Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Where Your Contribution Counts!
    eNewsletter
    Support Us!

New To gluten-free And Seeking Suggestions! Running To Work - Lunch?


Noachka

Recommended Posts

Noachka Newbie

Hello! I'm new here :)

 

I don't have celiac disease (confirmed by biopsy), but I am gluten intolerant and thus have been put on a gluten free diet. Actually, my gastroenterologist told me to go gluten free a couple years ago, but I didn't want to bother because I thought it was too big of a hassle and that I don't really need to do it...then the turning point came last week when my endocrinologist (I have hypothyroidism) increased my medication yet again and I remembered the possible connection between gluten intolerance and other autoimmune diseases/thyroid disease. I am actually a professionall trained ballerina, I study in Russia, but I became so ill from the hypothyroidism (and maybe the gluten intolerance) that I had to return home on medical leave and I am only cleared to go back to Russia in January! Oy. Anyway, something clicked and I decided to finally take the initiative to do what I was supposed to do two years ago and go gluten free! I have to be healthy to dance :)

 

So I am new to this - it's been less than a week! But within the first day I noticed an obvious difference - and I must say I am stunned. I am also pleasantly surprised that I am having an incredibly easy time with this! My mom said that the fact that it is so easy for me might suggest that my body really does need to be gluten free. I also think it's because I already don't eat many processed foods to start with, so I guess I didn't have to go through as big of a 'loss' as many others do.

 

Anywho. I have a bit of a dilemma and I would really appreciate your suggestions on this! I currently walk to work but I am now upgrading to RUNNING to work! This is awesome and I am so proud of myself :) It does bring with it a small issue - lunch - but luckily it can be worked around and remedied! On Monday mornings I will walk instead of run so that I can carry a backpack with lunch food for the week and work clothes for the week, and walk home to bring it back on Friday afternoons. As such, I am trying to make a list of foods I can keep at work to fix myself a lunch. The catch is that the items need to meet the following criteria:

Very limited fridge space, but plenty of cupboard space

Gluten free obviously ;)

Peanut/tree nut free (not allowed at the school)

I DO have a microwave.

I am in walking distance from a supermarket that I can go to if I must, but I am trying to save money so would rather not make a trip there every day.

And I am trying to avoid snack items and focus more on actual real food (I don't like snack products so much).

I figured I should invest in a microwave rice cooker and possibly a microwave pasta cooker in light of some of the items I have come up with, listed below. 

 

So, anyone care to add to the beginnings of what I hope will be an extensive, creative, and impressive list?

 

100-cal packs of popcorn

Packets of grits

Gluten free oatmeal

Cream of rice

Bob's Red Milk gluten-free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal

Knorr Bouillon

Yogurt

Beef jerky

V8 cans

gluten-free cold cereal

Milk

Almond milk

gluten-free Bars (KIND, NuGo, Luna, etc.)

Tuna

Avocados

Baby carrots

Fruit

Applesauce/Buddy Fruit or other similar

Rice, buckwheat (I can invest in a microwave rice cooker)

Potatoes, sweet potatoes (I can make those in the microwave, right?)

Are there any other self-stable veggies I can cook in the microwave?

 

That's all I have for now! I am so sorry this post was so long, I just wanted to introduce myself properly since it's my first post  :wub: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



cyclinglady Grand Master

Looks like you have a solid plan.  I don't have anything to really contribute to your list as it's pretty extensive.   Yes, you can nuke your potatoes.  You can add hard squashes like butternut too (yummy with cinnamon).  Oh, don't forget canned beans (baked, lima, etc.) and I like canned salmon too.

 

How far will you run?  I think it's a great way to get to work and get your cardio in.  

 

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brandiwine Contributor

Do you have a freezer at work? You could precook and freeze meals and pull them out and put the in the frig the afternoon before. Pre-make gluten-free pasta salad. And I know if it was me I would get an electric hot eye to heat my food. Microwaves are not good for you at all. I bought two of the same plant, watered one with tap water one with microwaved water (room temp) and it took less than three weeks for the microwaved plant to die :-/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bartfull Rising Star

Why can't you run with ONE day's worth of lunch on you? (That's not a facetious question. I'm not a runner so I don't know if it would make a difference.)

 

I put lunches together and stick them in a ziplock bag. I make a bunch all at once and throw them in the freezer. I'll mix rice or baked potato with meat, cheese and broccoli, for example. When I get to work I just dump it into a bowl and microwave it. If you did something like that, then had your non-refrigerated items in the cupboard at work for snacks, would that work?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Noachka Newbie

Wow! Thanks you guys!

 

Cyclinglady, the distance is 2.4 miles one way. I usually walk it in about 40-45 minutes. I am new to running, so I don't expect myself to be able to run the whole way from the beginning, but I'll go at as slow of a pace as I need and with walking intervals and work up from there! I'm absolutely determined to learn to run and to make it a regular part of my life - I realized it's a skill that I can't afford to not have!

 

Brandiwine, unfortunately I don't really have a freezer at work. The fridge we have is one of those mini fridges and it has a small freezer 'tray' type of thing at the top but it can't hold much more than an ice cube tray! The fridge itself doesn't have much room because it's pretty loaded with baby bottles (I have a job at a private preschool and I work in the infant classroom). Usually I can fit a day's worth of lunch in there but no way I can fit 5 days worth. I thought about packing some grilled chicken into a smallish glass container - I think I can easily fit 4 3-oz pieces in it which can last the week. 

 

Batrfull, I'm not a runner not a runner yet either, but I'm pretty sure already that I don't want to be carrying stuff on my while running. I have a backpack, but it's big, and will bounce around. And I definitely won't settle for running with a purse! Lol. I will be leaving my work clothes at work, too. That way, when I run, I don't have to have anything on me (how freeing)! I ordered an armband for my iPhone that will hold my phone and also cash/cards. That way I have no excuses and I can run as if I were just going purely for exercise. I suppose I could buy one of those slim backbacks that don't bounce, but I just can't afford it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eers03 Explorer

Be sure to cross reference your microwave popcorn.  The popcorn is fine but its the extra ingredients one should keep an eye on.  For example, I react to Kroger brand microwave popcorn and I looked it up in my 2013 Gluten Free Grocery Shopping Guide and its not listed, which means, I cannot have it.  Also, some people still react to gluten-free oats, I'm one of them.  You may not.  Also, you should look up your beef jerky or beef sticks.  Some are fine, some are not.

 

I would add to your list Jiff's peanut butter to go.  It's an individual serving of PB in a disposable container.  If someone says something, tell them you are accommodating your own food allergy :-)  Kidding but seriously, even if you don't take them to school, they are handy to have around.  I would also take banana's, which are great for replenishing your potassium since now you're going to be a runner.  I like keeping an apple around as well.  Granny Smith green apples are my favorite.

 

As for the running.  Be patient, eventually you will get legs and lungs but it won't happen overnight.  It'll just click one day and you'll know you've got it.  Be sure to stretch, drink plenty of water, and I recommend a good glass of milk within 20 minutes of completion.  Make sure you are wearing actual running shoes.  Don't be jogging around in some casual Puma's that are really for soccer :-)  Some people like listening to an iPod and some runner's don't.  You'll have to be your own judge on that one.  Starting out, run a slow, light pace that you think you maintain.  Don't time yourself right away.  The goal should be just to make it to school.  Then later on you can get detailed with it.  Did I mention water?  

 

Love running.  You will too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Noachka Newbie

eers03, thank you very very much for the lovely reply! You motivated me a lot haha :) And I will go check the popcorn and the beef jerky right now! I really like the peanut butter I got at whole foods and there is nothing in it except for peanuts, but I told everyone that it's a gluten free container and not to contaminate it, and I wrote it on top! But I do like the idea of the single-serving ones. Honestly, many times for my lunch break I just go outside and walk around because it bores me to stay inside sitting around, so I could even eat the PB for lunch as long as it's outside. I can find little containers to make single servings myself! Great idea  ^_^

 

Actually, all your ideas are perfect, and thank you for the running advice. I know that I need to be patient, and I am so excited just to start that I don't care how small of steps I need to take, I am determined to get to the goal in due time! I want to do it the right and healthy way and part of that is pacing myself, so pace myself I will, hehe. Patience is always the name of the game, isn't it? 

 

I have heard that milk and chocolate milk are good after exercise, so I'm happy to see you suggested it. I have access to milk from the school's kitchen and I think it's safe to drink from it; I mean, why would it be contaminated? They buy gallon-sized jugs but nothing ever goes into the jugs, just poured out...? If it's safe then that will be easy for me to just drink a glass of whole milk when I get there (and I think I will be hungry, too). A glass of milk and a banana with peanut butter...sounds perfect :D

 

I have sketchers running shoes (they are the running ones). And I always drink lots of water because I keep a bottle that I constantly refill at the school! 

 

I feel so much more prepared and less anxious about it after getting all these replies! Thank youuuuu  :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



shadowicewolf Proficient

The milk should be fine. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,501
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    fine one
    Newest Member
    fine one
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • SuzanneL
      It was tTG IGG that was flagged high. I'm not sure about the other stuff. I'm still eating my normal stuff. 
    • cristiana
      Thank you for your post, @Nedast, and welcome to the forum. It is interesting to read of your experiences. Although I've not had TMJ, from time to time I have had a bit of mild pain in my jaw, sharp stabbing pains and tingling in my face which appears to have been caused by issues with my trigeminal nerve.  I read that sometimes a damaged trigeminal nerve in coeliacs can heal after adopting a gluten free diet.  I try to keep out of cold winds or wear a scarf over my face when it is cold and windy, those conditions tend to be my 'trigger' but I do think that staying clear of gluten has helped.  Also, sleeping with a rolled up towel under my neck is a tip I picked up online, again, that seems to bring benefits. Thank you again for your input - living with this sort of pain can be very hard, so it is good to be able to share advice.
    • Julie Riordan
      I am going to France in two weeks and then to Portugal in May   Thanks for your reply 
    • Nedast
      I made an account just to reply to this topic. My story resembles yours in so many ways that it is truly amazing. I also suddenly became lactose intolerant, went a little under 10 years attributing all my symtoms to different body parts, never thinking it was something systemic until much later. I had the same mental problems - anxiety, depression, fatigue, etc. In fact, the only real difference in our story is that I was never formally diagnosed. When I discovered that my myriad symtoms, that had been continuous and worsening for years, all rapidly subsided upon cessation of consuming gluten, I immediately took it upon myself to cut gluten out of my diet completely. I live in America, and had lost my health insurance within the year prior to my discovery, so I could not get tested, and I will never willingly or knowingly consume gluten again, which I would have to do in order to get tested now that I have insurance again. But that is not the point of this reply. I also had extreme TMJ pain that began within months of getting my wisdom teeth out at - you guessed it - 17 years old. I was in and out of doctors for my various symptoms for about 5 years before I gave up, but during that time I had also kept getting reffered to different kinds of doctors that had their own, different solutions to my TMJ issue, an issue which I only recently discovered was related to my other symptoms. I began with physical therapy, and the physical therapist eventually broke down at me after many months, raising her voice at me and saying that there was nothing she could do for me. After that saga, I saw a plastic surgeon at the request of my GP, who he knew personally. This palstic surgeon began using botox injections to stop my spasming jaw muscles, and he managed to get it covered by my insurace in 2011, which was harder to do back then. This helped the pain tremendously, but did not solve the underlying problem, and I had to get repeat injections every three months. After a couple of years, this began to lose effectiveness, and I needed treatments more often than my insurance would cover. The surgeon did a scan on the joint and saw slight damage to the tissues. He then got approved by insurance to do a small surgery on the massseter (jaw) muscle - making an incision, and then splicing tissue into the muscle to stop the spasming. It worked amazingly, but about three months later it had stopped working. I was on the verge of seeing the top oral surgeon in our city, but instead of operating on me, he referred me to a unique group of dentists who focus on the TMJ and its biomechanical relationship to teeth occlusion (i.e. how the teeth fit together). This is what your dentist did, and what he did to you was boderline if not outright malpractice. There is a dental field that specializes in doing this kind of dental work, and it takes many years of extra schooling (and a lot of money invested into education) to be able to modify teeth occusion in this manner. Just based on the way you describe your dentist doing this, I can tell he was not qualified to do this to you. Dentists who are qualified and engage in this practice take many measurments of your head, mouth, teeth, etc., they take laboratory molds of your teeth, and they then make a complete, life-size model of your skull and teeth to help them guide their work on you. They then have a lab construct, and give you what is called a "bite splint." It looks and feels like a retainer, but its function is entirely different. This is essentially a literal splint for the TMJ that situates on the teeth. The splint is progressively modified once or twice per week, over several months, in order to slowly move the joint to its correct position. The muscles spasm less, stress is taken off the joint, as the joint slowly moves back into its proper position. The pain reduces each month, each week, sometimes even each day you go in for a visit. The joint has to be moved in this manner with the splint BEFORE the modification to the teeth begins. They then add to your tooth structure with small bits of composite, to keep the joint in its proper place after it has been sucessfully repositioned. Subtracting from your teeth, by grinding down bits of your natural tooth structure, is done very conservatively, if they have to do it at all. This process worked for me - after six months, my face, jaw, neck all felt normal, and I had no more pain - a feeling I had not had in a long time. It also made my face look better. I had not realized the true extent that the spasming muscles and the joint derangement had effected the shape of my face. The pain began to return after a few months, but nowhere near where it had been before. This immense reduction in pain lasted for a little over two years. The treatment still ultimately failed, but it is not their fault, and it is still the treatment that has given me the most relief to this day. Later on, I even went about three years with very, very good pain reduction, before the joint severely destabilized again. This field of dentistry is the last line treatment for TMJ issues before oral surgery on the TMJ. There aren't as many denists around who practice this anymore, and the practice is currently shrinking due to dentists opting for less espensive, additional educations in things like professional whitening, which have a broader marketability. Getting this treatment is also very expensive if not covered by insurance (in America at least). My first time was covered by insurance, second time was not, though the dentist took pity on me due to the nature of my case and charged like a quarter of usual pricing. Most cases seen by these dentists are complete successes, and the patient never has to come back again. But occasionally they get a case that is not a success, and I was one of those cases. A little over a year ago, I began seeing the second dentist who keeps my TMJ stable in this manner. The first dentist retired, and then died sadly. A shame too, because he was a truly amazing, knowledgable guy who really wanted to help people. The new dentist began to get suspicious when my joint failed to stay stable after I was finished with the bite splint and his modifications, so he did another scan on me. This is ten years after the first scan (remember, I said the surgeon saw "slight" damage to the tissue on the first scan). This new scan revealed that I now no longer have cartilage in the joint, on both sides - complete degeneration of the soft tissues and some damage to the bone. The dentist sat me down and had a talk with me after these results came in, and said that when he sees damage like this in cases like mine, that the damage to the joint is most likely autoimmune, and that, in his experinece, it is usually autoimmune. He has sent patients with cases like mine to Mayo Clinic. He said he will continue to see me as long as the treatment continues to offer me relief, but also said that I will probably have to see a dentist for this type of treatment for the rest of my life. He is not currently recommending surgery due to my young age and the fact that the treatment he provides manages my symptoms pretty well. I still see this dentist today, and probably will see this kind of dental specialist for the rest of my life, since they have helped with this issue the most. I did not inform him that I am 100% sure that I have celiac disease (due to my complete symptom remission upon gluten cessation). I didn't inform him because I thought it would be inappropriate due to not having a formal diagnosis. I was disappointed, because I had believed I had caught it BEFORE it had done permanent damage to my body. I had never suspected that my TMJ issues may be related to my other symptoms, and that the damage would end up complete and permanent. Luckily, I caught it about 6 months after my other joints started hurting, and they stopped hurting right after I went gluten free, and haven't hurt since. I of course did the necessary research after the results of the second scan, and found out that the TMJ is the most commonly involved joint in autoimmune disease of the intestines, and if mutliple joints are effected, it is usually the first one effected. This makes complete sense, since the TMJ is the most closely related joint to the intestines, and literally controls the opening that allows food passage into your intestines. I am here to tell you, that if anyone says there is no potential relationship between TMJ issues and celiac disease, they are absolutely wrong. Just google TMJ and Celiac disease, and read the scientific articles you find. Research on issues regarding the TMJ is relatively sparse, but you will find the association you're looking for validated.
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @SuzanneL! Which tTG was that? tTG-IGA? tTG-IGG? Were there other celiac antibody tests run from that blood draw? Was total IGA measured? By some chance were you already cutting back on gluten by the time the blood draw was taken or just not eating much? For the celiac antibody tests to be accurate a person needs to be eating about 10g of gluten daily which is about 4-6 pieces of bread.
×
×
  • Create New...