I'm New At This

[mrs.reim1013]

Hi Everyone,

I just found out yesterday that I have celiac. I am so lost in what to do first. Does anyone have any tips on how to start? Any suggestions on what is good? Do you have a family and if so, how do you cook for everyone?

[missy'smom]

Welcome.

We are a mostly gluten-free houshold.

I'm the one with celiac disease and I'm the one who does the cooking. For breakfast my husband has always fended for himself and my son and I eat together so I now make gluten-free for both of us. I have switched the lunch he takes to school over to mostly gluten-free, relying more on rice than breads, which he doesn't mind. And our dinners are always gluten-free, with only an occasional non-gluten-free item. They are more potato and rice based. It's so much easier and then I don't have to worry about cross-contamination. My husband uses the kitchen quite often and cooks for himself or helps with family meals and having to worry about cross-contamination got to be a pain so he decided to make the foods he cooks for himself gluten-free.

My family is not deprived. My husband eats out for lunch everyday and my son has plenty of opportunities to consume gluteny stuff.

We were able to adapt many of our old standbys to gluten-free and found very good mixes for others like pancakes and cake.

There's a lot to take in in the beginning. We're here to help.

[gfgypsyqueen]

Hi and Welcome!

Celiacs is really overwhelming at first, but within a few months this will become pretty easy. Plus you will feel so much better.

Quite a few of us can't tolerate dairy when we first go gluten-free, so consider going gluten-free/CF (Casein free =dairy free) at first. After a few months, you can reintroduce a little dairy and see how you do. Go check out your local health food stores and see what gluten-free food they carry. Look for "Whole Foods Market" or "Trader Joe's" health food stores. They have good reputations for carrying gluten-free products. Local stores also carry a lot.

Everyone here has very different opinions about how to do gluten-free in a family. Some believe the whole house should be gluten-free, others think a mixed house is fine. I live in a mixed house and that works for us. All dinners are gluten-free, except for pizza and pasta. Very strict where food is eaten and prepared.

You may want to look at replacing some kitchen items. scuffed and scarred pots, pans, teflon pans, cutting boards, storage containers, etc. You are lookng for places where crumbs can get stuck. Make the grill dedicated gluten-free. Clean it very well and then make it gluten-free only.

As for how to start, make it easy for you. Start with whole unprocessed foods for meals. Fresh meats, rice, baked potato, veggies, fresh fruits. Eliminate sauces until you can check them for gluten. Or make your own gravies using the juices and corn starch. You will have to check all of your food, makeup, bathroom products, drinks, medicines, etc.

I know people on this site have lists for beginners. Search for them. You can also buy lists from Clan Thompson that really helped me when I started. I liked the Bette Hagman cook books when I started, because of all the additional info and good recipes.

This sounds really hard at first, but it really does get easier.

-AnnMarie

[nikky]

Welcome to the forum, youve come to the right place for help and support

At first it will seem hard but dont worry it will get easier, as well as the obvious things that contain gluten you need to watch out for things like sausages, soups, burgers. At the start its best to try and go for things that are naturally gluten free like unprossesed meats, fruit and vegetables, then when you are more confident and feel a bit better you can start looking for gluten free versions of the foods you know and love.

Some people find it easier to avoid eating out at first, i dont know if you would want to but in my experience it is a lot easier to find your feet first, you cant tell a waitor what you cant eat if you dont know yourself.

Then in few weeks, when your used to the diet you can start going out again, and when you do, make sure they listen and dont accept any food that you know has come into contact with a gluten containing product, e.g. a salad that has a roll on the side of the plate, if that happens send it back.

You need to be careful or cross contamination at home, you need seperate toasters, utensils, butter, jam and chopping board. Be careful with make-up and with things like shampoo, soaps and anything else that is going to come into contact with your body.

It is hardcore but its better than being sick all the time, we are all here for you and you can message me anytime.

Good luck

p.s. i forgot to mention that many of us are intolerant to dairy at first so you should look into excluding that for a little while.. but dont worry you can start eating dairy again when youve healed

[Darn210]

Hello mrs.reim and welcome to the forum.

Here is a website that lists companies that do not hide the gluten in their labels. They will call out all of their wheat, rye, barley and oats on their labels so if you don't see it on there, then it's OK.

Open Original Shared Link

We have a mixed gluten/gluten-free household. At the moment, it is almost entirely gluten-free. All meals prepared are gluten-free because I'm not cooking twice for every meal!!!! All gluten items are located in their own cabinet. If you do maintain gluten and gluten free, then you will need separate (and designated) condiments such as mayo, butter, jelly . . . anything that you dip your knife into where crumbs can be transferred back into the container.

The two specialty items that we go through the most are

Pamela's pancake and baking mix makes wonderful pancakes

Tinkyada brown rice pasta is excellent

Many things that you have in your pantry now can be replaced with other mainstream items . . . it may just be a matter of finding the right brand that is already gluten-free:

Great Value Brand Au Gratin potatoes (instead of Betty Crocker)

LaChoy Soy Sauce (instead of . . . well, just about any)

Lea&Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (US only)

Betty Crocker Potato Buds (instead of Hungary Jack)

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and Meats (watch out for prebasted meats) are naturally OK!!! This is the best place to start.

Let us know if there is something in particular that you would like help replacing . . . we'll point you towards the right product or an awesome recipe.