naiiad

Hey,

I'm looking for a doctor that either specializes in celiacs or is knowledgeable about it. My family doctor and the specialists I have seen (allergist, internalist) have been no help.

Despite a careful diet, I'm still experiencing symptoms and I need real professional help.

If anyone knows of a good doctor in the greater Toronto area, please let me know!

thanks

I'm in the GTA Mississauga area

I don't have your answer, but I am only 21 (healthy, eat well) and have two kidney stones. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with my celiacs, but it sure is possible.

This is great news! I loved chex as a kid... can't wait!

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone knows whether McDonalds Iced Coffee is gluten free or not. I checked the Mcdonalds website and couldn't find it listed on the ingredients page. Does anyone have any experience with their iced coffee?

Thanks!

I stick to gluten-free brands that I trust and that I know are gluten-free certified and made in a dedicated facility. Glutino and Molly-B's gluten free kitchen (Canada) are safe. Plain foods like nuts, oils, canned beans, plain yogurt, diamond's almond milk, cheese, all natural peanut butter etc. are usually fine for me too.

Anything packaged, seasoned, prepared is out of the question. Whole foods all the way

I take mangosteen juice daily a long with probiotics and alpha lipoic acid. This combination has done wonders for me. Good luck

Im so happy this section is here lol

My boyfriend washes his hands and face and brushes his teeth before meeting up with me and after eating. If you are very sensitive this is a necessary precaution.

I eat reeses all the time with no problem. Watch out of the heart shaped ones though because they contain gluten.

@evangeline I've told them this numerous times! My father complains constantly about stomach cramps but hes as stubborn as a mule. Who knows, the diet might even be good for them =p

Thanks for all the great pieces of advice. I showed my mom the responses and we're working together to find solutions for this.

My family is transitioning to going gluten free, and the pets have already made the switch. It isn't so hard for them because they're already used to eating fresh, whole foods, but cutting the bread completely will be tough. We've also decided on baking our own gluten free bread. Its not the best tasting but its cheap and my family isn't overly picky (thank god!). I'm scrubbing the house down too so its a sterile environment.

I'm lucky they're willing to make these sacrifices for me. Hopefully things will start looking up ^.^

I have a question for those who live with non-gluten free family members.

I have a rather sensitive case of celiacs and I seem to be becoming more and more sensitive as time goes on. Its getting to the point where unless I eat food directly from a sealed container where theres no possibility of contamination, I get a reaction. I am very careful, I have my own kitchen area, fridge and hotstove, but its still happening and I'm tired getting sick all the time.

I live with my family (parents and sister) as well as four pets, all of whom eat gluten. My house is rather small and theres pet food, dishes, and food everywhere. My cats are little rascals and practically roll around in their food and then walk around the house spreading traces of gluten everywhere (including on my kitchen counters while everyone's in bed). I suspect that its largely for this reason that I keep on getting sick due to cross-contamination.

My family has been very supportive of me but has shaken off any of my attempts at making our house gluten-free. Gluten-free food is too expensive, and gluten-free pet food is unheard of. They've done their best to accommodate me by giving me my own cooking space, but its not enough.

Does anyone have any tips (specifically money-saving tips) as to how I can convince my family to go gluten-free? Does anyone know of any gluten-free pet food?

Luckily I'm moving out with my boyfriend by September, hopefully he'll be easier to convince!

Anyway, thanks!

I went through a two year period of extreme dieting - refused to touch fat, carbs (except fruit), or processed sugar. The minute I started eating normally again, I started developing celiac symptoms.

I could have been gluten-intolerant for my entire life for all I know, but it definitely become obvious at that point.

Its interesting to read how people react.

I voted both too, but most of my symptoms are neurological. I get some cramping/bloating at first, but mostly muscle pain, weakness, bad brain fog, anxiety, lack of energy, dizziness, inability to concentrate, swollen scalp and hair loss by the third day... the worst symptom is the lack of energy and brain fog though. It makes it impossible to function.

I had a severe reaction the other day and am counting down the days til I start feeling better ^.^

*hugs* trust me I'm going through the exact same thing. Adjusting to this diet is hard and its easy to feel overwhelmed and it's easy to make mistakes. You aren't stupid and you definitely aren't alone. It takes time, but you'll learn which foods are safe and which aren't.

Anything packaged or processed is usually a red-flag, unless it's labeled as gluten-free. Nature's Path sells some really good gluten-free corn flakes and other cereals. Also, there are yummy foods that you can get from corner stores and stuff if you're away from home. Smartfood popcorn, reeses peanut butter cups and nuts and dried fruit (read the label) are a tasty and safe choice.

Things will get better! Hang in there =)

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups!! I eat them all the time ^.^

It`s such a relief to know that what I`m going through is not uncommon! I guess going gluten-free was hard in the first place, and now I feel like I`m going through all of that again trying to accommodate my higher sensitivity levels and its so frustrating.

Thank you all so much for the great tips. Unfortunately, it`s impossible for my family to go gluten-free themselves due to high gluten-free food prices. However, they are extremely supportive and try their best to accommodate me and take precautions. My parents are willing to buy me a bigger fridge so I don`t have to use the main one at all, I`m considering getting a hotplate, and I already have my very own toaster oven. This is all so overwhelming, but I think that once I learn to keep what I put in my mouth 100% separate, I`ll stop getting reactions.

And @over50 I've started drinking my Starbucks coffee through those stirring straws. I bet I look kind of silly but that way I don't have any problems, and drinking out of a straw is kind of fun anyway heh.

Thanks again everyone for your response, I'm feeling more confident about handling this.

It's been a while since I've posted here, but Ive been having some serious issues with adjusting to the gluten-free diet and it's been just destroying me.

Since I (self-diagnosed) my celiacs, it's been a bumpy ride. It's taken me a while to learn what I can and cannot eat. But after all this time, I'm starting to get a hang of what foods are safe and what aren't.

My big problem now is cross-contamination. It seems that my sensitivity to gluten has increased dramatically (I wonder if this is normal??). Where before cross-contamination wasn't an issue, now I'm getting reactions from coffee-shop cups (I now drink my coffee from a straw) and I almost always get reactions from poking through the family kitchen (it's really messy in there!) without washing my hands thoroughly. My family has been very supportive and has even "built" me my own kitchen space in the living room with a mini fridge and counters and all, but I still have to use the main kitchen for the stove and to get some essentials and I notice every time I'm not 100% careful I get a reaction. I try to only eat food (even toast) with clean cutlery. I wash my hands thoroughly before every meal. I rinse off all new food products before putting them in my fridge, and I don't let anyone near my cooking space. I realize that I need to stop using the main kitchen for anything, but it's really hard since it has the stove, main fridge, sink etc.

This whole thing just feels like madness. I`m trying really hard to keep my food clean but I`m obviously doing something wrong.

So, my question is: Is is normal to be this sensitive??? Sometimes I wonder if theres something else going on - I`ve never been tested, but all I know is that symptoms disappear when I`m on a 100% gluten-free diet with no chance of contamination and symptoms only immediately reappear when I`m exposed to gluten. Also I`m in desperate need of advice on how to keep my food safe in a rather messy household. So any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

I've been gluten free for a little less then a year and it's still incredibly difficult for me. Even after all this time I still get a reaction about once every two weeks, sometimes more. I don't know if I'm just being negligent or what, but it's an ongoing stress for me.

Cross-contamination is a big issue for me. I have a big family and a busy/messy kitchen. I try to label my food but sometimes my family uses my stuff without thinking. I've also realized that I need to stay away from anything pre-packeged save for a few products i use regularly.

After a bad reaction earlier today (from either a pan that wasn't cleaned properly, or cheese that touched bread or something) I set up my own min-fridge in the living room... so I hope that helps.

I suck lol

I've been having problems with a few gluten free products. The other week my bf bought me "gluten-free" rice crackers which gave me a reaction, and yesterday I bought Lifesource "gluten-free" dijon mustard which also gave me a reaction.

My diet is very limited and it would be nice to be able to incorporate some new products, but I feel like every time I try something new its like rolling a dice.

A friend suggested that I should only ever buy products that have a "Gluten-free certified" stamp - indeed, neither the crackers nor the mustard was gluten-free certified.

So my question is, what are the advantages of buying products that are gluten-free certified? Can I trust these products over ones that aren't gluten-free certified?

I did some research on my own, but it'd also be nice to hear from people here.

Thanks!

The recipe looks good! I love buckwheat bread, wish I could find gluten-free buckwheat bread in Canada =(

I've been using this for my dressing lately. I like the sticky-sweet texture:

Napa Salad dressing:

1/2 c. olive oil

1 tsp. gluten free soy sauce

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. vinegar

sesame oil to taste

A sprinkle of roasted almonds

I've been adding tea tree oil to glycerine for shampoo, and rinsing my scap with a nighttime primrose oil soap bar. I can honestly say that after only a week, its been helping wonders. The swelling on my scalp has gone down and my hair doesn't seem to be falling out at an alarming rate. I'll definitely look into the OTC. Thanks!

Woah a candida overgrowth makes so much sense!! I just read a few articles regarding candida related and hair loss, and finally, something that seems to fit with my type of hair loss! Considering I've been having problems with yeast and sores since I developed a problem with gluten, I can't believe I didn't make the connection before.

I'm going to start mixing tea tree oil into my shampoo, and using tea tree oil soap for the skin rashes. I'm going to try an anti-candida diet too. I hope this works!