Family Is Part Celiac/part Not

[NGG]

My dad was horribly, horribly ill for a couple of years. He's in his 70s so we were afraid he was just at the end of his life. But no, he got diagnosed with celiac disease, and amazingly the past year his health has turned around.

His doctor said his kids should get tested, and of the three of us I'm the only one who tested positive. I wasn't aware the problems I was having (IBS, near constant migraine headaches, major fatigue) had a solution, and over the past few months I've been feeling tons better.

I have finally gotten my kids tested, and one (10 years old) has also tested positive. We didn't know her tummy issues and what had been diagnosed as reflux but didn't respond to medication was really this. Again, yay for a solution.

However, she previously lived off bread and crackers. She's a picky eater and it was hard getting her to each much. This is proving to be a challenge for me.

What do people do when half the family has celiac disease but half don't? Do you only buy rice pasta, or do you buy both kinds of pasta?

I guess this is partly just an introduction. I found it easy to handle when it was just me, but this is much more of a challenge. School lunches and school snacks and kids taking cupcakes to school on their birthdays and all that. Oh my. She's feeling better and that seems to take away any desire to cheat, but she still is depressed over stuff she can't eat. She doesn't seem to like any gluten free versions of the foods she likes. Are there reviews anywhere here?

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions. I've been winging it so far but now that my daughter is involved I need more resources.

[Newbee]

It is helpful for those with celiac if they live in a gluten free household (then you don't have to worry ab out cross-contamination at home). Also if everyone eats the same food it decreases the amount of food preparation needed.

[mamaw]

Hello & Welcome

Glad you both are doing bettter with gluten-free..The choice of a gluten-free household or a shared househole has to be a family choice. Some of us do either or but again family choice.I had a half gluten/half gluten-free kitchen for several years with no problems but other family members were trained ie: no double dipping in jars, any jars, don't use specific utensils that are used for gluten-free. I did this by colored coded gluten-free utensils & a separate drawer....separate toaster, bread maker & so on. I can say for me being the head chef it is much easier to cook all gluten-free........but again not always possible......

Most foods are naturally gluten-free such as naked meats, veggies, fish, fruits.. You can buy McCormick's spices to spice your food at home. They clearly label the gluten-free ones...Stay away from foods that are marinates, breaded, or coatings, shredded cheese that is coated with flour to keep it separated...malt products, soy sauces are where you will find hidden gluten....

Tell of us your daughter enjoys & I will be able to direct you to a clone gluten-free version.....I will say that nothing will ever be identical to wheat foods but some vendors come VERY close or even better. But there still are the nasty tasting foods still available as well....

Celiac is covered under the disabilites act so for school just send in a copy of the dx's & make an appt with the dietary person, nurse & teacher....Make a 504 plan if you need to to protect your child & also by law they are guarenteed a suitable lunch ....For our kids we always purchased the gluten-free foods & each morning our kids told the dietary lady want they wanted fopr lunch ie: chicken nuggets, pizza, pepperoni rolls, a sandwich wrap, soup, hot dog/ burger... One person handles the gluten-free food & changes gloves before heating, baking....

I match all school lunches with a gluten-free one.....for school parties, I bake cookies, cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches for parties & the school puts them in their freezer, when susie has cupcakes for her party the teacher ask what flavor of cupcake & gets it out of freezer in the am & thawed by the time the party is happening... We also have a gluten-free goodie box in the classroom so when teacher gives out a treat our kid can go into the goodie box & pick out a snack....

For seasonal parties that room mothers put on I always get the names of who is planning & I make whatever they are having for our kids...

Our kids go to children's pizza parties at Chuckie Cheese & enjoy the fun with friends. I just bake a personal pan pizza heat it at home, wrap in foil take a cake & go have the pizza place just heat up the pizza in the foil & deliver to our kids when the others are served. Never a problem anyway...

One thing you or your children don't want to feel deprived or left out.....so always have some fun foods ready to go......

Also if you have pets that eat gluten food be careful as this is an on going problem for many lately......

Check all your cooking equipment for scratches as thest items can harbor gluten........

hth

mamaw

[NGG]

Her foods she's missing the most at this point are bread to toast, and flour tortillas. Oh and crackers. She likes whole grain crackers so it seems like she'd be able to handle on that wasn't specifically wheat.

She also likes sweets of course but we don't have a ton of sweets anyway. I will have to learn to do some gluten-free baking I guess. If kids bring cupcakes to school, i don't want her sitting there feeling bad because she can't have one. I saw some frozen gluten-free cupcakes at the store but didn't get them because she has disliked so much I don't want to buy anything without a recommendation at this point. I don't mind spending the money but I would like at least a reasonable chance that she'll actually eat it. I did get gluten-free Bisquick so I can make a few things with that, like pancakes. Also, she loves Red Lobster style biscuits and I thought we could try that. She also loves rice crispy snacks so I picked up marshmallows and gluten-free Rice Krispies.

Hmm this has me realizing that she likes rice crispy treats better than cupcakes. I wonder if I could give her those when the class has cupcakes.

There's just so much to consider when there's a child involved. I don't mind simply doing without, but it's harder for kids.

[Darn210]

We are a mixed household . . . but I cook and bake completely gluten free. The gluten in this house consists of bread/buns, cereals, packaged cookies/crackers. All the gluten items are kept in a separate cabinet. Everything in the pantry is gluten free. I have duplicates of certain items (peanut butter, butter, nutella, cream cheese - the items most at risk for double dipping) which are then labeled and segregated.

My daughter was diagnosed at age 6. In the beginning, it was really important to have something on hand to compensate if the kids around her got a treat. At school, I sent in an emergency snack sack that the teacher had control of. If something was handed out to the kids, my daughter got something out of her snack sack. These were all shelf-stable prepackaged items and also something that any kid in the class would want . . . think tootsie pops, small bags of skittles, lunch size bag of fritos . . . stuff like that. Even if the teacher was handing out something that was gluten free, she didn't have to do the research and make the call that it was OK . . . she always had something that I provided on hand.

Stuff like birthday cupcakes brought in by the kids wasn't allowed. They frowned on birthday celebrations in general. I live in a community of everyone trying to one-up each other so things were getting out of hand and the school district put a stop to it across the board. The only food that came in was store bought and was for the Winter Holiday Party and for the Valentines Day party. I was always notified by the school nurse to provide something for my daughter and I just sent in the gluten free version of what the rest of the kids were having. The first year, I volunteered at the parties so I could see and become comfortable with how everything was handled.

My daughter took her lunch through elementary school. . . almost the same thing everyday . . . gluten free pretzels that she would dip into peanut butter, chips, fruit, and desert (like pudding or jello or something) . . . sometimes string cheese, yogurt, a couple slices of ham . . . all pretty mainstream stuff.

When she would go to a birthday party where they fed the kids pizza (or something), she would take the snack size nachos lunchables (just corn chips, cheese sauce and salsa) along with a gluten free cupcake (with sprinkles of course). It made it easy for the hosting family.

[mamaw]

We have two kids gluten-free so yes we try to make it better for them. Yes make or buy her what ever she wants for treats, let her tell you what she wants.. Rice Krispie treats are easy to make plus there are several pre-made ones....

Glutino & Snyder's makes excellent gluten-free pretzels... You can also put a choc kiss on a pretzel bake on low just until the point pushes down when touched add another pretzel on top & press down to hold... Yummy.. many chips & fritoe's, dorito's are clearly labeled gluten-free..peppermint patties, snickers, hersey & so many more are gluten-free...pret.zels are good dipped in peanut butter or nutrella....apples too...

dairy queen vanilla or choc is gluten-free. just take a gluten-free cone along ask them to change gloves & use your gluten-free cone. they have other things gluten-free as well. I stay away from things like milkshakes & blizzards as they use cookies & cahdies in some & use the same blender...

Some very good mixes are King Arthur cake mix, betty crocker are an easy find...

Cont'e has gluten-free pierogi's, ravioli, gnocchi & individual meals ....

Joan's gluten-free great bakes has the very best English Muffins.

Celiac Specialites has excellent donuts, crossiants for sandwiches & more...

Russo's has mazzarella fried/baked cheese sticks, fresh pasta

Seitenbacher has gluten-free egg ribbons ( think noodle soup) the very best

Many good pastas::: BiAglut like the real thing, tinkyada, anient grains, to many to mention.

Hormel beef stew is gluten-free but not the chicken stew

progresso has many soups gluten-free.

Homel pepperoni is gluten-free...

Three bakers has cheese its, graham crackers

Schar has good gluten-free

many restaurants & fast food have gluten-free menus. Just google what is in your area...

If you have a Trader Joe's they have Ramen noodle bowls for .99 & other things...

Bell & Evans has gluten-free chicken nuggets, patties, strips

Saffron Foods gluten-free chicken too.

Amy's mac & cheese

Pamela's has many good things pancake mix is very good.

this is a short list ...

Some of the better flour blends are: Better Batter ( which has a ton of recipes)

Jules flour

Meister flour blend

Domata Living Flour

Tom Sawyer

I make homemade twinkies, ho's ho's, ice cream sandwiches, pepperoni rolls, & almost anything that is available in a wheat version...

Annalise Roberts has a cookbook "Baking Classics" & Nicole Hunn has gluten-free on a Shoestring both excellent books....again many others as well....

[Takala]

Would really recommend that you take the house gluten free. The glutenoids can still eat whatever they want outside the home.

You aren't doing without, you're doing different.

The "pickiness" and desire for breads/crackers and not much else, can be due in part to cravings for sugars and carbs that are amplified by the ongoing malnutrition caused by celiac damage.

Beware the all purpose flour mixes with bean flours, which tend to go rancid faster, and which some find objectionable in taste. (I use garbanzo flour and don't have that sensitivity to taste that other people do, but I've heard about this enough I believe it.)

Try the Chebe mixes for quick "biscuits."

Try microwave recipes for "bun in a cup" for testing out gluten free bread ingredients - this makes baking fast and fun. Bun in a cups can also turn into cupcakes in a cup.

Try also the gluten free Pamela's all purpose mix - if you can get along with the ingredients, it's better than the bisquick, which is just mostly rice flour and sugar.

I think the xanthan gum tastes a bit weird, so I don't use it very often, I prefer sort of dense, high protein style things, and use a lot of almonds, also. I use chia seeds soaked in water or egg to replace the gums.

Eggless pancake mix, proportionally, is 1/3 each buckwheat (a high protein seed), 1/3 garbanzo bean flour, 1/3 potato starch, water, salt, olive oil, vinegar and baking soda, makes great pancakes and flatbreads quickly, and this mixture works well for other things, for those who want something other than rice flour mixtures. I've also added a bit of buckwheat to the chebe mixes, for variety.

Try the coconut flour and almond flour recipes (use the google search or the site search) too, if you are searching for the taste that appeals to the person who needs protein, calories, and doesn't like the chalky grit stuff.

You can mail order ingredients that you cannot find locally. This would be good for things like rice pasta, if you want to buy a large quantity to save some money.

Before you make a heavy investment, make sure you don't have any oddball, additional allergies or intolerances lurking.

[Darn210]

Her foods she's missing the most at this point are bread to toast, and flour tortillas. Oh and crackers. She likes whole grain crackers so it seems like she'd be able to handle on that wasn't specifically wheat.

She also likes sweets of course but we don't have a ton of sweets anyway. I will have to learn to do some gluten-free baking I guess. If kids bring cupcakes to school, i don't want her sitting there feeling bad because she can't have one. I saw some frozen gluten-free cupcakes at the store but didn't get them because she has disliked so much I don't want to buy anything without a recommendation at this point. I don't mind spending the money but I would like at least a reasonable chance that she'll actually eat it. I did get gluten-free Bisquick so I can make a few things with that, like pancakes. Also, she loves Red Lobster style biscuits and I thought we could try that. She also loves rice crispy snacks so I picked up marshmallows and gluten-free Rice Krispies.

Hmm this has me realizing that she likes rice crispy treats better than cupcakes. I wonder if I could give her those when the class has cupcakes.

There's just so much to consider when there's a child involved. I don't mind simply doing without, but it's harder for kids.

In the beginning when my daughter was 6, she really needed her treat to look like the other kids . . . now that she's older (and you may be able to get away with this, too, since your daughter is 10), all that matters is that she's got something that she likes. If she likes the gluten free rice krispie treats then go for it . . . it certainly travels better and you can fancy it up by adding sprinkles or mini choc chips on top.

Udi's and Rudi's weren't out when my daughter first went gluten free and the store bought bread options were not that good. I made the Pamela's bread from the mix and it was OK. Now that Udi's and Rudi's are out, that is what my daughter prefers for toast . . . but she still doesn't have sandwiches with it or use the buns for hotdogs or hamburgers because her palette is now used to eating these foods without the bread. She finds it too dry and "it soaked up all my ketchup". Rudi's now has a tortilla that she likes that we use for quesadillas and enchiladas.

Crackers have been tough . . . we've found a few that she likes . . . it's just that they are so stinkin' expensive. She likes the Schar cheese bites (cheese-it-ish) and the Kinnikinnick S'moreables (graham cracker-ish). Occasionally she'll go for the Glutino crackers that look like the ritz if she wants something to put cheese on. Her main staple is probably the glutino gluten free pretzels . . . I buy them in bulk now. One of the big hits here was to make gluten free chex mix. Very easy to do and provides a fix for that salty snack craving.

Some items will take a while before she'll like them . . . she may need to "forget" what the gluten version tasted like.

[Darn210]

You can also put a choc kiss on a pretzel bake on low just until the point pushes down when touched add another pretzel on top & press down to hold... Yummy..

Mamaw,

Have you tried this one . . .

Instead of a choc kiss on a pretzel, use a rolo. When it gets to that soft stage, push it down with a half pecan . . . turtle-ish . . . also yummy!

[Sunny600]

Since I've been gluten free, I have slowly been eliminating the glutenous things in the house. I still buy bread for my son, but without saying anything, all baking and meals are now gluten free. He was actually happy to stop being served whole wheat noodles, which is what we always had before, and my partner and I have for years been eating pancakes made with non-wheat flours, and the only thing we do differently now is leave out the rye flour, so that seems normal. And when my other son asked for carrot cake for his birthday, I made a gluten-free one without "clearing" it with him. Cake is cake. I've also been making crackers, which I have to beat my partner away because they taste so good. So it can certainly be done. It helps if you like cooking and baking.

Tilley

[NGG]

Since I've been gluten free, I have slowly been eliminating the glutenous things in the house. I still buy bread for my son, but without saying anything, all baking and meals are now gluten free. He was actually happy to stop being served whole wheat noodles, which is what we always had before, and my partner and I have for years been eating pancakes made with non-wheat flours, and the only thing we do differently now is leave out the rye flour, so that seems normal. And when my other son asked for carrot cake for his birthday, I made a gluten-free one without "clearing" it with him. Cake is cake. I've also been making crackers, which I have to beat my partner away because they taste so good. So it can certainly be done. It helps if you like cooking and baking.

Tilley

I'm very intersted in hearing more about your homemade crackers. Crackers are something we miss and haven't found a decent substitute for. Also, they were a common lunch box item. I did buy a brick of parmesan cheese so I can make cheese crisps for her lunch instead. That's the best idea I had.

[mamaw]

DarnYes, I do the Rolo's too plus I've usedthe different kisses.. Alos there is a recipe using a peanut butter filling then dipping in choc...Another is peanut butter, marshmallow cream then coat in choc...nutralla is another filling.....

Crackers: some we have found editable.......Shar, qwackers, Bi Aglut saltines, kinnickkinnick grahams, crunchmaster many flavors & Food Should taste that good multi grain cracker..

cupcakes are simple easy either by a mix or from scratch.....BAking Classic has a receipe that is sooooooooo tender & moist no one will ever know its gluten-free... King Arthur choc cake mix is heaven if you love choc....