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British Columbia

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ROYAL BLUE Apprentice
ROYAL BLUE
Posted

Is anyone out there from BC?

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jeanbrigedav Newbie
jeanbrigedav
Posted
:) Hello - I am from B.C. I live in Surrey about 40 minutes from Vancouver. Only definitely diagnosed in October 2003 but as with many celiacs have been celiac all my life
ROYAL BLUE Apprentice
ROYAL BLUE
Posted
  • Author

I live up north, a few hours from Prince George. My son is the one who is Celiac, diagnosed in October. Your lucky to live on the lower mainland, at least you have places to buy food.

I like this message board, but find that alot of the gluten-free food info does not help much because most of the info, I believe pertains to Americans consumers.

Do you know of any brands of Worcestershire sauce that are gluten-free? The only store we have in my town is Super Valu, they sell pretty much only No Name and PC products which really sucks.

  • 1 month later...
Mocalder Newbie
Mocalder
Posted

Hi I've just found this message board, I also live in Surrey B.C and was diagnosed in Oct 2002. I'm still adjusting to this new regime, the thing I miss the most is a nice fresh warm bread roll, with ham and cheese!!! and also a nice cold beer in the summer! Do you have any recommendations on restaurants in this area, I enjoy going out to eat, but am wary of the knowledge of this disease by restaurant staff, have had a couple of bad experiences! The best sompany for gluten-free bread and goodies is Kinnikinnik, from Alberta, I know SavOn foods carries some, and also some Safeways stores, but you have to ask, as its well hidden!!They also have a website, and will mail out orders! I also have had episodes of DH when I've ingested Gluten, thats not fun!! Looking forward to sharing the hints xx

  • 4 months later...
fraggle Newbie
fraggle
Posted

all you folks who live in Surrey their is a wonderful gluten free bakery in Vancouver called Panno Rizo. They are fabulous and will send stuff out to Surrey if you order it. They have gluten free sausages, homemade pot pies, pie, cakes, pizza, lasagna, you name it. Everything is fresh and not cardboard tasting.

They are in the book and you can probably find them on the net.

I haven't been there in a long time since I live in Summerland.

Guest Libbyk
Guest Libbyk
Posted

mocalder-

I know you are a ways away, but if you ever go down into washington, there is a restraunt that would bring tears to your eyes. It is at exit 177, a little north of seattle, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours south of you. It is called kaili's, or wheatless in seattle and ENTIRELY gluten-free. the dinner rolls are unbelievable.

Lib

  • 1 month later...
Thomas Apprentice
Thomas
Posted

Thanks

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  • 3 months later...
KarenCM Rookie
KarenCM
Posted

I am from Surrey too! I haven't even been gluten free a month but I feel so much better already. I have more energy and I am eating more which is great. November 9, 2004 I had a positive biopsy. At first I was having trouble finding foods but now my collection of gluten free foods has gotten bigger. Safeway, SaveOn Foods, Organic Grocer and Natural Focus have been helpful in finding gluten free foods. Just the other day I found gluten free Chicken Stock and Vegetable Stock at SaveOn and it was the highlight of my day. I was missing having Campbell's Soup for lunch so I tried making my own soup once I got the stock and it was okay (I used Bette Hagman's recipe for creamed soups). Would love to hear about anyone's experiences with restaurants in the area. I haven't eaten out yet.

Karen

  • 5 weeks later...
sonia74 Newbie
sonia74
Posted

i live in burnaby, b.c. the places i chop are at:

Natural Focus foods in kensington plaza

-save on foods

-safeway has kinikikk mixes on special for clearance ( i think they will discontinue it soon)

-Good nature health foods in westview plaza

Anyone who travels to seattle- great place i just went and all canadians will be amazed at the major gluten-free foods they have- something like a choices but large like costco WHOLE FOODS off of 171st exit on hwy 99.

i have the directions of anyone wants pm me -i was in shock my 18 month will have foods to try now.

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Leidenschaft
Guest Leidenschaft
Posted

My mother is in the Slocan Valley, (southern interior) she's been gluten-free for about 16 years now! :blink: Boogles my brain, I only have one year in!

Mom travels a fair bit throughout the province, I'll have to introduce this board to her, she can share all the good (safe) places to eat! :D

KarenCM Rookie
KarenCM
Posted

I would love to hear your Mom's experiences especially with her being gluten free for 16 years. Today will be my first time eating out at a Restaurant since being diagnosed I am excited but of course a little nervous as well. I am in Victoria visiting so we made reservations at a restaurant a few days ago and let them know and they said that they are used to dealing with cross contamination issues. Yesterday I found two great stores...The first one that i went to was Planet Organic and the second one Lifestyle Market. I couldn't believe it when I was in Lifestyle Market how much choice that I had. I bought three different boxes of cereal and 2 packages of cookies. When I have been out shopping before there hasn't been as much choice for me. I will report back later after eating dinner at the restaurant.

Karen

Guest Leidenschaft
Guest Leidenschaft
Posted

Hi Karen, by now you've had your meal! Hope it was a good one :P , where did you go? I lived in Victoria for the better part of twelve years, however I did not go gluten-free until moving to New Brunswick so I didn't learn what was safe there.

I know one thing that has made a huge difference for me when travelling is my gluten-free Survival Kit! I also made one for my Mom and she has since sent the idea on to everyone she knows who is Celiac. She was amazed at the simplicity of the idea and surprised that nobody she knew had thought of it previously! :wacko: I guess maybe it just took some fresh perspective AND a LOVE of food! :D

Anyway the survival kit quite simply consists of a roomy lunch box/bag/kit, whatever you prefer, and a wide variety of McCormicks seasonings!

Most of the seasonings in my kit I have purchased in the US, I'm close to Maine and travel there a few times per year. I also have a great friend in Mass. who comes up almost monthly! Anyway, the main reason I get mine in the US, is that I cannot find many of the seasoning combinations in Canada, also the US packaging is small plastic shake bottles, which are less likely to break during travel. I do have a couple of the new glass bottle grinders for fresh ground pepper, sea salt and my new favorite for ANY type of potatoe is the Garlic Pepper blend. So far I haven't been able to find that one in Canada, however I am going to take the empty bottle to my grocer to see if they can order it.

My kit includes Chicken Seasoning, Steak Seasoning, "It's a Dilly" which is a garlic, lemon and dill combo, awesome on fish!!! :rolleyes: I have cajun seasoning, and various other flavours for grilled or BBQ meats, Mesquite, and so on. After I put my kit together I got many of these same seasonings for my kitchen at home. I know they are gluten-free and they make my menu choices SOOOO much easier!

I found that when ordering at many restaurants, I had to specify that since I can not have the bread, could I please have extra veggies or a salad? I have gone home hungry on a few occasions, due to kitchens not thinking about the lack of food on my plate. :( I have also found that many "chain" restaurants don't necessarily have a complete list of ingredients since many of the foods they offer are mass produced for that chain. Much of their meats are preseasoned and not safe for us. I prefer to find establishements that are local and get their meats from local sources. A few "chain" restaurants that I've had great experience with while travelling in the US are The Cracker Barrel and The Texas Roadhouse! The Roadhouse in particular has so many options, and after a week of eating Baked Potato I was thrilled to find Baked SWEET Potato as an option (actually it was a Yam!) :D It was a wonderful change! I find my safest meat choices are a steak, chicken breast or fish. Desert is extremely limited! :unsure: I did enjoy a wonderful homemade Chocolate Mousse at a homestyle place in Mass.! Usually I just treat myself to Bailey's in my after dinner coffee! :rolleyes:

Another menu choice you may not think of, is Nachos! We have a Keystone Kelly's in town that serves up a mean Chicken Nachos! When they brought out the seasoning bottle for the chicken, I recognized it immediatlely as what I use at home! Montreal Chicken Seasoning!

Anyway, now I'm rambling... just trying to let you know that you can still get some tasty treats outside your home even being gluten-free! Make yourself a survival kit and keep it in your car! I made a little sign that I've attached to mine that says "This Celiac Survival Kit contains Gluten Free Seasoings. If found please phone: your name and number! I put my cell number on it, because likely if a waiter is going to find you've left it behind, you're not at home yet! ;)

I will be chatting with Mom this week and will encourage her to get on board!

Good Luck!

KarenCM Rookie
KarenCM
Posted

The restaurant was a german restaurant called the Rathskeller. We went at 4pm so it was nice that it wasn't busy. The waitress was very good and checked the ingredients for me. I had the bratwurst which came with mashed potatoes, peas and carrots. Unfortunately I couldn't have the gravy. I missed the spaetzels more though. The meal was good and I didn't have a reaction from it which is even better.

Karen

Guest Viola
Guest Viola
Posted

Hello Karen; I'm Tammy's mother here in the Slocan Valley near Nelson and Castlegar. I'm a real Newbie at this forum, but an old hand at gluten free.

One thing I've learned over the years is ... we are so thrilled at finding a new product, and especially those of us that live a long way from town tend to buy two or three boxes without trying them. Sometimes we are thrilled with the product and it was a good buy, but other times we are stuck with so much of a product (new cookies or cereal) that isn't very good. Careful! It can run into a big expensive disappointment. :(

We have educated our 'Save on Foods' here in Nelson to the point where Celiacs are traveling from Trail, Fruitvale and Castlegar to get the gluten free items. They even bring in Christmas cake and Maple dipped donuts for us :D I started working with Ed when it was still Overwaitea. He really was super!

Restaurants can be tricky. We have found several good ones all over B.C. but you need to check and make sure the management and kitchen staff haven't changed drastically. I've even had the chef come and sit with us and explain exactly what was in his soup! It was wonderful to have a hot bowl of soup on a freezing day in Hudson Hope! Everything was freshly made including the broth and fresh ground pepper.

KarenCM Rookie
KarenCM
Posted

SaveOn Foods is great especially when they have a sale on. Recently there was a sale on Tinkyada rice pasta. So, I bought 6 bags of the brown rice spirals which is perfect for baked macaroni.

Karen

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    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

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      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
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