luvs2eat

I guess we DO all become a little OCD w/ our gluten free issues... we sort of have to be, don't we? Maybe you should leave off telling family members about their health issues, especially since they don't seem to appreciate your interest and efforts. Just live your own healthy gluten-free lifestyle and let them do their own thing! I have an extremely overweight friend w/ all the health issues that can bring... diabetes, high cholesterol and triglycerides... and I can only serve healthy and nutritious meals when she visits and can't keep harping on what she KNOWS... that smaller portions of healthy food would solve her problems if she'd commit to doing it for like a YEAR rather than a month and then saying diets don't work!!

It's all simple for me... if I don't cook it, I don't eat it... period! Well... I'd trust people HERE to cook for me, but I can't trust anyone else. It's not a slight or a dig at anyone. I just know that my house is gluten-free and if you're not cooking gluten-free, the chance of cross contamination is simply too great. I'd thank them profusely for their interest and wanting to help, but I'd take my own food... period.

It's been so long since I bought Ener-G bread... I'm pretty sure that there must have been another, heavier loaf that I first tried 9 years ago... white rice bread, maybe?? Anyhow, I picked up a loaf of their tapioca bread and cut it into cubes and left 'em to dry on a cookie sheet.

Holy cow!!! The bread SMELLED so bad... I could smell it from across the room!!! I've read some threads about recipes using tapioca flour/starch having a funny taste or aftertaste... but when I got up the next day and these cubes had been drying out for about 24 hours... the SMELL actually hit me in the face when I walked into the kitchen!!

I threw them out!! I cut up a loaf of Pamela's gluten-free bread and made the recipe I'd found using sausage, apples, cornbread, and gluten-free cubes. It was very good.

So much for the Ener-G stuffing plan.

Well... I've got my Ener-G bread and will make an apple sausage stuffing w/ a combo of corn bread and the Ener-G. It'll be my 9th new stuffing recipe since being diagnosed. I'm completely changing it up rather than trying, in vain, to recreate my beloved Pepperidge Farm stuffing. I'm really hoping we (meaning I) fall in love w/ it so I'm not always disappointed in my Thanksgiving meal!

Thank you for describing the endoscopy test for me. It doesn't sound as bad as I was imagining. I am getting my test results on Monday for blood and stool and I will post them here for feedback. I really hope that I can get this diarrhea cleared up, I really can't go on living like this! Thanks for your support.

Endoscopy is about the best test I've ever had! There's no yucky prep involved... they knock you out good... I wasn't responsive at all, I was OUT, completely under anesthesia. I work up w/ just a little scratchy throat. I went home and took a nice nap.

Diarrhea was my main symptom. Immodium helped and my doctor told me I could take it every day if I needed to.

I got tired of mixing up different flours... I tried several blend recipes. I've just bought Better Batter and have to say it's great. I've made really light, fluffy banana bread and homemade won ton skins. I've not tried cookies cause I've been disappointed w/ any I've made so far, so I just don't bake 'em.

Honey Baked Hams are gluten free. They changed their recipe I think about two years ago. Here you can find all of the nutritional information on their hams: Open Original Shared Link . I'm very sensitive, and I've never had a problem with their hams. Happy eating!

Having nothing to do w/ anything... that's the cutest puppy I've ever seen!!

Unfortunately, there's a long chain of command from the time we order our food and actually eat it and we're at the mercy of several people! I've heard of people having trouble at really gluten-free-friendly places like PF Changs because the waitperson has to communicate to the cooks and info can be miscommunicated or misconstrued.

I've talked about it before but the last TWO times I've been to Chilis and ordered from their "allergy" menu, I've been served a salad filled w/ flour tortilla strips! My chat w/ the waitress was apparently not clear enough for her to go to the cook and say, "Please take special care w/ this menu item."

Smaller "mom and pop" places will be better because they'll get to know you, but we don't eat out very often anymore.

Wow... my kids won't be happy to learn that it can run in families!! I wasn't diagnosed specifically w/ hyperemesis, but was SO sick for the first 3 months w/ each pregnancy... the last being the worst! I lost more than 25 lbs. in the first 3 months and had to go to bed for several weeks when I started spotting. Luckily (I guess), I was a good 25 lbs. overweight when I got pregnant, so losing that weight in the beginning put me right back to my prepregnancy weight and once that horrible nausea/vomiting finally stopped... I had the joy of putting BACK on 25 lbs... haha.

I never had a medicine that helped at all.

I didn't/don't have constipation and didn't have the unexplained weight loss sometimes experienced before diagnosis. But, I gained about 40 lbs. chowing down on all the gluten free stuff I COULD have to make up for the loss of what I could no longer have.

I finally had to admit to myself that I'm a total carb addict. I cut out bread, pasta, and rice ('cept for 2 cheat dinners a week and the occasional 1/2 cup brown rice w/ a meal)and ate lean proteins and fruts and veggies. I lost 20 lbs. in about 3-4 months and felt a lot better.

Working on that last 20...

I'm a huge fan of Pamela's wheat free bread mix. I buy it in bulk/by the case from that company w/ the name of the long river in So. America (sometimes sites won't let you say the name)and when I combine it w/ my order of Tinyada pasta... shipping is FREE.

It makes delicious bread and I often make rolls rather than a loaf. I've also done the bagel "variation" and that was delicious too.

Before Pam's, I used Manna from Anna bread mix and that was good too, but there were too many ingredients to add to the mix. Pam's only requires oil, eggs, and water.

I completely agree w/ RideAllWays. I was a normal weight when I was diagnosed... I was diagnosed quickly and didn't experience unexplained weight loss. I was so upset about all the foods I could no longer have... I ate WAY too much of what I could have... gluten-free breads, pastas, etc. I gained about 40 lbs!! I had to cut out a lot of those carbs and only have them occasionally and have lost 20 of that 40. Stick to the real foods we can already have (lean meats, fruits, veggies) and limit the replacements and you should be just fine.

No offense meant, but are you overweight? The reason I'm asking is that I had such bad heartburn/GERD that I was on my way to the doc's to ask for Nexium or anything higher powered that the OTC stuff cause I was in such pain every night... if I didn't know it was heartburn/GERD, I'd have sworn I was having a heart attack.

The diet that you listed is pretty much exactly what I went on. I cut out almost ALL carbs and only rarely had 1/2 cup brown rice w/ supper or a piece of bread. I ate veggies, fruit, and lean meats. I lost 20 lbs over about 5-6 months and guess what?? Heartburn/GERD vanished! I finally realized that I was simply eating too much food at meals. Smaller meals really helped.

1.) Female

2.) 57

3.) August 5, 2002

4.) Since I was diagnosed, all 3 of my daughters have developed celiac disease over these 8 years. Not a single other family member has it, altho I believe they would benefit from a gluten-free diet.

5.) Very sensitive to CC and anything gluteny.

6.) Very much so... we simply don't eat out.

7.) Definitely! Awareness of celiac... as opposed to the focus on eating gluten free as a trendy diet... would go a long way to help us real celiacs!

8.) I feel I really just had to learn to cook differently. Altho, I don't bake nearly as much as I used to. Now... giving up dairy?? WAY harder than giving up gluten!

9.) More readily available food options.

My fave chili recipe is this:

1 lb. browned ground chicken... yes, chicken. It stays moister than ground turkey

chopped onion and garlic

2 cans beans (I use 1 can of black beans and 1 of red chili beans, rinsed)

2 cans diced tomatoes (I use the ones w/ jalapeno peppers already in them

1 can drained corn

spices: lots of chili powder, lots of cumin, salt and pepper

Simmer a while. We love this recipe!

I was diagnosed at age 48 after only 2 months of ANY symptoms. I guess it can happen at any time! My 3 daughters have been diagnosed in their mid 20s and early 30s.

I've never had those cookies, but can empathize in remembering. I can SO taste real homemade chocolate chip cookies that I spent years and years making. I don't bake them anymore cause no recipe or commercially baked cookie has been able to recreate that special taste.

When I had been gluten free for a whole year... I scarfed down a big hunk of the beautiful crusty loaf of bread I'd made for others... and had NO repercussions. I had this wonderful idea that I might be able to "cheat" maybe once a month and actually made plans for certain gluten foods I missed.

I never followed thru on those cheats tho, cause an accidental glutening made me so sick... I've never intentially cheated since!!

No sickness when cheating doesn't mean damage isn't being done!

I attended the first "Expo" they had several years ago. It was AWESOME!! My daughter, who lives in Phila., has been to every one since and is SO looking forward to this Sunday!!

My first gluten-free stuffing was with Ener-G. I didn't like it but then I don't like stuffing. Daughter didn't like it either and she was the one who needed gluten-free. Everybody else seemed to like it but there was a lot of leftover.

DON'T LIKE STUFFING??? The stuffing is my REASON for cooking a turkey!! When I could use good old Pepperidge Farm, I'd make tons and bake what didn't fit into the turkey in loaf pans. The best leftover was a slice of stuffing w/ gravy! I've tried several recipes using bread and none have measured up. I've tried cornbread dressing several times and have never been happy w/ it! I now realize that I've not had it soupy enough and it's always come out very dry.

I think I'll try the Ener-G bread and maybe make a small dish of cornbread dressing too.

Ha ha... I think Ener-G was the first gluten-free bread we all tried. As I loved making delicious and beautiful loaves of homemade bread before having to go gluten-free... I actually cried when I tasted it, thinking it would be my only option!

Thanks guys!!

My first gluten-free stuffing was with Ener-G. I didn't like it but then I don't like stuffing. Daughter didn't like it either and she was the one who needed gluten-free. Everybody else seemed to like it but there was a lot of leftover.

DON'T LIKE STUFFING??? The stuffing is my REASON for cooking a turkey!! When I could use good old Pepperidge Farm, I'd make tons and bake what didn't fit into the turkey in loaf pans. The best leftovers were a slice of stuffing w/ gravy! I've tried several recipes using bread and none have measured up. I've tried cornbread dressing several times and have never been happy w/ it! I now realize that I've not had it soupy enough and it's always come out very dry.

Have I read here that there's a commercial gluten free bread that's kind of inedible, but makes the best turkey stuffing?

I've about given up on cornbread dressing... I need a true Southerner to come to my house and SHOW me how to make it, but I'm not giving up on the best part of the Thanksgiving meal!!

Help!!

I was diagnosed at about age 48. Middle daughter was diagnosed about 4-5 years later at about age 26. Youngest daughter was diagnosed about 3 years after that, also at age 26. Oldest daughter (32) was just diagnosed a few months ago after 6 mo. of aggressive chemo for breast cancer.

Youngest is having the hardest time w/ it... she also had issues going on that have been thought to be interstitial cystitis, vestibulitis, and vulvodynia. She has many, many food intolerances... she was down to about 10 foods she could tolerate, but is very slowly finding answers (a hiatal hernia and several ulcers!) and is just starting to bring some foods back.

At least they all like to cook and were very familiar w/ celiac cooking, so it's been easier for them than others, I'm sure! We were never huge convenience food people, so they've not as upset about not being able to eat fast food.

Has anyone ever found a gluten free rigatoni shaped pasta? I have a recipe that requires rigatoni and I've never been able to find it!

I buy my Tinkyada pasta and my Pamela's bread and/or pancake/baking mix from Amazon... scheduling them both at the same time to take advantage of free shipping. I live in west-by-god nowhere and Tinkyada pasta and individual packages of Pamela's are really expensive... in the TWO stores where I can find one or the other!

The local health food store offered to buy Pamela's bread mix to stock and I had to tell the guy that I could get it cheaper from Amazon, so he shouldn't bother.