Others with Celiac Disease

incircles_lp2

Hello! Good morning:) I am looking for some inspiration with following a gluten-free lifestyle. I was just recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease (inability to digest gluten, which comes mainly from wheat, barley and rye). Does anyone else have this condition and would like to share support and hints for yummy meal ideas? Please friend me if you do! Thanks!

gemiwing

Hi! *waves*

I'm Celiac too I found recipes are easy- it's ingredients and shared facilities that are my bane. No wheat can even look at my food or I get sick-o.

I had some pretty severe neurological effects from it- hope you escaped that fate and got diagnosed fast!

BAMFMeredith

I don't have Celiac's but I am gluten intolerant. Make sure you read ingredients on EVERYTHING. If it has "modified corn starch" guess what, it probably has some gluten in there. Or soy sauce? Yeah, that's made from wheat (Kikkoman makes a specifically gluten free version though-- I take my own to restaurants!)

Check out Udi's brand bread products...absolutely the best! Their bread, bagels, muffins, everything are DELICIOUS. And trust me, that is hard to find because most gluten free bread products are just not anywhere near the real thing. Brown rice pasta is a good one too, and if you're out to eat, don't be afraid to be "that girl" and ask how things are prepared. If you tell the chef you've got a food allergy, chances are they'll be more than willing to help you out.

alibur85

you can always jump on to my profile and check out my food diary. Though, I am quite the repetitive eater

incircles_lp2

I have asymptomatic Celiac Disease, so I know all about the neurological effects! I get migraines and headaches after ingesting wheat or it's counterparts, but sometimes I don't feel the effects until the day after or for several days. I've been living in a "brain fog" for the past 10 years, and now I finally have some closure on my "it's all in my head." I haven't really noticed much of a difference yet, but I've only been off gluten for about a month now. My doctor said it could take a couple years or so to really feel different, especially since I don't have the GI symptoms that some people have.

alibur85

Hi! *waves*

I'm Celiac too I found recipes are easy- it's ingredients and shared facilities that are my bane. No wheat can even look at my food or I get sick-o.

I had some pretty severe neurological effects from it- hope you escaped that fate and got diagnosed fast!

I find it so interesting how different people with celiac respond so differently when being contaminated! I have a friend who breaks out in hives! Once I'm contaminated, you can set your watch because in 20 minutes I'm in the nearest bathroom getting rid of whatever i just ate, and in anyway possible :sick:

My joints and muscles are also broken down by my body if I get a large dose of gluten, or have it consistently over an amount of time. Before I was diagnosed, my legs quit working. the joints and muscles just wouldn't hold me. Doctors thought I had Lupus or some other blood disease. So I am THRILLED to have Celiacs Disease! Because food is my cure!!! I don't have to be on any sort of medication! At least, that's how I choose to look at the diagnosis :laugh:

ritzvin

I find batch cooking to be the easiest way... make a roast/cook entire package of chicken breasts/bag of salmon fillets/etc, then mix and match with various bags of frozen veggies into lock-n-lock sandwich-size containers. That way the freezer will be full of gluten free meals that are typically ~250-400 calories that I just have to nuke. (It also makes it easy to grab dinner quick at work before heading to the gym/park).

ritzvin

as for the meat, some possibilities:

salmon w/ bearnaisse sauce (there is a company that makes a gf one, but it's not very good so I always add a ton of lemon juice to it to add flavor).
xxxx w/ velveeta & hot sauce (I think velveeta is gf)
chicken w/ marsala sauce (look up recipes on web, skip steps where you flour coat the meat; aldi's also sometimes has bottled marsala sauce..can't remember if it is gf though).
pulled pork (buy nice sized chunk of pork loin, put in crock pot with water for ~10 hours, pour out excess water, poke it until it falls apart, add gf bbq sauce of you choice and stir)
pot roast/ pork roast
stir fry pork/chicken.

dirtbikegirl5

I have had stomach problems for years and it seems to get worse and worse. I also cannot eat any dairy or it will ruin the day. I eat lactose free/gluten free cheese. I don't eat regular bread but I have eaten some of the UDI products.
I am in the process of finding out what is wrong with me, but it appears that I have a gluten intolerance. If I have spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and gluten free dressing, all is well. If I have a lean pocket, I have problems. If I had celiac disease I think that my reaction would be worse so I think that it is just a gluten intolerance. Like you I get terrible headaches, migraines, body pain, etc.
I find that there are many gluten free options in the store, including rice and pasta. I typically make a meat for dinner. I will season everyone else's, but not mine. I make fresh vegetables and sometimes rice or a baked potato on the side. There is even gluten free butter and cheeses.
PS: how do you get tested for celiac disease? I assume you have a lower or upper gi???

gemiwing

I find it so interesting how different people with celiac respond so differently when being contaminated! I have a friend who breaks out in hives! Once I'm contaminated, you can set your watch because in 20 minutes I'm in the nearest bathroom getting rid of whatever i just ate, and in anyway possible :sick:

My joints and muscles are also broken down by my body if I get a large dose of gluten, or have it consistently over an amount of time. Before I was diagnosed, my legs quit working. the joints and muscles just wouldn't hold me. Doctors thought I had Lupus or some other blood disease. So I am THRILLED to have Celiacs Disease! Because food is my cure!!! I don't have to be on any sort of medication! At least, that's how I choose to look at the diagnosis :laugh:

ME TOO! Twenty minutes and I'll let you know if I've found some wheat LOL My legs stopped working and I had brain damage from the swelling/neuro damage from my reactions. I was in and out of wheelchairs for a long time- now I just use my cane (some neuro damage is permanent or slow-healing) I'm SO HAPPY to know what's wrong with me and how to fix it. Also- why my weight loss never stuck before and I got sick after eating a 'healthy' whole grain diet

incircles_lp2

Thanks for all the responses everyone! If you're not sure what is making you sick, I strongly suggest you get an endoscope done. It is the best and only way to really test for Celiac Disease. The process takes about 10 min, but can be expensive if you don't have insurance ($800). Even if you don't, it's well worth knowing if you have Celiac's versus just a gluten intolerance. Celiac Disease is more severe and you can't stray from a gluten free diet ever or you're at risk for many other auto-immune diseases and/or cancers later in life.

I've found going gluten free not to be as hard as everyone makes it seem. I already didn't eat a lot of processed or packaged foods, and I make a lot of my own food, like hummus and pot roasts, so I know exactly what I'm putting into it! I've called at least a dozen different companies too to make sure that their additives were made from other sources like corn (modified food starch, dextrose, etc.). I usually make a big dinner for my boyfriend and I, then I re-heat the leftovers at work for lunch-it works out pretty great! Dinners can be challenging, but I try to have something in mind that's easy if I'm short on time or freakin' starving after work! A real easy one is large corn tortilla quesadillas! I add meat or ref-ried beans, cheese, onions, whatever, and a little butter on the stove with some parmesan cheese on top..can't go wrong! So yummy! I also just recently learned how to make sushi, and that's been a fun and healthy way to change things up sometimes. Going gluten free has been kind of a blessing really since I eat a lot healthier, but it can really blow when you go out to eat with friends or want to drink a good beer (gf beer sucks!).

If you are interested, I have a blog that I started about my GF diet: www.krankenmagen.blogspot.com

gemiwing

I didn't find it that difficult either- aside from locating every shared facility and learning about Walmart's brand being too cross-tammed for me. Painful, painful lesson there.

For my no-go list I use this one-
http://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsafe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Unsafe-Ingredients/Page1.html

The corn tortillas sound delicious! My Hubbs is a vegan so I cook TONS of vegan food- our two favs are beans and greens (take five minutes to make) and Galuska (well it's a fake one but still tasty)- quinoa pasta and cabbage with butter and garlic. We have those two meals probably four times a week. Beans and rice are a big hit too.

I'm SO happy to meet so many GF/Silly Yaks here- thanks for making this post!

melbaby925

I don't have Celiac, but I am allergic/intolerant to pretty much everything these days. Wheat/grains/gluten are out the window for me, and I was bouncing around trying to find decent recipes and found this site: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com

She's a clean eater and puts up gluten and dairy free recipes and uses healthy fats. All of which are fabulous when you're recovering from a traumatized gut like we all are.

Good luck with the journey. Some days it's a pain in the butt, others I'm just happy I'm not itchy, headachy, stomach achy, joint achy anymore!

pdworkman

Vegetarian, celiac, completely grain-free (no corn, rice, sorghum, millet, etc.), dairy-free, multiple allergies. And I eat too much!

dancer77

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease a year ago. My tummy is so screwed up that I also stay way from sugar, dairy, and soy. I would say it makes me be creative, but it mainly makes me put my MFP food diary on "copy from yesterday" all the time :P

coolclimates

Yes! I have Celiac Disease. I was diagnosed about 2 years ago. I was losing a lot of weight, was extremely tired, fatigued. Also had bad acid reflux, acne, bruising, constant nose bleeds, chronic yeast infections, depression, anxiety, sinus pain and pressure, headaches and brain fog. My symptoms are much better now, although it took nearly 1 1/2 years of being on the GF diet to notice much improvement. Now I'm suddenly having to watch my weight again. For the first time in 12 years, I'm dieting. I've been pretty strict as I was suddenly gaining too much weight too fast. I have lost a little of the weight. I don't need to lose much more but I would like to maintain my weight. It seems like I'm either losing or gaining weight but have a hard time maintaining my weight. Being on the GF diet presents all kinds of unique challenges, that's for sure.

ilovejgonzalez

*hiii* i found out a year ago i had celiac disase...it sucks major. Not only can i not eat any good stuff anymore, im in college so it sucks when everyone else is like hey lets go get pizza... :grumble: i still eat gluten sometimes though. I'm working on stopping but its just really hard to do...