New To Gluten Free

[spryng]

Hello all! I'm very new to celiac disease and the gluten free lifestyle. I just started eating gluten free 4 days ago and I'm finding it exciting and challenging all at the same time. Exciting because I just know its going to help me feel so much better and if I can feel better without pills then I'm all for it. At this point if my doctor would have said eat cardboard for the rest of your life I would have been jumping up and down with joy just knowing I didn't have to have surgery or pills with side effects. So having to go gluten free is not a burden at all but I am seeing things like everyday cooking to be a challenge.. like today I wanted to make salsa chicken for dinner, I looked at the back of the salsa jar and lo and behold! says it may contain wheat! So I nixed the salsa and was just gonna cook up the chicken with seasonings.. pull down the cumin and look at the back (may contain wheat) pull down the garlic salt (may contain wheat) chicken seasoning (contains wheat crumbs) seriously?! I thought seasonings were suppose to be the easy part, LOL Obviously not my brand, so I'm gonna have to find more 100% gluten items asap or just learn to love salt and pepper only, LOL But in the end I ended up just using salt and pepper on my chicken, shredded it and added shredded cheese in a corn tortilla and it was a tasty meal for sure. I did hit the library and pick up about 6 books on the gluten free lifestyle and I've been devouring them daily, lots of recipes and tips for eating out. I'm still learning all how to read a label but I know I'll get more savvy in time.

Anyway, I was so excited to find this forum and to see so many others who are right where I am. If you have any tips on salsa or seasonings feel free to share! I'm not a big cook and I'm all about convenience so making homemade salsa etc probably won't ever be my forte but if I need to I can adapt that way as well.

I plan on hitting our local health food store this weekend for some gluten free treats and just see what is out there but I have been dieting, trying to lose another 20 lbs or so so I won't be replacing my gluten items with high calorie gluten free items but it will be nice to have a couple treats in the house for those sweet tooth emergencies

Well sorry about the book I just wrote, I'm just excited I think to be able to talk to SOMEONE about this, LOL my family is still getting used to the idea of gluten free and I don't want to overwhelm them if I can avoid it so I'll be on this forum a lot I can tell, reading and posting. Can't wait to meet as many as I can of you!

[mamaw]

Hello & Welcome

You have the right attitude------I only wish other newbies & even some others would be able to accept this as in a strange way a blessing....it is hard to imagine how unhealthy the American diet truly is..

Are you a doctor dx'd celiac or just on your own?

When I started years ago I was the only one so I would cook two separate meals some nights but through the years everyone learned how good the gluten-free food was & now we all eat gluten-free...There is not much of anything that can't be made gluten-free. No, it will never be exact as a wheat food but it comes mighty close & sometimes even better....when you make something gluten-free & its yummy be sure to share so the others know & they too will come to enjoy gluten-free...

For very sensitive people some can not eat anything that states made on a line that is shared with a wheat item or the wording can be several ways but for the most part we are safe to use that product... You will find out your sensitivies as you go on... plus you may even find things that you never realized troubled your intestinal tract... It is a learning process with each of us...

There is a lot of excellent info here so keep reading....recipe section is wonderful....

Remember about CC issues with scratched pots& pans, teflon, utensils ( wood & plastic that has scratches), toaster, breadmaker, hand mixer, strainer, cutting boards...if damaged they should be replaced... if you decide to have a dual kitchen cooking both wheat & gluten-free get your own things & separate them so you don't get the CC...

Some people get ill from their pets food wheat based so many of us have switched to grain free, better health for yoru furry friend !!!!!

Being a label reader will also keep you safe from wheat.....

Kudos to your mind=set on the gluten-free lifestyle....

Please feel free to ask questions.......the gluten-free lifestyle is expensive& convience is gone but it is all worth it.. to be healthy...

Welcome to your new family of friends.....

blessinigs

mamaw

[spryng]

Thanks for the welcome mamaw! I am self dx'd as of now, I did see my doctor and she referred me to a gastroenterologist but after talking to my doctor she agrees that going gluten free is my answer and left it up to me if I wanted extensive testing or not and I think at this point I'm just going to live the gluten free life and see how I feel, which in just 4 days I'm already sleeping better, my skin is clearer, tummy problems 90% better, everything just seems to be falling right into place. So my doctor didn't officially dx me through testing but verbally she thinks celiac is what I'm dealing with so it's nice to have her on board.

I think too I might be sensitive to soy. I've been keeping a detailed food journal and yesterday when I made homemade chicken fried rice with gluten-free soy sauce I started to itch about an hour after eating it.. I tried it again for lunch just to see and within an hour I had diarrhea so there was nothing else in my dish except soy I think, so I'm gonna keep an eye on things with soy in them as well just to see.

I think having the dual kitchens is a great idea. A lot of my pots and pans are old and scratched like you mentioned so a new set sounds good anyway. I'm starting my own little shelf in my pantry just for gluten-free items so they are easy to identify.

Its a huge learning process for sure but I'm eager to learn and live this way. Anything to feel better

[bumblebee-carnival]

It's a tough adjustment. I'm not much of a cook either and before going gluten free I was queen of the microwave. But I'll cook a large-ish batch of something so I have things to reheat and am not constantly cooking. Even if I make just an extra chicken breast, it's one less meal I have to cook from scratch. Have you tried garlic powder instead of garlic salt? Or even those little jars of minced garlic? The health food store will probably have some good options in their gluten free section. In the Chicago area we have a local chain called The Fruitful Yield that has an awesome gluten free section with a lot of variety and reasonable prices.

I'm sure you will drop that 20 pounds. I started right before Halloween and as of this morning I'm down 23 pounds. It takes some time to adjust, but it's well worth it, IMO.

[spryng]

I am making meals that can be more than one as well. My shredded chicken I made for dinner tonight I made extra so I can have 2-3 more meals out of it the next few days and my husband made a wonderful homemade pot of beans completely gluten free that will last me quite awhile so yes I love the idea of making more to cook less later

We have a health food store nearby I'm going to be checking out this weekend. I bet they'll have a great selection of seasonings and all kinds of other goodies I can try too, I'm excited about it! Garlic powder would have worked but I was out and I didn't even think about minced garlic in the jar, I have some in the fridge! I'll be sure to use it next time for sure... all those little things, they'll start to become second nature I'm sure. I'm all about variety with food and meals so I'll be trying LOTS of recipes out I'm sure

[mushroom]

If you are sharing a kitchen with gluten eaters you will have to be especially careful about cross-contamination, particularly if they bake with gluten flour, since flour remains airborne for sometime and can land on other surfaces and food. You should have your own dish sponge and towel for washing but it's okay to share the dishwasher. Allways clean your counter before putting any food on it or buy some of those cutting mats - they are only about $1 each.

[spryng]

Great tips Neroli! I wouldn't have thought about the dish sponge! I am learning so so much from this forum, thank you all for you thoughts, keep em coming if you like!

[mamaw]

Hi Again

I just read where you were going gluten-free shopping! Here is a few things that are excellent if you can find them:::123gluten free has very good mixes, Pamela's pancake mix,cake mixes are good...

Everybody eats has baguettes & Ficeillerolls that are to die for..

Celiac Specialites has the very donuts ,crossiant buns..

Starfish from Whole Foods or online

Bell & Evans gluten-free chicken

DePumas ravioli,tortellini, yum!

Conti's--- pierogi's, ravioli, lasagne

This is a very short list!

The best flour blends:; Better batter( tons of recipes on site)

Jules

Tom Sawyer

Meister's

Domata living flour(seasoned)we love for fish...

AnnaliseRoberts cookbook & flour blend. You can buy or make your own from her cookbook..

Get your children tested yearly.......

blessings

mamaw

[spryng]

Thank you mamaw for that list! I'm writing those down to see what I find tomorrow, I'm so excited!!

[mamaw]

Your very welcome... I test market for gluten-free & also run a support group so I stay very updated with product info....

[New Community Member]

Hi there! I saw your post and just wanted to recommend what I use when buying groceries. I'm still fairly new, so I'm still learning too but a gluten-free grocery shopping guide has been extremely helpful. I have Open Original Shared Link but there are other ones out there.

[AVR1962]

  On 12/29/2011 at 10:55 PM, spryng said:

Thanks for the welcome mamaw! I am self dx'd as of now, I did see my doctor and she referred me to a gastroenterologist but after talking to my doctor she agrees that going gluten free is my answer and left it up to me if I wanted extensive testing or not and I think at this point I'm just going to live the gluten free life and see how I feel, which in just 4 days I'm already sleeping better, my skin is clearer, tummy problems 90% better, everything just seems to be falling right into place. So my doctor didn't officially dx me through testing but verbally she thinks celiac is what I'm dealing with so it's nice to have her on board.

I think too I might be sensitive to soy. I've been keeping a detailed food journal and yesterday when I made homemade chicken fried rice with gluten-free soy sauce I started to itch about an hour after eating it.. I tried it again for lunch just to see and within an hour I had diarrhea so there was nothing else in my dish except soy I think, so I'm gonna keep an eye on things with soy in them as well just to see.

I think having the dual kitchens is a great idea. A lot of my pots and pans are old and scratched like you mentioned so a new set sounds good anyway. I'm starting my own little shelf in my pantry just for gluten-free items so they are easy to identify.

Its a huge learning process for sure but I'm eager to learn and live this way. Anything to feel better

Good for you and good on your doc. AS you read on here many of us have had lots of struggles with docs so it is good that you have been able to get the support from the medical feild! Welcome!!

[spryng]

I agree Avr!

Thanks for the link New Community Member! I'm gonna check that out right now. I know I have so much to learn, I feel like a sponge trying to take it all in, LOL