Possibly Newly Diagnosed

[xraymo3]

I went to the DR today w/ my current list of problems. She has ordered Blood tests for Celiac Disease.

Where can I find a list of stuff that I CAN eat in case I do have this disease? Obviously wheats, breads, pastas are out of the question. Also, what about Activa? And Cranberry Juice? I have really bad kidneys too, so cranberry juice and pills are an everyday source of intake for me. Also, I order salads w/ ranch when I'm out to eat.... Ranch out of the question too?

[brigala]

Welcome! The diet is overwhelming at first, but really it does get easier. Keep in mind that even if your blood tests come back negative for Celiac, if you have symptoms that are consistent with Celiac you might want to try the gluten-free diet anyway. The blood tests are not always accurate.

I would probably not recommend that you start the diet immediately. Your doctor may still want to order more tests, including a biopsy of your intestines. Cutting gluten from your diet now might compromise those test results. Wait until your doctor has told you that he/she has already done all the testing that you're going to get.

As for your specific questions, cranberry juice should be ok, but read the label anyway just to be safe. It's strange how many products contain gluten that you would never think of.

There are many many ranch dressings that are fine. I think the regular Kraft ranch is safe. My favorite is Newman's Own, and it's safe. It can be hard to know what a restaurant is using. When you find a favorite Ranch dressing that's free of gluten, you might want to buy packets and carry them around with you so you can order salads and use your own dressing. You are lucky that you can eat salads. It's a mainstay for many Celiacs when they're out. My allergies to cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, etc.. make salads at restaurants pretty challenging for me.

The quick list of common things you can eat on a gluten-free diet include most non-breaded meats (careful of seasonings, some include wheat), fruits and vegetables, corn, rice, and potatoes, fish, shellfish, wild rice (watch out for pilaf, it often contains little rice-sized pasta), hummus, corn tortillas and corn tortilla chips, beans, most Chex cereals, most dairy products including butter, cheese, milk, ice cream, and yogurt. None of these items are "absolute" -- you will find wheat and barley in very unexpected places, so you will always have to read your labels... but, generally speaking, you should be able to find brands of all these items that are gluten-free.

There really is a lot you can eat on a gluten-free diet... and I didn't even get started on all the specialty foods you can get: gluten-free pastas, gluten-free pizza crusts, gluten-free cake mixes... those will drive up your food bill, but they are available.

It's discouraging at first, but it does get better. I actually find that I eat better food now than I did before because I buy so much more fresh and cook so much more from scratch.

I have to go cook dinner now. I'm making a bacon & cheese omelette (I raise chickens and need to use some eggs). I haven't decided yet whether to make fried potatoes or some gluten-free pancakes from my Trader Joe's gluten-free pancake mix. So many choices!! :-)

-Elizabeth

[Jonbo]

It's definitely overwhelming at first (my first week my mind went into complete meltdown). Now though, I've started developing a comfortable niche on what I can eat daily and while I'm more boring on foods since I don't like to get outside of my niche much I know that my "boring" meals keep me from severe pain, etc... and I'll take that any day of the week.

The best thing about getting Celiac now, is that companies are learning it's not a little problem and as witnessed just this year alone, big name companies are putting an effort to fill our niche. Pricey, but not things you buy all the time. Also, the internet is an extremely great resource for researching ingredients and/or foods (not to mention just calling a company if you aren't sure by reading the ingredient label)

[xraymo3]

Well It may be sad to say, but I hope they find SOMETHING. Im tired of being miserable. First diagnosed as Candida, now changing of the minds today and leaning toward celiac. Just get so frustrating as I've been dealing with the Candida diet..... which is tough, and now I have to dig into the ingredients for other reasons now.

[LDJofDenver]

Should your tests send you down the gluten-free road, there are lots of resources. Many free. And most manufacturers are happy to send/email you a list of "safe" products they make (like Heinz, etc.).

Gluten can be hidden in lots of ingredients, can even be in salsa, ketchup, or (believe it or not) ice cream.

Read labels.

You can buy mainstream grocery shopping guides that are excellent, don't know what I'd do without it! Below are two different sources:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

And if you need to eliminate gluten from your life, you'll also need to get a new toaster (seriously).