Please Help Me!

[Lov2BeMe]

I was diagnosed with celiac over two years ago, and I am still not gluten free. I guess I didn't truly understand how important it was to go gluten free. From time to time I would stop eating the gluten, but with a young child in the house chocolate chip cookies have a way of screaming out my name

I didn't even realize that gluten was in hair and makeup products as well. I feel completely over whelmed and I don't know where to start. I Know that I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired. My tummy always hurts, and my face is terribly broken out. How do i know whats safe and whats not safe. Can someone please point in the direction down the path of a gluten free life. I want to be healthy! thank you

Sara

[Aligray]

Hey there Sara! Welcome!

There is a Safe and Forbidden list on this website at Celiac.com. Print out a copy and refer to it often until you become more familiar.

It is very overwhelming at first! I truly thought i would never get the hang of reading labels! But i have!

Use this forum for support! It is an amazing support system! No question is a stupid question!

Also, once you begin to feel better on the diet, that chocolate chip cookie or pizza will look like poison to you! I never believed that until it began to happen to me! But it will. Once you feel better you will never want to go back!

There is a very helpful forum in here called Gluten Free products. You can ask questions in there and read thru other threads and get some answers on products. There is a recipe forum here as well. Both are wonderful resources!

Good luck to you!

-Ali

[confusedks]

It is VERY important that you go COMPLETELY gluten free! It is a very serious thing. This board is a great place to get support, ask questions, etc. There is a list of gluten ingredients and this is the link.

As far as the chocolate chip cookies, there are so many great gluten free recipes that you can even make for you AND your child so that you don't feel so tempted/deprived. You will go through a period of denial (which I think you already have) and then anger and finally acceptance. Once you get to the acceptance part, you realize it is so much better to be gluten-free than be sick all the time.

Good luck! And post with anymore questions.

Kassandra

[missy'smom]

There are many gluten free snacks that are very tasty. My son doen't need to be gluten-free but we share the same snacks. I rarely buy gluten filled snacks for him. I don't feel a bit like he's deprived, infact I feel better about giving him stuff that's good for him. He gets plenty of gluten filled snacks outside the house from others and his Halloween candy lasts most of the year. The gluten-free pretzels taste no different from regular ones. There are some great oreos from Kinickkinnick. They are expensive but you can ration them out and serve them with plenty of fruit and other less expensive snacks, or crumble one on a pudding cup. You can make homemade pudding or intstant Jello pudding mix, some of the pudding cups are gluten-free as well, Jello, fruit juice popsicles, apples and P.B., air popped popcorn. Namaste makes a chocolate cake mix that he and I both like. I make it into cupcakes and freeze them and warm them up two by two.

Kraft will label all gluten in their products. This is very helpful in shopping.

Go to site index on the left corner of this screen and click on it. You will find a list of safe and forbidden ingredients. For some companies that put out a gluten-free list of products on their website, or if they send one by e-mail, I print the list and put it in a folder with clear pouches and bring it shopping with me, for example ore-ida has a list. Call the 800 numbers on the labels. Many provide good information.

If you can buy some gluten-free pasta and breadcrumbs you can probably convert many old recipies that you used to use. Meatloaf, meatballs, etc. It is doable. You have to watch out for gluten in the cream soups though. You'll need to use alternative brands.

Pamela's makes a great pancake and baking mix. My son and I make pancakes with it and he doesn't miss the ones I used to make.

The gluten free diet is worth eveything you put into it.

Good luck and hang in there. This board is a great support and resource. Consider finding a support group in your area too. They can be a great source of local information and support. There is a list of support groups on this site and you can google celiac support group your town and state and find some that way too.

Keep coming back and asking questions.

Take care.

[kevsmom]

Hi Sara!

I guess I was lucky. My child was older when I was diagnosed. I didn't have to worry so much about his food. Now I just make him prepare his food in designated area of the kitchen, and wash off the microwave and fridge handles (That's a real trick with an 18 year old boy).

A hint for you - wash your hands with soap (often) especially after serving something with gluten and after cleaning up the mess afterwards. While you're at it, wash your child, and the eating area too . This will help avoid any cross contamination.

Don't forget to check into any medications or vitamins that you may be taking to make sure that they don't contain gluten. Check with your pharmacist, Open Original Shared Link, or the drug manufacturer.

Please feel free to come and ask questions - or just vent if you need to. Everyone here has been so helpful to me. This is a very caring group, and they want to help.

Cindy

[GFhopeful]

just at my little regular neighborhood grocery store, they have some gluten-free foods that are pretty good. there are mi-del mini chocolate chip cookies that i really like for a treat and so you don't feel deprived. you really don't need to feel deprived to be gluten-free and when eating at home.

[Guest Happynwgal2]

I was diagnosed with celiac over two years ago, and I am still not gluten free. I guess I didn't truly understand how important it was to go gluten free. From time to time I would stop eating the gluten, but with a young child in the house chocolate chip cookies have a way of screaming out my name

I didn't even realize that gluten was in hair and makeup products as well. I feel completely over whelmed and I don't know where to start. I Know that I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired. My tummy always hurts, and my face is terribly broken out. How do i know whats safe and whats not safe. Can someone please point in the direction down the path of a gluten free life. I want to be healthy! thank you

Sara

I like what Aligray told you: Safe and Forbidden list on this website at Celiac.com. That is a good place to start. Don't give up, though, and remember that Celiac is inherited, so if you know more about a Celiac's diet now, you may actually help your child/ren in the future.

Find a good gluten free cookbook. My oldest daughter is the gluten free cook in our family, and she has found several good allergy and gluten free cookbooks at Borders where she works. Some of her cookbooks are only for snacks, and she and my granddaughter love the snacks. The cakes my daughter makes are so good the rest of the family are surprised they are gluten free AND dairy free.

Good luck - you can do this! There are also lots of already made safe snacks that are gluten free that I guarantee your son or daughter will love! That way you can enjoy those snacks together.

[loco-ladi]

in addition to what everyone mentioned above....... dont let the eventual cravings rule you, instead use that craving energy to find a suitable replacement...

one of my favorite books when I started (and still is) is by dana korn called gluten free for dummies