New Celiac

[Courtnie0722]

Hey everyone. i am 20 years old and was diagnosed about 6 months ago with Celiacs. i did ok with staying away from Gluten for about, oh the first two weeks or so. But after that i just spiraled down hill. i do not really have much of a support system in this. My family has been ok about it but they play no part in trying to help me stay away from it. My friends are also the same way. I try to stay gluten free but its hard when the people around you are telling you to "just try it and see what happens". i also work in a dine in restaurant and it is not easy to get gluten free food there, and with my busy work schedule (three jobs) it is easy to just run through a drive through and convince myself that its fine to grab a quick burger because its the fastest thing to do. I just get so frustrated and give up when i do research on my own and stay gluten free. i dont know what i needd i guess tips and things that will help me with an easy stress free gluten diet. can anyone help?

[mamaw]

Hello & Welcome

First let me say NEVER cheat or it will become a habit. You will never get better health by cheating. When you get on to this gluten-free diet -down the road that would be a good time to talk to the owners/manager about adding some gluten-free items to the menu. It is a money making business! But first you have to learn yourself......

Tips on eating: salads with no croutons are or can be fairly safe.

Steak grilled on foil with no seasoning( unless you know the seasoning is gluten-free).

Carry a gluten-free bag in your car. gluten-free beef jerky, protein bars, chips & dip, pretzels, veggies, fruit, granola. They make nice cute lunch cooler bags ..

Fast foods: Wendy's ,Arby's , Burger King, Boston Market are a few tha thave a gluten-free menu. Find a bun you like & take it along....

hth

blessings

mamaw

[AlysounRI]

Hello Courtnie:

First of all welcome.

You sound like you have a difficult schedule to work around.

But it is possible.

Anything is possible!!

Do you know if you have any problems with anything other then the gluten (dairy, soy, eggs, etc.)? If you do then poses another level of complexity. Are you a vegetarian or a vegan?

Can you carry around things that are non perishable on which you can snack like carrots or gluten-free chips (like corn, if you are okay with corn?), or even jerky of some kind (just make sure it's gluten-free).

If you have a refrigerator at your jobs, perhaps you can get some lettuce and some boars head cold cuts (those are gluten-free) or tuna and put them on gluten-free bread. Getting stuff gluten-free at the drive through, even without a bun can be deadly because you can't count on there not being

cross contamination.

All this would mean that you would have things in a lunch bag to carry around with you with which you can safely feed yourself. And it would make you feel stronger and healthier in the long run. It would take some effort to prepare these things the night before hand.

Alternatively, if your seemingly non-helpful family will let you, get your own gluten-free cooking utensils and prepare meals a week before hand (if you have a "weekend" you could prepare them then?)

There IS a way around your stress.

Your friends and family may not be so helpful but as you stay away from the gluten and they see that you are becoming healthier would they not be happy for you. You can also get some books out of the library and read about celiac or gluten intolerance, and this way you can tell them exactly what is going on within your body and how it benefits you to stay off the poison, away from the poison and try and do what your body will eventually thank you for.

I hope that helped.

And I hope that I didn't come across as preachy.

If I did, please forgive me.

I can recommend some books on the subject and I know others here can.

So let me know if that would be helpful for you.

I am happy to do that.

It's a tough thing, but this is YOUR life, not your friends' or your family's.

And it's important for you to stick to what will make your bocy and mind healthy.

This is a GREAT place to get help and suggestions and support.

You can also join a support group near you - your friends might also be educated that way if they went with you.

Hugs and good health,

~Allison

[Bobbijo6681]

First of all WELCOME to the Board!! You will hopefully find lots of answers and support here! I also lead a very busy life, and find it very tough to eat something quickly. However I have just learned to plan a little better so I can still stay gluten-free and not be starved. First off I usually cook several things on Sunday afternoons and put them in tupperware and freeze them for the rest of the week. On my way out the door I just grab a "frozen meal" and am ready to go. For breakfast that is one of the hardest things I have found so far, but I have just been eating yogurt and rice cakes or nut thin crackers. In a pinch if I am running behind and don't have a quick meal I will swing through McDonald's and have just their fries. Although that is not a very balanced meal, it is better than eating something that is going to make me sick. I would also recommend getting some fruits or veggies ready in ziplock baggies at the start of the week, makes for a healthy snack and very easy to eat on the go.

I am also very new to this diet, so I am no expert, but I hope that I may have been of at least a little help!

With your friends say "try it and see what happens" I can tell you what will happen, it will make you sick....For me it is not worth it. I have made great progress in 6 weeks and there is no way I would intentionally make myself sick anymore.

Good luck and stick to it, it will get easier as you get used to it.

[kareng]

Tips on eating: salads with croutons are or can be fairly safe.

Steak grilled on foil with no seasoning( unless you know mamaw

I hope that was a typo about the croutons. No croutons!

. In a pinch if I am running behind and don't have a quick meal I will swing through McDonald's and have just their fries.

Please check McDonalds website.

French Fries

French Fries:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid

pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to

preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK *(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

Be carefull & use some common sense. Most info here is correct but mistakes get made.

[Nor-TX]

I was interested in what AlysounRI said... is it true that all of Boar's Head cold cuts are gluten free? Even brown sugar ham and turkey? This would solve so many issues for me, if they are.

[gluten-freedom]

Hi!

While I am new to these boards, I am not new to this whole celiac deal, so I want to say first of all: YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this! I hope that these forums provide one piece to the puzzle of the support system you need.

This diet is incredibly difficult to do when the people around you are not suppotive. It might be a good idea to arm yourself in advance with quick, firm replies when people encourage you to cheat. Things like, "Oh, I know what happens. Not worth it." Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book "gluten-free Diet" has a lot of helpful tips about dealing with "food pushers."

For fast food, here are some quick thoughts:

Wendy's: Chili, baked potato, frosty

Chick-Fil-A: Fries

I can't say enough about how thankful I am for Wendy's chili! So easy!

When life is hectic, you are right - this diet becomes even more challenging! Arm yourself with gluten-free snacks! Keep them in your car! Nuts, if you like them, (I don't) are a great, filling snack! Glutino pretzels, Pirate's Booty, Florida's Natural Nuggets fruit snacks, an apple or banana w/peanut butter, Glutino crackers with PB or cheese, and any of Pamela's Products are some of my fav's. Now, you want to make sure you get some nutritionally valuable stuff in your system, but on-the-run may not be the time or place for that.

Hope these practical suggestions help in some way. What I hope most is that you find at least one person to be your partner in crime through this transition!

[AlysounRI]

Hiya:

Boars head cold cuts are gluten free

Lookie here ... and smile!!

Open Original Shared Link

And this is from the FAQ:

Open Original Shared Link

Are your products Gluten Free?

"All Boar's Head Brand

[Nor-TX]

Thank you, thank you, thank you..... Yeahhhh I can eat lunch again. I buy the Udi sandwich bread and bagels, and now I can bring a sandwich to work.... thanks so much for the information...

[AlysounRI]

Thank you, thank you, thank you..... Yeahhhh I can eat lunch again. I buy the Udi sandwich bread and bagels, and now I can bring a sandwich to work.... thanks so much for the information...

You're VERY welcome

I am happy that you are happy.

I don't work for Boars Head but that info made me so happy that I called that 800 number and thanked them for accommodating people with gluten issues. They were very appreciative!!

It's more common to let people know when they are doing things wrong but it's really appreciated to call and let them know that they are doing things **right** especially with important issues such as what is in the food that you eat!!

Happy lunching!!!

~Allison

[sandsurfgirl]

I hope that was a typo about the croutons. No croutons!

Please check McDonalds website.

French Fries

French Fries:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid

pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to

preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK *(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

Be carefull & use some common sense. Most info here is correct but mistakes get made.

Wow. Yes please don't eat croutons. Wow.

[Reba32]

Hormel Naturals sliced meats are gluten free as well. If you're in the US, I can usually find them at Walmart for about $2.50 per pack. Other stores range anywhere from 2.99 to 5.99! (some stores just price themselves right out of business don't they?)

I usually make myself some nice snacks with sliced meats, pickle spears and some cheese roll it up together and call it a ploughmans' lunch without the bread.

[AlysounRI]

I usually make myself some nice snacks with sliced meats, pickle spears and some cheese roll it up together and call it a ploughmans' lunch without the bread.

You can also roll them up in lettuce.

Cold cuts are tasty that way too ... unless you have a problem with lettuce ...

Nice to know that Hormel naturals are gluten-free too.

They are sure A LOT cheaper than Boars Head.

~Allison

[mamaw]

oops! i'm so sorry --- it was a big NO CROUTONS. Sometimes my brain works apart from my fingers... bad typo error.....

blessings

mamaw

[Courtnie0722]

Thanks everyone soo much! everything has been so helpful so far! and to AlysounRI i dont really have any know problems with other things except i also have a thyroid issue and i read somewhere that soy can make my thyroid issue act up and i have noticed that a lot of gluten free products contain soy. i have been trying very hard to stay off the gluten it has only been about 2 days horrible i know but i really do not want to relapse! the two weeks i was off it completely at the beginning was a total change! and then i just got stuck back into habit again..i refuse to do that this time! but thank you all for your tips and help! i appreciate everything!

[sandsurfgirl]

Thanks everyone soo much! everything has been so helpful so far! and to AlysounRI i dont really have any know problems with other things except i also have a thyroid issue and i read somewhere that soy can make my thyroid issue act up and i have noticed that a lot of gluten free products contain soy. i have been trying very hard to stay off the gluten it has only been about 2 days horrible i know but i really do not want to relapse! the two weeks i was off it completely at the beginning was a total change! and then i just got stuck back into habit again..i refuse to do that this time! but thank you all for your tips and help! i appreciate everything!

The soy and thyroid thing is a bit controversial, but the major sources I've read say just have it in moderation. If it's in stuff I don't worry about it.

[AlysounRI]

Thanks everyone soo much! everything has been so helpful so far! and to AlysounRI i dont really have any know problems with other things except i also have a thyroid issue and i read somewhere that soy can make my thyroid issue act up and i have noticed that a lot of gluten free products contain soy.

Courtnie:

You're very welcome.

People here are very knowledgeable.

So please don't hesitate to ask any questions.

I don't eat that much soy, I confess, but I know that I get it in the products I eat.

I don't actively go out there and eat large tofu paddies

However, you will figure the soy thing out in time, according to what your body can take and what it can't take.

Just take it easy and be patient with yourself and be kind to yourself.

You CAN do it!!

It will take some planning and organization with your schedule but you can make it work.

And you will feel lots better the longer you stay off the gluten.

Take care!

And be healthy!!

~Allison

[JustLovely9216]

Everyone here has given great advice! I don't know that I can add much more - I think the snack idea is great and I really like Larabars. Well not all of them...but they have a PB&J one that i SWEAR tastes like eating a regular PB&J on white bread...SO GOOD! (especially since I can't find a Gluten-Free bread I like) They are also cheap here, just bought a TON on sale, 4 for $5, at Giant.

Other than lara bars I keep Gluten-Free Pretzels and rice crackers at work and will sometimes bring some soft cheese to spread on them for a snack. Let me look in my snack drawer...

Almonds, dark chocolate, rice crackers, lara bars, tea, Dr. lucy's cookies...

And any portable fruits and veggies are great.

And YES. I thank GOD for Wendy's chilli!!! And Frostys!!!

[kayo]

I have issues with soy as well. I've read soy oil isn't supposed to be an issue as opposed to the soy protein and lecithin but I swear I can feel my face and neck swell when I have it. I go from having two chins to three! Best to avoid it.

Here are some snack ideas that are gluten-free/sf that would be a bit more nutritious than chips:

Larabars are awesome! I like the cherry and lime bars the best.

Rice cakes with peanut butter, jelly, hummus, tuna, cold cuts

Baby carrots (or any cut up veggie) with peanut butter or hummus

Fruit, whatever you like

Yogurt (there are even coconut based yogurts)

Hard boiled eggs

Nuts, whatever you like

Laughing Cow cheese wedges (I used to live on these before I was dairy free)

When I cook dinner I always make extra and then divvy the leftovers into containers and pop them in the fridge or freezer. When you get into this routine it doesn't feel like extra work.

When friends or family pressure you to have a little ask them if they would ask a diabetic to have a little sugar, or would they ask someone with a broken leg to walk without crutches?

They wouldn't. So why would they ask you to do something that would be harmful to you?

I have found that these two examples resonate well with people.

[jackay]

Hormel Naturals sliced meats are gluten free as well. If you're in the US, I can usually find them at Walmart for about $2.50 per pack. Other stores range anywhere from 2.99 to 5.99! (some stores just price themselves right out of business don't they?)

The Hormel Natural bacon is some of the best I've ever tasted.

[knittingmonkey]

I usually make myself some nice snacks with sliced meats, pickle spears and some cheese roll it up together and call it a ploughmans' lunch without the bread.