1st gluten-free Shopping Trip Successful (hopefully)

[I3Daniel]

Well, we went shopping for the first time last night for all gluten-free and dairy-free foods. It was kind of difficult, as Daniel wasn't a ton of help. I think he isn't wanting to make a big deal out of this, and doesn't want to "burden" me with all of it, and he's trying to lessen the severity of the situation. I'm trying to be as upbeat as possible, and not come across as "put out" by all of this. I really don't feel that way. I'm excited for him to stick with it and see if he notices changes in how he feels. I just don't know how to make him feel like he's not being a burden on me.

He's kind of a picky eater, so I wanted to make sure he had a lot of input with the list, and while we were shopping. I would ask him if he would eat a certain gluten-free food, and he'd say something vague, and I felt like I was making all of the decisions. Halfway through shopping, he said, isn't that enough? I looked in our cart and all we had was some steak and hot dogs! I know he likes to kind of snack throughout the day, and if there's nothing gluten-free he can snack on, he's going to feel really deprived or be tempted to eat gluten. Eventually, I was able to get some Del Monte fruit snacks, a pineapple, some chilie, baked beans, OJ and a few other items. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be enough food to get him by until my next paycheck, but it's a start.

He asked me today what he could eat at Macayo's, and I called the manager to find out. I was told that he can have a taco/tostada (corn tortilla) and beans and rice. When I told Daniel, he says "Are you sure they're safe??" So, I'm glad he seems to be taking it really seriously.

I'm a little worried because I'm going out of town next week from Thursday through Monday, so I'm not really going to be available to tell him what he can and can't eat. He's taking an interest, and I think he knows what to look for, but he seems to ask me a lot if he can eat various things. He's not helpless, so I know he'll be able to make himself a steak and some veggies while I'm gone, and he won't starve or be forced to eat gluten, but I worry that it will be overwhelming for him with me not there. I have printed out a lot of information (including a ton of stuff from this forum!) for him to read, and I'll make sure it's handy while I'm gone for him to reference.

A couple of questions:

Is it ok to share plastic utensils with non gluten-free food? I need to know if I should get all new utensils. Also, if I do, do they need to be kept in a seperate drawer, or can they be in the same drawer as his parents' utensils?

I bought bread at Trader Joe's, I believe it's Food For Life, and Daniel won't eat it. I made sure he toasted it, but he didn't like it at all. He said it was too dry and thick, too much like a brick. I didn't think it was too bad, personally. I'm hoping I can make some french toast with it that he'll like, because I won't be able to eat the whole loaf of bread before it goes bad. Is there a better bread out there? I know it's the only one we've tried, but I fear if he tries too many that he doesn't like he'll give up on bread. And, I know it's something he really likes.

Are regular, non-teflon pots and pans that have been used with non gluten-free food ok to use, or should I just buy all new ones?

Should I just be watching for wheat, barley and rye? I read the list of forbidden foods on this site, and it's a pretty long list. Should I be looking for all of those ingredients when I look at a label? There's no way I'll ever be able to memorize that list!!!!

Are there any common ingredients (other than the above) I can look for that I may not realize are glutening Daniel?

Well, I guess that's all for now I really want to thank everyone on here for being so kind and supportive. It has been a ton of help, and it's only been 2 days!!! I hope that at some point I feel knowledgeable enough about all of this to post advice to others!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!!!

Sami

[Lisa]

Sami

All Teflon pans that are scratched need to go. I threw out all my wooden spoons. A good watch in heat in the dish washer should do a satisfactory cleaning. A separate toaster is a must.

Most bread you buy in the frozen section of stores. Kinnikinnick loaf bread is the best that I have found and they do have a website.

Watch out for wheat, rye, oats, malt and barley. Wheat is required by law to be listed, but the others are not. Those are the tricky ones.

I have been following your posts and you seem to have jumped right in there to help Daniel. I hope that he is appreciative and that he know that ultimently, it is HIS responsibility to keep himself heath.

Good work, Lisa

[bluejeangirl]

The mistakes I've made that I think may be common were;

1. The ingredient barley malt. Its in cereals and some rice milks maybe even some soy milk.

2. I bought a mix for buckwheat pancakes and had them two days in a row before I realized it also had wheat listed. I thought it said buckwheat and it did but it listed wheat right after it and didn't see it.

3. I grabbed a bag of corn tostita type chips that were on sale because I was running low on money. I again started eating them and realized I should look at the ingredients because you should take nothing for grated and low and behold wheat. You have to ask in resturants if wheat is an ingredients in their corn chips.

4. Wheat is in alot of shampoos

5. If something says wheatfree it doesn't mean its gluten free. Alot of cereals will say wheat free but they won't be gluten free. Its tricky if your not paying attention.

Some bread advice. The hardest part will be in the beginning when your making the transistion. You still remember how wheat bread tasted and you feel let down by anything else. I was buying breads made with rice and I hated how it stuck to your teeth. Rice breads will tend to do that. Now they have flour blends that have tapioca starches and bean starches that give the bread a better texture. I still find they taste better toasted. The further the memory of wheat bread is the more accepting you get with gluten-free bread. I remember tasting Kinnickinick bread for the first time and thought I was in heaven after eating the rice breads for awhile.

It gets easier as time goes on. I would try and find a pizza he'll like because that's a big part of kids diet.

Gail

[amybeth]

Hi! I'm glad your shopping trip went well. Daniel may just be feeling completely overwhelmed - it is so much information to take in at first!!!

You were asking about kitchen items - someone mentioned wooden spoons, but I also got rid of my old wooden cutting board. I actually bought flexible plastic cutting boards that were cheaper and work just as well.

In addition to asking restaurants what ingredients their nacho-type chips contain, you should also be careful about fried items -- anything placed in fryer oil that has also fried breaded items (chicken tenders, onion rings, etc) is unsafe. One restaurant I visited even put their potato skins in the fryer (yuck!)

Have you checked for a celiac support group in your area? This would be a good opportunity for Daniel to get information and help from others - you are doing a great job supporting him, but that can get frustrating for you (and maybe even for him) after a while. The more outside resources the better! Maybe you can visit a natural foods store together and he can ask what gluten-free items they carry.

It sounds like you are doing so much to help him. Chances are, if he experiences a positive result from going gluten-free, there are going to be mishaps, mistakes, and times when he just plain forgets and "glutens" himself.

Hopefully his symptoms will help him realize how much better he feels when gluten-free.

I agree - a lot of the bread is kind of nasty - especially at first. Not the white wonderbread we grew up with - at all. I like the kinnikinnick white sandwich bread (toasted) and also Gillians French Rolls. They are pricey, but I usually only use one half of the roll and make an open faced sandwich, so the package lasts me longer.

Good luck! Be patient!

Amy

[I3Daniel]

Thank you all so much for your replies and encouragement. Our cable has been down at home, so I haven't had much time to post here, other than at work But, I just wanted to thank you all, reply to your posts, and let you know how it's going.

amybeth,

Wooden cutting boards, I didn't even think of it! I'll definitely get some new ones specifically for our gluten-free cooking. I have warned Daniel about fried/breaded foods in restaurants. He went to Macayo's and had a good time, and he was able to eat one of his favorites--tostadas with beans and rice! And, he felt good. He didn't mention to the waiter that he can't have gluten, so I told him to make sure to do that next time. He was with a group of friends, and I think he didn't want to draw a bunch of attention to himself. Also, I haven't yet checked for a support group in our area, but I will soon. I'm not sure how he would feel about that, I'll have to check with him. He's very shy and introverted, and I'm very much the opposite, so I like to take the slack/stress off of him whenever it's possible. This is one of the reasons I've taken on the responsibility of all the research and most of the shopping. I don't want it to get too overwhelming for him. I'm going out of town soon, and he's going to have to shop without me, so I printed lists of things that should be gluten-free, and he knows to check the labels and what to look for. So, I'm hoping that goes well for him. We'll have to try the Gillians French Rolls. I don't mind spending a little extra on the specialty items, because they're not the majority of grocery items we buy, and I feel bad that he can't have things he just loves anymore, like bread and tortillas.

bluejeangirl,

Anything with Barley is an automatic no, but I just found out about the malt. I'll have to add that to my "watch out for" list. I've got to get him another shampoo, his contains wheat. He's not too fond of that idea, it's his favorite shampoo, but I'm hoping to find something just as good, only good for him. I can definitely tell bread is going to be a challenge. After the next trial, if it's not good, I'm going to attempt to bake some at home. That should be a challenge! I'm not really the "baker" I probably should be Hopefully I'll be able to change that soon! Also, I read on this forum somewhere that Picazzo's has gluten free foods, and there are a couple in our area. So, I promised Daniel that we'll go eat there when I get back from my trip. He's ultra excited, pizza is one of his all time favorites! I just hope they have lactose-free cheese!

Momma Goose,

I ordered a few Kinnickinnick products, including bread, so I've definitely got to go buy a new toaster. I'm hoping the products I picked out will be tasty. Daniel does realize that it's his responsibility, and he's being really good about checking items on his own. He even went to his family's easter bbq (I couldn't go) and had to pass up hot dog buns and pasta salad and all kinds of gluten-filled goodness, and I was so proud of him for sticking to his guns. He even tried explaining it all to his family, and I don't think they really got it, but he made an attempt. I made sure to let him know that I was proud that he was able to do that without me being there, and for trying to communicate his gluten-free diet with his family, when he could have very easily cheated and eaten all the yummies. Luckily I ordered some hot dog and hamburger buns from Kinnickinnick so we can bbq later and he can feel that sense of normalcy. I hope they aren't gross!

Again, thank you all for your replies. This forum has been such a wonderful support and resource.

(sorry this was so long!!)

Sami