Where Do I Start

[whitey]

Just had the confirmation letter from the hospital telling me i got coeliacs, right where do i start what can i eat,what can i drink, been looking around shops not a lot of choice, I've starved myself for three days not knowing what i can eat, bought some bread from tescos, yukkkkk taste foul is this what everythings going to taste like, im now waiting to see a dietitian, so i thought id join a forum for some help from the people who know,

if this is in the wrong place i apologise im sure someone wil tell me what to do later

looking forward too talking to you and geting your help advise and tips to make food taste nicer.

thank you

steven.

[Looking for answers]

Hi,

Although it seems overwhelming (and sometimes scary), it will get better with time. You will see that this diet isn't really that restricting (maybe a little tricky is all). I recommend that you carefully read through this following article: https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/the-gluten-free-diet-101-a-beginners-guide-to-going-gluten-free-r1640/.

This is a great place for support so come frequently with your questions, concerns and frustrations. They're welcome here.

Also, as far as the gluten-free bread goes, most don't taste that great. I quit eating grains altogether, but I'm sure others on here can provide tips on good alternatives.

[Monklady123]

I'm very new also, as you can see by my post count. But I can recommend one thing right off the bat.... go back and read this board! I started on page 100 just for fun and am working my way back toward page one. I'm taking notes on all the good tips, brands, and recipe ideas that I see. For example, try Udi's bread. And there is a gluten-free beer. And Bob's Red Mill chocolate cake mix is good. As is Namasta's spice cake. lol.. (you can see where my mind is -- bread, beer, and desert, lol)

As for what you can eat, really it's just about everything (as long as you don't have other food issues... so far I don't). Last night for dinner I made chicken (used chicken thighs), Trader Joe's simmer sauce, rice, and edamame, and a salad. All things I would have made before. The only changes I made were using oil and vinegar for my dressing, and no croutons. Sat out on the deck with my husband later with a lovely gin and tonic (VERY hot here) and some corn chips.

So it is possible. The things I know will be a problem will be restaurants, and church potlucks. Well the potluck will be easier because at least I can bring something that I can eat. But I think as much as possible "plain is best"... i.e., plain meat, potatoes, veggies, fruit, yogurt if you can do dairy. -- At some point I know I'm going to miss pizza, but I'm still new enough to this that I'm enjoying feeling better more than I'm missing pizza.

Also, go browse through the store when you're in a good frame of mind. I was pleasantly surprised to see what was gluten-free in my regular grocery store. I know I'll find more things at Whole Foods but I'll also find higher prices so I plan to stay away from there as much as possible. (except for the Udi's bread which I want to try soon.)

I hope that helps a little bit.

[kareng]

Lots of stuff is naturally gluten-free. Meat, veggies, fruit, rice. Some of the sauces you might put on them or cook them with are not. Some broths even have wheat in them. The main thing is to read labels. The bread tastes better if you toast it.

[nikki-uk]

Just had the confirmation letter from the hospital telling me i got coeliacs, right where do i start what can i eat,what can i drink, been looking around shops not a lot of choice, I've starved myself for three days not knowing what i can eat, bought some bread from tescos, yukkkkk taste foul is this what everythings going to taste like, im now waiting to see a dietitian, so i thought id join a forum for some help from the people who know,

if this is in the wrong place i apologise im sure someone wil tell me what to do later

looking forward too talking to you and geting your help advise and tips to make food taste nicer.

thank you

steven.

Hi Steven! - glad you found us, you're in the right place

I'm in the UK and both my husband and son have coeliac disease.

Getting used to the diet does seem tricky at first - but I can assure you it does get easier in time.

I distinctly remember the first food shopping adventure after my hubby's dx - it took HOURS!! .... but take heart, reading labels will become second nature.

It did seem that my husband ate jacket potato with cheese every day for 2 weeks 'til we got a handle on the gluten-free diet

I think the mistake we made (and most do) is to try and continue to eat the same type of foods - but replacing them with gluten-free versions.

This (In my opinion) will fail every time. Your taste buds are used to light springy gluten bread. gluten-free bread just ain't gonna cut it (YET)

Here's the great thing ...eventually you will forget what gluten bread tastes like.Your tastebuds change and you will come to actually like some of the replacement foods!

..But for now try to keep it simple.

Go back to salads with ham, eggs,cheese.

Potatoes (mash,jacket,new)

Sausages (Tesco stock a gluten-free one 'Jimmy's farm chipolatas')

Meats with potato and veg.

Once you get a little more confident you will tend to get a tad more adventurous in the kitchen.

For my hubby it was a blessing in disguise - it totally changed his diet (for the better, more veg + fruit) and it also forced him back into the kitchen to make meals from scratch.

Another thing - if you were dx by biopsy you are entitled to some prescription gluten-free food from your gp (e.g gluten-free pasta,flour, bread)

Also, have you joined Open Original Shared Link?

With membership they send out a booklet with all the latest gluten-free foods by manufacturers (we referred to it as 'the bible' in the beginning as it was so useful)

All the main supermarkets have a 'free from' section (the best I think is in large Sainbury's) but we only buy a few bits from there. The bulk of our food is fresh meat, veg, fruit (although the arrival of 'genius' bread was something of a revolution in our house!, but at £2.49 a small loaf my coeliacs don't eat alot of it )

Another site you may want to take a peek at (especially with specific questions about UK brands) is here

Open Original Shared Link

Please don't hesitate to ask any more questions - there's a wealth of info here

[Black Sheep]

Hi whitey, glad you made it here! It is kind of scary sometimes, not to mention overwhelming, when you first find out you have this disease, and that you can never eat anything with gluten in it again. I've been g.f. since March of this year, and I've found it's just like Looking for answers said, once you realize all the stuff out there that you can eat, you'll realize that it is indeed more tricky than restricting. At first I sort of panicked, thinking, I can not go without my bread! So I learned to bake g.f. bread that honestly, tastes so much better than the regular white or wheat breads, it's amazing. There are a couple of brands of really good g.f. bread available here in the States, but from the way you spell "celiac" I'm guessing you're not in the States? Not to worry, there are people on this board from all over, and in fact, there's a forum here just for those from outside the States--you might be able to get some good info there, re. what's available where you are at. Here's the link: https://www.celiac.com/forums/forum/38-gluten-free-international-room-outside-usa/

Believe me, once you've been off gluten for awhile, and start healing and feeling good again, you'll not want anything to do with it; and will look at the stuff as what it really is for you and all of us: Poison.

[Black Sheep]

Well, what timing! Here I am hoping that someone outside the States can give you some good advice, and no sooner do I hit "Post" than there's someone to help. This is great!

[whitey]

WOW what a read I've been looking for a way of getting out of kissing the wife, (joke)

its gonna be a bit of a struggle for sure my diet was rubbish in the beginning, and i do all the kooking in my house cos the wife burns every thing,waaa, I'll be looking for recipes for things im gonna miss simple things like gravy ect.

thank you for the read

[GlutenFreeManna]

WOW what a read I've been looking for a way of getting out of kissing the wife, (joke)

its gonna be a bit of a struggle for sure my diet was rubbish in the beginning, and i do all the kooking in my house cos the wife burns every thing,waaa, I'll be looking for recipes for things im gonna miss simple things like gravy ect.

thank you for the read

Gravy is one of the easiest things to make gluten free. Here's a simple recipe: Open Original Shared Link Just make sure the broth that you use is gluten free and you should be fine. Cornstarch should be gluten free (or at least it is in the US) however if you can't have cornstarch there are many other substitutes to use as thickeners: potato starch, rice flour, arrowroot powder are just a few. I know it's overwhelming right now, but it just takes a little more time and planning--instead of buying the canned gravy or one of those instant packets you just make it from scratch. You will be fine once you adjust and you may even find some naturally gluten-free foods you really like that you hardly ate before.

[i-geek]

WOW what a read I've been looking for a way of getting out of kissing the wife, (joke)

its gonna be a bit of a struggle for sure my diet was rubbish in the beginning, and i do all the kooking in my house cos the wife burns every thing,waaa, I'll be looking for recipes for things im gonna miss simple things like gravy ect.

thank you for the read

I've found that brown rice flour thickens sauces beautifully (I used it to thicken beef stroganoff last week, which we ate on gluten-free pasta), and I used corn starch for gravies even before I went gluten-free. There are a lot of work-arounds, and you'll learn them as you go. I know this seems daunting at first. Take your time. Keep it simple until you get the hang of ingredients. You could season a steak with salt and pepper, broil it, and serve it with a baked potato and side veg, seasoned with butter and salt, maybe some herbs. All gluten-free and hey, it sounds tasty to me. After a while, you'll be feeling so much better and you'll probably realize that you're eating so much better than you ever had before. My husband and I sure are. It's so nice not to feel awful all the time that I don't miss things like gluten bread anymore. Sure I miss the convenience of being able to grab a sandwich in the caf for a quick lunch, but I have so much more energy to cook and food tastes better now, so I cook often enough to bring tasty leftovers for lunch (and my coworkers end up eying my lunches as they eat soggy sandwiches ).