JennyC

Your link did work! I'm not an expert, but his tummy looks similar to the way my son's did before he was diagnosed. Many children also eat lots of food without being satisfied before diagnosis. Have you had him tested?

I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at Picazzo's. We are regulars there, and although the crust is a little bland I always found that their other ingredients more than make up for it. They use high quality ingredients and they usually pile them on. Maybe they were running low on mushrooms. I agree that they are pricey, but I am just happy that we can get gluten-free pizza (and chicken wings) close to home that taste good.

Total IgA

Ttg IgA

Ttg IgG

EMA (less accurate, but 100% specific for celiac)

Total blood count/chemistry

It may take a little while until he is completely gluten free, despite your best efforts. If he does have celiac disease it only takes a crumb to start the celiac immune reaction, and he won't stop having symptoms as long as that's taking place. Cross contamination is a hard issue to takle, and it's something that doctors don't tell you about. You should be a search here about cross contamination and spend some time reading. You also should check his and other family members' body products. If you're wearing a gluten product and he puts his mouth on you, he can get sick. You may also want to check his toothpaste. Oral-B/Zooth don't consider their products gluten free. There's so much to learn when you're starting this lifestyle. Don't feel bad if you make mistakes. We all make them, especially in the beginning.

Are you doing a vegetarian meal? If not maybe you Aidells chicken sausage. It's really good and their products seem to be gluten free unless they contain soy/teriyaki sauce. (They're sold at costco. ) Maybe you could also experiment with a nice green salad.

Open Original Shared Link

OH, YES I DO OVER-BUY! I can't help you because I can't help myself. I have cut down on it a little by making a list of what I do have at home before I go to the store...but my house is packed with food.

Nachos or to cos are always good. I buy the Foster Farms pre-cooked frozen chicken strips from Costco. We also do spaghetti with frozen Chebe bread sticks and salad. We also do Alfredo about once a week right now. It is delicious, simple, and so fattening!

Alfredo Sauce

Melt 1/4 cup butter in sauce pan

Add 1 cup half & half or cream and bring to a simmer

Add 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (I don't measure, add until you get the right texture. )

Add in meat if desired.

Vinegar should be fine unless it is malt vinegar. French's mustard and Heinz ketchup is gluten free. Yoplait yogurt will list any gluten in their ingredients (they won't hide it in natural flavors). Dannon will only commit to their plain yogurt being gluten free, so I don't buy their products.

Here is a list of companies that will disclose gluten in their ingredients:

Open Original Shared Link

My son is an only child and I am very glad that I have him in daycare. He interacts with other children and has formed many friendships there, including a strong bond with his daycare lady. He has learned many social lessons there that would not be as easy to learn at home alone with no other children. His daycare provider is fantastic about the gluten free diet, and the other children are so understanding. This is another important lesson my son has learned early because of daycare, that he often eats different food than the other kids and that is ok. You just have to take your time and find someone that will work with the gluten free diet and someone who is willing to learn about cross contamination. You may also need to provide the daycare with the tools to keep your child safe. I provide a toaster, cutting board, baking sheet, a small pot and pan and cooking utensils. I also provide specialty gluten free specialty foods and mainstream food information.

Take your time and weigh your options, and I'm confident you will make the best decision.

Coconut flour is high in fiber and absorbs lots of water. I would not use 1 1/2 cups of it in a recipe. I would try using 1/4-1/2 cup and the rest whatever gluten-free flour you normally use.

If his blood work and genetic tests came back as positive, I'd say that you have your diagnosis. In addition, his symptoms went away and he started growing once you removed gluten. In my opinion, I would not put him back on gluten for tests. It seems like gastros are so concerned about teens cheating if they don't have flattened villi. If your future teen starts cheating, then you could do the gluten challenge at that time. They can also make that choice as an adult. In my opinion, parents are doing the right thing when they remove a substance from their children's diet that is causing them harm.

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure you will do the right thing for you and your family.

I'm glad you like it. We usually combine Pamela's and BRM to make our unique concoction. It's delicious.

Happy Birthday!!!

I hope you have a great day!

Yes, I often leave it out and suffer no negative consequences. I mix my own featherlight mix 12 cups at a time and that 4 TBSP of potato flour does not really seem to make a difference.

I'm sorry you got such a response. A while ago I came across a Duke's clam chowder copycat recipe. I hope this helps a little. It is very good.

Here it is:

Open Original Shared Link

We do not get flu shots. The first time that my son had the flu shot he was a little over six months old. Exactly 24 hours later he came down with a bad case of hives. I was told by the doctor that this likely happened because flu shots are preserved differently because they do not need to have a long shelf life. Needless to say he never received another. Lately when he gets shots, last time it was the MMR, he gets a splotchy red rash all over his body about 10 minutes later, seemingly a result of vasodilation. I am REALLY beginning to question all the preservatives put in vaccines. I have done previous research on the topic and was assured that thimerosal is no longer used as a preservative, so I started to relax a bit. Now I'm not so sure.

Has anyone been able to get preservative free vaccines for their children?

Pillsbury is one of the companies that will disclose gluten, so if it is not in the ingredients it is not there.

We have definitately gone through some trial and error around here in the last year and a half. Here's our favorites:

Bell & Evans or Wellshire kids chicken nuggets

Ora-Ida french fries (they have gluten-free list online)

Tinkyada pasta

Dr. Schar crackers

Nut Thins

Glutino pretzels and crackers

Walmart Cheetos (they say gluten free)

jello/pudding, many brands

many kinds of popcorn

cheese

Yoplait or Cascade Fresh yogurt

Kettle brand tortilla chips

Lays Stax original flavor chips

Whole Foods brand "Cocoa Puffs" (not on gluten-free list; made in shared facility)

Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread

Namaste mixes

Pamela's chocolate cake mix and pancake mix

Kinnikinnick donuts

Life Stream (?) Buckwheat berry waffles

pure maple syrup

Trader Joe's gluten-free frozen pancakes and banana waffles

I would guess that it does not say gluten free because it is not made in a dedicated facility/line, or perhaps they have never tested it. Ingredient wise I would not worry about it since there is only one ingredient.

I too was going to suggest tacos, or you could always do a naturally gluten free meat and potatoes type dinner. Although that may give you less time to enjoy the party.

Thanks for posting! I could not find anywhere with gluten free food last time we went to the beach.

I used dowels on my daughter's five layer cake for her last birthday party. If you want I can pm you on how to use dowels and what you need?

That would be great! I've never used dowels, but I have seem them used once on the show Ace of Cakes. Should I put the the second cake on cardboard?

It's not that my cake falls, it's that it never rises very much. Maybe I over-beat it. I just planned on making three layers for each cake. (It's actually two cakes, one on top of the other.) I do like Namaste, but I decided to go with Pamela's because it has great flavor, and I bought tons of mixes so I'm not changing my mind now!

If you follow the link to see the cake I'm making (please do, I could use your advice ) you'll see that for both cakes the top is black and on one cake the sides are red and on the other the sides are blue. The instructions that came with the cake said to use an airbrush to color the cake. I made practice cakes and tried to decorate cakes in the same manner and discovered I really NEED the airbrush. So I bought one and I love it! It easily colors the frosting black and red. I plan on using a mix of butter and shortening in my frosting. I don't need any white frosting, so it does not bother me if the frosting does not turn out really white.

Again, any and all advice is appreciated. I am totally stressing myself out about this cake. Think...obsessing! I plan to start making my MANY layers on Thursday night and put them in the freezer. I plan on decorating ALL DAY Friday.

Thanks again!

I just use my all purpose flour: 1 part corn starch, 1 part tapioca flour and 1 part rice flour. I use it as a direct substitution for wheat flour.

Does anyone know if Marina tartar sauce is gluten free? The only suspicious looking ingredient is "spices." I tried to look online but I could not even find a website! It is manufactured by North West Gourmet Food in Seattle Washington. As a side note, I have contacted Beaver brand condiments about their tartar sauce and they have never returned my phone calls. Does anyone also know if Beaver brand is gluten free?

Thanks!

It's now been bout 8 weeks since seizing began. I have been able to greatly reduce her episodes but occassionally one will come out of nowhere. This morning she has one and she used her family toaster. All I can figure. I am slowly starting to understand things and finding that she is triggered by the smallest amount. It is so frustrating. Gluten is in everything! I'm really wondering if I will be able to keep her off meds.. . And how on earth am I going to convince her older 3 teens in the house that all gluten products have to go?

Are Planter Peanuts safe? I think she had one a day later after eating peanuts. Or it could have been the toaster.

Funny thing. She did not react to barely. ?

TammyK.

Cross contamination is very a difficult issue to tackle at first. Anything that is difficult to clean spotlessly, that has scratches, or is porous must be replaced. That includes toasters, cutting boards, wooden spoons, bread machines, deep fryers, most non-stick cookware, cast iron, strainers, and the list goes on. As for your other children, maybe you could designate a small area for them to store gluten containing foods and give them a small space on the counter to work with gluten. I would try to make everything gluten free, including all your meals and baked goods. Flour can stay in the air for days and end up coating everything. It's hard at first but it will soon seem like second nature.