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Another Newbie - 6yr Celiac Positve, No Symptoms

Benshell

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Benshell Explorer
Benshell
Posted

First I want to say thank you to everyone who posts answers on these forums...I've been researching celiac and gluten-free diets for the past few weeks while we got things sorted out with my daughter and I've found so much helpful information - so thankyou.

My6 yr old was diagnosed with Celiac via blood test (part of routine with her thyroid test -she was born without a thyroid). We've decided NOT to do the endoscopy as the end result will probably be the gluten-free diet anyway - whether this year or next, etc.. as we were concerned about the general anesthesia. My daughter doesn't have any of the "typical" gastro-symptoms. She's been growing and developing fine. We're hoping going Gluten Free might help some of the things that may be caused by celiac - post nasel drip, headaches, tummy aches, "growing pains", moodiness. But mostly its just preventative as the dr feels its jsut a matter of time before celiac rears its ugly head.

So I'm doing my first shopping trip and have made up a list of suggestions based on previous posts. Which is great for "replacement" items (breads, pasta's, etc..). My concern and worry is the stuff I'm not sure about - flintstone vitamens, welches fruit gummies, Quaker popcorn rice cakes, etc.. There is stuff in the ingredients that I can't figure out and how am I supposed to remember EVERYTHING that can possibly contain gluten?? What do I do in this case without making 15 trips a week to the supermarket while constantly calling/checking with the manufacturer?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm already going out tomorrow to buy a new bread machine (mine's contaminated), plenty of foil for the toaster, an extra strainer for gluten-free pasta/rice, new butter, peanut butter, etc...

This is all very overwhelming. I want to keep feeding her healthy foods, as much as a 6 yr old who is starting to be a "picky eater" can be. I have no problem cooking/baking my own foods as I don't work and have the time.

Thank you.

michele

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Rondar2001 Apprentice
Rondar2001
Posted

I would suggest joining your local celiac chapter if you have one. We went to an introductory meeting where they had binders with labels of gluten free foods and we were given a small book with lists of safe and unsafe ingredients. Its also a good place to talk to others that are doing the diet and find out where to shop and any other tips they may have.

For my daughter, I started out by shopping at the health food stores. They tend to have sections of clearly labelled gluten free foods. From what I've read, Quaker's products are not considered gluten free.

I wouldn't buy too many replacement foods at first. I found that my daughter didn't like too much right away. I think she remembered the taste of wheat foods and was comparing the new ones to these. After a few months, she started to like the breads alot more. Try to keep her diet as natural as you can while she is healing, then add in processed foods slowly. Since you are a baker, a good cookbook will help fill in this gap.

One thing that helped out was buying a gluten free flour mix. I used this for breading meats, gravies, soups, etc. I tend to make extra and send it with her to school in her lunch in a thermos. We also buy the corn pastas, I find they taste closest to wheat and our whole family will eat it.

I would definitely purchase a toaster dedicated to her foods as opposed to trying to cover a gluten one with foil. The chance of contamination is just too great. You can purchase bread bags if she needs to use a toaster at someone else's house. Make sure you have dedicated condiments for her to use. I mark hers with green stickers so everyone in the house knows which ones are hers.

Don't worry, it does get much easier.

SD77 Newbie
SD77
Posted

I ordered one of the Gluten-Free shopping guides (Cecelia's marketplace...though there are others) and it helps sooo much!! I keep it in my purse all the time, so I have it when grocery shopping and then I might pull it out when I'm cooking at home! I ordered an extra copy for giving to relatives before we visit them, so they have an idea of what to feed my son!!

Good Luck!!

Shannon

LDJofDenver Apprentice
LDJofDenver
Posted

Both of the above! If you have a local celiac chapter they may have a small local-food/brands guide available. If not, get online and check out these grocery guides. I didn't know about them until a couple months after diagnosis, and it has made a huge difference in grocery shopping.

These gluten-free grocery shopping guides list mainstream products (Kraft, Heinz, Kroger, Hormel, etc.) by category (soups, chips, dressings, spaghetti sauce, etc.)

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  • 2 weeks later...
Benshell Explorer
Benshell
Posted
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I just wanted to say thanks.. WE've been almost 2 weeks gluten free (STRICTLY INFORCED) and she seems to be doing well. Lot of trial and error as some of the snacks that I got as replacements (like granola bars) she doesn't like, only the junk food and I'm trying to keep her healthy and give her more fiber since whole wheat bread/cereal is out now and she hates gluten free bread (we're going to try and make our own...if she does it, maybe she'll like it better).

Thank you SO MUCH for suggesting the shoppers guide. I got it from cecelia's marketplace like you all advised and it is a LIFE SAVER!!! I just went through my whole pantry and marked everything up either gluten-free or NOT gluten-free based on the book, only a few places I need to call. It is AMAZING.

Taco night was a huge success in our house. Trying gluten-free pasta with meat sauce tomorrow night, tonight is sweet and sour chicken with rice (LA CHOY). Its not as hard/overwhelming as I thought it was 2 weeks ago.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I'm sure I'll be sending more questions in the future, just wanted to say thanks!!!

Rondar2001 Apprentice
Rondar2001
Posted

Glad to hear you are finding your way.

Just one note, most granola bars are not considered gluten free. Oats are usually contaminated with gluten unless they are specifically processed to be gluten free (the package would state this). Also, some celiacs, like my daughter, are not able to tolerate even the certified gluten free oats. Our doctor suggested waiting a full year before even trying these oats to allow the gut to fully heal. I have found some gluten free granola bars made with quinoa that aren't too bad.

I try to make brownies and cookies at home and then freeze them for her lunches and snacks. She also eats puddings, jello, and cheese sticks as a quick snack.

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