dish Soap (all including the Power Disolver)

SoftSoap Hand Soaps

Murphy's Oil Soap

Hygiene, Cosmetics, and Beauty Items:

Dove Soaps, Shampoos, Conditioners, Lotions, and Styling Aids (Will clearly label gluten if present)

Crest Whitening Expressions Toothpastes

Colgate Toothpastes

Suave Soaps, Shampoos, Conditioners, Lotions, and Styling Aids (Will clearly label gluten if present)

Maybelline (Gluten is clearly labeled when present)

CoverGirl (Gluten is clearly labeled when present)

Wet'n Wild (All except for one of the mascaras)

Olay Quench Body Lotion

Crest WhiteStrips

Colgate Simply White

I hope this has some things on it you did not know we could have so you can break out of your rut! I miss dairy, but it makes me as sick as gluten. So it had to go too!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[Susanna]

Hey--yeah, it is hard to get started on the gluten-free life, but SO worth it when you notice how much better you feel. Here are my gluten-free newbie tips--how you get started to eat to treat, and soon feel better. Here are some key coping strategies to get you started.

1. Know that you will grieve your old favorite gluten-filled foods. I actually tear up when I see a Ritz cracker sometimes. Grieving is normal. People around you will eat treats you can't have and you will feel sad and isolated. Strategy: stock your car, office, purse, backpack, secret drawer at home with gluten-free treats you can reach for any time you are feeling deprived. This really helped me. I recommend Baby Ruth Bars, Snicker Bars, Lara Bars, Dove Dark Chocolate, meringue cookies, macaroon cookies (read labels), Butterfinger, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. You get the idea.

2. Know that it will take time (months, probably) to figure out what to eat (it took me 6 mos.) and during this time, it'll be kind of a daily challenge to plan meals. Every time you go to the store it'll be a challenge to choose groceries. Strategy: plan on an hour--don't bring kids or friends. Go the bathroom before you start grocery shopping. Bring your reading glasses--read every label. Write down brands and varieties of products within brands that work for you. This gets a lot easier after a while--MUCH EASIER OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AS YOU GET USED TO TO THE DIET.

3. It may take a while for your gut to heal, depending on how damaged it was at the time you went gluten free. So, you are going to have to be patient with your body--some people feel better immediately after going gluten-free, but most of us take longer than that. Don't give up if you don't see instant results. Strategy: Maximize your general health by getting enough rest, water, exercise, and limiting stress. Maximize your digestive health by limiting foods that are hard on the gastrointestinal tract until you're feeling better: limit irritants like dairy, caffeine, alcohol, and fried foods--these are all hard to digest--go back to them when you feel your gut is recovering.

4. Accept right now that it will be YOUR job to teach those around you about your diet--they will NOT figure it out on their own. I mean, if you don't advocate for yourself, why should anybody else? If you're not already an assertive person, this will be good training for you.

5. Here are some meal ideas: ALWAYS READ LABELS!

Breakfast:

eggs, turkey bacon, gluten-free cereal, cream of rice cereal, rice pudding with raisins-yum! For grab n' go breakfast, hard boiled eggs, piece of fruit, cottage cheese and yogurt stirred together. Most yogurts are gluten-free.

Lunch:

cold cuts and cheese rolled up in a lettuce leaf

rice cake with peanut butter and raisins, or almond butter and dried cherries

rice cake with cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes

beef jerkey (read labels--the ones soy sauce have wheat and these aren't OK. Bridgford Original is OK, Kroger Peppered Beef jerkey is OK) I have this in my desk at work and it is a lifesaver--great for camping, too.

Fruit: fresh, canned, dried

Tortilla chips and bean dip

Hard boiled eggs

leftovers from last night

Several Progresso soups are gluten-free: Creamy mushroom (a lifesaver for me in cooking quick dinners), chicken and wild rice, etc. READ LABELS.

Snacks:

Fritos

Cheetos

Tortilla chips

Most potato chips

popcorn

mixed nuts

trail mix (read labels)

gluten-free candies I mentioned above

Lara Bars

Some flavors of Zone Bars (Fudge graham, chocolate coconut crunch, chocolate almond raisin)

Dinner:

Main dishes: omelets, baked salmon with olive oil/salt/pepper, baked chicken with Progresso creamy mushroom soup with a little sour cream stirred in and poured over, grilled hamburgers (use giant lettuce leaf as a wrap, tacos with corn tortillas, split pea soup, etc. Most of the Classico pasta sauces are gluten-free, and these are great over gluten-free pasta, but they're also great over rice, omelets, or poured over chicken then baked in the oven.

Starchy sides: baked potatoes, any other kind of potatoes, too) rice pilaf, polenta, grits, steamed squash, creamed corn.

Veggies--steamed, with a little butter on top is yummy.

Dessert: chocolate mousse, creme brulee, rice pudding, ice cream (read labels--avoid ice creams like cookie and cream, birthday cake, cookie dough flavors, but all the chocolate, vanilla, sherbets, coffee flavors are generally OK), chocolate dipped strawberries, flan, custard, most puddings, gelatin, pavlova, meringue cookies, some of the kosher almond macarroon cookies are also gluten-free--read labels.

Convenience foods:

Amy's rice crust pizza

Many Amy's frozen entrees are gluten-free--read labels--I get these at Kroger, Safeway, and the health food store

Organic Bistro has several frozen entrees that are gluten-free. Ask at your health food store. Whole Foods and Sprouts carry them.

Thai kitchen--many of their rice mixes are gluten-free, and you can get these in mainstream grocery stores

gluten-free bread mixes make great gluten-free bread--way better (in my opinion) than any loaf you can buy in the store. These mixes are very easy to use with a bread machine. Pam's Amazing wheat free gluten free bread mix is my fave. If you don't have a bread machine, get one--you can usually pick one up for cheap at second hand stores.

Good luck!

Susanna