Preventing Glutened

ladodd58 · September 18, 2012

I am 9 months Celiacs diagnosed and gluten free. My doc tested it and gave me a very small sheet of food not to eat. As I have cut gluten out of my diet I found that foods that have been processed on the same equipment as wheat or gluten is not for me. I was eating a bag of Almonds from Costco that said it was processed on the same equipment as wheat and it turns out I was having reactions to it. As I am trying to see what I can eat, I get hit with a gluten episode and have to think back what did I eat differently. It seems to me that most of the time it is eating out at a restaurant or eating at a friends place for dinner. Eventhough I ask the cook lots of questions I still seem to get sick. How does everyone deal with this. Also, it seems that my inlaws are trying and annoyed at the same time to accomadate my needs and yet I leave half of the time feeling sick. For me, my glutened reaction is a lethargic- can't get out of bed with flu like symptoms and wheezing. I have been trying to start my own business and because of my glutened I can't function. It leaves me feeling depressed because I want to get my business off the ground but if I can't be reliable, maybe I need to take a break and get my diet under control. I would love some ideas, also I have been reading in these forums that I should be taking some enzymes, probiotics, and vitamins. Do I need a Rx for these or can I find the at walgreens/cvs?

eatmeat4good · September 18, 2012

Enzymes, Probiotics, and Vitamins can all be found over the counter. No prescription needed. Make sure they are gluten free.

I stopped eating out or eating food prepared by others. It made a world of difference and I feel so much better. The Outback is the only restaurant I will go to and that is only on a birthday or special occasion.

It sounds like you should not eat at your in-laws. They probably use their pots and pans that have cooked gluten. Even if they make potatoes and strain in a colander that strained pasta you can get glutened. I realized it was critical to replace pots and pans and that it would be unreasonable to expect that others would have pots and pans that had not had gluten in them and therefore I could easily get sick. So basically if others cook gluten in their kitchen I will not eat there. That's pretty much everyone except a Celiac.

Take control of your diet and don't let others cook for you. They cannot be expected to see that you are not cross contaminated. There is way too much involved in cooking gluten free to expect irritated in-laws to be able to do it responsibly. Your body seems to be saying so too. Same thing with cooks in restaurants. Unless the restaurant is certified to be able to cook gluten-free. Some things you have to take into your own hands in order to heal. Cooking is one of them.

IrishHeart · September 19, 2012

May I suggest this thread (so I do not repeat it all and bore everyone to death?

and I suggest Custom Probiotics or Culturelle DF , Digest Gold by Enzymedica and Country Life Certified G F vitamins. They are safe and work well.

Hon, if you are newly DXed, give your gut some time to heal. Eat plain, fresh, whole foods for 6 months. Avoid dairy until the gut heals and the villi grow back.

I, personally, avoid any foods processed on lines that also process wheat or in shared facilities. I have felt ill every single time from these products and suffer symptoms for a few weeks. I do not care what anyone says about "cleaning them" and how safe they are. (This is my experience and other celiacs can use them without issues). I choose foods that are fresh and whole and ---only foods I bake myself --or those from CERTIFIED G F facilities.

I would not eat anything prepared by someone who does not understand Cross contamination. I have had safe meals at friends' homes--but they did their homework and borrowed some cookware from me.

Stop eating at your in-laws until you feel well and can discuss how they can cook safely for you. Stop eating out for a few weeks until you get your symptoms under control. You are being CCed too much, IMHO

Hope you feel better soon.

Best wishes, IH

ladodd58 · September 24, 2012

Thank you for your help! I read the newbie thread and will probably pick up some books. I thought that I was doing good but I think its the cross contamination. Thanks for your support, I think I knew that I should stop eating at my inlaws but I just felt guilty. I will also find some good supplements. Thanks again!