I'm Scared

[Poppi]

I don't want this to be my life.

Please excuse the pity party, I'm very new to this gluten-free thing. My Dad has Celiac so I decided to try out a gluten-free diet to see if it would help my laundry list of health problems. It only took 3 days for me to feel better than I've ever felt in my life. My fatigue, nausea, joint pain, depression, constipation, canker sores and migraines are all gone. It really is amazing.

On the other hand I am really scared and upset about having to live like this. I want to travel the world and eat everything I can get my hands on. I want to go back to baking 10 loaves of bread each week and being the go-to person for cakes and special desserts. I want to eat anything, anytime and I can't and that makes me want to scream and cry.

I haven't decided whether to gluten myself for an official diagnosis but I don't think I will since I get really sick even from a few crumbs in the butter dish.

Tell me it gets better, that you get used to the restrictions. I need a little hope and sunshine right now.

[ravenwoodglass]

((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))))))))

Yes it gets better. You may be a bit emotional right now if you are going through withdrawl but that will pass. There are folks here that do travel and eat out so hopefully they will chime in and give you some reassurance. There are international gluten free dining cards available to take with you when you travel to foreign countries to make things easier.

You can still bake all you want you will just be baking gluten free. I'm sure you will put on big smile on your Dad's face when you bring over a warm loaf of gluten free bread or a nice cake.

I had the same quick resolution of my GI problems and migraines (other stuff for me took longer to go away), it was wonderful not to be in pain any longer. It makes the hassle of the diet so worth it when you feel better and see your health issues resolve.

[cahill]

Instead of concentrating on your restriction, try focusing on the whole new world of foods going gluten free opens up..

Foods ,recipes that you may have never tried if you hadn't gone gluten free

check out these recipes Open Original Shared Link

and this site

Open Original Shared Link gives some great gluten free baking tips

((HUGS)) to you, It truly does get easier

[Poppi]

Thank you. I am feeling really emotional right now. I tried a few gluten-free recipes in the last couple of days and they were all disasters (cookies, pancakes and muffins). I've had moderate success cooking from gluten-free boxed mixes but I love baking from scratch and nothing seems to be working.

My Dad and I aren't close, we speak for a few minutes once every other year or so. It was a few years back he mentioned Celiac and I just said, "Oh, wow" and then forgot all about it until earlier this year when my arthritis was starting to cripple me and the migraines were becoming a daily problem.

In my home I can do well. I'm a great cook and a researcher by trade so I feel safe here. It's the eating out and travelling that make me feel all panicky. My son and I are going to a local restaurant on Sunday that claims to be happy to accommodate gluten-free diners and has gluten-free bread products on hand for burgers and such. I'm willing to try it but I'm nervous. It's hard to trust a stranger with your health.

My husband and I are going away without the kids for a few days in the summer and I'm already obsessively researching restaurants in the area. God only knows what I'll eat at the wedding we're going to while we're away.

Okay. Deep breath. I can do this.

I just don't want to.

[cahill]

Okay. Deep breath. I can do this.

I just don't want to.

There is a BIG difference between dont want to and cant. You may not want to do this but you certainly CAN do this .

Being overwhelmed and emotional is understandable just dont let it stop you .

You can do this

[JenniLu]

I know what you mean. I did NOT want to be baking bread at this time in my life! We have some great bakeries in our neighborhood, too - sigh. Store-bought, gluten-free baked goods really suck and they're expensive. I hate paying all that money for lousy products or spending all my time baking gluten free goods that aren't that great. We don't eat bread hardly at all anymore.

Looking on the bright side however, we eat so many more fruits and vegetables since going gluten-free. I broil or bake chicken, fish, or steak and serve it with a green salad, steamed veggies, an apple salad, and a topical fruit salad. My kids love rice and that definitely helps. Rice cakes are cheap and easy and better than the alternative, in my opinion. Keeping it simple keeps me from being hostage in the kitchen.

[sb2178]

You'll find out where you can eat gradually-- it's process, and not always pleasant, but so exciting when it goes well. (Bad example: "gluten-free" kasha fruit bar from bakery last week = slightly sick. Good example: yaki'soba' with rice noodles from pan-asian place = delicious and AWESOME cookies via a fairtrade coffee shop yesterday.) One thing I haven't done but should is to make a good solid list (for my wallet/messenger bag) of where I have eaten easily and happily to reference easily. I was sort of caught out yesterday not being sure where to get dinner until I thought out it harder.

You'll also start to get a sense of where you can and cannot eat. Like, I know that the bakery above does a crappy job of segragating the gluten-free cookies, but the bars were carefully wrapped and separated so I decided to risk it even though I had my doubts. Reminder to self, when in doubt, stick to tea.

For baking, I recommend starting with Bette Hagmen (sp?)'s flour blend. (AVOID Bob's Red Mill general blend, as it tastes a little odd in anything that does not have a strong flavor to cover it up.) Then try some flourless or nut meal based creations. The moosewood collective's flourless chocolate cake is nice and fluffy if you don't want something dense. Pancakes and waffles work really well. I make some meam gluten free pumpkin waffles from scratch too!

Some of my faavorite replacement products:

Rudi's Cinnamon Raisin Bread (good enough to compensate for pastries)

Crunchmaster multi-seed crackers

Udi's pizza crusts (thin crust)

Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta

It's all pricier, but I just eat less of them and more rice and beans instead of bread. I buy crackers and pasta via amazon, which also helps.

[WhenDee]

ETA: the best cook I know is a fellow celiac. Since she can't cook breads, she cooks - literally - everything else!

I am a celiac, live overseas, and travel frequently.

This summer I will get to go to Paris for the first time. And as excited as I am, I cannot stop that little voice that says, "But I won't be able to eat even ONE REAL croissant!"

I was a huge baker before. That was my "thing" that I could do WELL in the kitchen.

But now I am learning how to cook many things. It has expanded my repertoire. My husband told me a few weeks ago I was becoming "a good cook" - this from a man who would hardly touch anything I cooked a year ago!

It is hard. Maddening. Frustrating.

Embrace cooking, and you will learn to be okay with it. Instead of thinking of it like I used to, as "oh, great. What to feed everyone AGAIN TONIGHT?" Now I'm thinking, "what new thing can I learn to cook this week?"

And my last thing? Being Celiac and traveling... has meant that I try foods I *never* would have thought to try before. When you look at a huge menu and instead of 50 choices you have TWO... you find yourself eating things you would have skipped over before. And finding new favorites.

And finding that food is not as important as you thought it was. I was food-obsessed before, and now I'm merely obsessed with being gluten-free. So that I can do OTHER STUFF besides visit every toilet known to humanity.

I'm also finding that my weight is not such a struggle anymore. My biggest temptation was breaded sweets. Now - meh. There's nothing else I care to eat that much of at one time. Looking hot is a GREAT motivator.

[GFinDC]

It is a good idea to take some snacks with you when you are out, travel or not. It is easy to pack along a few LaraBars for instance. Then you can grab an apple of banana or some fruit and have a little gluten-free lunch basically anywhere.

Another thing is gluten-free brown rice tortillas. You can get them at Trader Joes or Whole Foods, or you can get Mission brand corn tortillas. All of these work fine for wraps if you wet them a smidge and warm them up.

Going gluten-free is an adjustment mentally and physically. Eating is pretty much a no-brainer thing for most people but for us it becomes something to be smart about. You will probably be much more aware of food ingredients and additives and how they can affect you in a years time. Knowledge is power as they say and it can take some struggle to attain it. But there is lots of help here and you aren't alone.

[sandsurfgirl]

Well look at it like this. Do you want a host of health problems that only worsen over time to be your life? The gluten free life isn't that bad. If you are a baker, then enjoy baking ten loaves of gluten free bread and share your recipes with us.

I love gluten free baking. I've gotten good at it and I've found so far that every recipe I've tried has worked out fine. I use a mix of 2 parts white rice or sweet rice flour to one part starch of your choice. I sub that with 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum in regular baking recipes and so far everything I've tried has worked.

You will enjoy baking gluten free and share it with others.

You will enjoy the wonderful feeling of freedom that you get from being healthy. It's amazing to have normal bowel movement and no nausea or gut pain.

It is worth it! You have your diagnosis. People who don't have celiac do not get sick from crumbs.

[sandsurfgirl]

ETA: the best cook I know is a fellow celiac. Since she can't cook breads, she cooks - literally - everything else!

I am a celiac, live overseas, and travel frequently.

This summer I will get to go to Paris for the first time. And as excited as I am, I cannot stop that little voice that says, "But I won't be able to eat even ONE REAL croissant!"

I was a huge baker before. That was my "thing" that I could do WELL in the kitchen.

But now I am learning how to cook many things. It has expanded my repertoire. My husband told me a few weeks ago I was becoming "a good cook" - this from a man who would hardly touch anything I cooked a year ago!

It is hard. Maddening. Frustrating.

Embrace cooking, and you will learn to be okay with it. Instead of thinking of it like I used to, as "oh, great. What to feed everyone AGAIN TONIGHT?" Now I'm thinking, "what new thing can I learn to cook this week?"

And my last thing? Being Celiac and traveling... has meant that I try foods I *never* would have thought to try before. When you look at a huge menu and instead of 50 choices you have TWO... you find yourself eating things you would have skipped over before. And finding new favorites.

And finding that food is not as important as you thought it was. I was food-obsessed before, and now I'm merely obsessed with being gluten-free. So that I can do OTHER STUFF besides visit every toilet known to humanity.

I'm also finding that my weight is not such a struggle anymore. My biggest temptation was breaded sweets. Now - meh. There's nothing else I care to eat that much of at one time. Looking hot is a GREAT motivator.

Google gluten free croissant recipes or look for crescent rolls and you'll find some great ones. I mean they are awesome! There's one made with cottage cheese if you can do dairy that I just love.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Thank you. I am feeling really emotional right now. I tried a few gluten-free recipes in the last couple of days and they were all disasters (cookies, pancakes and muffins). I've had moderate success cooking from gluten-free boxed mixes but I love baking from scratch and nothing seems to be working.

My Dad and I aren't close, we speak for a few minutes once every other year or so. It was a few years back he mentioned Celiac and I just said, "Oh, wow" and then forgot all about it until earlier this year when my arthritis was starting to cripple me and the migraines were becoming a daily problem.

In my home I can do well. I'm a great cook and a researcher by trade so I feel safe here. It's the eating out and travelling that make me feel all panicky. My son and I are going to a local restaurant on Sunday that claims to be happy to accommodate gluten-free diners and has gluten-free bread products on hand for burgers and such. I'm willing to try it but I'm nervous. It's hard to trust a stranger with your health.

My husband and I are going away without the kids for a few days in the summer and I'm already obsessively researching restaurants in the area. God only knows what I'll eat at the wedding we're going to while we're away.

Okay. Deep breath. I can do this.

I just don't want to.

Okay I just wanted to chime in and say YOU CAN DO THIS! Believe it or not you are actually at a bit of a disadvantage being a good baker already. But that doesn't mean you can't learn. You can always learn new ways of baking. That's all gluten free is--a different genre of baking (with a few rules to learn to prevent cc). Here are some things I have learned:

1. Gluten free doughs do not behave at all like gluten doughs. Most of them are more like cake batters or spackling compound. 2. Gluten free flours are not completely interchangable-- while some substitutions will work out, different flours behave differently and give different flavors/textures.

3. It takes a lot of trial and error to replicate a recipe you have always made with wheat flour. It's not usually a matter of just substituting one type of gluten free flour. You may need to use several gluten-free flours blended together, add additional liquid, and a binder such as Xanthan gum, guar gum or large quantities of eggs to prevent baked goods from crumbling into dust.

4. Sweets are easier to get right flavor wise than breads and biscuits but may be harder to get right texture wise.

5. Don't always assume you can trust a cookbook with "gluten-free" recipes in it. When I first went gluten-free I checked out a cookbook from my public library. I tried several recipes only to have things that were completely inedible and didn't even work. Then I looked through the book a bit more and found several errors, several incomplete recipes that didn't even give oven temps and a few pictures that were clearly NOT of the recipes in the book (there was a pie for example with a crumble top crust and the picture showed a rolled out bottm crust--gorgeous pictures but very deceptive). I did some searching and I couldn't find any positive reviews of the book nor could I find anythign credible about it online. I came to the conclusion someone was just out to make a quick buck by jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon with a cookbook. Bottom line: use "tried and true recipes" with good reviews, especially when you are just learning to bake gluten-free.

Finally I wanted to give you the absolute BEST gluten-free pizza crust recipe I have found. Open Original Shared Link

Even my non-gluten-free husband loves it!

[Korwyn]

GFManna is right. You are at somewhat of a disadvantage because all your intuition and instinct for baking is going to have to be unlearned. However, just as a word of encouragement, a couple that is friends of ours have had a catering business for years. Many years. They are both superb bakers and cooks, and have quite a reputation in our region. Four years ago they both had to go gluten free for health reasons. He reacts to gluten flour in the air even. It took a while, but they learned how to convert EVERYTHING gluten free. It is working out wonderfully. They cater a monthly business luncheon here in town, and a few months ago they had one of the members come up afterwards and tell them that they don't know why, but they usually get a stomach ache after eating, but never when they're catering the lunch! So don't get discouraged, it CAN be done.

[Poppi]

Thanks for the support everyone. I'm feeling much more positive today. Nervous about eating out with my oldest son but hopeful that it will be a good experience.

Yesterday was an interesting day, we had about 16 people over for a BBQ and luckily we have 2 grills so I have cleaned one well and it is now the gluten-free grill and it's nowhere near the other grill so I was able to cook my food safely and enjoy the company of our friends and family. It was a bit sad not having the same food but part of that was the last minute preparation and potluck nature of the day. I had my own food and it was very nice.

I'm still having "why me" moments but I'm sure that takes a long time to go away.

[sa1937]

Poppi, you are still so new to this but it will get so much easier as time goes on. It can be very overwhelming at first...just buying groceries was overwhelming to me at first but now it's pretty easy. It sounds like you had a very successful day yesterday. Nothing beats feeling well!

[smc]

You will feel better in time. I remember my first trip to my grocery store after being diagnosed was HORRRIBLE -I was holding back tears. In time though you will find more and more that you can eat. Dining out is still scarey for me sometimes but stick to places that offer a gluten-free menu. To feel safer call or email ahead of time and ask to speak to the chef about the menu and the cross contamination policies in the kitchen. You will find if they are doing things right they will be happy to talk with you. I am not much of a baker but i love to cook and found over time ways to modify almost all of my recipes to be gluten-free. I was making my own bread for the first 6 months then after some research found a brand called Udi's. I had a fantastic sandwhich! Even the gluten eaters in my family love it. It will get better in time . The fear of traveling will get better too. Remember it is a life change and you will adjust. Do alot of research, call alot of companies and learn all you can because the more knowledge you have the safer you will feel. It is very overwhelming and emotional at first but hang in there and take one day at a time.