New Diagnosis, Need Help

[beachitsue]

I'm brand new to this sight and a week into my diagnosis. I would really appreciate any guidance on books, etc..to help me through this new "adventure".

Thanks!

[NoGluGirl]

I'm brand new to this sight and a week into my diagnosis. I would really appreciate any guidance on books, etc..to help me through this new "adventure".

Thanks!

Dear beachitsue,

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:

Utz Potato Chips (Found at Sam's Club)

Lay's Stax (None of the others are made on dedicated lines. I was sick from Tostitos due to this.)

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

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, Southwestern

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)

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 helps! By the way, items that have a * on them contain dairy in case you were told to avoid that as well.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[beachitsue]

I'm brand new to this sight and a week into my diagnosis. I would really appreciate any guidance on books, etc..to help me through this new "adventure".

Thanks!

thank you so much! that is a great start. I am so overwhelmed with this all right now, but thankful to have a diagnosis after 3 years of not knowing...It's hard having my kids who do not need this diet, while juggling what i need to stay away from! I appreciate your list..that will be a great resource!

Thanks!

[NoGluGirl]

thank you so much! that is a great start. I am so overwhelmed with this all right now, but thankful to have a diagnosis after 3 years of not knowing...It's hard having my kids who do not need this diet, while juggling what i need to stay away from! I appreciate your list..that will be a great resource!

Thanks!

Dear beachitsue,

You are very welcome! It is overwhelming! I share a kitchen with my parents, who are gluten free. That leaves cross-contamination open. There are some things you all will like, though. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you Dinty Moore Beef Stew is gluten free! That stuff is great! There are options that are not at the healthfood store. I am on a tight budget, so I have to buy almost everything at the regular store! I only buy what I absolutely have to at the healthfood store!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[Ursa Major]

Hi, and welcome to these boards. It is a steep learning curve, but you'll get the hang of it soon.

Here is a link to get you started. Nini has put together a 'Newbie survival kit' which she put onto her website for download. Open Original Shared Link

You scroll down to the bottom to find the newbie survival kit. It will be invaluable to you.

I advise you to start out simple. Meaning, it is not a great idea to start out with substituting officially gluten-free foods for all the foods you have to give up. At first you body needs food that counts, not empty calories. And most of the replacement foods are not very nourishing.

It is better to stick with meat, vegetables and fruit at first. You need to eliminate dairy (all of it) for at least six months, as your villi are damaged. The tips of the villi are supposed to produce the enzyme lactase to enable people to digest dairy. Those tips are gone right now. Give them a chance to regenerate before you try dairy again.

If you are going to eat gluten-free bread, you will need a new toaster, you absolutely cannot clean your old toaster well enough to be safe. The same goes for plastic colanders that have been used to drain gluten pasta with, and wooden cutting boards and wooden spoons. If your non-stick cookware is scratched it will also need replacing. Stainless steel pots and pans need to be thoroughly scrubbed. Cast iron ones can't be used any more, as they can't be cleaned well enough.

Make sure you go through all of your personal care products and replace the ones containing gluten (look for wheat germ oil, barley extract, oat bran). That includes shampoo, conditioner, lipstick, soap, lotion, toothpaste etc.

Make sure your vitamins and medications are gluten-free. Vitamin E is often derived from wheat germ oil. If in doubt call the 1-800 number on packaging.

Okay, that should be enough info to make your head spin, so I'll stop here.

I hope you'll feel better soon.

By the way, have you been told that celiac disease is genetic, and you need to have all of your children tested? It is likely that at least some of them have it, too.

It would be better for you to make your house gluten-free, as otherwise cross contamination is almost unavoidable and will keep you from getting 100% better.

You should not have to cook supper twice. Potatoes, rice, vegetables and meats are all gluten-free. And gluten-free pasta (Tinkyada is a good brand) is usually liked just fine by non-celiacs. In fact, they usually don't even notice the difference.

[Susanna]

Hey, Beachitsue--I recommend "The gluten free bible" by Jax Peters, and "Celiac disease: the hidden epidemic" by Dr Peter Green.

Here are my other newbie tips:

1. Know that you will grieve your old favorite gluten-filled foods. I actually tear up when I see a brioche sometimes. Grieving is normal (BUT IT IS NOT COMFORTABLE). 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. The good news is, THIS GETS MUCH BETTER 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