To Eat Or Not To Eat..

[celia-with-celiac]

Hello everyone.... I'm 23 and just recently realized I am allergic to gluten. Better late than never I guess but I have had to take ao many different medications and vitamins all for reasons caused by gluten as all of you have experienced I'm sure. The pain, nausea and fatigue alone are going to kill me. My Dr.s are confused so I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is the only thing that makes sense. All of the symptoms I HAVE and all of the other things like fertility and migraines I HAVE problems with too. This has to work life can't be like this it should be enjoyable and I am going to enjoy it once I get this gluten out of my system! Any help or tips would be amazing for a newbie like me! Thank you look forward to talking to most on the forums!

[Fire Fairy]

Hello everyone.... I'm 23 and just recently realized I am allergic to gluten. Better late than never I guess but I have had to take ao many different medications and vitamins all for reasons caused by gluten as all of you have experienced I'm sure. The pain, nausea and fatigue alone are going to kill me. My Dr.s are confused so I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is the only thing that makes sense. All of the symptoms I HAVE and all of the other things like fertility and migraines I HAVE problems with too. This has to work life can't be like this it should be enjoyable and I am going to enjoy it once I get this gluten out of my system! Any help or tips would be amazing for a newbie like me! Thank you look forward to talking to most on the forums!

Welcome to the board!

First suggestion I can think of is have you gluten proofed the kitchen? You don't want to use wood or plastic that has been used for gluten filled foods. You'll also want to avoid any scratched non-stick pans as they hold gluten in the scratch! In my kitchen we have separate areas for the gluten eater (my dad) to put his food. One crumb can make you sick so it's a good idea to have some things separate if you're sharing a kitchen like for example two toasters. You will want one that has never had wheat bread in it.

Some folks suggest using gluten free beauty products, especially lip stick. I use Zuzu makeup and Zoya nail polish. Zoya occasionally has fantastic sales. Kiss My Face is a nice healthy soap.

Shop the perimeter in the grocery store. Fresh fruits and Veggies are naturally gluten free. If you buy frozen or canned veggies check the ingredients sometimes they add wheat. Soy sauce unless it says otherwise has gluten in it! In my main stream grocery store just about all the veggies with sauce have gluten in them. If a food lists natural flavors, natural coloring, those can come from gluten plants so you'll have research it.

Check your vitamins and any meds for gluten! You need to check anything you ingest.

Wheat free does not necessarily mean Gluten Free! Always remember that! Wheat, Rye, Barley, Spelt, Malt are all sources of gluten.

Hope this helps some. I'm still a newbie so hopefully some of the wiser more experienced folks will chime in soon.

[WinterSong]

Hi and welcome to the board! We're about the same age, and I was just diagnosed with Celiac about three months ago. We're actually pretty lucky for being diagnosed relatively early in life. Many people go their entire lives without realizing they have an intolerance, and a lot of times that results in other medical complications (my great grandmother had stomach cancer when she died, and I're pretty sure she had Celiac). So it's definitely a blessing to have a diagnosis and coping plan now!

This board was an incredible resource for me and I'm very grateful to have had the support, especially right after my diagnosis. Do you have an allergy, intolerance, or Celiac? Feel free to search around and ask questions. There are tons here who can give advice on pretty much anything. And if you wanna drop me a message, I'm always happy to chat about my experiences, too

[celia-with-celiac]

Hi and welcome to the board! We're about the same age, and I was just diagnosed with Celiac about three months ago. We're actually pretty lucky for being diagnosed relatively early in life. Many people go their entire lives without realizing they have an intolerance, and a lot of times that results in other medical complications (my great grandmother had stomach cancer when she died, and I're pretty sure she had Celiac). So it's definitely a blessing to have a diagnosis and coping plan now!

This board was an incredible resource for me and I'm very grateful to have had the support, especially right after my diagnosis. Do you have an allergy, intolerance, or Celiac? Feel free to search around and ask questions. There are tons here who can give advice on pretty much anything. And if you wanna drop me a message, I'm always happy to chat about my experiences, too

Thank you so much that is so very true... being diagnosed early is a blessing in disguise. None of the Dr.s I have been to said I have celiac or and intolerance they said I am "sensitive" well it didn't helo when they took my gallbladder out in 2006. I think I am going to live a gluten-free life and not worry about what the docs say and just do what I feel makes me feel better! I appreciate your reply!

[celia-with-celiac]

Welcome to the board!

First suggestion I can think of is have you gluten proofed the kitchen? You don't want to use wood or plastic that has been used for gluten filled foods. You'll also want to avoid any scratched non-stick pans as they hold gluten in the scratch! In my kitchen we have separate areas for the gluten eater (my dad) to put his food. One crumb can make you sick so it's a good idea to have some things separate if you're sharing a kitchen like for example two toasters. You will want one that has never had wheat bread in it.

Some folks suggest using gluten free beauty products, especially lip stick. I use Zuzu makeup and Zoya nail polish. Zoya occasionally has fantastic sales. Kiss My Face is a nice healthy soap.

Shop the perimeter in the grocery store. Fresh fruits and Veggies are naturally gluten free. If you buy frozen or canned veggies check the ingredients sometimes they add wheat. Soy sauce unless it says otherwise has gluten in it! In my main stream grocery store just about all the veggies with sauce have gluten in them. If a food lists natural flavors, natural coloring, those can come from gluten plants so you'll have research it.

Check your vitamins and any meds for gluten! You need to check anything you ingest.

Wheat free does not necessarily mean Gluten Free! Always remember that! Wheat, Rye, Barley, Spelt, Malt are all sources of gluten.

Hope this helps some. I'm still a newbie so hopefully some of the wiser more experienced folks will chime in soon.

That is an awesome idea!! I will get to cleaning and re-organizing the kitchen and start there. I never thought about the food touching others and contaminating it with gluten. I never even thought about the beauty products either! I have alot to learn haha! You have been most helpful most appreciated!!

[domesticactivist]

Welcome! I have a post on my blog with step by step instructions for getting your house de-contaminated!

I hope it helps:

Going 100% Gluten Free

[celia-with-celiac]

Welcome! I have a post on my blog with step by step instructions for getting your house de-contaminated!

I hope it helps:

Going 100% Gluten Free

Thank you so very much!!

[WinterSong]

Thank you so much that is so very true... being diagnosed early is a blessing in disguise. None of the Dr.s I have been to said I have celiac or and intolerance they said I am "sensitive" well it didn't helo when they took my gallbladder out in 2006. I think I am going to live a gluten-free life and not worry about what the docs say and just do what I feel makes me feel better! I appreciate your reply!

It's great that you're taking it on yourself to try the diet. I wish my sister would do the same. She tested negative for Celiac, but I'm positive she has a gluten intolerance and possibly casein, too. She just doesn't want to try the diet even though she feels horrible and I told her it could help.

[Fire Fairy]

It's great that you're taking it on yourself to try the diet. I wish my sister would do the same. She tested negative for Celiac, but I'm positive she has a gluten intolerance and possibly casein, too. She just doesn't want to try the diet even though she feels horrible and I told her it could help.

My brother refuses to even get tested. He developed type 1 diabetes as an adult and has numerous symptoms in addition to family with the disease. He is one of those "I'd rather die" people.

[celia-with-celiac]

It's great that you're taking it on yourself to try the diet. I wish my sister would do the same. She tested negative for Celiac, but I'm positive she has a gluten intolerance and possibly casein, too. She just doesn't want to try the diet even though she feels horrible and I told her it could help.

That is too bad for your sister bc most illneses can be taken care of by diet and it could NEVER hurt to try something new. If you find some neat easy to prepare meals would you mind emailing me the recipe?? Iam going to start my own gluten-free cookbook

[celia-with-celiac]

My brother refuses to even get tested. He developed type 1 diabetes as an adult and has numerous symptoms in addition to family with the disease. He is one of those "I'd rather die" people.

Diabetes is serious I have type 1 and 2 on both my sides of the family! I m sorry your brother is so stubborn its time to look on the bright side! :-)

[WinterSong]

My brother refuses to even get tested. He developed type 1 diabetes as an adult and has numerous symptoms in addition to family with the disease. He is one of those "I'd rather die" people.

I'm sorry to hear that about your brother.

My sister is in a really hard position because she's a pastry chef and is around flour all the time. She actually told me one day, "I think I do have a gluten intolerance - but I like cake too much." She's living with my father right now, and I've told him that she needs to get retested in two years because she's genetically predisposed to it. But even if it is an intolerance and not Celiac, the intolerance won't show up on the Celiac panel.

I wish she could just come live with me for a few months and I'd show her how easy and delicious a gluten free diet can be.

[WinterSong]

That is too bad for your sister bc most illneses can be taken care of by diet and it could NEVER hurt to try something new. If you find some neat easy to prepare meals would you mind emailing me the recipe?? Iam going to start my own gluten-free cookbook

I cook tons of really easy gluten-free meals. Most of the things I made before my diagnosis were actually naturally gluten-free, and the baking has been a pretty smooth switch. What kind of recipes are you looking for?