New To Celiac

[followerofmyheart]

We just found out last week that one of my daughters has Celiac. I am attempting to convery the importance of a glurten free diet to my extended family.

For example, my sisters reaction to my daughter was " You can still have Chicken fried steak you just have to take the breading off."

My mother was offended when I asked the exact ingredients in the potato salad she is bringing to 4th of July.

Both of these women are educated, smart women. But, they are not getting it. I have provided information etc.

How do you deal with ignorant family/friends ?

[way of life]

We just found out last week that one of my daughters has Celiac. I am attempting to convery the importance of a glurten free diet to my extended family.

For example, my sisters reaction to my daughter was " You can still have Chicken fried steak you just have to take the breading off."

My mother was offended when I asked the exact ingredients in the potato salad she is bringing to 4th of July.

Both of these women are educated, smart women. But, they are not getting it. I have provided information etc.

How do you deal with ignorant family/friends ?

My husband was recently diagnosed and it took 17 years to get the correct diagnoses I have been reading, researching and we have gone to a nutritionist as well. What I would say to family members is there is a genetic aspect involved so they may have it and not know it. We recently had a family function and I had to read labels of the foods that were prepared to make sure it was safe for my husband to eat. Nobody seemed to mind and they were all very curious considering it is genetic so maybe you can try that avenue. People tend to think you just can't eat bread and that is not the case it is so much more than that. If you haven't done so yet try to see a nutritionist that specializes in Celiac Disease. Best of Luck to you and your family.

[Serversymptoms]

We just found out last week that one of my daughters has Celiac. I am attempting to convery the importance of a glurten free diet to my extended family.

For example, my sisters reaction to my daughter was " You can still have Chicken fried steak you just have to take the breading off."

My mother was offended when I asked the exact ingredients in the potato salad she is bringing to 4th of July.

Both of these women are educated, smart women. But, they are not getting it. I have provided information etc.

How do you deal with ignorant family/friends ?

I think you should make sure your daughter only eat basic foods, or only what you will serve.

___________

I self diangnosed myself as celiac, and with my family and doctors thinking I don't have a health problems my other possible health problems are being ignored. I suspect that I also may have a thyroid problem, when I mention it to my mom ( oh yeah, I'm 17 years old) or any of my siblings they just justify it for something else. It's really annoying now because I'm starting to feel my health is just being neglected by family and the local hospital. Each day my health countinue to go on as the way it is ( being ignored, not having thyroid test etc... which it is logical) I feel the need more to go to a university further and further..... Graduate of 2010.

[foodiegurl]

it is so frustrating, and unless someone has close experience with celiac, people just don't understand it, as i didn;t before i found out i had it.

another thing to worry about at cookouts and bbqs is that while something may be gluten-free, you have to worry about people putting utensils in those dishes that have been in gluteny foods or using their fingers if they have been tainted. so just be careful.

have a fun holiday!

[maile]

another thing to worry about at cookouts and bbqs is that while something may be gluten-free, you have to worry about people putting utensils in those dishes that have been in gluteny foods or using their fingers if they have been tainted. so just be careful.

have a fun holiday!

include the grill in this list too, if it's not wiped off properly before grilling gluten free food there could be cross contamination

[Jestgar]

How do you deal with ignorant family/friends ?

You can look them in the eye and say " I watched my beautiful, beautiful child be sick for x years and couldn't do anything to help her. Now that I know what was making her so sick, I am prepared to do anything to protect her. I realize that it's unfair that her illness should impact you, but when we are together as a family, it does. We can work together at finding solutions that we all can live with, but for right now I am trusting you to take care of my baby the way I am, by keeping all traces of gluten away from her and her food."

[Takala]

I think it's my personality, but I don't have too much trouble as I just bring my own food and refuse politely to eat anybody else's, and my spouse will sometimes chirp up with "it's a food allergy." Now he knows and I know that it's not quite the same, but if I have to scare people into thinking I might have something like a blatant allergic reaction, so be it.

If they are better listeners I just tell them I need to avoid gluten because I have a bad neurological reaction, and that word usually intimidates people, that and "ataxia."

Now, if somebody said to me the chicken fried steak comment, I would say, "yes, you are on the right track, no more "regular" breading, when I cook now I would use a gluten free rice flour mixture which has no wheat in it at all instead of regular flour, to make something like that. Did you know one can also make great gravy without any wheat? " That way I would be validating their attempt to be "helpful" and sort of clarifying the situation. I don't expect people to know this so it's up to me to help them understand. I might not actually use a rice flour in the mix, but again, people's eyes may glaze over if I use words like "amaranth" so it's the KISS rule. Keep It Short & Simple.

In general, mothers are just going to be more resistant to anything and if that was her typical reaction I would just make sure the child knows not to eat strange food even if it's coming from a relative. Most of my family has allergies to something, so this sort of sloppy defiance and mock annoyance coming from a family member would not go over well with anyone.

Besides they could get the potato salad correct, and then bring it in some sort of old tupperware, or worse yet somebody dips a contaminated spoon in it, and it's all over.

Perhaps offering a suggestion as to which mayonnaise product would be acceptable is a start, as it is pretty easy to make a gluten free potato salad. One of the most popular brands already has a gluten free tag on it, Best Foods Real Mayo, it doesn't have to be another crisis. (MIL joke.)

Your house, your rules, you can ban gluten if you want or set down rules that need to be followed.