What Do You Do When Your Starving?

[UnhappyCoeliac]

Planning doesnt come naturally maybe its because I am male or relatively young who knows.

But I think surely others are in this situation at some point too. For whatever reason there is no food for you to eat so!

- I drink lots of water, I mean 4 cups just for nothing

- I swear

-i think about some tasty stuff I will feast on to make up for this

Sorta happens say on a social night when food is going round on a saucer and everyone is nibbling and you just really dont feel like asking to read the ingredient at 1am at night or something so ou just go without!

So how do you deal with it?

[ranger]

I don't go anywhere without some kind of food in my purse.

[GlutenGalAZ]

Could you bring something with you say a gluten free bar then just slip outside for a couple of minutes and eat it then go back in where everyone else is? I am just thinking this way in case you are a at a club or somewhere like that where you don't feel comfortable eating food you brought in front of others......

I would think if you are at a friends house and they know about your gluten free eating that it would be okay to eat in front of others... maybe make something and put it on a dish so its like you are just eating normally with everyone else.

When my husband and I go out of town for part of the day I bring a small cooler bag with some carrots, corn chips (mission brand), maybe a wraps (corn tortilla with something in it), etc this way if I get hungry I don't have to worry about fast food places or if I can find something. If he gets hungry he can just get whatever he wants errr ha.

Good luck =)

[mamaw]

I think one of the sad things about this diet is that we all have to be responsible for ourselves.... If we don't take charge then why would we expect someone to do it for us.... if we are not willing to take charge of our health.

Suggestions would be to go to places you know can supply you something , eat before hand, take your own munchies...

This disease does take planning all the time so it does get to be a pain but once you decide you are truly going to starve to death , most find planning is better than starving to death. Believe me no one enjoys having to be planning every meal & snacks for their lifestyle for that day. BIG PAIN....

Why not carry a box of junk food in your car, that way you can grab & go ...

When we meet at friends houses I always take goodies for everyone to share & I know there will be something for me to snack that is safe. Now people just come out & ask me to bring their favorite gluten-free item!

Being a guy doesn't make a difference , everyone needs to take care of their personal health needs.Its not easy at first for eoither gender its a learning process.

good luck

mamaw

[ang1e0251]

Kind of tougher on you guys cause we gals can get a lot in a purse! But all the suggestions are good. At the least I always carry a Lara bar with me. This would fit into your back pocket. Excusing yourself at a restaurant is no big deal, everybody does it whether to smoke or talk on a cell phone. At 1 am that food bar in your pocket can come in handy. And of course if you drive a snack bag in your car is a great idea!

It's time to organize yourself a bit and never let your self go hungry. That's letting the gluten win.

[angieInCA]

I always have almonds in my purse.

[mediaseth]

I'm 34, gluten free maybe four months now, and still trying to work on that. My last all-night bender in NYC was the first one I couldn't drink beer on. That was hard enough. I've been getting into bourbons, but it's not the same as a good beer. We always eat dinner somewhere first, then hit up a diner around 4am. I have to order eggs without anything else when I used to get pierogies!

When I'm at a catered event, it's completely different. But, caterers who may not understand gluten-free do understand and fear allergies, so I try to explain it to them along those lines. I'm new at it, but I have no hesitation over trying to explain the condition to someone, even if it annoys them.

As far as bringing food goes, I hate carrying around lots of stuff. I think it comes from having a mother who would try to move an entire house's contents with us to a family day at the beach if it weren't for my father saying we don't need all that! I also was never a big fan of food in "bar" form before, like powerbars, granola bars, etc... but I may have to reconsider out of necessity. Maybe there's a food bar that can survive the conditions of my back pocket.

[Hummingbird4]

Carry a bag of trail mix (nuts, raisins, chocolate chips) with you. It works wonders when you are famished.

[MDRB]

I make sure I always eat before I go out, or carry a gluten free snack in my bag. But when I'm at some sort of social event and gluten filled good is being passed around, tempting me with its deliciousness, I try to focus on how horribly sick I would get if I ate any of it...gets rid of the appetite pretty quickly.

[mediaseth]

This is all great advice for people who carry bags and women with purses. I never got into the man-purse thing, though.

I don't mind carrying a bag around some of the time, but there are times when I'd absolutely hate it. The sort of solution I'm looking for is one in which I can pop into a place, like a convenience store or pizza shop, and grab a gluten-free option. I'll just keep dreaming. Actually, it's just about possible in NYC. Boston isn't too far behind, either. In my 'hood, just north of Boston, I'd have perfect options at all these Mexican and Latino places if I wasn't also vegetarian.

If you're at a house party, then bringing stuff with you is encouraged anyway. Just bring what you can eat. When I bring Redbridge beer everyone else wants to try it!! You can bring proper tortilla chips and not even stand out, too.

[Nancym]

I think you can find nuts easily at most convenience stores. You might want to check out various brands but probably most just salted nuts are ok. Lara bars are available at a lot of places now, but tend to be more common at health food stores. They're smallish, so you could fit them in a pocket easily.

There's lots of junk food that is supposed to be gluten free. But I don't do junk food, so I won't give you any advice on that.

[msmini14]

Once you accept the fact that you have celiac I think you will be more comfortable in a public setting. I was the same way at first, I was very very shy I didnt want to feel like I was causing a scene or felt like people were staring at me.

My first real event was going to the Marine Corps Ball with my dh and I had to bring a cooler with my dinner in it. It was weird, asking for a plate, having people look at me. Now I am used to it, actually most people compliment my meals I bring or order.

Keep a cooler in your car with little snacks and such. For instance when I go to work I bring my cooler with an apple, peanut butter, strawberries, banana and my lunch which is left overs and some type of veggie. Dont be shy, we need to spread the word about celiac.

I have seen another post from you, I really hope your friends begin to understand that you must be gluten free. Some will learn, others never will. Again it will get better when you get more comfortable with the situation.

[JNBunnie1]

Portable food- 'organic food bar'. Seriously, best food bar I ever ate, especially the chocoalte flavor. Way tastier than Lara bars, and I love those, so that's saying something. They also have like 14 grams of protein per bar, so it's REAL food, and are kinda squishy so so what if they get more squished in your pocket.

[amber]

Planning doesnt come naturally maybe its because I am male or relatively young who knows.

But I think surely others are in this situation at some point too. For whatever reason there is no food for you to eat so!

- I drink lots of water, I mean 4 cups just for nothing

- I swear

-i think about some tasty stuff I will feast on to make up for this

Sorta happens say on a social night when food is going round on a saucer and everyone is nibbling and you just really dont feel like asking to read the ingredient at 1am at night or something so ou just go without!

So how do you deal with it?

Hi,

I am from Melbourne also and I would highly recommend that you join the Victorian Coeliac Society. They will offer you support when you nned it and plenty of information. THey recently held a 'generation Y' night which was a huge success. They had about 100 young people attend and listen to some guest speakers (athletes etc.) talk about how they manage on a gluten free diet. If you join the society you can be part of these events.

Please contact the coeliac society by phone or pop into their centre (Mt. Waverley). The website is Open Original Shared Link.

As far as socialising goes I know it must be a hassle. Do you know what take-away foods are okay to eat.

Here are just a few:

Nandos (Check their menu for gluten-free options).

McDonalds : fries, hash browns, shakes. (check their website)

Ali Baba (some have gluten free wraps)

Taco Bills (gluten free menu)

Lord of the Fries (Flinders street station - they have gluten-free burgers and fries)

Muffin Break (always have gluten-free muffins available)

Grill'd Gourmet burger chain (gluten-free burgers available)

Crust Pizza (gluten-free pizza available)

Pizza Capers (Malvern,Beaumaris)

If you are going to a party just bring along a packet of chips and other things you know are gluten-free. Nuts, corn chips, dips, salsa etc. If there are plain chips they are usually gluten-free, same with corn chips. When they are flavoured they are often not.

Do you know how to read labels. Do you know that the law states in Australia that if there is an allergy causing ingredient is must be listed. So if wheat is present it must by law be on the label. For example if it says Maltodextrin (wheat) you can't have it. If it says Maltodextrin and nothing after it it is okay.

Good luck.

[amber]

One more thing. You must visit the Gluten Free Food Show which is on this year 3-4th October. There are hundreds of stands of gluten free food to sample, lots of information about gluten-free diet etc. You will see thousands of people just like you. The first year 10,000 visited in one day. Now it is on over 2 days so it is not so crowded and well worth a visit.

Open Original Shared Link

[one more mile]

at 1am at night

So how do you deal with it?

Generally I make bad decisions after midnight so I would either figure it out earlier in the day or be sick or resentful the day after. Or go to bed at midnight. lol.

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. ( I forget who said that but I think it was a male general )