Dr. Just Called. Said Kara Is A Raging Celiac.

[Kara'sMom]

He said there are no if's, and's or buts, about it...in all capital letters she is a CELIAC!

Now I'm praying she's not lactose intolerent, also. If she can't have cheese....oh....I cant' even IMAGINE it. He said the results have to be sent to Delaware and I'll find that out soon.

Until then...does anyone here use Aunt Jemima Lite syrup? My DH is going to buy a griddle for gluten-free pancakes and she would NOT like 100% maple syrup and neither would I.

So if you use that or another one similar..let me know. She hates Newman's Own Ranch...so now I'm back to square one on that one. We tried the gluten-free ranch and blech.

Any suggestions???????

I'm still in shock....I don't think it's sunk in yet that this is lifelong for Kara. sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Mary

[taweavmo3]

I know it's a shock at first, and it is a huge lifestyle change....but it gets much easier with time. Does she like Kraft ranch dressing? Kraft ranch is gluten free. And we use Aunt Jemima regular syrup, but most of the time use 100% maple syrup (are you maybe thinking of molasses instead of maple syrup? B/c 100% maple syrup is actually very mild and super sweet. Just a thought, lol)

Just remember to breathe, and know that you can do this!

[Lisa]

Mary, as you know. you are in a great place to learn about gluten free living.

Hidden Valley Original Ranch is gluten free and what better ranch dressing to have! My current favorite is Vann's Gluten Free Waffles. I eat them every morning toasted with melted peanut butter and orange marmalade.....ohhhh so good, and very children friendly for the whole family.

I would certainly start Kara off diary light. It is not necessarily about another intolerance, but rather the villi, which are damaged cannot deal with absorbing dairy until they are healed.

After healing can take place, dairy can be often re-introduced successfully. AND, do remember that children heal quicker than adults.

There are many moms here who have children with celiac and they are always so willing to share. You're in good hands.

[2kids4me]

We use the Aunt Jemima lite all the time. My son and I are both diabetic so reg maple syrup just aint an option!

Matt is lactose intolerant on top of the celiac/diabetes....we use the lactaid ultra so he can still have dairy. Casein intolerance is different - no pill for that. There is also Lacteeze for children that is okay tasting.

It is overwhelming at first but lots of parents here for support. The intestine will take time to heal - when it has healed she will feel better all arubnd and may be open to trying new foods. We use teh Kinnickinnick pancake and waffle mix amd make our own pancakes and waffles - you can add berries or whatever that way. Nothing like fresh warm waffle out of the iron! Matt has had friends over for sleepovers and they rave about the waffles or homemade pizza... they dont even want a gluten option - they say " I want what you give Matt - it tastes awesome"

[Fiddle-Faddle]

You might try mixing real maple syrup with a bit of melted butter (if she is not lactose intolerant)--that adds richness, cuts the sweetness, and you don't have the horrible chemical taste of the fake syrups.

We also make blueberry syrup--frozen blueberries, sugar, water, cornstarch, and a squeeze of lemon juice (good with some of the lemon zest, too).

It's a funny thing about taste--once you're used to the artifical stuff, the natural stuff tastes a bit off, doesn't it? But when you get used to the real stuff, and go back to the artificial stuff, the artificial stuff tastes absolutely HIDEOUS, and you wonder how you could ever have eaten it.

[Kara'sMom]

Thank you all so much for the good advice. As long as Kara can have Aunt Jemima lite..she'll be happpy. As sad as it is...that's what she's grown up having so she should like it on the Vann's waffles. My husband, however, wants the real maple syrup for himself.

DH is out right now buying Trix and more Dora cereal...not to mention lots more Trix yogurt. She just had a peanutbutter-chocolate chip cookie and the brand was GOOD EATS. She really liked it but I don't think they sell it around where I live. Someone sent it to me that lives in Penn.

What brand of Pizza crust do you buy or do you make it from scratch? That's her favorite all time food so I need to learn how to make a good pizza.

Oh..and thanks for the info on the ranch. She loves Kraft and of course Hidden Valley which is the best EVER!

[dandelionmom]

For pizza, we like the Amy's frozen rice crust pizzas. About halfway through the cooking time, we add a lot more cheese and any other toppings we like.

[ptkds]

For pizza, I make the Seasoned Pizza Crust from Bette Hagamans book. It is really yummy. But if you can buy it, try the kinnikinnick pizza crust. It is amazing! My family HATED the Amy's crust. But alot of people on here like it.

For choc chip cookies, we love the Pamelas Mini choc chip cookies. We get them at Krogers around here. You can also get them online. They taste like regular chips ahoy cookies!

Have you or your dh been tested? I was tested after my dd was diagnosed, and discovered that I had Celiac. I also tested my other kids and found out that one of my other dd's had Celiac.

You have come to the right place for great advice! I don't know where my family would be without this board!

ptkds

[Fiddle-Faddle]

This is what I make--it takes 5 minutes to mix up, and it's very much like making a Bisquick crust, both in how easy it is and how it tastes.

gluten-free Pizza Crust

1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)

3/4 cup milk, room temperature

1/2 cup potato starch

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

[crittermom]

For pizza we use the Kinnikinnick (I won't ever learn how to spell that!) pizza crusts and Katharine loves them. We use them for pizza and I also put butter, garlic salt, and mozzerella cheese on them for cheesy garlic bread. She can't get enough.

For syrup we were trying the Eggo syrup that Kellog's told me was gluten free however based on Katharine's bm's, mood, and rash on her tush told me it wasn't. We switched over to Karo brand pancake syrup. The company only deals with corn starch and corn syrup. Since most of the commercial syrups are corn syrup this passed over very well. Katharine didn't even notice when we switched. I like the Karo because it isn't quite as sweet as the others. Katharine has tried real maple syrup a few times and just doesn't like it. Good luck and know it will get easier! Hang in there!

[Juliet]

For pizza we love the Chebe Pizza mix. It's easy to make, and it has a nice crispy outside texture that's soft on the inside. We do individual pizzas with custom toppings. And for the pizza sauce, I mince & saute carrots, red bell pepper, onion & spinach. That way even if they have a "cheese" pizza they get some extra veggies This mix can also make some good crackers that when fresh kind of remind me of oyster crackers.

You can order Chebe bread mix at: Open Original Shared Link

Listen, it's tough at first. But once you make the switch in your mind, particularly about not making all the meals centered around quite so much starches (especially with kids, this one is very hard at first) it gets A LOT easier. Remember, you can still have corn tortillas, most corn chips, most potato chips, some brands of veggie chips, homemade french fries, rice of all kinds, fresh veggies, every kind of fruit you can imagine, Cream of Rice cereal (in lieu of Cream of Wheat), Thanksgiving turkey (as long as you don't stuff it with gluten stuffing and it's not self-basting), mashed potatoes (no added flour), cranberry sauce, and there are a ton of recipes for gluten free pumpkin pie of "crustless" pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake out there. Remember, Pamela's Products Ultimate Baking & Pancake mix (www.pamelasproducts.com to find out - tons of recipes, and can purchase at www.amazon .com or www.glutenfreemall.com) is the best thing to start with before moving onto other gluten free flours, too. And Gluten Free Pantry (again at www.amazon .com or www.glutenfreemall.com) makes great mixes for crust, bread, coffee cake, etc. Just be careful when using your utensils. We got the notification ourselves during Thanksgiving week 2 years ago, too, and by Christmas we had it down for him with only a couple of minor mistakes here and there.

Good luck to you, and know we've all been there and can totally sympathize!