Its A Silly Question

[Poppets]

Hi everyone,

I am due to get my test results tomorrow and i guess im going to try to go gluten free as recommended on here regardless of whether the test is positive or not. part of me is expecting the result to be negative so im preparing myself for the ongoing battle to find out whats wrong with me!

I just have one question - when you completely cut out gluten what on earth do you eat? Ive been looking at packaging a little bit and gluten seems to be in everything! I even found it in pate! I usually eat a really wide and varied diet and i love food and eating out. I am writing a recipe book to be published and i cook meals right from scratch, i make nothing from packets and i eat very little processed foods. I know gluten is in bread, pasta and breakfast cereal and now pate! but thats all i know, is it in everything containing flour? some of the packaging in the UK states what allergies shouldnt eat the food but not all the packaging does so what then? Ive been reading here about people cutting out gluten and keep making mistakes and having to go back to day zero again, is my diet going to be purely restricted to meat and vegetables? and what about eating out? I know pizza hut is a definate no go but what about the risk of cross contamination with a salad for example - how would you know that the chef didnt cut the tomatoes with same knife he used to cut bread? Can you ever be truly 100% gluten free?

Sorry for all the questions, its just a very confusing time!

[buffettbride]

The easiest way to start is with whole foods. Plain meats, veggies, and rice seem to give most people some success. You can spice it up a bit with some salt and pepper so it's not so bland. However, if gluten really is your problem, eating these plain foods will really give your tummy time to heal and feel good. Then you can introduce more foods.

Spend some time here and you'll really learn a LOT about successful and tasty gluten-free living. I don't know what I would do about this place.

As for living 100% gluten-free, it's probably not *completely* possible, but for the most part it is something you can control by making good food choices. There is always risk associated with eating out and eating something accidentally (which will happen at first). What is most important, as I see it though, is your dedication to 100% compliance with the diet and taking the slips and mistakes as they come. They will become fewer and far between though.

Good luck with your diagnosis and your gluten-free diet adventure!

[missy'smom]

If you're already familiar with a wide variety of foods and cooking from scratch then you have some helpful tools to cope with this change.

Yes, everything with "regular" flour and " whole wheat" flour contains gluten. There are a variety of glute-free flours and starches that can be substituted for "flour" in gravies, white sauces and many other sauces and bases without any recognizable change in flavor or consistancy.

There are also a variety of gluten-free breadcrumbs, both store bought and homemade that can be substituted in meatloaves, meatballs etc. again without any difference. You can still make breaded items as well, with some slight difference in taste and texture.

Many shapes and kinds of gluten-free pastas are available.

You will probably be able to adapt many of your old recipies and many of them may already be gluten-free.

There are some very good baking mixes for pancakes, cakes etc. that you can start with until you're ready to learn how to bake gluten-free.

I'm not sure which country you live in but if the packaging doesn't provide suficient info for you, here in the U.S. they list phone #'s on the package and we can call the company or e-mail them via thier website.

It is possible to be 100% gluten-free. I do occasionally get cross-contamination or problems with a product but after being at this a year, it is fairly rare.

Take one day at a time.

[Poppets]

Thank you both for your answers, my doctor said that if the test result is negative he will forget about Coeliacs and start on something else, but i dont think its as easy as that though with all the false positives ive heard about, but to give him credit he did say that he wouldnt stop until he found out what is wrong with me - havent i got a great doctor!

[ravenwoodglass]

Thank you both for your answers, my doctor said that if the test result is negative he will forget about Coeliacs and start on something else, but i dont think its as easy as that though with all the false positives ive heard about, but to give him credit he did say that he wouldnt stop until he found out what is wrong with me - havent i got a great doctor!

Poppet where are you hearing about false positives? I have never heard of that, false negatives abound but false positives just do not exist. Before you go through a bout of expensive testing if the test comes out negative try the diet for a bit. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you are still having problems after a couple of months gluten free then go for more testing and meds.

[Poppets]

Sorry i meant false negative! In the UK we dont have to pay for our medical care which is great!

xx

[ravenwoodglass]

Sorry i meant false negative! In the UK we dont have to pay for our medical care which is great!

xx

I wondered if that was it.

Just a note about testing, you may not pay for it cash wise but if you are celiac and they have not acknowledged that many of the preperations that they use in testing, like barium and such are not safe and you risk making yourself very sick. Do give the diet a good try, even if you decide to let him look for other stuff. Being gluten free will not effect the outcome of any testing other than testing specifically for celiac so it will not hurt to try the diet while they are testing for a myriad of other things. You may find the diet takes care of the problems before the testing date arrives.

[blueeyedmanda]

Poppet where are you hearing about false positives? I have never heard of that, false negatives abound but false positives just do not exist. Before you go through a bout of expensive testing if the test comes out negative try the diet for a bit. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you are still having problems after a couple of months gluten free then go for more testing and meds.

Actually, false positives do exist on lab reports. I had a strong positive. But the ranges were negative, false positive, weak positive, and then positive. My score was off the charts and so I was in the positive result no doubt.