Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Christmas Goodies... Aiaiaiaiai


Rowena

Recommended Posts

Rowena Rising Star

So I work in a law office in the copyroom/mail room. We may be the runts of the firm but we sure get one heck of a lot of presents when Christmas comes around. Only one problem.... All the presents come in the form of food. And even if I could eat the things I am intolerant too, its way too much... Oh and did I mention... SWEET Choco9lated covered pretzels, chocolate cover nuts, sugared nuts, cookies, chocolate this, chocolate that. I am pretty sure we ha have a mountain of junk food for a counter...

Frustrating part... Can't eat most of the goodies... though some people did know I can't eat wheat or chocolate, so they gave me funny presents.

One person said I can have the box that all the goodies were in... (Its a pretty box so I don't mind...)

One person, knowing I can't use most lotions for one reason or another gave me craisins... (YUM!)

My visiting teachers (church thing) gave me a bag of pamelas baking mix.... (I thought that was funny)

One person comes up to me and hands me a box of chocolates, and says, give these to your husband... (I thought that was funny beause she's only seen my husband in passing)

Another person hands me a cute purple stocking ornament (Same person who told me I could have the box) and somehow managed to know my favorite color... I swear the woman stalks me! *chuckle*

MY RA (Resident assistant) gave us all packs of tissues...

And then of course there are all the presents that annoy me....

Chocolate covered pretzels...

Cookies...

Mints...

More chocolate covered pretzels...

Cookies...

Nuts coated in odd things...

More cookies...

*stares at the pile of goodies taunting her*

Anyone else getting odd or "annoying" presents from the good hearted community around them? (By the way, I love the people for giving me things and thinking of me even if I can't eat what they give me... in case ye were questioning.... its the thought that counts.)


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



GFreeMO Proficient

Same thing happening here. I think some people give food gifts b/c they are quick, inexpensive and easy. Just try to remember it's the thought that counts and re-gift them or give them away.

kareng Grand Master

My squirrels and blue jays really enjoy the nut gifts. :P

I think the ornament gift is a good idea. My hub has given hand blown glass ones to employees a few times. Even if you don't celebrate Xmas, they are pretty in your window. Also, my Jewish friends have Xmas ornaments all year round that people give them that are not Christmasy. - a football or cheeseburger or dog.

Keep up a sense of humor, Ro! :)

TooManyHats Rookie

PLEASE tell me that chocolate is not one of the things we can't eat.

GFshay Apprentice

Yes, I'm sympathetic. You're right to appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness, at least!

I got a handmade packet of amaretto hot cocoa and asked the person what ingredients were in it because I have food allergies. She told me ingredients like "milk powder, creamer, almond flavoring, cocoa poweder, etc". I realized after I asked her that I would have needed to ask her the ingredients of each "ingredient" she used in order to know for sure it was safe. I thanked her and hope my husband will be able to enjoy it ;) . Sounds delicious but it's not worth the risk of contamination. I think I'll go buy some cocoa powder so I can make my own hot cocoa. (By the way, anyone have recommendations? I need dairy free, so I plan to mix whatever powder with almond milk).

sa1937 Community Regular

I got some lotion and lip balm from someone...no clue whether it's safe or not so I'm re-gifting it to my 12 year-old granddaughter, who loves all things smelly and lotiony.

Also got a little bag of candy (either questionable or not safe) when I had my nails done yesterday. She knows I have celiac so it's the thought that counts. It will become a package tie-on to the same granddaughter.

I also received a bottle Bath & Body Works foamy hand soap, which I just put in the guest bathroom.

If I got a lot of candy or other things I couldn't eat, I'd either re-gift them or donate them.

I love Pamela's baking mix so it would not go to waste...makes great muffins, banana and pumpkin bread. That would defintely be a keeper (providing there were no ingredients in it that you couldn't have).

Jestgar Rising Star

I'm not sure almond milk would be your best choice, it's a bit grainy...

I'd try coconut milk, maybe thinned with a bit of almond milk.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



sa1937 Community Regular

Yes, I'm sympathetic. You're right to appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness, at least!

I got a handmade packet of amaretto hot cocoa and asked the person what ingredients were in it because I have food allergies. She told me ingredients like "milk powder, creamer, almond flavoring, cocoa poweder, etc". I realized after I asked her that I would have needed to ask her the ingredients of each "ingredient" she used in order to know for sure it was safe. I thanked her and hope my husband will be able to enjoy it wink.gif . Sounds delicious but it's not worth the risk of contamination. I think I'll go buy some cocoa powder so I can make my own hot cocoa. (By the way, anyone have recommendations? I need dairy free, so I plan to mix whatever powder with almond milk).

Hershey's Cocoa Powder is gluten free. It does sound good but the powdered milk would get me, too. How about using Vance's Dari-Free if you want to make instant hot chocolate?

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star

PLEASE tell me that chocolate is not one of the things we can't eat.

Chocolate itself is gluten free (although some types of chocolate candy have malt and are out). Rowena just cannot eat chocolate in addition to the gluten I believe. If you need a gluten free chocolate fix, Snickers are safe. Yum! And welcome to the community, BTW.

missy'smom Collaborator

I'm donating a bunch of stuff to the local women's shelter this year. I think I will do this from now on. I'm given those fragranced gift sets of lotions etc. from time to time and I am sensitive to them.

Rowena, interesting list. Funny how people think sometimes but as you said at least some thought. Kinda sad picture of where our society is though because food intolerances or not, people just shouldn't be eating all that junk. And then there's the attitude that people in work places give each other for not indulging.

shopgirl Contributor

I just appreciate the thought and find someone else to give it to. The people who really know me would never give me that stuff. I'm sure I've given my share of misguided gifts throughout life.

Cinderella10 Newbie

My co-worker gave the office chocolate oranges. Just as he was getting to me, I was preparing to smile and say "I'm sure my husband will love this!" when instead he handed me a Smith's gift card. It was SO thoughtful, and he's only worked here six months.

anabananakins Explorer

I just appreciate the thought and find someone else to give it to. The people who really know me would never give me that stuff. I'm sure I've given my share of misguided gifts throughout life.

I do too. Plus, they'll never realise but in giving me a box of chocolates with "may contain" warnings that I won't eat they have (a) expressed kind appreciation to me through their gift and (B) saved me going out to buy similar gifts for other people since I've just been passing them on. Anything to keep me away from having to go christmas shopping is highly appreciated, more so than any happiness I'd have gotten from actually eating those chocolates :-)

(and these gifts are all from people who really don't know me - mostly my brownie guides' parents. I'd be annoyed if they were friends or family)

okieinalaska Apprentice

I am new to the gluten free world but in general...

Those "office gifts" that people share...yes I have gotten my share of those and I am sure given them too, LOL. And yes it's annoying when it appears the gift has no thought in it whatsoever...but please remember they didn't have to get you anything.

I just thank them and smile and remember it's the thought that counts. Then I save the item to regift possibly or I donate it. Or bring it home for my family to have.

If someone is giving out candy to the whole office or even loaves of bread (it could happen, LOL)I would never say "well I can't eat this but my family can". Just smile and say thank you. I most certainly would never expect them to get me something different than everyone else got.

Well, except my husband better not get me a food gift unless it's gluten free, he should know better! : )

i-geek Rookie

I think the only food gifts I received were a holiday lunch from my boss (at a restaurant where I could get a safe fish and rice meal- he was kind enough to ask before making the reservations for our group) and a fancy box of Penzey's baking spices from my sister- and brother-in-law. Oh, and a bottle of wine in a gift exchange. My parents and in-laws cooked dinners for us, but they were both very careful and kept the meals simple on purpose (and they apparently did well since I didn't get sick).

I admit to giving (gluten-free) goodies as gifts this year. Family and co-workers got homemade candy boxes from us- although I specifically only gave candy to people who I know would like to receive it. It's tricky to give it to acquaintances since I don't always know dietary habits. And on that note, I like the idea of regifting sealed packages of candy. I'll have to remember that in future if it comes up.

SilverLining Newbie

Love the idea of donating to a women's shelter!!!! Will have to do that next time. Got a bunch of food stuff gifts from professional contacts and family. I don't expect them to get on board with this, but Mom? That's a different story.

Of all people - Mom just isn't able to get with the program. Gave her a book months ago to explain Celiac/gluten-free - she didn't read it (mind you, she is an avid reader). I tried reading the book to her - she fell asleep. She keeps saying this is something I'll out grow and that a little cake here or there is ok.

I can't have gluten, casein (dairy) or soy & totally get that I'm a pain in the neck to cook for... so I offered to do the holiday dinner at my house. That turned into a power struggle over hostessing rights. So I took all the veggies for xmas eve dinner. Mom transfered them in serving dishes... and topped them all with butter. I loaned her a roasting pan so that the meat would be safe, she prepped the pan & roast with butter and then made gravy in the pan with flour.

And holiday gifts? Oh yeah - seems mom misread the "Can't have this" list as every gift was edible or other gluten laden consumable.

There's just no prying the stick of butter and canister of flour out of mom's grips!

Juliebove Rising Star

This year I only got two food items. Bulk dried beans and bulk popcorn kernels. I don't really like to buy bulk items because they are not necessarily fresh. I can get really fresh popcorn from my health food store. It pops up nicely with little to no old maids. Last year I got the popcorn and I did pop it but it wasn't as good as what I can get at the health food store.

I did say last year when I got the beans that we don't eat them. I do love dried beans. But nobody else in the family does. And I really don't have the time to cook them from scratch. So chances are I will never use them. I did have dried beans in jars for a while because I thought they looked nice. But they took up counter space and I never used them. I finally just threw them all out. I'm sure they were very old.

At least I didn't get nuts this year. Last year I got macadamias with cashews. A mix. I hate cashews unless they are raw and unsalted. These weren't.

Then for my birthday I got waaaaay more peanut butter filled pretzels (Not gluten-free but I don't need the gluten-free diet. Daughter does.) before they expired. In fact I got sick of the things and quit eating them. But then I needed a quick snack and grabbed some to eat. They had the most horrible smell to them. That should have stopped me but stupidly I put one in my mouth. Ack! That's when I realized they were rancid. I then checked the date and discovered they were badly expired. If I am going to give food as a gift, I always make sure it isn't going to expire soon.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - Wheatwacked replied to Scott Adams's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      50

      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

    2. - knitty kitty replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

    3. - knitty kitty replied to Scott Adams's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      50

      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

    4. - Florence Lillian replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      11

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

    5. - catnapt replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,355
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Amy Immerman
    Newest Member
    Amy Immerman
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      Raising you vitamin D will increase absorption of calcium automatically without supplementation of calcium.  A high PTH can be caused by low D causing poor calcium absorption; not insuffient calcium intake.  With low D your body is not absorbing calcium from your food so it steals it from your bones.  Heart has priority over bone. I've been taking 10,000 IU D3 a day since 2015.  My doctor says to continue. To fix my lactose intolerance, lots of lactobacillus from yogurts, and brine fermented pickles and saurkraut and olives.  We lose much of our ability to make lactase endogenosly with maturity but a healthy colony of lactobacillus in our gut excretes lactase in exchange for room and board. The milk protein in grass fed milk does not bother me. It tastes like the milk I grew up on.  If I drink commercial milk I get heartburn at night. Some experts estimate that 90% of us do not eat Adequite Intake of choline.  Beef and eggs are the principle source. Iodine deficiency is a growing concern.  I take 600 mcg a day of Liquid Iodine.  It and NAC have accelerated my healing all over.  Virtually blind in my right eye after starting antihypertensive medication and vision is slowly coming back.  I had to cut out starches because they drove my glucose up into the 200+ range.  I replaced them with Red Bull for the glucose intake with the vitamins, minerals and Taurine needed to process through the mitochodria Krebs Cycle to create ATP.  Went from A1c 13 down to 7.9.  Work in progress. Also take B1,B2,B3,B5,B6. Liquid Iodine, Phosphatidyl Choline, Q10, Selenium, D and DHEA.     Choline supplemented as phosphatidylcholine decreases fasting and postmethionine-loading plasma homocysteine concentrations in healthy men +    
    • knitty kitty
      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it.  Gluten is  the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part.  Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate  ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein.   Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat, and bran is the protective covering of the kernel.   Little to no gluten there.   Large amounts of lectins are in wheat germ and can cause digestive upsets, but not enough Gluten to provoke antibody production in the small intestines. Luckily you still have time to do a proper gluten challenge (10 grams of gluten per day for a minimum of two weeks) before your next appointment when you can be retested.    
    • knitty kitty
      Hello, @asaT, I'm curious to know whether you are taking other B vitamins like Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3.  Malabsorption in Celiac disease affects all the water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C.  Thiamine and Niacin are required to produce energy for all the homocysteine lowering reactions provided by Folate, Cobalamine and Pyridoxine.   Weight gain with a voracious appetite is something I experienced while malnourished.  It's symptomatic of Thiamine B1 deficiency.   Conversely, some people with thiamine deficiency lose their appetite altogether, and suffer from anorexia.  At different periods on my lifelong journey, I suffered this, too.   When the body doesn't have sufficient thiamine to turn food, especially carbohydrates, into energy (for growth and repair), the body rations what little thiamine it has available, and turns the carbs into fat, and stores it mostly in the abdomen.  Consuming a high carbohydrate diet requires additional thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  Simple carbohydrates (sugar, white rice, etc.) don't contain thiamine, so the body easily depletes its stores of Thiamine processing the carbs into fat.  The digestive system communicates with the brain to keep eating in order to consume more thiamine and other nutrients it's not absorbing.   One can have a subclinical thiamine insufficiency for years.  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so the symptoms can wax and wane mysteriously.  Symptoms of Thiamine insufficiency include stunted growth, chronic fatigue, and Gastrointestinal Beriberi (diarrhea, abdominal pain), heart attack, Alzheimer's, stroke, and cancer.   Thiamine improves bone turnover.  Thiamine insufficiency can also affect the thyroid.  The thyroid is important in bone metabolism.  The thyroid also influences hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, and menopause.  Vitamin D, at optimal levels, can act as a hormone and can influence the thyroid, as well as being important to bone health, and regulating the immune system.  Vitamin A is important to bone health, too, and is necessary for intestinal health, as well.   I don't do dairy because I react to Casein, the protein in dairy that resembles gluten and causes a reaction the same as if I'd been exposed to gluten, including high tTg IgA.  I found adding mineral water containing calcium and other minerals helpful in increasing my calcium intake.   Malabsorption of Celiac affects all the vitamins and minerals.  I do hope you'll talk to your doctor and dietician about supplementing all eight B vitamins and the four fat soluble vitamins because they all work together interconnectedly.  
    • Florence Lillian
      Hi Jane: You may want to try the D3 I now take. I have reactions to fillers and many additives. Sports Research, it is based in the USA and I have had no bad reactions with this brand. The D3 does have coconut oil but it is non GMO, it is Gluten free, Soy free, Soybean free and Safflower oil free.  I have a cupboard full of supplements that did not agree with me -  I just keep trying and have finally settled on Sports Research. I take NAKA Women's Multi full spectrum, and have not felt sick after taking 2 capsules per day -  it is a Canadian company. I buy both from Amazon. I wish you well in your searching, I know how discouraging it all is. Florence.  
    • catnapt
      highly unlikely  NOTHING and I mean NOTHING else has ever caused me these kinds of symptoms I have no problem with dates, they are a large part of my diet In fact, I eat a very high fiber, very high vegetable and bean diet and have for many years now. It's considered a whole foods plant based or plant forward diet (I do now eat some lean ground turkey but not much) I was off dairy for years but recently had to add back plain yogurt to meet calcium needs that I am not allowed to get from supplements (I have not had any problem with the yogurt)   I eat almost no processed foods. I don't eat out. almost everything I eat, I cook myself I am going to keep a food diary but to be honest, I already know that it's wheat products and also barley that are the problem, which is why I gradually stopped eating and buying them. When I was eating them, like back in early 2024, when I was in the middle of moving and ate out (always had bread or toast or rolls or a sub or pizza) I felt terrible but at that time was so busy and exhausted that I never stopped to think it was the food. Once I was in my new place, I continued to have bread from time to time and had such horrible joint pain that I was preparing for 2 total knee replacements as well as one hip! The surgery could not go forward as I was (and still am) actively losing calcium from my bones. That problem has yet to be properly diagnosed and treated   anyway over time I realized that I felt better when I stopped eating bread. Back at least 3 yrs ago I noticed that regular pasta made me sick so I switched to brown rice pasta and even though it costs a lot more, I really like it.   so gradually I just stopped buying and eating foods with gluten. I stopped getting raisin bran when I was constipated because it made me bloated and it didn't help the constipation any more (used to be a sure bet that it would in the past)   I made cookies and brownies using beans and rolled oats and dates and tahini and I LOVE them and have zero issues eating those I eat 1 or more cans of beans per day easily can eat a pound of broccoli - no problem! Brussels sprouts the same thing.   so yeh it's bread and related foods that are clearly the problem  there is zero doubt in my mind    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.