bhart

My husband and I were in England for six months and loved the gluten-free pita bread we could buy in all the grocery stores there. I've searched gluten-free Mall, the web, and all my regular San Diego stores...Whole Foods, Henry's, Jimbo's, etc. and can't find it anywhere.

Europe had great gluten-free baked goods, which we really miss--like stem ginger cookies! However, it isn't as easy to eat out as it is here, so there's always a trade-off.

Thanks!

Does anyone know a source for gluten-free pita bread? I just returned from six months in the UK, and they have wonderful pita bread in their supermarkets...I really miss it. I couldn't find any in the online gluten-free stores. Thanks.

Thanks, everyone, for the great information. I will be coming back for more help as we need it. And yes, I do need to remember to tone it down . . . my English coworkers remind me of that as well!

I live in the US - San Diego - and am being sent by my company to London for six months on a temporary assignment. My husband is coeliac (diagnosed last July) and will be going with me (he's retired.) We are very excited! We've never been to the UK and have wanted to go for a long time.

I'm not sure where in London we'll be living. Are gluten-free products readily available in stores? What about restaurants? In the US there are certain "chain" restaurants (like PF Changs, Outback) that you can always count on for a gluten-free menu. Is that true in London?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give us.

Thanks for such great suggestions, everyone--now I'm going to have my own party to use all these recipes.

Hope I spelled that right! We're going to a birthday party tomorrow for a family member and I was asked to bring an hors duorve. I always try to take something my husband can eat, and all my recipes are pre-celiac!

Furthermore, he doesn't like any gluten-free crackers. I'd like it to be something substantial, since he may not be able to eat much else.

I've been ordering gluten-free oats online from this company--Gifts of Nature. The say they are "certified" and have the GFCO seal. They are produced by growers that understand gluten-free; raised on clean, dedicated ground, harvested & transported in dedicated equipment, Elisa tested, and processed and packaged at totally dedicated gluten-free Wheat Free facility.

I'll be glad to give you the email address if you email me. (I don't know what I'm allowed to do about giving the email address/phone no. on this forum.)

Has anyone tried the Carrot Cake #1 Recipe from the Celiac.com site here?

I LOVE Carrot Cake, hubby does too. We're having company and I'd like to make it for this event so I can eat dessert too.

Any suggestions?

I don't know about the carrot cake recipe you mentioned, but I have been making one from 125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt that my friends and family LOVE--they don't know it's gluten-free. I take it to parties, etc. so my husband can have dessert.

Preheat over to 350 degrees; 10" bundt pan, lightly greased.

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour

1 cup soy flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup gluten-free sour cream

1 cup crushed pineapple, including juice

2 cups shredded carrots

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. In a large bowl, sift together brown rice flour, soy flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Resift and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, sour cream and pineapple until well blended. Gradually beat in dry ingredients. Stir in carrots and walnuts.

3. Spoon into prepared pan. Spread to edges and smooth top with a moist rubber spatula. Let stand for 30 minutes.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack fo 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.

5. Top with Cream Cheese Frosting (1 package cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract)

OK, let me try this again--and actually send the message this time!

My husband was diagnosed with Celiac on July 21, 2006--I remember because it was my birthday! He, too, was "wasted"--skinny as a rail, and his face was the same color as his white beard. He couldn't walk 100 feet without chest pain and he thought he must be dying from something. He was very depressed and "foggy." He sat in his chair all day and watched TV. He had almost no other symptoms--but he was very anemic, which was what got his doctor's attention--finally. The lack of blood was straining his heart--probably would have had a heart attack had we kept on going. Believe me, I didn't know whether to feel sorrier for him or me that day! I am still working at 66, the kids are gone, and I had gradually pretty much given up cooking. I was too busy to change my life--it wasn't fair. And what about the traveling we had been dreaming about for years? I might as well have had celiac myself.

Today he is pink-cheeked, gained his weight back, walks five miles up and down hills with no problems, and is full of vim and vinegar--what a handful he is! It's like being married all over again to the man I knew 20 years ago. Sometimes I listen to him laughing and am astonished that I hadn't noticed that he'd stopped. I went through all the trauma you're experiencing--what to eat and not eat, what to throw out and buy new, and scared to death to eat in a restaurant. I made the world's hardest loaf of brick bread.

We now have a gluten-free house and eat very well. I remembered how to cook and I bake a lot. Our good friends and family try to accommodate us. We are very, very careful because his symptoms are "silent" and we wouldn't know if he was glutened--except for what it does to his insides. I take our own food to potlucks, parties, and sometimes even to a restaurant. And this summer we are going to Africa. (We're still figuring out how all that will work.)

The forum has been a life-saver to me. I've learned something every day. I am so grateful for the people on here who share their struggles and answer the same questions over and over. Sorry for the long post--I've not replied before, but I just wanted you to know there's light at the end of the tunnel. You'll get there and it won't seem so difficult someday.

Hi K!

My husband was also just diagnosed, this past Monday. I'd love to compare notes sometime.

Another question to pose. When his doctor called him, he said his count was 28, compared to 5 for a normal person, and 300 for a severly gluten intolerant person. What do these numbers mean? Is this a blood count of some sort? I can't seem to find anything online about this.

Thanks

Sabrina

Thanks, Rachel--we are very excited about our trip. My husband is determined that we are going to do the things we planned to do and not let the celiac rule our lives. He's just grateful to be feeling well again and is very adaptable about what he eats. A Lara bar works for him if there's nothing else around.

Yes, I am gluten-free as well, except perhaps when I'm out eating on my own. It makes things much simpler. And I need simple--who can keep track otherwise?

BTW this is the first time I've posted--been reading the board since July--so I'm not sure just how this works. Hopefully this is in the right place!

I have never done an African Safari...or anything like it...not much help, I know.

I just wanted to say....I am sooooo jealous!

I would love to do something like this someday. I hope you guys have a great time and hopefully someone can give some advice on more food options.

Also...did you say that you are also doing gluten-free with him?? Awesome! Thats wonderful support and I'm glad he his feeling great now.

Good luck!

My husband was diagnosed with celiac disease last July, and we both have been very carefully gluten-free ever since--and he's feeling great. We haven't traveled since then, but we have scheduled a trip with a small tour group to Tasmania and Uganda. He's planning on living on the things we pack with us! I'm hoping that it can be better than that. Has anyone done an African safari? Any advice for us?