Newly Diagnosed With Celiac Disease

[sulli39]

I was recently diagnosted with celic disease and loosing weight due to not knowing how to read labels or what to look for in labels ....this is not easy to do when there is no resources to get this from with limited amount of money . Im a single mom with two jobs and sometimes i eat only rice cakes , and being a diabetic that is not a good way to eat lol....anyways if anyone has any suggestions on what i can do then please let me know ......thanks yvette

[tarnalberry]

The cheapest/safest way to go is to stick to whole, naturally gluten-free foods. So, produce, meat, rice/beans, dairy (if you can have it).

Rice cakes aren't necessarily bad, but if you've got a brand your confident in, add peanut butter to lower the glycemic load of the meal.

Chili can be easy to make in large quantities so that you can save leftovers in the fridge for days you don't have any time to cook. (A bit of ground meat, canned tomatoes, and soaked dried beans, and chili powder is all you really need.)

Stew can also be something you can make in large quantities out of less expensive items. One of the nice things about stew is that you can use cheap cuts of beef with great effect here, because the long cooking time breaks down the tougher fibers. So some beef, onions, carrots, and potatoes (the less starchy ones like reds have a lower glycemic load, but not by a lot, so I imagine you wouldn't want too many of them), and a bit of salt, pepper, and cumin, and you're good. I believe there are a number of variations on this theme that you can make in a crock pot, but even on the stove, it only requires the chopping, and then waiting for it to cook.

Fruit, particularly on sale, in season fruit is going to be a cheap way to provide a healthy dessert, apples having a relatively low glycemic load, and if you pair them with cheese (again, if you can have dairy), it will lower the glycemic load further.

Speaking of dairy, if you can have it, yogurt and cheese can be an inexpensive way to get good quality protein in your diet as well.

And don't overlook nuts and raw vegetables to serve as snacks or part of a lunch. Avocados, as well, if they are on sale, can play a role by providing healthy fats. And lentils can provide a quick, inexpensive source of fiber and protein. (Lentil soup is pretty fast to make, and if sausage is on sale, cooking sausages in a pan with lentils and a can of tomatoes can be tasty too.)

[Jnkmnky]

You can go to the "site index" at the top left of this screen and click on the "safe and forbidden lists" to assist you in reading labels. This site is a wonderful, FREE resource for people newly diagnosed. You can't live on rice crackers, and you don't have to. Anyway, as a single mom working two jobs, you'll fall apart in no time trying to live off of rice crackers. You can eat any unseasoned meats you would normally eat. If you're unsure about seasonings to begin with, use a simple garlic salt for your meats initially.

I'm not familiar with the details of a diabetic diet. Until you figure out what contains gluten, you are pretty safe sticking with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and "naked" stuff like that. Bacon and eggs are gluten free! Tuna on a salad is gluten free! Steak/chicken/fish, potatoes, and a veggie are gluten free! There, now you have a healthy menu for tomorrow. Eat the rice cakes inbetween for snacking...not meals!!!

[KaitiUSA]

Here is the link to the forbidden foods and safe foods lists: https://www.celiac.com/st_main.html?p_catid=12

Also, the following brands of food will not hide anything so they will state wheat,rye,barley, oats right on the label if their foods contain any. If you do not see one of those ingredients then it will be safe. Remember though that policies can change so you may want to check every so often to make sure the policy has not changed. This is accurate to my knowledge though.

Aunt Nelly’s

Balance

Baskin Robbins

Ben&Jerry

Betty Crocker

Blue Bunny

Breyers

Campbells

Cascadian Farms

Celestial Seasonings

Country Crock

Dove

Edy’s

General Mills

Good Humor

Green Giant

Haagen Daz

Hellman’s

Hershey

Hormel

Hungry Jack

Jiffy

Knorr

Kozy Snack

Kraft

Libby’s

Lipton

Martha White

McCormick

Nabisco

Nestle

Old El Paso

Ortega

Pillsbury

Popsicle

Post

Progresso

Russell Stover

Seneca Foods

Smucker

Stokely’s

Sunny Delight

T Marzetti

Tyson

Unilever

Wishbone

Yoplait

Zatarain’s

[cdford]

Those first few weeks can be daunting when you go to shop. Use a reputable grocer with a dietician's line that can answer your questions. If possible, don't take the kids with you for those first few trips. They get far too frustrated and you are more likely to just grab items. As you get better at it, it won't be such a big deal anymore.

We also live on a small budget and buying store brands is a must. Kroger store brands are comparable to others and many are gluten-free. They also have great dieticians.

Winn Dixie (and therefore SaveRite) list there store brands in some of the books available but that won't do you much good. Their dieticians are harder to get in touch with but can be helpful.

If you don't spend a fortune every time you go in there, Wal-mart has the best prices on canned goods. You cannot trust their store brands at all as they change sources regularly. Few of their meats are okay due to additives.

Take the lists from this site with you. If in doubt, take an item to the store's customer service and ask them to verify for you.

If you ever have much cash at one time, buy items such as rice, beans, flours, etc. in bulk. Watch for sales on items you know you will eat and are gluten-free.

Keep a list of all products you verify. This can save you a great deal of time and effort in the long run. Put a date next to it so that you know to reverify in several months.

These are just a few tactics that have worked for this very broke family.

[cdford]

Those first few weeks can be daunting when you go to shop. Use a reputable grocer with a dietician's line that can answer your questions. If possible, don't take the kids with you for those first few trips. They get far too frustrated and you are more likely to just grab items. As you get better at it, it won't be such a big deal anymore.

We also live on a small budget and buying store brands is a must. Kroger store brands are comparable to others and many are gluten-free. They also have great dieticians.

Winn Dixie (and therefore SaveRite) list there store brands in some of the books available but that won't do you much good. Their dieticians are harder to get in touch with but can be helpful.

If you don't spend a fortune every time you go in there, Wal-mart has the best prices on canned goods. You cannot trust their store brands at all as they change sources regularly. Few of their meats are okay due to additives.

Take the lists from this site with you. If in doubt, take an item to the store's customer service and ask them to verify for you.

If you ever have much cash at one time, buy items such as rice, beans, flours, etc. in bulk. Watch for sales on items you know you will eat and are gluten-free.

Keep a list of all products you verify. This can save you a great deal of time and effort in the long run. Put a date next to it so that you know to reverify in several months.

These are just a few tactics that have worked for this very broke family.

[Maija]

My husband buys Think Thin Bars. He is diabetic. He buys them because of the low carb count. I sneak them because the are safe for me. My job has me on the road a lot, and its not always easy to get safe food. Im bad about packing stuff. So, I normally carry a few with me. I keep one in my purse and one in the glove box. Its a bit healthier then rice cake. He buys them in bulk at thinkproducts.com. But, you can find them at Whole Foods and a few other places.