Picky Eater And Celiac

[kristen34]

So I am a sophomore in high school and I was just diagnosed last month. I was already an extremely picky eater so now with celiac I have very limited options for what to eat. All I eat is steak, chicken, tacos, fried rice, and fruit. Dinner is easy because my family eats meat so much but lunch is hard because I can't exactly cook anything at school and I don't want to spend an hour cooking lunch on the weekends. Does anyone have any ideas for quick lunches or food that doesn't need to be heated? I love fruit and hate vegetables. I usually have multiple kinds of fruit and a bag of chips in my lunch but I need more because lunch is at 11 and vball ends at 5. Thanks so much!

[sreese68]

Not the most exciting food, but Swanson's premium canned chicken works. It's better if poured over rice or potato or in a taco. Peanut butter on rice crackers, gluten-free bread, or corn tostadas is filling. Have you tried tuna? Canned tuna like the kind from Wild Planet is good. (Honestly, I never liked tuna, but after being on an elimination diet for 4 months, I'm finding my taste buds have changed, and I like it now.)

You may want to invest in a good insulated food system like the Mr. Bento systems. Then, you can heat up some instant rice or leftovers before school and still have them be warm by lunch. It's spendy, but you can use something like this for years to come. I just bought the Ms. Bento system (gender neutral colors), and it works great for how much I eat.

(This is the lecture I gave my kids

[sa1937]

Kristen, you might want to use the google search button on the top right of your screen and search lunch ideas. I know there have been some recent threads about it. You're liable to pull up some ancient posts, too, so check the info to make sure items suggested are gluten-free if brands are mentioned.

[Skylark]

Have you ever considered teaching yourself to like some other foods? As Sharon said, the way to do it is to try one bite of the food you're learning to like every now and then disguised with a flavor or sauce you like. Don't push yourself to eat a lot; just taste a little. Often when you try something over and over you will get used to it and eventually come to like it. It's a lot easier on our diet if you like more foods.

Mom taught me to like avocado and broccoli that way. I liked ranch dressing so she gave me a small bite with dressing each time she fixed them. She never pressured me to eat any more than a taste. One day I decided the avocado tasted good. Same with the broccoli, though I still don't like it if it's overcooked.

Oh, and some picky eaters are "supertasters" meaning your tongue is more sensitive to flavor. Try exploring simple foods with very mild flavors like potatoes, carrots, very mild cheeses like munster or string cheese, or mild lettuce like romaine. If you can learn to like a mild cheese, it's a great, filling thing to put in your lunch.

For now, can you slice up some meat from dinner and have it cold with your chips and fruit? If you bring a thermal bag the meat will stay cold enough to be safe. Your lunch will be more filling with some protein. If you like sandwiches, sandwiches on gluten-free bread would work fine. You also might be able to bring fried rice in a large mouth thermos to keep it warm.

[PadmeMaster]

ohh fruit loving is good! Go out and buy yourself a blender (from walmart they range, but just get one with a warranty. You're liable to kill it a few times) and a package of Mason Jars (Quart size.). You may also want a package of straws, but that's optional (and cheap; you can stick them in your backpack.).

Then, you'll need bananas and a few bags of Frozen Fruit (there are smoothie size bags and there are large bags. You may like the "smoothie" size for the variety or ability to isolate one fruit you like, but personally I prefer the big bag of "mixed".). Get a LOT of greens. My favs are spinach, Romaine, Greenleaf, and Kale (don't use the stem of the kale). But since you're buying a cheapy blender, you may prefer softer such as the greens with "lettuce" in their name. Also, mixed salad is good (the purple things don't blend well nor taste good. But anything else). Lastly, you need a LOT of milk. Soy is yummy, but if you're sensitive to soy, get Coconut or Almond (Silk brand sells both now, and Almond Breeze is tasty). Don't use cow's milk; it's nasty anyway If milk isn't an option, use juice and water. you can experiment with how much juice YOU need.

So what you'll do is put approx 1-1.5 cups of fruit (hence why you need a few bags) in the bottom of your blender (unless you're using Kale or spinach! You'll need to put those on the bottom so they'll blend right). Then, you'll take about three handfuls (7+ "leaves" of romaine, 8+ on greenleaf, as it's typically smaller). Trust me, it'll be a minor taste. Bananas should always go on top. Just because the rest needs to hit the blades first. Then add milk (or water/juice) to the top of the fruit. Lastly, blend. If it's too thick, add a little water (or milk if you want, but at some point it's a little too strong of a milk taste) and use a knife or spoon to push it down to the blades. Blend until smooth (or nearly smooth) and then pour into your jar.

I personally recommend milk, as for some reason smoothies made with only milk and water hold together better. If you have a late lunch, you may find you need to shake well before pulling out your straw (or drinking straight out of the jar). And you MUST use enough greens. Otherwise you'll be *very* hungry. You may decide you need two jars a day; one for lunch and one for snacks. At least it's healthy

Oh, and check your chips! You say you're a sophomore, so that means you're in the US? Look for Kettle brand (not the "Lays Kettle", but the Kettle BRAND) chips at the store. They are full of flavor and gluten free. I LOVE them. Just get a big bag and make your own bags of chips for at school It'll probably be cheaper anyway.

Lastly: if you like smoothies, you might look into getting a Vita Mix. They are 500 million times better than the $30 blender at walmart (and have a 7 year warranty if you killed it.. We haven't killed ours though ). Who knows, you might find out that smoothies are awesome.

Btw, I'm not a veggie or a fruit eater. I don't like hardly any fruits in their natural form (Mango, grapes, and cherries about cover it. I shared an apple with 3 of my siblings the other day and was tired of it by the second slice). Veggies I only like fried (oh yeah, I have some recipes for frying, too ) or cooked. Smoothies are awesome because it's like a soda, but better. Personally, though, I'm not a meat eater, either.

[Jessi Lou]

I've recently started a gluten-light diet, I'm having a really hard time going completely gluten-free. I've found I don't like a lot of gluten-free baked products because they seem powdery to me. I as well, am a very picky eater. Even before trying gluten-free I've always stayed away from breads and wheat products and such. I just find they make me feel sick.

My acupuncturist actually sent me to save-on foods. In they're cake mixes, betty crocker has two gluten-free cake mixes that supposedly taste great. Also, this is more snack like than lunch, I tend to carry about gluten free cookies or something, or any other treats that you like, just to keep carbs up. Kinnick Kinnick makes really good gluten-free doughnuts as well.

As far as lunch goes, I've found myself loving cesar salads with no croutons, but with asiago cheese and a sliced up chicken breast. You can prepare the chicken the night before, and just put it on the salad when you make it, or keep it separate and heat it up in the microwave before eating.

[lizatmnsu]

As a senior in college I found out I was gluten intolerant about a year ago, and I too am a very picky eater. The bad part about going gluten free was that I had to start from scratch figuring out what tasted good. I have found that the only kind of bread, bagels, muffins or anything like that that I like is Udi's. You can find most of their stuff in the freezer section in your store's health food market or you can order it online. Most of the stuff you can't even tell the difference between Udi's and regular gluten filled stuff. Also nunuttin' granola bars are awesome grab and go things that you would be able to eat after school to hold you over until volleyball gets done. Also, instead of chips you should try some type of protein like seeds or nuts of somesort. I personally like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are especially nice since there is no shell to get rid of. Finally, you might just talk to the person in charge of the kitchen at your school to see if they would be willing to accomodate your need like maybe having a gluten free pasta available for you, as that is what they have done in my cafeteria here at college. Anyway, I hope that helps but don't be afraid to ask more questions if you need to.