Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Brand New To The Celiac Way Of Life


griffmom

Recommended Posts

griffmom Newbie

Good morning all :-)

I imagine my story is pretty common these days. Hubby has been plagued with headaches

since he can remember. He literally had one without fail every day of his life. It was

just a matter of how bad. He also had the skin issues, especially in the winter. We

had been to our family practice doc numerous times trying to get relief and kept

trying different things. Well he was so miserable he decided to try a chiropractor

and when they did his weight, he was horrified.

He came home that day and said, "That's it, I'm going on a diet". He did the research

and started the South Beach diet. By the end of week one/ beginning of week two he

said," I have not had a headache once today or yesterday!!" This was MONUMENTAL!!

He cheated one day and got a burrito for lunch and within 30-45 minutes he had a splitting

headache and no energy. He started researching the South Beach website and found

out about Celiac disease and how many people have found out they are either allergic

or sensitive to gluten as a result of going off the processed foods and flour.

He's been living gluten free for the better part of a month now and has lost 20 pounds so far.

He looks great and feels so much better. We still have some items in the house that the

kids eat but I'm trying to adopt new ways of meal preparations and have become a

"label addict" I've found making the effort to prepare him healthy good-tasting meals

and researching different foods is the best way I can tell him," I love you." I want him

to be as happy in this life as possible and if that means learning a new way to cook,

eat.... LIVE.. than I'm ready to learn...........

Does anyone have good practical advice for books or other resources they found helpful

starting out? I've been really pleased with the gluten free section at our local Meijer

and we've gone to a whole foods store and Trader Joes as well. We're in Indiana and

healthy eating is still something that takes concerted effort but I'm happy for what I

have found so far. I'm contemplating just having a gluten free home but that's going

to require a much higher food budget!! I just keep telling myself that in the long run,

it's probably going to benefit all of us. My biggest thing is not having too many "stinker"

meals that we would rather fast than eat!!!

Thanks for any advice/support you can offer me

Griffmom in Indy


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



kbtoyssni Contributor

Welcome and congrats! I love The Gluten Free Gourmet cookbook. I've made most of the cakes in there and they've all turned out great. The gluten free diet can be more expensive at first mainly because people try to replace all their old gluten foods with gluten-free ones. With a bit of thinking outside the box, you can reduce these costs. Like using corn tortillas for PB&J wraps rather than sandwich bread. Or eating a baked potato with toppings for lunch instead of a sandwich. I do very little shopping at a gluten free store and buy mostly "mainstream" brand products so I wouldn't say my food costs have increased much at all. For things like rice flour, I go to the Asian food section and buy it in bulk for cheap (4lbs for $2).

Guest j_mommy

If you want to read up on the subject.....

Living Gluten Free for dummies by Dana Korn. It's humerous and has lots of good info and some great recipes.

Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Dr. Peter Green is also great.

I bought both together on Amazon for about $30 as a pair.

Good luck! :D

NoGluGirl Contributor
Good morning all :-)

I imagine my story is pretty common these days. Hubby has been plagued with headaches

since he can remember. He literally had one without fail every day of his life. It was

just a matter of how bad. He also had the skin issues, especially in the winter. We

had been to our family practice doc numerous times trying to get relief and kept

trying different things. Well he was so miserable he decided to try a chiropractor

and when they did his weight, he was horrified.

He came home that day and said, "That's it, I'm going on a diet". He did the research

and started the South Beach diet. By the end of week one/ beginning of week two he

said," I have not had a headache once today or yesterday!!" This was MONUMENTAL!!

He cheated one day and got a burrito for lunch and within 30-45 minutes he had a splitting

headache and no energy. He started researching the South Beach website and found

out about Celiac disease and how many people have found out they are either allergic

or sensitive to gluten as a result of going off the processed foods and flour.

He's been living gluten free for the better part of a month now and has lost 20 pounds so far.

He looks great and feels so much better. We still have some items in the house that the

kids eat but I'm trying to adopt new ways of meal preparations and have become a

"label addict" I've found making the effort to prepare him healthy good-tasting meals

and researching different foods is the best way I can tell him," I love you." I want him

to be as happy in this life as possible and if that means learning a new way to cook,

eat.... LIVE.. than I'm ready to learn...........

Does anyone have good practical advice for books or other resources they found helpful

starting out? I've been really pleased with the gluten free section at our local Meijer

and we've gone to a whole foods store and Trader Joes as well. We're in Indiana and

healthy eating is still something that takes concerted effort but I'm happy for what I

have found so far. I'm contemplating just having a gluten free home but that's going

to require a much higher food budget!! I just keep telling myself that in the long run,

it's probably going to benefit all of us. My biggest thing is not having too many "stinker"

meals that we would rather fast than eat!!!

Thanks for any advice/support you can offer me

Griffmom in Indy

Dear Griffmom,

It is nice to see a fellow Hoosier on here! :) I have a present for you! It is to welcome you to the forum!

I have a list that should really help. This is overwhelming. I went through this with myself eight 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 Margarine*

Crisco Shortening

Crisco Oil

Pompeiian Olive Oil

Great Value soy sauce

Heinz Ketchup

Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce (all Lea & Perrins Products are safe)

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

tiredofdoctors Enthusiast

NoGluGirl: That is a GREAT list! And, those are fantastic ideas. I've been gluten-free almost two years, and I haven't used some of those ideas! Going to start immediately.

Also, all Hunts tomato products are gluten-free.

Softsoap antibacterial soap is gluten-free.

Watch out for Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, things like that. Those are sources of "hidden" gluten. My dietician said that those are two biggies to watch.

The Clan Thompson software seems to be better than the Gluten Guard . . . . they used to follow up on items more often than the other. Don't know about it now. Also, they were really willing to work with you if there were items you wanted researched and listed in their next quarterly update. Don't know if you have a PDA, but they now support both Palm and (can't think of the word!) operating systems.

Don't know if this helps, but thought I'd let you know.

NoGluGirl: You ROCK!

NoGluGirl Contributor
NoGluGirl: That is a GREAT list! And, those are fantastic ideas. I've been gluten-free almost two years, and I haven't used some of those ideas! Going to start immediately.

Also, all Hunts tomato products are gluten-free.

Softsoap antibacterial soap is gluten-free.

Watch out for Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, things like that. Those are sources of "hidden" gluten. My dietician said that those are two biggies to watch.

The Clan Thompson software seems to be better than the Gluten Guard . . . . they used to follow up on items more often than the other. Don't know about it now. Also, they were really willing to work with you if there were items you wanted researched and listed in their next quarterly update. Don't know if you have a PDA, but they now support both Palm and (can't think of the word!) operating systems.

Don't know if this helps, but thought I'd let you know.

NoGluGirl: You ROCK!

Dear tiredofdoctors,

You are so welcome for the information! There really are some great things we can have! I just made the best Tollhouse cookies! Chocolate Chip are my favorites! They are so good right out of the oven! I had not had any since I went gluten-free back in August of last year.

I was not able to access the Clan Thompson list the last time I tried. I know one thing, I will not drink Coke.

It goes by Codex. Even 0.02 percent ppm is too much gluten! I get violently ill from it.

There is great news about soy sauce and worchestershire sauce. Lea & Perrins has gluten-free everything in the U.S. In Canada and other countries, their products are not safe, though. LaChoy Soy Sauce and Wal-Mart's GV brand are safe. Chinese food is my life blood. I have not eaten it since going gluten-free. I plan on making some this week! Crab and shrimp rangoon, and spring rolls! Also, Chinese food often requires cooking sherry. Wal-Mart carries Holland House Cooking Sherry. It is labeled gluten-free.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

P.S. Thank you for the compliments!

  • 2 weeks later...
barbara123 Apprentice
Dear tiredofdoctors,

You are so welcome for the information! There really are some great things we can have! I just made the best Tollhouse cookies! Chocolate Chip are my favorites! They are so good right out of the oven! I had not had any since I went gluten-free back in August of last year.

I was not able to access the Clan Thompson list the last time I tried. I know one thing, I will not drink Coke.

It goes by Codex. Even 0.02 percent ppm is too much gluten! I get violently ill from it.

There is great news about soy sauce and worchestershire sauce. Lea & Perrins has gluten-free everything in the U.S. In Canada and other countries, their products are not safe, though. LaChoy Soy Sauce and Wal-Mart's GV brand are safe. Chinese food is my life blood. I have not eaten it since going gluten-free. I plan on making some this week! Crab and shrimp rangoon, and spring rolls! Also, Chinese food often requires cooking sherry. Wal-Mart carries Holland House Cooking Sherry. It is labeled gluten-free.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

P.S. Thank you for the compliments!

Does Coke have gluten?


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



NoGluGirl Contributor
Does Coke have gluten?

Dear barbara123,

I think I drank it before and I was alright. It is just that I have heard negative things about Codex. I am nervous about any gluten. They said on the site I went to called Gluten Free in SD that they keep their amount of gluten below 0.02 ppm, but I am not sure I should drink it now. Would anyone like to add to this?

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

barbara123 Apprentice
Dear barbara123,

I think I drank it before and I was alright. It is just that I have heard negative things about Codex. I am nervous about any gluten. They said on the site I went to called Gluten Free in SD that they keep their amount of gluten below 0.02 ppm, but I am not sure I should drink it now. Would anyone like to add to this?

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

Thank you, i was out camping with my husband for three days, drank coke, thought i was being good. Woke up this morning feeling bad, tired, achy, headache, and fog head. I can't remember anything, afraid to go anywhere, afraid will be sick in public.

NoGluGirl Contributor
Thank you, i was out camping with my husband for three days, drank coke, thought i was being good. Woke up this morning feeling bad, tired, achy, headache, and fog head. I can't remember anything, afraid to go anywhere, afraid will be sick in public.

Dear barbara123,

I have drank it in the past, and am extremely sensitive. I did not get sick from it, though. However, after reading that they go by Codex standards, I decided not to drink it as a precaution. I am not sure if it is okay now. Of course, I have heard others say they drank it with no trouble. There are other things in the Coke that you might be reacting to. It is difficult to say, since I am not certain about this, as I had said before.

I react violently as well. I start to break out in a sweat, shake all over, sometimes my hands go numb, I get really nauseated, have the sudden urge for a bowel movement, and if I do not get a promethazine down fast enough, I begin having dry heaves that are so painful, they make it feel like my insides are imploding. I am not sure if Codex standards are unreliable here, but I know they are in Europe. I guy on here told about that. I think I will ask around and see if there has been a consensus reached.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

  • 1 month later...
tuxedocat Apprentice
He came home that day and said, "That's it, I'm going on a diet". He did the research

and started the South Beach diet. By the end of week one/ beginning of week two he

said," I have not had a headache once today or yesterday!!"

Interesting. This was my experience when I went on the Atkins Diet a few years ago - it never occurred to me that the issue was gluten, not carbs even though I occasionally "cheated" and had sushi with sushi rice, with no ill effects.

Mally-bug Apprentice
If you want to read up on the subject.....

Living Gluten Free for dummies by Dana Korn. It's humerous and has lots of good info and some great recipes.

Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Dr. Peter Green is also great.

I bought both together on Amazon for about $30 as a pair.

Good luck! :D

You are so right! I have recently read both of those books and the Gluten Free for Dummies is super. I really enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone starting out on this "adventure"... Great advice!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,197
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Seeeye
    Newest Member
    Seeeye
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Bev in Milw
      Scott is correct….Thank you for catching that!      Direct link for info  of fillers.    http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com/Excipients.htm Link is on 2nd page  of www.glutenfreedrugs.com   Site was started by a pharmacist (or 2) maybe 15-20 yrs ago with LAST updated in  2017.  This makes it’s Drug List so old that it’s no longer relevant. Companies & contacts, along with suppliers &  sources would need to be referenced, same amount effort  as starting with current data on DailyMed      That being said, Excipient List is still be relevant since major changes to product labeling occurred prior ’17.           List is the dictionary that sources the ‘foreign-to-us’ terms used on pharmaceutical labels, terms we need to rule out gluten.    Note on DailyMed INFO— When you look for a specific drug on DailyMed, notice that nearly all of companies (brands/labels) are flagged as a ‘Repackager’… This would seem to suggest the actual ‘pills’ are being mass produced by a limited number of wholesaler suppliers (esp for older meds out of  patent protection.).      If so, multiple repackager-get  bulk shipments  from same supplier will all  be selling identical meds —same formula/fillers. Others repackager-could be switching suppliers  frequently based on cost, or runs both gluten-free & non- items on same lines.  No way to know  without contacting company.     While some I know have  searched pharmacies chasing a specific brand, long-term  solution is to find (or teach) pharmacy staff who’s willing help.    When I got 1st Rx ~8 years ago, I went to Walgreens & said I needed gluten-free.  Walked  out when pharmacist said  ‘How am I supposed  to know…’  (ar least he as honest… ). Walmart pharmacists down the block were ‘No problem!’—Once, they wouldn’t release my Rx, still waiting on gluten-free status from a new supplier. Re: Timeliness of DailyMed info?   A serendipitous conversation with cousin in Mi was unexpectedly reassuring.  She works in office of Perrigo, major products of OTC meds (was 1st to add gluten-free labels).  I TOTALLY lucked out when I asked about her job: “TODAY I trained a new full-time employee to make entries to Daily Med.’  Task had grown to hours a day, time she needed for tasks that couldn’t be delegated….We can only hope majorities of companies are as  conscientious!   For the Newbies…. SOLE  purpose of  fillers (possible gluten) in meds is to  hold the active ingredients together in a doseable form.  Drugs  given by injection or as IV are always gluten-free!  (Sometimes drs can do antibiotics w/ one-time injection rather than 7-10 days of  pills .) Liquid meds (typically for kids)—still read labels, but  could be an a simpler option for some products…                 
    • Ginger38
      So I recently had allergy testing for IGE antibodies in response to foods. My test results came back positive to corn, white potatoes, egg whites. Tomatoes, almonds and peanuts to name a few.  I have had obvious reactions to a few of these - particularly tomatoes and corn- both GI issues. I don’t really understand all this allergy versus celiac stuff. If the food allergies are mild do I have to avoid these foods entirely? I don’t know what I will eat if I can’t  have corn based gluten free products 
    • Kris2093u4
      Geography makes a difference.  I'm in the West and Trader Joe's gluten-free bread tastes great and is a better price than most gluten-free breads sold elsewhere in my area.  
    • JForman
      We have four children (7-14 yo), and our 7 year old was diagnosed with NCGS (though all Celiac labs were positive, her scope at 4 years old was negative so docs in the US won't call it celiac). We have started her on a Gluten Free diet after 3 years of major digestive issues and ruling out just about everything under the sun. Our home and kitchen and myself are all gluten-free. But I have not asked my husband/her dad or her other siblings to go completely gluten-free with us. They are at home, but not out of the home. This has led to situations when we are eating out where she has to consistently see others eating things she can't have and she has begun to say "Well, I can't have <fill in the blank>...stupid gluten."  How have you supported your gluten-free kiddos in the mental health space of this journey, especially young ones like her. I know it's hard for me as an adult sometimes to miss out, so I can't imagine being 7 and dealing with it! Any tips or ideas to help with this? 
    • Fayeb23
      I’ve recently had bloods test due to fatigue. Iron was found to be low Serum ferritin level 4 ug/L so doctor sent for Coeliac test. Results have come back TTG ABS NUMERICAL > 250.0 U/mL is this a high reading? Am not waiting a Gastroenterology referral but this could take 10 weeks! This is all total new to me, didn’t think for a second I would have coeliac disease. Been advised not to change diet until seen by specialist 
×
×
  • Create New...