Coeliac & Gluten Free diet

Jdaiiz

I was recently diagnosed with Coeliac's Disease.
And I'm basically finding it very hard to transition and meet nutrition requirements.
I understand that such a diet change takes a bit of time to get used too, But was there anyone in a similar situation, What did you do to help ease the transition?

I do put it down to picky eating, But I have been living off almost only celery/carrot/zucchini/cauliflower for the last week or so, I have purchased gluten free noodles/bread - But cannot bring myself to eat them after having a bad experience with gluten free chicken & corn soup - which was the first gluten free product i tried.

Any help would be appreciated greatly

TavistockToad

eat meat/fish and veg and potatoes/rice, you can make loads of things from that base, you just need to learn how to make your own sauces as a lot of shop bought ones have wheat in. thicken with cornflour instead of normal flour.

lisaabenjamin

Rice, potatoes, quinoa, corn, buckwheat, millet - all good for celiacs :-)

ETA: Buckwheat, despite the name, has no wheat in it or any gluten :-)

WorkInProgress323

There are so many delicious naturally gluten free products and nowadays, if you're unsure, it's labeled. I found it easy to give up gluten products (pizza was the hardest).... dairy is what I have a hard time giving up.

Chaskavitch

Try looking up paleo recipes. The websites for Mark's Daily Apple and Paleo Leap have a TON of recipes you could start with that are absolutely delicious, and also completely gluten free as written. I would try to avoid the replacement foods, the gluten free cookies and gluten free pasta, etc., and focus on eating foods that you make yourself. It is a lot simpler for me to make a food just how I want it than to find packaged gluten free replacements for all of my meals. Also, as other people said, you can still eat rice and potatoes, along with some other grains, so you're not completely without starches. Almond flour, rice flour, and coconut flour are good for making desserts or breading foods, and sweet potatoes make excellent french fries

AlliSteff

For the most part, we eat GF at home...except for those two Wheat Thin flatbreads I devoured last night after a tough workout!

We do usually avoid replacement GF food (although I do like brown rice pasta and quinoa pasta, but even those don't get eaten much in our home)

We use quinoa and brown rice usually for 'grains'. My sister was diagnosed celiac about 10 years ago, and I think the biggest adjustment is mental- you almost have to approach food and your 'typical' meals differrently instead of trying to replicate past gluteny meals.

R1ss4n1

One of my friends can't have gluten so I've tried to find meals for her to eat whenever she visits. It's hard, but not as impossible as it was even five years ago.

Hard boiled eggs are a decent protein source and easy to make ahead of time for snacking or as part of your meals. Good on salads! Or with tuna fish!

I've made gluten free meatballs and sauce (use crushed rice chex instead of breadcrumbs) with a good pasta substitute (the mixes with quinoa are pretty good).

I made a chicken and lentil soup in under an hour http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts.html (I used can of tomato and green chilis instead of fresh) and had a nice light meal for a week. Plus some for the freezer!

curlergal14

I've been gluten free with celiac for almost 15 years now. I've definitely had some really bad food along the way, but generally it's much better now!

My quick suggests are bread - Udi's (it is frozen and can be found at most major stores or health stores, comes in multiple varieties), pasta - tinkyada (brown rice) or ancient harvest (corn and quinoa) both cook very well. Go for soups that are made for the masses but just happen to be gluten free, many organic brands that come in a box do well with this, canned soup not so much.

As for baked goods, it was mind blowing, but the betty crocker baking mixes are very tasty and just as easy as normal ones! There are good gluten free flour mixes (I generally buy the bob's red mill brand because it's easy to find where I am) and you can substitute into regular recipes with 1 cup of the flour plus 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (which is a bit pricey, but will last for a long time).

It does take a bit of trial and error for personal preferences, but don't forget about all the awesome naturally gluten free products! Potatoes, rice, dairy, corn, oats, fruit are all gluten free! Most restaurants are happy to accommodate and suggest naturally gluten free items from their menu as well.

rachaelbmh

I'm gluten intolerant and rely heavily on naturally gluten-free foods in my diet. Lean meats, whole grains (brown rice & quinoa are my favorites), fruits and veggies, and nuts and seeds. I eat some packaged gluten-free foods because baking GF is a bit daunting, but overall it's fairly easy to manage just by eating foods from the perimeter of the grocery store.

Frame your meals around your protein sources and you should be able to find a whole bunch of things you can eat (soups, stews, meat with veggie sides, etc). Like someone else said, look up "paleo" recipes as all of these have no grains and therefore no gluten. It makes things a lot easier.

Good luck!

Jdaiiz

Thanks for all the help and advice, I really do appreciate it all, and will try to take it all on board!