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It's Hard To Stay Gluten Free

h.leah

By h.leah
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

h.leah Newbie
h.leah
Posted

How do you guys stay gluten free and resist the temptation to eat normal food? I'm in high school so it's really hard to not eat normal food especially when i'm with my friends.I had very minor symptoms. My only problem was that I was too short when I was little so I was gluten free for about a year but then i stopped because gluten free food is GROSS! I hated all the disgusting breads and snacks my parents made me eat. The bread was all frozen and sour and disgusting. I actually lost weight when I was supposed to gain it because I didn't eat much. I never went to parties or anything because I knew I would give in and eat good food while I was there. And it doesn't help that while I'm eating rice and vegetables everyday, my family gets to eat out and order delicious treats like pizza, pasta, and burgers. I don't really see the point in being gluten free either because I feel no different than when I wasn't gluten free. I was never sick or tired or anything like that. I was just short. But I'm actually taller than three of my aunts and my two of my grandparents because I come from a family of tiny people on my mother's side.

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Strawberry-Jam Enthusiast
Strawberry-Jam
Posted

were you diagnosed celiac??

I think it's mean for your family to eat so much gluten around you when they must know you're struggling with it. that's really stupid.

dani nero Community Regular
dani nero
Posted

How do you guys stay gluten free and resist the temptation to eat normal food? I'm in high school so it's really hard to not eat normal food especially when i'm with my friends.I had very minor symptoms. My only problem was that I was too short when I was little so I was gluten free for about a year but then i stopped because gluten free food is GROSS! I hated all the disgusting breads and snacks my parents made me eat. The bread was all frozen and sour and disgusting. I actually lost weight when I was supposed to gain it because I didn't eat much. I never went to parties or anything because I knew I would give in and eat good food while I was there. And it doesn't help that while I'm eating rice and vegetables everyday, my family gets to eat out and order delicious treats like pizza, pasta, and burgers. I don't really see the point in being gluten free either because I feel no different than when I wasn't gluten free. I was never sick or tired or anything like that. I was just short. But I'm actually taller than three of my aunts and my two of my grandparents because I come from a family of tiny people on my mother's side.

Wow.. Ok, where to start.

Gluten-free food doesn't have to be disgusting. In order to get to eat treats like everyone else I had to develop my cooking skills. My gluten-free cooking isn't identical to wheat foods but it can be equally delicious.

Your friends and family should be able to understand that you can't eat the same things they do, so while they can't really change what they eat, perhaps they can help you out a bit by going to places that offer foods for everyone, including yourself.

Everyone goes through this in the beginning: feeling bitter about not eating wheat products anymore, but the thing that makes most of us stick to it is that we really, really feel crappy if we eat gluten, so no tasty bread in the world is worth the suffering it would cause. While Your symptoms might be unnoticeable now, they still can develop and get nasty later in life, and maybe even as serious as giving you cancer, kidney or liver failure.

I'm not telling you to put up with bad tasting foods, but you need to come up with new solutions. Find food alternatives you really like which can make the change in your life more bearable. It's not easy but you will get more creative the more you do it. Talk to people on the board whenever you feel upset or need to vent and they'll probably inspire you and make you feel better.

Sorry I'm really tired and my typing and grammar are probably off, but I had to reply anyway.

Hang in there and keep in mind that a few moments of munching are not worth years of suffering.

h.leah Newbie
h.leah
Posted
  • Author

were you diagnosed celiac??

I think it's mean for your family to eat so much gluten around you when they must know you're struggling with it. that's really stupid.

Yes, I was diagnosed with it about two years ago. They said that it was very mild though when they did an endoscopy.

Monklady123 Collaborator
Monklady123
Posted

How do you guys stay gluten free and resist the temptation to eat normal food? I'm in high school so it's really hard to not eat normal food especially when i'm with my friends.I had very minor symptoms. My only problem was that I was too short when I was little so I was gluten free for about a year but then i stopped because gluten free food is GROSS! I hated all the disgusting breads and snacks my parents made me eat. The bread was all frozen and sour and disgusting. I actually lost weight when I was supposed to gain it because I didn't eat much. I never went to parties or anything because I knew I would give in and eat good food while I was there. And it doesn't help that while I'm eating rice and vegetables everyday, my family gets to eat out and order delicious treats like pizza, pasta, and burgers. I don't really see the point in being gluten free either because I feel no different than when I wasn't gluten free. I was never sick or tired or anything like that. I was just short. But I'm actually taller than three of my aunts and my two of my grandparents because I come from a family of tiny people on my mother's side.

I think it must be really difficult to be gluten free if you're still living at home and in school which means you don't have an income of your own. I think the key will be for you to find substitutes for all the things you really want to eat.

So for example, if you love potato chips (who doesn't? lol...) but the ones you were eating have gluten, then read labels and find one that doesn't. Lots don't. My favorite are Utz chips with ridges. Nice and salty. B)

If you like to take a Nutrigrain bar to school in the morning for a snack then ask your parents if they can buy you some Betty Lou's fruit bars. You can get them on Amazon in several flavors and personally I think they're better than Nutrigrains. :)

If you love chocolate you're in luck. B) Just be sure to read the labels. My favorite is Snickers bars.

Brownies? There's an excellent mix which, drat, I can't think of the name at the moment. But Betty Crocker also makes cake and cookies mixes that are gluten free. And Goya makes wonderful gluten free cookies that are like shortbread. They're called "Maria cookies" and they come in a big green box.

Hamburgers can easily be gluten free. If you go out with friends you just have to ask if the burger is grilled on the same grill where they do any bread products. If not, then it's fine. You could call ahead and ask so that you don't have to do it while you're with your friends.

Pizza will be much harder of course, but there are places that offer gluten free pizza. It's more expensive and not quite what we remember from our gluten days....but it's a decent substitute, especially if you're out with friends.

Macaroni and cheese? Amy's makes a wonderful mac and cheese. It's in the frozen section. Just read the box carefully because she has another one that's not gluten free and it's often right next to the the gluten-free one. Browse in that section for a bit, there are other yummy things in there. Donuts, waffles, other entrees.

Bread. Don't buy any but Udi's or Rudi's. Or Against the Grain's baguettes. The other brands are usually disgusting, as you said. :blink: Besides regular white and whole grain bread Udi's also makes hamburger and hotdog buns, and a wonderful cinnamon-raisin bread. :wub: Udi's :wub:

I hope that helps a little bit. And I hope your family can help you buy some of these things. Most other foods in their natural states are gluten free -- meat, vegetables, rice, nuts (yummy peanut butter), fruit...so hopefully you'll be able to have a lot of that around the house.

It is really hard at the beginning, and I'm sure it's harder for students and young people. In fact, isn't there a board on this site that's for teens? I bet folks over there would have some good ideas for you. :) (But of course stay here also, we'd love to have you.)

Hang in there. It does get easier as time goes by.

dani nero Community Regular
dani nero
Posted

If you love chocolate you're in luck. B) Just be sure to read the labels. My favorite is Snickers bars.

Snickers are not gluten free in Sweden.. Are they gluten free in the US? :-O

Monklady123 Collaborator
Monklady123
Posted

Snickers are not gluten free in Sweden.. Are they gluten free in the US? :-O

Yes, they are! :) I'm sorry for you all in Sweden. :lol:

(I love Sweden, in fact I've been there several times... just teasing...because Snickers is my absolute favorite candy bar.)

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love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

I am more passionate about food and cooking than 99% of anyone I know. What helped me initially (and it DOES get better!) was envisioning my blunted villi and the thought of potential related health issues in the future. If you are a visual person perhaps this will help! Instead I did serious gluten-free baking. :P And eating the baking. :lol:

It must be tough for you in your situation. You are very smart to be doing this sort of research, especially at your age. That is a great start - good on you to take ownership of your own health.

Strawberry-Jam Enthusiast
Strawberry-Jam
Posted

Yes, I was diagnosed with it about two years ago. They said that it was very mild though when they did an endoscopy.

no such thing as mild celiac, just as there's no such thing as mild diabetes. we have an autoimmune disease, friend. the damage to your gut may have been mild , so thank your lucky stars for that. but unless you want to end up with fibromyalgia (read: chronic nonstop pain) or cancer in future, you'd better get serious about gluten free.

it doesn't have to be terrible. there are SO many people on this forum who can teach you awesome recipes and give you hope that food can taste good again. hang in there. and kick your family in the butt if they make it hard for you. i don't think they want to you grow up into a life of autoimmune problems, pain, and needless suffering. right?

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi H.Leah,

Dani has some good points there. The hard thing for you I think is the symptoms right now are not too serious. Unless you stick to the gluten-free diet though the damage will keep happening and the symptoms will get worse in time. You don't want that to happen as it can sometimes end up in arthritis, or diabetes, or other autoimmune diseases.

What I do is take good gluten-free food with me when I go out with friends. That way I have something to eat that I know is healthy for me, I take Larabars with me in my shoulder bag or coat pocket. I also carry navel oranges and bananas and apples to eat. I can buy a drink like some fruit juice or vitamin water while we are eating and I am just fine. There are snacks you can get like Fritos corn nuts, or Food Should Taste Good brand gluten-free chips. Not all the FSTG chips are gluten-free so be sure to check the labels. Some Planters brand peanuts are ok too, but check labels. Mission brand corn tortillas are gluten-free in the USA. They are good for wraps. Just heat them up a little before folding. You can also make your own snacks at home and take them with you. I bet your friends will want to try them too. Try a search on "snacks" and you will find lots of threads here with ideas. Eating healthy and gluten free is much more popular these days. Even TV celebrities do it.

ldymistic Newbie
ldymistic
Posted

pretty much i was told if i wanted to continue to eat gluten/wheat it would kead ti cancer...

so yeah..i don't want cancer. dealing with this is difficult enough.

my suggestion to you: start making your own gluten-free food.

and for everyone: gluten-free food is a tax break. save your reciepts. if youre willing to do the leg work, it can help you. goggle gluten-free food as a tax deductible and talk with your tax person.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

and for everyone: gluten-free food is a tax break. save your reciepts. if youre willing to do the leg work, it can help you. goggle gluten-free food as a tax deductible and talk with your tax person.

OP, it is hard when you are living with gluten eaters. The folks here have already given you some good answers and I hope that the suggestions help. If you are a pizza fan Kinnickinnick crusts are pretty good for a premade crust. Hormel Pepperoni is gluten free as are most sausages. I have pizza at least once a month. I don't know where you live but if you have a Wegmans near they label all their gluten-free food with a circle G. It makes it much easier as you don't have to decipher all the ingredients.

As for the tax break it is a very complicated process. You can only deduct the difference between what a gluten free food costs and a non-gluten free one not the entire cost of a gluten-free product. Also it is considered a medical expense and your total medical expenses do need to come to a certain percentage of your income. You also have to be someone who itemizes. Do talk to your tax advisor before going through all the record keeping that you would need to do and then decide whether it is going to be an option for you.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

pretty much i was told if i wanted to continue to eat gluten/wheat it would kead ti cancer...

so yeah..i don't want cancer. dealing with this is difficult enough.

my suggestion to you: start making your own gluten-free food.

and for everyone: gluten-free food is a tax break. save your reciepts. if youre willing to do the leg work, it can help you. goggle gluten-free food as a tax deductible and talk with your tax person.

I agree with Raven on the US tax thing. I believe it's must be 7.5% of your gross adjusted income. It's the difference in costs, not the total cost. So if a gluten-free loaf of bread is $5 and a regular one is $2. You could use $3. You need to keep proof of the regular bread price as well as the receipts for the gluten-free loaf. If your adjusted income is $20,000 - then you would have to spend more than $1500 on special gluten-free food premium. At $3 a loaf, that's a lot of bread. remember, medical deductions are in the group of returns that have a high percentage audited.

PadmeMaster Apprentice
PadmeMaster
Posted

I suggest getting glutino's foods. My brother (who should be gluten free but isn't) will sit there and steal pretzels and cookies. The genius bread is beyond awesome. I never liked ANY bread before I found that one. (I didn't like white bread before going gluten free in 2010; almost all the semi-tolerable breads are white)

Personally I can't cook (I froze some pancakes and when I went to reheat I realized they weren't cooked through but it was burnt on the outside -.-) so I just try and try to find yummy prepared foods.

My family rarely gets to tease me because I win :) I get pizza and cakes and cookies and Mac n cheese (Whatever brand is at Walmart is good. Better than when I tried to make it myself)

I could give you a breakdown of what good foods I've had but I'll try to list brands instead :) Udi's, Kinnikinnik, and glutino are the absolute best.

Also be aware that the words "gluten free" only covers gluten, not oats. So granolas and such may not be safe. It's up to your body. I found out I could do the oats because of Lucy's cookies.

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