Help :)

[amy.renee]

I just found out I have celiac three days ago. All the information and restrictions have been overwhelming. I was hoping to get some advice from those who have had it for longer than a few days. Im a 21 yr old college senior so my life is very on the go. So far i have struggled with finding things that I can eat that are on the go...any tips or advice about anything will be much appreciated.

Thanks everyone

[T.H.]

Welcome to the gluten free club! It's overwhelming for a bit, but it gets better. One quick thing to note: gluten free food is not, sadly, zero gluten. They can't even test for that low an amount, so it wouldn't matter if it was. Celiacs seem to have a range of sensitivity levels, too, so sometimes, a product recommended by one won't work as well for another.

However, most celiacs seem to have about the same sensitivity level and do well with the same products, so that's often a good place to start, especially if you are on the go a lot.

First, a quick way to find out if something is gluten-free: type in the product name + gluten free in google, and it'll usually come up with some answers. You need to pay attention to what country the information is from, however, as companies put different ingredients in products shipped to different companies. But many celiacs collect this information so that you can find it more easily. :-)

So, some quick snacks:

Kind bars are gluten free - in the energy bar/protein bar section, usually. The peanut butter and chocolate flavor is my kids' favorite.

Rice chex (I think all chex now) are gluten free

Rice krispies makes a gluten free version now, although you have to read the package.

Lay's stax are made on a gluten free line, too (the ones that are in containers like pringles, but they're lay's)

Some peanut butters are gluten-free, but I can't recall brands right now. Most honey brands, too. If you mix honey, peanutbutter, and rice chex, you can make peanutbutter snacks that are easy to take with you. Kind of like peanutty rice krispy treats, LOL.

Fruits and veggies are gluten free, just wash 'em well when you get 'em home, in case someone eating gluten touched them (kids get free cookies in the stores now, so it can be an issue). Precut veggies are less safe, depending on where they were cut up in the store. Sometimes, they cut these in the deli where they may be dealing with gluten.

Litehouse salad dressings are gluten free. They are usually in the fridge section in the produce sections.

Lundberg rice is gluten free - if you get sushi rice you can make rice balls. Just soak the rice for 1-5 hours before cooking.

Some Ore-Ida potato frozen foods are gluten free. They will say gluten free on the label, usually on the back or low down on the side in small letters. Last I looked, the tater tots are considered gluten free.

Tinkyada rice pasta - I liked this one the best, and it even makes lasagna noodles.

Pasta sauces - many Classico sauces are gluten free (they'll say on the label). Also I think some Bertolli ones were gluten free, last I looked. They will also say this on the label, in back.

Crown Prince canned fish products are supposed to be gluten free (if they don't have soy sauce added).

Pamela's, Bob's red mill, and a few other brands make gluten-free mixes. Pamela's makes a gluten-free pancake mix that works well, but it's not cheap, unfortunately.

Butter is gluten free

Thai Kitchen brand products are often gluten free. Some peanut sauces, some rice noodle dishes, that sort of thing.

San-J has a gluten free soy sauce. You want to find the 'gluten free' one, not just the wheat-free one. They make both, oddly enough.

Frozen meat is usually gluten free - meatloaf, made with pre-cooked rice instead of breadcrumbs, can work as something quick to take with you.

Homemade popcorn is naturally gluten free, from scratch. If you don't have a popcorn maker, this'll work: get a brown paper sandwich bag - the kind to hold a whole lunch in. Put 1/4 cup popcorn kernels in it, fold over the top a couple times, and microwave it. Usually in 2-4 minutes, you'll have a bag of popcorn. You can reuse the bag once, but more than that and sometimes it'll catch on fire (yeah, speak from experience on that one, LOL). Or if you can get a microwave popper, those work great.

Nuts can be tricky, as they can be processed with wheat, but you can call the company or check on-line with them, and they will usually tell you. Dried fruit has the same problem, and so do beans.

Olive oil is usually a good gluten-free oil choice.

Corn tortillas can be okay - just check to make sure they don't add flour to the molds. They should have a 'may contain wheat' statement if they do. Many people here eat Mission corn tortillas with no trouble.

That's all that comes to mind at the moment. Good luck to you. Hope you feel very good, very soon.

[zero]

I like pure fit protein bars as a filling snack and protein supplement. I also like the food for life frozen rice almond bread typically found at whole foods and the larger grocery stores for use with peanut butter and jelly (jif and smuckers). For extended trips, I pack a loaf and jar in my (checked) suitcase. It is also hard to beat cereal when you want something quick. Finding an affordable and tasty gluten free cereal can be somewhat challenging. I currently like nature's path mesa sunrise from wegmen's. There are several worthwhile amy's soups. For snacking, I like mother's salted butter popped corn and rice cakes. Can you tell I don't cook? Well except for my rice cooker which is my most valued kitchen appliance. Load it up in the morning and it is ready at night.

As a newbie, I would suggest reading "Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic" by peter green. It gets easier after a while but until then you will make mistakes. It is a process of finding what works for you. Good luck.

[quincy]

I just found out I have celiac three days ago. All the information and restrictions have been overwhelming. I was hoping to get some advice from those who have had it for longer than a few days. Im a 21 yr old college senior so my life is very on the go. So far i have struggled with finding things that I can eat that are on the go...any tips or advice about anything will be much appreciated.

Thanks everyone

a snack that I have recently discovered that is wheat/gluten free and has a healthy list of ingredients is the snack bars

called Kind. I love the ones that have almonds, cashews, and fruit with flax seeds. If you go to starbucks you may have seen them at the counter where you buy your coffee. They have a variety of flavors. I live in NY and recently bought one for 1.25 but I know that most places sell them for up to 1.99 a bar.

[desert rose]

I find dried fruit is great for a quick snack and is easy to carry around. Fantastic also make a range of rice crackers that are gluten free.

[shadowicewolf]

chex (except the wheat and multi grain) are gluten free.

Fruits and veggies

corn tortilla wraps

rice cakes with peanut butter

[cougie23]

WELCOME...you're in the right place!!!

Personaly...I LOVE LARA BARS !!! Google the web site...they're AMAZING!there Gluten free,dairyfree,soyfree,non-gmo,vegan and kosher!!! on the web site you click on PRODUCTS and pictures of all the packaged flavors pop up...then click on the bar and it gives you a visual of EVERY ingredeant in the bar! the beauty of this is there are literaly maybe 2 to 6 ingreadiants in their bars! peanut butter cookie for example is litterly peanuts,dates and alittle bit of salt, and it tastes like a cookie! my favorites are cherry pie (dates ground almonds,and cherry), coconut cream pie (dates ,almonds,coconut),tropical fruit tart (dates,pineapple,coconut,almonds cashews,orange,orange peel). there are other great flavors too like cashew cookie,and carrot cake,greman chocolate cake,banana bread,keylime pie...the list goes on! seriously when nothing else works THATS what I eat! LOL Tiger bars are gluten free too! freash fruit is realy good you can make a salad or slice it seperately ,drizzle a little honey to take away the tartness...also honey is a greay antioxedent and energy booster...great for healing the digestive track and fighting colds! I like to soften up some slices of apples,peaches and golden raisins in the tiniest bit of water,honey and cinimon in a sause pan (its called poaching but I just wanted to be dicsriptive for those unfamiliar with the term).Talk about comfort food...nice and warm..it tastes like apple and peach pie...yummy yum! just have fun with it...it can be overwelming at first but you'll be eating healthier in the long run...rule of thumb ...more narural the better...stay away from prossesed foods the better!