Just Diagnosed

[parttimeangel32]

Hello, my name is Laurie, I was just diagnosed with celiac disease yesterday. I have been doing some research online and it is all very overwhelming to say the least. ....I am such a picky eater to begin with, that I dont even know where to start on becoming gluten-free. Im not comfortable ordering food online, and im not sure where else to get gluten-free foods. I have only found one health Food store within an hour from my home, so Im planning a trip there later. I guess what im wondering is, are there any normal foods that I CAN eat or will I have to buy everything from health food stores? also, im not much on cooking elaborate meals, so I will have to plan ahead, where could I find simple recipes? One other thing, should I have my childern tested? Im very concerned that my son may have the same thing, but I also dont want to put him through all the testing I went through if I dont have to.

any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Guest gfinnebraska]

Until you get comfortable ordering and buying gluten-free foods, you can always eat natural, unprocessed foods from the grocery store. What I tell people: eat things that are in the same form that God made them in... grilled meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese, nuts, rice, potatoes, beans, juice, etc. There are many gluten-free lists on this site, and also recommendations for cookbooks in the book section.

The best thing you can do is spend time reading different threads on here... pretty soon it will all make sense and you will be a pro at this whole gluten-free lifestyle!!

Don't be afraid to ask questions!!

[printmaker81]

Laurie,

I was just daignosed a few days ago, too. It is a really crazy new world to figure out. I was a vegetarian before all of this, and my doctor has told me to remain off meats until my digestive track heals up. I understand being in a tight spot as far as food choices go. My doctor also told me to stay away from soy and cow dairy. too. I sort of feel like there's nothing left...at least nothing I'd want to eat. However, before I let my feelings get the best of me. There are foods out there that "regular" people eat that are gluten free. You might try looking up recipes for an italian dish called risotto. There are tons of ways this dish can be made and it's made with rice, so almost all of them are safe. It's not too hard either, though it usually takes 30-45 minutes. Also, if you get wheat-free soy sauce, there are many options with stirfries, etc.

I've found that for breakfast or a quick snack, smoothies work well. You have to make it yourself though. Places like SmoothieKing often have additives with wheat by products. If you have a blender, through in a couple bananas, some peanut butter, ice, and a little milk (I use vanilla rice milk in mine), it's healthy and pretty easy on your stomach. I have horrible nausea, and fresh smoothies are often the only thing I can tolerate.

You can't live on smoothies alone, so it's good to remember fresh veggies, fruits and meat are okay. As I am in your shoes, too being newly diagnosed, I don't have a lot of advice to offer, but try going to your local library or bookstore, there seem to be a ton of books out there. Just try to find one that is fairly recent. I just finished the Gluten-Free Bible by Jax Lowell, and it was pretty helpful. There's several recipes in it as well as tips on eating "normal" food.

Hope that helps, at least a little,

Heather

[lovegrov]

As for recipes, the Internet is just loaded with them. Do a serach for gluten=free recipes or even just "simple recipes," 30-minuye meals," "crockpot meals," or something similar.

richard

[tarnalberry]

I guess what im wondering is, are there any normal foods that I CAN eat or will I have to buy everything from health food stores? also, im not much on cooking elaborate meals, so I will have to plan ahead, where could I find simple recipes?

All of the whole, natural, unprocessed foods in regular grocery stores are safe. It's being reliant on prepackaged, processed stuff that makes the diet change tricky. But don't worry, cooking doesn't have to be hard!

The VAST majority of my cooking isn't done from "recipes" - they're convenient ways of passing cooking on to someone who can't be in your kitchen. And they primarily use whole, naturaly, unproccessed ingredients. Like any other skill, it's all in the practice. As richard suggested, do some google searches, and also spend a bit of time down at a bookstore browsing through their "30-minute meal" cookbooks.

The most important thing to do when you don't like cooking, don't have a lot of time, or don't have a lot of experience is just to keep it simple - and familiar. There are lots of dishes that are nothing more than "chop this stuff up, throw it all together, and simmer or bake". And you can pretty much make them up off the top of your head - you don't have to stick to any rules.

(I try to encourage people to cook (from scratch) because it's healthy, easy to control contamination, and gives you a greater variety of things to cook.)

Let's take a couple examples:

Tomato sauce - you can buy it in a jar, but it's not the same as browning some ground meat (I prefer turkey, myself), adding a big can of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste (I like it thick!), and italian spices. There's your basic-basic. Add some crushed garlic, and chopped onion, and you've got something with more kick. And if you go with a gluten-free jar one, by modifying it, you can get a wider range of flavors. Now, it may seem like a one meal wonder, but it's not.

- You can serve it over gluten-free pasta, but you can also serve it over cooked rice or spaghetti squash.

- You can add a bunch of chopped vegetables while it cooks (like carrots, zucchini, cauliflower), and have a complete meal right there.

- You can use whole chicken legs instead of ground meat and simmer until done to make something like chicken cacciatore.

- You can omit the italian spices and go with chili powder instead, add a can of beans, and have chili.

- You can cook rice in with it to make it really thick and stuff bell peppers with it before roasting in the oven.

Stir Fries or Satuees - possibly one of the simplest and most versatile dishes. Start with a small assortment of vegetables, and a meat (or meat substitute), and a few spices, and you can make a large assortment of dishes.

- For an asian flavor, you can add canola oil, chili flakes and ginger and/or garlic (along with gluten-free soy sauce, if you like) to a few colorful veggies and a meat. Serve by itself, over rice, etc. (My preferred vegetables here are carrots, onions, bell pepper, baby broccoli, and sugar peas.)

- For an italian flavor, you can use italian spices - particularly sage and rosemary - and olive oil to serve by itself, with gluten-free pasta, over beans, etc. (My preferred vegetables here are summer squash and bell peppers.)

- For an indian flavor, I just stick with curry powder and canola oil. (Usually I do cauliflower and potatoes.)

- For a mexican flavor, I'll use a lot of the same vegetables mentioned before, add some black beans, and spices like sage, cumin, cayanne, and chili powder.

It's really a lot of variations on the same theme, but you can get a lot of variety. (Most of those are things I'd cook in one pot. I love cooking, but I HATE cleaning. ;-) )

Wade in slowly. Use what you know. And be patient. It's a learning curve, but you'll get there.

[rmmadden]

Laurie,

You might want to look into going to your local library and checking out some gluten-free cookbooks (By Bette Hagman). This way you start to become comfortable with gluten-free foods and don't spend money on something you might not enjoy later. And, if you really find some recipe's you like you can copy them down or buy the book later.

Also, a lot of grocery stores are starting organic sections which contain gluten-free items as well. At my local grocery store I can get gluten-free cereal, gluten-free pasta, gluten-free cookies, gluten-free soups, rice cakes, tortilla chips, almond milk, soy milk, etc., etc.

It does seem very overwhelming at the beginning but over time you will become more comfortable with shopping and eating gluten-free.

Best of Luck!

Cleveland Bob

[Guest nini]

you've gotten some good advice, keep in mind that the simpler you keep it, the better for now. Give your injured digestive tract time to heal before you start experimenting with spicy recipes... Food in it's most basic form is not only safest, but easiest to start with. Plain meats, chicken, beef, pork, turkey, fish... broiled, baked stir fried, roasted, grilled, Fresh fruits and vegetables, and so many veggies are delicious just simply steamed or raw. Salt and Pepper i s a safe place to start with seasonings, don't go crazy trying spices til you are comfortable with which brands are gluten free, stick with olive oil or butter, and then there is rice and potatoes. Oh so many easy things you can do with rice and potatoes (for now get whole potatoes don't try instant or packaged until you know which brands are safe)

The key at first is to stay away from processed foods until you get the hang of it. Once you get the hang of it there are many companies that have great "normal" products that just happen to be gluten free.

There are also many snack foods that are gluten free too, so you don't have to give up snacks! Frito Lay has a list of their gluten free products on their website and there are many kinds of candy and chocolate that are safe as well. It will get easier, I promise!

[mommida]

The first thing to do is clean out the foods / condiments that contain gluten, or at least clearly mark them. Don't forget the cross contaminated butter, peanut butter, jelly, and so on. If you're sharing the kitchen with others learn and teach the "gob drop". If you're not sure about a product put in holding area, until you are sure it is safe.

The advice you have got all ready is great.

You are going to notice there is some debate over some things being safe. I.e. the distilled products, and so many others. Pay attention to that list, and make a food diary for yourself. Let your body make the decision. It doesn't have to have gluten in it to make you have a reaction.

Laura

[Merika]

If you are not much for cooking, but find yourself in need of doing so, as I think most folks with celiac do, a site that is a MUST SEE is www.savingdinner.com . I am a happy celiac subscriber to the vegetarian menu option. You get 6 dinners per week, and from that most can be converted easily to gluten-free. I have numerous dietary restrictions at the moment, and usually make about 3 of the meals and that plus one or two things we make every week get us through fine (me, dh, ds) with leftovers too.

For those who eat meat, there is also a low-carb menu, which would be even easier to convert to gluten-free, I would think.

The meals are simple, I believe there's a sample menu to try for free, and it really is nice having someone just tell you what's for dinner Eating gluten-free can be frustrating and depressing, especially in the beginning, and I found that the less I had to think about food, the more likely I was to eat it.

Hope that helps,

Merika

PS. I wouldn't trade eating gluten-free for anything!!

[parttimeangel32]

Thank you all for your posts, you all have great advice! I realize that it will take time to get the hang of being gluten-free , I just hope I have the stregth to to make it through this. Im going to need all the help I can get, so you are sure to see more questions from me as time passes.

thanks again

laurie