Celiac disease

lin7604

can anyone explain what this is to me.. my son was just diagnosed with it and now i will have to "make" over our meal plans....

laura328

commonly referred to as "gluten intolerance". it is caused by the body's reaction with gluten, a glycoprotein that is found primarily in wheat, as well as barley and rye. When a celiac's digestive tract is exposed to gluten, the immune system cross-reacts with the small bowel tissue and creates a highly inflammatory environment, nearly wiping out the small hair-like lining in the small intestines, which are the tools our bodies use to absorb nutrients into the blood. Without this lining, the body s unable to absorb nutrients and vitamins

lin7604

wow omg... I have seen gluten free foods before but not many. I don't know how i am going to get this child to eat as he only eats flour based items, eg) pancakes, pasta, breaded items, etc He is going to STARVE!

tigersgirl

google jules shepard... she has lots of recipes and a flour mixture that can be used cup for cup like regular flour. my husband has celiac and jules has been a life saver.

heykatieben

He's not going to starve... gluten-free foods are becoming more popular, I even saw a gluten-free shelf at Wal-Mart the other day. And besides, anything fruit or vegetable is fine... he can eat potatoes (even fried with oil), avocados, strawberries, nuts... anything natural. What he'll have to watch most are baked goods, processed foods, anything with a wrapper or a package. Anything in the produce section is just fine (and healthier anyway!).

Update: and anything meat is fine! A gluten intolerance just means he's a little more forced to eat healthier foods than the rest of us are. But I'd venture to guess we're all a little more gluten intolerant than we realize. Processed foods give us ALL weight and energy problems!

staceyb2003

I use rice flour. You can find a lot of flour based items in the Natural Foods section of the store, like pancakes that are gluten free. A lot of places are offering gluten free foods now. Good luck it gets easier and easier. Your whole family may even feel better after eliminating gluten.

lin7604

google jules shepard... she has lots of recipes and a flour mixture that can be used cup for cup like regular flour. my husband has celiac and jules has been a life saver.

awesome, thanks so much!

lin7604

it's just so new to us and i had never even heard of it before, so it will be trial and error for a long time till we get used to it... and yes i bet we all will be better off on his diet

UpEarly

wow omg... I have seen gluten free foods before but not many. I don't know how i am going to get this child to eat as he only eats flour based items, eg) pancakes, pasta, breaded items, etc He is going to STARVE!

Don't panic! My dad has celiac disease, so I have first-hand experience seeing how varied and delicious and do-able a gluten-free diet can be.

Pancakes - one of the EASIEST things to find gluten free. The premade mixes are actually really good! Even Bisquick makes a gluten-free baking mix. When we go out to eat, we've even found gluten-free pancakes available on restaurant menus.

Pasta - Brown Rice Pasta, Quinoa Pasta and Corn Pasta are all readily available. You'll have to do some experimenting to figure out which ones you like best. In our house, we favor imported Italian corn pasta. Texture and taste-wise, I don't find it much different than traditional semolina wheat pasta.

Breading - use rice crumbs as coating. They cook up nice and crisp!

Some other favorites: chicken enchiladas with corn tortillas and the sauce thickened with corn starch, tacos, all kinds of soups and stews, pizza on gluten-free crust.

I live in a tiny mountain town, and still have access to a couple of pizzerias that have GF crust.

I know it sounds daunting, but you will adjust and your son will too! He'll still be able to have lots of delicious food!

UpEarly

Also... I wanted to add a suggestion that you check out your local farmer's market or food co-op. As I mentioned, we live in a tiny town but there are two gluten-free bakeries that sell at our farmers market.

They make cakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, pies, tarts that make even non-celiacs happy!

mahidac

i dunno what people posted before me - but it may be a lot of wikipedia

Basically what happens is there is a change in the microvilli of portions of the bowel - microvilli function in absorption and exchange of nutrients to the blood stream. When you have a true celiac disease you have whats called blunting of the apical villi (not all of the villi, just the top portion) which makes it difficult to process gluten. What creats the problem is the high water absorption of gluten - it will act as a huge sponge and pull and extract out a lot of water while its passing through the bowels - this is what creates the characteristic diarrhea.

when you have that type of osmotic diarrhea you are creating a very acidic environment in the blood and you are loosing a lot of fluid which is what leads to the health issues. Don't let people confuse you this is not just an intolerance - celiac disease is very different - but it is totally manageable with diet and shouldn't require any medications (unlike crohn's or UCollitis).

A lot of times doctors don't fully explain everything because they just aren't thinking about it - make sure you really grill your doc about it ask all your questions because you will get a lot of opinions on message boards which are wholly inaccurate

crzyone

My best friend has Celiacs. Snickers are gluten free!!! But, basically, eating clean, whole foods, like fruits, vegetables and meats work. If you cook your own food and stay away from processed foods you know what goes in it and you know it will be safe. However, eating "gluten free" is the BIG diet thing lately. Walmart, as someone has already mentioned, had a huge section of Gluten free procucts.

Good luck!!

alibur85

I have Celiac Disease. And believe me, he will not starve! A lot of people that posted before me gave some good tips, but do be careful. Depending on his reaction to gluten, even the slightest contamination could set it off. My reaction is intestinal and a breakdown of my joints and muscles. And Celiac disease is much more serious than a gluten intolerance. With gluten intolerance, the person as a reaction to gluten (like celiac), most often being intestinal (which is why most think it's IBS). But with Celiac, the gluten is actually doing harm to the body. It is breaking down the intestines, and causing cell damage. This can lead to cancer in the intestines. So even if he feels fine when he eats gluten, or just gets a tummy ache, it is more serious than "just trying to stay away from it."

Udi's is the best GF bread in stores (that i've found), so you can do sandwiches on that (but if you use peanut butter or mayo, be sure to get him his own container of each, because of those in the family using the same pb/mayo re-dipping the utensil back into the condiment's container and contaminating it)

All fruit, veggies, meat (but I am starting to cut out hamburger due to wheat fed cows), eggs, oatmeal (but i ONLY eat Quaker brand because they only harvest oats with their machines. You will find that most oats are harvested with wheat harvesters as well), rice, potato, corn, there really is so much that he can eat, and this will also give him a respect for food. (at least it did me)

Your son may also have issues with dairy. This is due to the 'villi hairs' on the intestines becoming damaged. The good thing is, they heal up nicely after a few weeks/months off of gluten. For example, if I have been contaminated (or i call it "glutenated), i know that for at least a week (or more) I will have terrible intestinal issues if I have any dairy. It stinks, but at least I know that it can be avoided.


I could go on and on, so please feel free to ask me any questions regarding celiac!

lin7604

wow omg... I have seen gluten free foods before but not many. I don't know how i am going to get this child to eat as he only eats flour based items, eg) pancakes, pasta, breaded items, etc He is going to STARVE!

Don't panic! My dad has celiac disease, so I have first-hand experience seeing how varied and delicious and do-able a gluten-free diet can be.

Pancakes - one of the EASIEST things to find gluten free. The premade mixes are actually really good! Even Bisquick makes a gluten-free baking mix. When we go out to eat, we've even found gluten-free pancakes available on restaurant menus.

Pasta - Brown Rice Pasta, Quinoa Pasta and Corn Pasta are all readily available. You'll have to do some experimenting to figure out which ones you like best. In our house, we favor imported Italian corn pasta. Texture and taste-wise, I don't find it much different than traditional semolina wheat pasta.

Breading - use rice crumbs as coating. They cook up nice and crisp!

Some other favorites: chicken enchiladas with corn tortillas and the sauce thickened with corn starch, tacos, all kinds of soups and stews, pizza on gluten-free crust.

I live in a tiny mountain town, and still have access to a couple of pizzerias that have GF crust.

I know it sounds daunting, but you will adjust and your son will too! He'll still be able to have lots of delicious food!

thanks so much for all those suggestions..

lin7604

I have Celiac Disease. And believe me, he will not starve! A lot of people that posted before me gave some good tips, but do be careful. Depending on his reaction to gluten, even the slightest contamination could set it off. My reaction is intestinal and a breakdown of my joints and muscles. And Celiac disease is much more serious than a gluten intolerance. With gluten intolerance, the person as a reaction to gluten (like celiac), most often being intestinal (which is why most think it's IBS). But with Celiac, the gluten is actually doing harm to the body. It is breaking down the intestines, and causing cell damage. This can lead to cancer in the intestines. So even if he feels fine when he eats gluten, or just gets a tummy ache, it is more serious than "just trying to stay away from it."

Udi's is the best GF bread in stores (that i've found), so you can do sandwiches on that (but if you use peanut butter or mayo, be sure to get him his own container of each, because of those in the family using the same pb/mayo re-dipping the utensil back into the condiment's container and contaminating it)

All fruit, veggies, meat (but I am starting to cut out hamburger due to wheat fed cows), eggs, oatmeal (but i ONLY eat Quaker brand because they only harvest oats with their machines. You will find that most oats are harvested with wheat harvesters as well), rice, potato, corn, there really is so much that he can eat, and this will also give him a respect for food. (at least it did me)

Your son may also have issues with dairy. This is due to the 'villi hairs' on the intestines becoming damaged. The good thing is, they heal up nicely after a few weeks/months off of gluten. For example, if I have been contaminated (or i call it "glutenated), i know that for at least a week (or more) I will have terrible intestinal issues if I have any dairy. It stinks, but at least I know that it can be avoided.


I could go on and on, so please feel free to ask me any questions regarding celiac!

thx, we are not sure how serious it is yet, he will be going for a biopsy to find out. I think it's more of a sensitivity IMO to glutin because it doesn't seem to affect him all the time or with everything he eats. Some things more so, he will get a tummy ache shortly after he eats certain things but not everything?

KCharron20

My daughter had a lot of intestinal issues when she was younger and she was tested for Celiac Disease. All of her tests came back negative. We put her on the Celiac diet anyways. The difference was amazing. She feels so much better. (Enough that a teenage girl won't eat what all her friends are eating at a party because she knows how sick she'll feel.) The doctors feel that what she has is a wheat and gluten sensitivity. So my suggestion would be to try the diet for a couple of weeks even if the tests come back negative and see how he feels.

lin7604

well his blood test came back positive for it already and that is why the dr diagnosed him with it. She said the next step was to do a biopsy to see what is really happening inside and i guess to see really how bad it is or if it is just a sensitivity. I guess with him begin so young he can't "tell" you as much, as someone older.

mehaugen

I have Celiac Disease. And believe me, he will not starve! A lot of people that posted before me gave some good tips, but do be careful. Depending on his reaction to gluten, even the slightest contamination could set it off. My reaction is intestinal and a breakdown of my joints and muscles. And Celiac disease is much more serious than a gluten intolerance. With gluten intolerance, the person as a reaction to gluten (like celiac), most often being intestinal (which is why most think it's IBS). But with Celiac, the gluten is actually doing harm to the body. It is breaking down the intestines, and causing cell damage. This can lead to cancer in the intestines. So even if he feels fine when he eats gluten, or just gets a tummy ache, it is more serious than "just trying to stay away from it."

Udi's is the best GF bread in stores (that i've found), so you can do sandwiches on that (but if you use peanut butter or mayo, be sure to get him his own container of each, because of those in the family using the same pb/mayo re-dipping the utensil back into the condiment's container and contaminating it)

All fruit, veggies, meat (but I am starting to cut out hamburger due to wheat fed cows), eggs, oatmeal (but i ONLY eat Quaker brand because they only harvest oats with their machines. You will find that most oats are harvested with wheat harvesters as well), rice, potato, corn, there really is so much that he can eat, and this will also give him a respect for food. (at least it did me)

Your son may also have issues with dairy. This is due to the 'villi hairs' on the intestines becoming damaged. The good thing is, they heal up nicely after a few weeks/months off of gluten. For example, if I have been contaminated (or i call it "glutenated), i know that for at least a week (or more) I will have terrible intestinal issues if I have any dairy. It stinks, but at least I know that it can be avoided.


I could go on and on, so please feel free to ask me any questions regarding celiac!

Please do not follow this person's advice and consume Quaker oats. They are not gluten free. Stick with Bob's Red Mill or Simpli's certified GF Oats. On Quaker's website they even explicitly state their oats are not gluten free.

"We, at Quaker, have received some inquiries about gluten in oats and would like to respond. Although some gluten sensitive people can tolerate oats, many cannot digest even trace amounts of wheat, rye or barley gluten. We want you to know that the oats we buy are handled and transported in bulk by our suppliers. Although wheat, rye and barley are not part of the ingredients in Quaker Old Fashioned and Quaker Quick Oats, there is the possibility that they could contain trace amounts of these grains. This can occur if the oats are grown in fields or transported in vehicles that once contained these other grains. Since the kernels of the other grains are similar in size, shape and color to the oat kernel, it is almost impossible to separate them. Therefore we cannot guarantee that Quaker Oats does not contain wheat or other mixed grains"

daffodilsoup

My mom and best friend both have Celiac Disease, and there is definitely a huge market for gluten-free items these days, so don't worry too much! Read labels: Look for the obvious ones, wheat, oats, barley, etc., but also look for "modified food starch". This is a tricky one, as it's in lots of unexpected places (Mom got sick after a glass of Sunkist orange soda - MFS was the culprit!). Also, don't be afraid to tell the waitstaff at restaurants that your son is allergic to wheat products, etc. My mom is so sensitive that she'll get sick even if they take her burger off the bun, because it still touches the bread-cooties

There's a pretty large offering of gluten-free items in my local grocery store, but if you have a Trader Joe's near you, they sell delicious gluten free breads, pastas, etc. Also, do a Google search on gluten free recipe blogs, and they'll give you instructions for cakes, breads, pancakes, etc. My mom found a delicious pumpkin bread recipe to serve as her Thanksgiving dessert!

Best of luck!

lin7604

My mom and best friend both have Celiac Disease, and there is definitely a huge market for gluten-free items these days, so don't worry too much! Read labels: Look for the obvious ones, wheat, oats, barley, etc., but also look for "modified food starch". This is a tricky one, as it's in lots of unexpected places (Mom got sick after a glass of Sunkist orange soda - MFS was the culprit!). Also, don't be afraid to tell the waitstaff at restaurants that your son is allergic to wheat products, etc. My mom is so sensitive that she'll get sick even if they take her burger off the bun, because it still touches the bread-cooties

There's a pretty large offering of gluten-free items in my local grocery store, but if you have a Trader Joe's near you, they sell delicious gluten free breads, pastas, etc. Also, do a Google search on gluten free recipe blogs, and they'll give you instructions for cakes, breads, pancakes, etc. My mom found a delicious pumpkin bread recipe to serve as her Thanksgiving dessert!

thx! no trader joes around me, I am canadian.... my son is definitely not that sensitive, thankfully. I think it's just a sensitivity. he can eat most wheats as he does daily, and it just seems some days he will get a upset tummy or once in awhile diarrhea. It's not all the time ? like yesterday i made a homemade dough for pizza and he got a littel tummy ache after but today he ate sandwiches and tortilla wraps and was good...

Best of luck!

lin7604

thx! no trader joes around me, I am canadian.... my son is definitely not that sensitive, thankfully. I think it's just a sensitivity. he can eat most wheats as he does daily, and it just seems some days he will get a upset tummy or once in awhile diarrhea. It's not all the time ? like yesterday i made a homemade dough for pizza and he got a littel tummy ache after but today he ate sandwiches and tortilla wraps and was good...