A-Swiss

Aside from the much needed energy boost after I was diagnosed (I was falling asleep at work at 2 pm - after 3 Red Bulls), I also found that I had a much more positive attitude to working out. I have always been an athlete, but my moods went from negative/shakey/lathargic to actually feeling the need to get in shape. I still have days where I could take a pass on hitting the gym, but it's been over a year and I almost feel bad if I don't go.

I grab some Pepto and some pain killers and wait it out. Sadly, it is a trial and error deal for a while.

Agreed on the coating part. That is why I avoid places that have a serving line or prep line. People dip their hands/spoons/knives into multiple things and once it is done - you are out. Frankly, that has been the hardest part. Places may have gluten free menues, but they may grab something or cut something in an area that has gluten. I stick to grilled meats that are uncut and steamed veggies as best as possible. Stuff that gets stirred tends to have a higher risk of "spoon switching".

Aside from that, hot dogs are a 50/50 in my book. I bought Hebrew National (great taste by the way) and Omaha Steak hot dogs and both were ok. However, I ran into 2 brands that used wheat as a filler. You just have to read to find out.

Though it seems you got a good mix of answers, my take is a little different. I was diagnosed 3 months ago and went 100% gluten free right away (didn't wait, just jumped in - the pain was way too strong). When I get glutened, it usually takes about 6 hours and I feel heavy pressure in my gut and needle like pain for about 3-4 days. I think we all have it differently. Frankly, I have been stabbed twice and didn't go the hostipital on the second one - so I really don't get bothered by pain. However, I notice the gluten reaction and I would rather take a knife!

Just curious. I'd love some other people that I can bounce ideas off of. I have a dietician and a doctor who help, but I am always up for meeting people who deal with it on a regular basis. Say hey!

From what I hear, it is different for everybody. It took me about 1 week to get to normal when I ate some soup that had it. I have read that the longer you are off gluten, the longer it takes to recover. I have been gluten free for 3 months. Hope that helps.

Yeah, I saw that sour cream too. It was the one that is usually in those packets. And add this to the WTF file for wheat - peanuts and mixed nuts. What? Planters is fine, but the off brands all say they contain milk and wheat products. I thought for sure that peanuts and salt would be as far as I would need to read on a can of roasted nuts. Jerks!

One thing I would check is your pantry. I did even further research on some common things and found out my continued pain was due to a few random items. Land O Lakes butter spread has modified food starch (but not the stick version), and it was in my fruit snacks and mixed nuts (really? why add wheat to mixed nuts?). I was in pain for about 2 weeks and thought I was going crazy (didn't even tell my wife). I cut those out and felt a lot better.

Honestly, it took about 2 months to really get into the swing of things. You will be AMAZED at what you actually can eat if you just check it first. I can still go to Chinese (Pei Wei, their spicy chicken is awesome!), and do Pizza (make your own or Waldo Pizza in KC is better than most pizza places anyway) and all the other things. I just usually have to make sure I check online or go with the simple things when I order. Eating at home was a change, but most everything I normally ate has a gluten free alternative that is about the same - and most of the time better. I lost 26 pounds during these last few months, but I am in shape and have a ton of energy. Sadly, I actually am not too upset about finding out so late in life (age 30, March of this year I found out).

I would bathe in Sweet Baby Rays if given the chance - awesome sauce.

Have you had a major issue in finding gluten free BBQ sauces? Teriyaki has been an issue for me (most have some sort of soy sauce in them), but I have not really seen BBQ sauces with gluten in them.

Thank you all for the great ideas! We did buy some frozen meals and the chicken nuggets so this will last us for at least 2 weeks! My next step is to buy a gluten-free cookbook.

And make some more of those apricot pork-chops!

Well, I just wanted to share this because this is the first time in 2 weeks that I have not felt like I want to punch someone or hide in a corner over this stuff:

I have tried to venture to 2 restaurants and fully expected to just give up when ordering and stick with a salad. My experience, however, was well more than I expected -

The first (Waldo Pizza in Kansas City) was my primary attempt to get something out of the house. They were advertised to have a gluten free menu. I ordered what I thought was a good pizza (half sliced steak, half meatball) on the gluten free crust. The lady seemed to be a bit snotty and just wrote it down. I figured "hey, it's a pizza place, not the Ritz" and waited to see what concoction they came up with. After about 2 minutes the waitress comes back and says "I wasn't quite sure, so I asked the cook about what you ordered. He agreed that the meatballs are a wildcard for you, so you should just do hamburger - not the meatballs". Wow! someone actually thought far enough down the line to make sure the order itself was good for me. She got a big tip!

The second (Pei Wei) is a chain chinese/thia place. They also had a gluten free menu, though it wasn't posted. When I went to the counter to ask, the guy had it on a magnet by the ordering desk and handed it to me. I had 5 choices with no descriptions, so I picked the name that sounded decent (Pei Wei Spicy). They guy at the desk (not the guy I ordered it from) hand delivered it to me and it looked like generals chicken. Before I could open my mouth, he said "I wanted to make sure you knew the breading was potato flour, so you are OK". Way cool.

So that is my long winded attempt at being excited. Finally some normacy and better service than I have had in years.

Peter, thanks. I don't have DH either but I suspect I have gluten somewhere in my diet. The toaster comment is interesting. Since being diagnosed I haven't eaten much bread or used the toaster oven. Recently I found a roll that I love ( www.againstthegraingourmet.com) and have been toasting in the toster over. I've been wrapping the roll in foil to avoid cc. I'm getting the feeling that that's not enough.

Good option - toaster oven. What I do is just put foil over the tray each time I use it and it is like having a fresh toaster. They cook and toast, so it works for most things. Buying a new toaster obviously works, but if you have a family - someone may be using regular bread in it. If you just cover the tray, you won't have to lose the crispness that the toasting gives (vs covering the roll itself with foil).

Without creating a flame here, I just want to comment on how odd this is to even be an issue. I understand your concern (as it is very well founded), but I would have to believe that god would forgive you for not eating a cracker and wine if you cannot physically do it. Though the suggestions are very well thought out, I think the core of your answer comes from understanding that god won't shun you for refraining from this one little symbolic act. You can "make up for it" by just being a good person. If you actually understand what you are doing (it is meant to represent your acceptance to the faith and to Jesus himself), you don't need to act it out to have the same result. Though I am sure this will anger a few devouts out there, I believe that there has been some understanding lost in the process of trying to play things by the book (is that an unintended pun?).

Depends on what the warning said. Did the warning say it was produced in a plant or on equipment that also processes wheat? Some people can tolerate products made this way and some can not.

Actually, it didn't say anything other than "Allegen Warning: Wheat, egg, peanut". Other than that, it was just information about the product and how to cook it. I have seen the other warnings, but I see just the allergen warning more than the one about the manufacturing process.

Wheat Free is not necessarily gluten free. Always read the ingredients. In my experience most products labeled "Wheat Free" are not gluten free but is always worth checking.

Ok, here's a twist - I read another label that didn't have a single item that seemed to have gluten in it (it was a broc/cheese/rice/chicken mixture). It itemized out every part and I checked it against the list of hidden issues (soy sauce, ect). It passed. However, it had a warning against wheat, egg, and peanut allergies. So should I also assume that this is another thing to look for?

That was my fear. It's hard enough trying to figure this out. Add that to the list of things that kick me the crotch!

Same deal as mine (though I have no idea of what my # was - she just said the blood work did not confirm it at first). However, my doctor said that it is tough to get positive bloodwork back unless it has really started to take hold in your stomach/intestines. Mine had a TON of pain for a month and my biopsy said that it was celiac. She had me go on a diet for 2 weeks and see what happened. The fact that the pain fell off after 3 days and I had 3 x the energy I had even months before gave me my answers. My doctor was diagnosed 5 years ago and she said that it was pretty much by the book what she went through. She also said that the genetic test is about the only real way to make it 100% official, but the particular gene can be seen in a large percentage of the population. It seems like you pretty much have to put the puzzle together unless you want to hold out for it to get really bad. . .

I know this is answered somewhere in this site, but I am just learning. I was 100% officially diagnosed yesterday (really 2 weeks ago, but this was the final visit to see what happened). In that 2 weeks I have begun to notice that several items say wheat free and make no mention of gluten. However, through some investigating on a Newman's Cookie box, I noticed that it said "Wheat Free, not a gluten free product". Is this the universal answer? Is it safe to assume that complex foods (those with more than 2 ingredients) should say "gluten free" if they are? Help!

Well, I don't want to be "that guy" on these boards, but I do want to say that there is a line that I am willing to cross when it comes to eating. Yes, I am sure it is better to eat from the farm directly and never have chemicals and yada yado. However, I do realize that I do not live on a farm, nor do I have the time or money to pretend like I do. I eat as much as I can in its basic form (carrots as carrots, not canned or mixed and so on), but I cannot live my life without the "bad stuff (processed)" coming into play here and there. One of my pet peeves with this disease is that I am lumped into this "hippie" catagory because I need to modify my diet. It doesn't help it any when I constantly have to have huge labels on my food that say "made in Blueberry Farms by the indigenous Awapoo tribe with only soy ingredients powered by cow poo furnaces". I just want a damn box of mac and cheese that won't give me chronic stomach pains. Do I believe we should eat better foods - yes. Is there a guy running around at 95 years old that has eaten nothing but Big Macs for 30 years - yes (I actually just read about him). The conflicting advice comes from those who believe they know better and those who do know better. Sometimes the truth that "it really doesn't matter" doesn't match up with the "perfect world" lifestyle.

Sorry, that was my rant for the day. Little edgy I guess.

I guess I took a different path because I got so sick before I was diagnosed that I didn't eat for several days. After 3 weeks of the doctor trying to figure it out, I actually learned not to be hungry (because of the pain). I actually had to learn to eat these last few weeks because I was so scared. However, being scared did not stop the cravings. I would have eaten through a desk if I knew it wasn't going to hurt. However, after about a week, I am am able to go back to food. I lost 11 pounds in 3 weeks, so maybe I should write a book!

One word "Chipotle"

Everything is gluten-free except the flour tortillia. You can ask the cashier to have the servers change their gloves to prepare yours. I talked to our manager and his mom is very sensative and this is what he has his employees do.

The chips and guacamole are yummy. I love the shredded beef salad.

MMMMMMMMm

I've found that without Chipotle - I would be armed and featured on CNN! The burrito bowls atleast add 1 ounce of normalcy to my life. I also found a local pizza place that has a gluten free crust and I can't tell any difference. My friends like it better than the delivery stuff (Waldo Pizza if any of you want to head to KC).

Honestly, I bought a house with a small strawberry patch and it has taken over about 30 square feet. I have to take a weed-whacker to the things after a few months because they crawl out of everywhere! If you want to just avoid the issue - grow your own. I have never once had to do anything to them (even water them). Does that help when you are eating out? No. Seems rather foolish to bring your own ingrediants to the party, LOL!

Well, I am 2 weeks into mine and I know how you feel. I have always been active and into sports, so that afforded me the ability to pretty much eat anything I want. With that freedom, I celebrated every food possible. With a nice slap in the face (and some severe pain), I learned that gluten rules much of the free world (at least the stuff that I thought tasted good!). Does it suck, yes. Can you go back, no. Does this mean that you'll never find food happiness - no. No one will EVER tell me this transition is/was easy, but I also realize that I can make it harder on myself by looking over my shoulder. It's all trial and error and most of the easy stuff will certainly taste worse than the original stuff. However, the alternative of constant pain, health issues, and lack of energy pretty much sold me on playing for this team We seem to be here for each other, so let me know what I can do to help. We noobs have to stick together!

Ok, I may be the only one that feels this way, but here goes:

I was recently diagnosed (2 weeks ago), so this is ALL new to me. I went out to try to repress my urge to say "F this, I am eating what I want" and buy the stuff I need to eat. Upon finding a local store that has a whole section on gluten free items; I come to find that "gluten free" somehow also means "this is where we just lump all the health food together". If I have to walk around and read EVERY label to see if it is gluten free - how is it any different than just having it in the general store? Nothing is more depressing than seeing something that looks good and reading that the only reason it is there is because it is organic. Though I understand that you should eat 100% healthy, I could care less if a Chick Fil A sandwich is made of old shoes if I could eat it. I guess my gripe is that it is hard enough trying to fit in without having the added pressure of even being filtered in what is supposed to be a specific section. Does anyone else find this when they go shopping!?