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

I'm New At This

mrs.reim1013

Recommended Posts

mrs.reim1013 Newbie
mrs.reim1013
Posted

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?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

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 Enthusiast
gfgypsyqueen
Posted

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 Contributor
nikky
Posted

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. :lol:

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 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

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.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,283
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    CSK 157
    Newest Member
    CSK 157
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Dora77
      Ocd making gluten fears unmanageable. Need advice

      By Dora77 · Posted

      Sorry for the long post. I’m 18, and I was diagnosed with celiac disease and type 1 diabetes (T1D). My transglutaminase IgA was >128 U/mL, EMA IgA positive twice, and I’m HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 positive. I’ve been completely asymptomatic since diagnosis, even when I cheated with gluten sometimes in the past and used to eat out(2-5 years ago) I don’t get the typical celiac reactions, which makes it really hard to know when (or if) I’ve been glutened. But for the past year, I’ve been the most strict with my diet, and that’s also when a bunch of new issues started. I eat completely glutenfree, never eat out, dont eat food that says „may contain gluten“.   Current Health Problems • Floating, undigested stools for over a year now. Dont think its related to celiac as it was like this since im 17 and not 13-16( i got diagnosed at 13). • Chronic back pain started gradually, worsens with movement, lots of cracking/popping sounds. Been ongoing for a year now. First noticed in the gym. • Abdominal bulge on the right side, not painful but seems to be getting slightly bigger. Doctor didn’t find a hernia on ultrasound, but it was done lying down (I’ve read those can miss hernias). Noticed it like 6 months ago, couldve been there longer. • extremely dry and mildly swollen hands (this started before I started excessive hand-washing), and bloated face. • Signs of inattentive ADHD (noticed over the past 3 years), now combined with severe OCD focused on contamination and cross-contact. • Growth/puberty seemed to started after going gluten-free. Before that I was not developing. Dont know if any of these are because of celiac as my dad doesnt have those and he is a lot less strict gluten-free then me. I also had pancreatic elastase tested four times: values were 46 (very low), 236, 158, and 306 (normal). Gastroenterologist said one normal value is enough and I don’t have EPI. Family doctor prescribed Kreon anyway (after I pushed for it), and I just started taking 1 capsule (10,000 units) with meals 2 days ago, but couldn‘t see effects yet because I’ve been constipated the last few days. Maybe because of thyroid. I don’t have Hashimoto’s. No thyroid antibodies. But I took levothyroxine for slightly low FT4 levels. My thyroid levels fluctuated between borderline low and low-normal. And recently lowered my dose so that may have caused the constipating. I probably didn’t need it in the first place, and am thinking about stopping it soon.   Current Diet Right now, I only eat a very limited set of “safe” foods I prepare myself: • Gluten-free bread with tuna or cheese • Milk and cornflakes • gluten-free cookies/snacks • Bananas (the only fruit I trust right now) I rarely eat other fruits or vegetables, because I’m scared of contamination. My dad, who also has celiac but doesn’t care about CC, buys fruits, and he might’ve picked them up right after handling gluten bread. That makes me feel unsafe eating them. Even fruit at stores or markets feels risky because so many people with gluten on their hands touch them.   My Home Situation (Shared Kitchen) We’re a family of 5. Only my dad and I have celiac. He eats glutenfree but doesn’t care about CC and sometimes (but rarely) cheats. My mom and siblings eat gluten bread at every meal. My mom is honest (so if i ask her to be cautious, she most likely would try to), but doesn’t seem to understand how serious celiac is. She: • Stopped using gluten flour • only cooks gluten-free meals (but they still heat up gluten bread and also cook gluten noodles) • Keeps separate butter/jam/jars for me • Bought me a stainless steel pan Bu we didn’t replace old wooden utensils, cutting boards, or other pans. The new they bought me pan was even carried home in a shopping bag with gluten bread in it, which triggered my OCD. It also has a rubber handle and I’m scared it might still hold onto gluten. Even if it’s washed well, it’s stored next to other pans that were used for gluten food/bread. Our kitchen table is used for eating gluten bread daily. My mom wipes it but not with soap. I’m scared tiny particles remain. If she made gluten-free bread dough on a board at the table, I’d still worry about cross contmaination contamination even with something under the dough and on the table as at one point the dough would probably touch the table. So I stopped eating anything she makes.   I know OCD is making it worse, but I can’t tell how much of my fear is real and how much is anxiety. Examples: • I wash my hands 20–30 times a day — before eating, after touching anything at home or outside, after using my phone/laptop. • I don’t let others touch my phone, and I’m scared to use my laptop because friends at school or my brother (who eat gluten) have touched it. And it annoys me a lot when others touch my stuff and feels like it got contaminated and is unsafe instantly. • I stopped eating while using my phone or laptop, afraid of invisible gluten being on them. • I wash my hands after opening food packaging (since it was on store cashier belts where gluten food is placed). • I avoid sitting anywhere except my bed or one clean chair. • I won’t shake hands with anyone or walk past people eating gluten. • At school, when switching classes, I wash my hands before getting out my laptop, again before opening it, etc. • I open door knobs with my elbows instead my hands   Job Concerns (Powder Coating, Sandblasting, Etc.) I’m working a temporary job right now that involves: • Powder coating • Sandblasting • Wet spray painting • Anodizing There’s also a laboratory. I don’t need this job, and my OCD makes me believe that dust or air particles there might contain gluten somehow. Should I quit?   Doctors Haven’t Helped My family doctor told me: “Asymptomatic celiac isn’t serious, if you have no symptoms, your intestines won’t get damaged, so you don’t need a gluten-free diet.” I knew that was wrong, but he wasn’t open to listening. I just nodded and didn‘t argue. My gastroenterologist (who’s also a dietitian) said: „If your antibodies are negative, there’s no damage. It might even be okay to try small amounts of gluten later if antibodies stay negative.“ Also said, pepper that says “may contain gluten” is fine if it only contains pepper. She was more informed than my family doctor but didn’t seem to fully understand celiac either.   Questions I Need Help With 1. Is it realistically safe to eat food my mom cooks, if we get separate pans/ and boards even if gluten is still used in the same kitchen? There will always be low risk of cc chances like that she will still touch stuff that was touched by her and my siblings after they ate gluten. And as there are gluten eaters in the house and she also prepares and eats gluten. So would opening the fridge then getting the food and touching the food be okay? So basically what i am doing, washing my hands multiple times while preparing food, she would only wash it once before, then touch anything else (for example water tap or handles) that were touched with gluteny hands, then also touch the food. I dont know if I ever could feel safe, I could try telling her how important cc really is. And I trust her so she wouldnt lie to me then be careless about cc, but idk how safe it really can be if she and everyone else keeps eating gluten and touching stuff in the house after eating. 2. Do I need to worry about touching doorknobs, fridge handles, light switches, etc. that family members touched after eating gluten? What about public places like bus handles or school desks? Or like if i went to the gym, I would be touching stuff all the time, so there will be small amounts of gluten and those would get transferred on my phone if I touch my phone while in the gym. But I want to knos if it would be enough to do damage. 3. Is an endoscopy (without biopsy) enough to tell if my intestines are healed? I’d pay privately if it could help and if i dont get a refferal. Or do i need a biopsy? 4. Could my job (powder coating, sandblasting, etc.) expose me to gluten or damage my intestines through air/dust? 5. Do I need certified gluten-free toothpaste, hand soap, shampoo, or moisturizer? (For example: Vaseline and Colgate don’t contain gluten ingredients but say they can’t guarantee it’s gluten-free.) 6. Is spices like pepper with “may contain traces of gluten” safe if no gluten ingredients are listed? Or does everything need to be labeled gluten-free?  7. Is continuing to only eat my own food the better choice, or could I eventually go back to eating what my mom cooks if she’s careful? 8. is cutlery from dishwasher safe if there are stains? Stuff like knives is used for cutting gluten bread or fork for noodles etc. I often see stains which i dont know if its gluten or something else but our dish washer doesnt seem to make it completely clean. 9. I wash my hands multiple times while preparing food. Do i need to do the same when touching my phone. Like if i touch the fridge handle, I wash my hands then touch the phone. I dont eat while using my phone but i leave it on my bed and pillow and my face could come in contact with where it was.  10. Do i need to clean my phone or laptop if theyve been used by people who eat gluten? Even if no crumbs fall onto my keybaord, i mean because of invisible gluten on their fingers. 11. Does medication/supplements have to be strictly glutenfree? One company said they couldn‘t guarantee if their probiotics don’t contain traces of gluten.  12. I had bought supplements in the past, some of them say glutenfree and some of them dont(like the brand „NOW“ from iherb). I bought them and used them when i wasnt washing my hands so often, are they still safe? As I touched and opened them after touching door knobs, water taps etc. It was like a year ago when i bought those and even though i was eating gluten-free, I never worried about what i touch etc. I know this post is long. I’m just extremely overwhelmed. I’m trying to protect myself from long-term health damage, but the OCD is destroying my quality of life, and I honestly don’t know what’s a reasonable level of caution anymore. Thanks for reading.
    • lmemsm
      beans in dessert recipes

      By lmemsm · Posted

      I've been making a lot of black bean brownies lately because it's one of the few gluten free dessert recipes that actually tastes palatable.  I've also seen chocolate cake recipes with black beans.  Someone mentioned a cookie recipe using lentils in place of flour.  Just wondering if anyone's run across any tried and true recipes using beans, lentils or peas for desserts?  I've seen a lot of recipes for garbanzo flour but I'm allergic to garbanzo beans/chickpeas.  Was wondering if adzuki or pinto beans might be useful in replacing some or all of the flour in baking.  Since gluten free flours can be crumbly was hoping the beans might help produce a better, less crumbly consistency.  Any recommendations for recipes?  Thanks.
    • lmemsm
      Gluten free/ non dairy , low calorie pudding

      By lmemsm · Posted

      I've seen a lot of recipes for chia pudding, so I decided to make some with chia, water, cocoa and honey.  Didn't like the taste, so I added ground sunflower and ground pumpkin seed to it.  It tasted okay, but came out more like frosting that pudding.  I used to make pudding with tapioca starch, milk powder, water and sugar.  It came out very good but I haven't figured out what to use to replace the milk powder to make it dairy free.  Most starches will work in place of tapioca starch but quantity varies depending on the type of starch.  If I didn't add enough starch to get a pudding consistency, I'd add gelatin as well to fix it.  Avocado and cocoa makes a good dessert with a pudding like consistency.  Unfortunately, I have a bad reaction to avocados.
    • lmemsm
      Finding gluten free ingredients

      By lmemsm · Posted

      Seems like when I find a gluten free product I like, the producer stops manufacturing it and then I have trouble finding a new gluten free source for it.  What's worse, I've been contacting companies to ask if their products are gluten free and they don't even bother to respond.  So, it's making it very hard to find safe replacements.  I was buying teff flour at nuts.com and they no longer carry it.  I noticed Naturevibe has teff and soy flour.  However, I can't get a response as to whether their flours are safe for someone with celiac.  Can't get a response from Aldi if their peas are safe for someone with celiac either.  I know Bob's Red Mill has teff flour but was hoping to get a large quantity.  I've been using up the 20 ounce Bob's Red Mill teff flour too quickly.  Does anyone know of a good source for teff or soy flour?  Any recommendations where to get gluten free beans, peas or lentils?  I found some packages of gluten free beans at Sprouts but not much variety.  I've also been looking for lentil elbow macaroni and it seems like no one is making that now that Tolerant was bought out.  Any suggestions for safe sources for these types of ingredients.  Thanks.
    • chrish42
      Doctors and Celiac.com

      By chrish42 · Posted

      All I can say is this site is great!
×
×
  • Create New...