Newly Diagnosed

[Jenni121]

Hi all,

What an informative bunch you are! This site is proving to be a wealth of information. Unfortunately to the point where I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease yesterday and I'm a bit unsure what to do now. I thought I just had to avoid breads, cereals and pastas but it seems there are a thousand other nasties I need to steer clear of. Foods and additives I've never even heard of, but have probably been eating.

What does a typical day's eating look like for you? I will copy what I can until I start to get my head around this...

Thanks everyone

[kareng]

We have a thread on here about what's for dinner & breakfast.

Here's the breakfast:

Here's the dinner:

Also check out these recipe sites:

[Bubba's Mom]

I would recommend trying to just eat whole foods like fruit, vegetables, non processed meat, and dairy if you tollerate it well to start with. It's best not to go out and get a bunch of gluten-free versions of things, like baked goods and such at first. Those have some hard to digest starches in them, and can contain some small amounts of gluten, along with various gums and ingredients to expand shelf life. I eat rice versions of pasta myself, but they only contain rice in the ingredients. Tinkyada is by far the best brand of those I've tried.

It would be a good idea to take digestive enzymes when you eat at first if you have a lot of digestive upset or intestine damage from gluten.

Read labels of everything before eating!

For breakfast you could have cream of rice cereal with a little brown sugar/milk, or eggs, or fruit. Rice Chex cereal and Corn Chex cereal seems to be well tolerated by most, and there's a gluten-free version of Rice Krispies.

Lunch could be baked potato, baked sweet potato, refried beans and corn chips(read the labels) cheese and a fruit, gluten-free soup, salad (check the ingredients in the dressing)grilled or baked chicken and a vegetable, left overs from supper the night before, etc.

Supper could be a baked or grilled meat, potato, rice with your own seasonings added, vegetables,salad. Homemade vegetable beef soup, stews, spaghetti, chili, lentil soup, bean soup, etc. There are a lot of things that are naturally gluten-free. Just check your seasonings and broths for gluten and use cornstarch in a bit of cold water to thicken your sauces.

I like to make a pot of chicken and rice soup with carrot, celery, mushrooms if I have them, and have some to eat and freeze several servings in easy to grab containers. Good for times I don't feel like cooking and easy on the tummy if having a bad day.

I make meatloaf or meatballs using smashed Rice Chex as the filler.

It's best to eat smaller amounts, more frequently at first, rather than overload and tax your digestive system.

AND..if you feel like eating left over lentil soup for breakfast..go ahead! The important thing is that you eat.

Get a new toaster, tooth brush, cutting board, colander, can opener. Replace scratched non-stick cookware. They are impossible to get completely clean of gluten.

You can do this!

[AVR1962]

Read labels. There is a great list of acceptable and not accepted foods on this site that will help you understand what to look for. Check everything though.....chapstick, soy sauce, cooking spray, ice cream, marinades. Oats are accepted but I would not chance them unless they were labeled gluten-free. A food journal will help. Keep it simple, go with a raw food diet until you can start venturing out with other foods. I would steer clear of fast food. And the one other thing I have had to learn is to ask the waiter/waitress if something on a menu contains gravy or breading. You have to specify no croutons of bread with your salads, don't assume it won't come with it. And then have a back-up plan in case something you have received in a restaurant looks suspicious.

[desert rose]

Being gluten free changes the way you look at all food. My advice is to read all labels every time you shop as ingredients can change. People assume that being gluten free must be very bland but it is not. There are so many gluten free products out there plus good wholesome natural foods. To start with it dose seem very overwhelming but I started with the celiacs website, although I am not a celiac but a super sensitive gluten intolerant. I only discovered this website last month and I have found it to be great. I dont feel so along anymore thanks to this site. Good luck.

[granolagal]

Hi all,

What an informative bunch you are! This site is proving to be a wealth of information. Unfortunately to the point where I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease yesterday and I'm a bit unsure what to do now. I thought I just had to avoid breads, cereals and pastas but it seems there are a thousand other nasties I need to steer clear of. Foods and additives I've never even heard of, but have probably been eating.

What does a typical day's eating look like for you? I will copy what I can until I start to get my head around this...

Thanks everyone

Hi Jenni -

I just wanted to say that I'm in the same boat as you are. I was just diagnosed 6 days ago and am very overwhelmed to say the least! Thanks for posting this question - it's helpful for me too! Although things are even trickier for me because I'm a vegetarian. I'm hoping to go to a dietitian or nutritionist for help.

[Jenni121]

Thank you so much for the replies. The links were great. Its starting to seem a bit easier now I have found lots of recipes!

Grocery shopping took AGES. Reading labels is not easy! It was made easier by the iPhone app I downloaded though, its got a list of every ingredient and additive we can and cant have. So that helped.

Im now into my 3rd day of gluten-free eating. I cant believe how many gluten-free products there are in the supermarkets. I will take your advice though and stick to natural stuff for now, fruits, veggies, etc.

Thanks again

[mushroom]

Hi Jenni: To go back to your topic heading, you really need to start with your pantry. Depending on whether you have a shared or gluten-free kitchen: Take everything out of your pantry and read every label and if you can't determine, by looking up or calling the manufacturer, whether or not it contains gluten, either toss it, store it on a gluten shelf, or donate unopened to a food bank. This also happens to be a great way to learn where gluten lurks for future reference.

While you have everything out of your pantry clean your shelves thoroughly with soap and water. If you have to share a kitchen with a gluten, make sure the gluten free shelves in pantry and fridge are above the gluten shelves to prevent cross-contamination. Set aside gluten free counter areas if you are sharing. Get your own jars of products you would normally share like spreads, dips, PB, pickles, and mark them all with a clear identifier as not to be shared. Also get our own sponge / dish cloth, pot holder. That should keep you going for a while