Gluten Free Girls (and Guys!)

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  • ccaruso219
    ccaruso219 Posts: 92
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    Nice to see all this info that I missed in the past. My 3 year old daughter tested positive for celiak last week and we have an apt with a specialist next week. She has had stomach issues since she has been having food. As happy as I am that we think we have found the reasons for her problems, I am also scared for what is ahead of us. She loves pizza, pbj's, pasta and bread in general. It will be a whole different game. I'm scared and my wife and I have cried for her the last few days. It is very hard when she wants to go to bed without a diaper, but we have her wear one because of the blowouts. They want us to keep her on a normal diet until she sees the specialist, sure is hard to give my daughter something that we know is upsetting her. Anyways, I am glad I saw this post it is nice to see how others are dealing with it. I am also going to be tested. I was told I have IBS when I was in High school, but think my problems may be from this.

    Billy,
    I found a few things in my local supermarket freezer that are gluten free....
    Van's Wheat free, Gluten Free waffles---homestyle or blueberry...The homestyle ones are good, just had those for breakfast.
    I also found Ian's chicken nuggets, haven't tried those yet, but they may be good for the kids. There are also potato crusted fish sticks. There are also different gluten free pizzas so that my help you with satisfying the pizza craving. I also found brown rice pasta and Conte's makes gluten free raviolis, gnocchiand stuffed shells. That may be able to get you started on what to look for when you actually start her on the lifestyle. Unfortunately, these items are a bit more expensive but I think they are worth it. I'm into my second week of being gluten free and I have already noticed alot of changes.
    Connie
  • ccaruso219
    ccaruso219 Posts: 92
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    I also found a cookbook: The Gluten-Free Good Health cookbook. It's by Annalise G. Roberts & Claudia Pillow. They also have another book called Gluten Free Baking classics.
  • ashza711
    ashza711 Posts: 2
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    Hey Gluten Free World,

    I am a self diagnosed chick with celiac. I was going to go through all of the embarassing tests but then a friend told me to test myself and I did. Wheat beer and ANYTHING contain gluten makes me incredibly sick. As a kid I had a stomach day every single day and I don't know how I lived that long like that!?

    With that being said.... everyoen seems to be having trouble finding gluten free items. Let me be the first to admit the fact that I can not afford an organic diet!!!!! But.... Whole Foods is where you need to go to get food ideas.

    Unfortunately, I don't have time to do a lot of online research. Whole Wallet... I mean Whole Foods breaks it down for you just looking at their active ingredients. You can get a feel for what people use if they don't use gluten and then buy different grains and oats to match.

    The unfortunate thing I have come to find out is that buying something labeled gluten free in Walmart... is really not. In the majority of manufactured foods, the FDA allows a certain amount of gluten and sugar in those items per serving that are supposedly "free."

    For instance, most sugar free items have sugar alcohol in them ranging at about 2 grams per serving, So, for every serving of a sugar free item, you are really consuming about 2 grams of sugar. If you do the math, having three servings of that item you are intaking much more of it then you think.

    If you have a farmers market I would suggest going there first but.... even though it is more expensive, organic stores are really the only way to get realiable gluten free food. We just had a new organic store open in Pittsburgh and they have better deals than the average super market sometimes.

    I do think it is crazy though that I can even find Gluten free chocolate cake these days. So I am happy we have come a long way in the deleopment of alternatives for the disease. Oh and Whole Foods also has a ready made section of gluten free food. Always nice when your a five minute or less meal kinda person like myself. :wink:
  • LOVINLIFEGUY
    LOVINLIFEGUY Posts: 47
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    Thanks for all the great ideas, tips and suggestions. We have been given numerous cook books and other booklets regarding gluten free food. We are also going to join a support group, we have heard good things about these support groups. I also found out last night that one of our pizza shops (zebra pizza) makes a gluten free pizza and from what I have been told you can't tell the difference. My daughter had 3 blowouts last night and I can not wait until we can change her diet. Poor thing :(
  • PinguimPraiero
    PinguimPraiero Posts: 48 Member
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    Please, a question for the gluten-free world:

    If one is just avoiding anything made with wheat, will that compromise my health? Is there an essential nutrient or vitamin that I need to seek out from another food source?
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    billy - I know my 3 yr old's whole attitude and emotional well being is affected when she eats any wheat. We let her go off of GF in October for the most part to see how she would do since it had been a year and a half with no illness or ear infections. (remember we are self diagnosed here) Lord was that ever the wrong thing to do! Now she's been back on the diet and is still having issues. And we aren't sure if its that the tubes need to come out, that it is something other than wheat or just her having a hard time acclamating to this preschool she's in. Outwardly she does great there but we've been hit with every illness a kid can have when they enter school on top of the food allergy issues.
    So when we get our tax refund in a week we are paying out of pocket to take her back to a Naturopathic doctor who actually believes us (her regular docs don't think anything of the potential allergy) in the hopes of getting some more help.

    pinguim - I can't say for sure what issues you may or may not come across, if any at all. However I had read several articles in a gluten free magazine and a web md magazine at the docs offce regarding not eating gluten/wheat products and some people have had issues when they decided to start eating wheat again. Allergy type symptoms. My advice: don't fix what's not broke. If you can eat wheat, continue to do so...however there is nothing wrong with eating less of it and going for rice pasta, etc. instead.

    Al
  • auntbliz
    auntbliz Posts: 173 Member
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    Billy, your daughter will likely thank you for catching it so early in her life. She won't know the difference in foods, so won't know what she's "missing." We just went gluten free less than a year ago, trying to figure out why my daughter had so many blowouts and failure to thrive, and she was doing worlds better within a week, and back on the growth charts within a few months, though she's still at the bottom, at least she's on there. She has gotten great with not taking food without asking mommy and daddy if it's okay or if it will make her throw up, as she occasionally does when glutened, and she doesn't ask for the things that she used to love anymore, because we always keep alternatives with us. (and I do take g.f. cupcakes to parties so she'll have cake too). Our one year old is g.f. too, and they are easy about it. It's my hubby that is having the most trouble, because he's grown to love all those foods that he can no longer have, ever again. We went through the crying and depression too, moaning about how tough life was going to be for them, and us, but little by little, we've gotten into the grove of things, and now it's like second nature to us. Yes, the older people in our home of 6 still miss gluten foods sometimes, our whole house is g.f., but we cope, and it's gotten easier the more we figure out. Hang in there, it will all be worth it, even though you will doubt your decision at times, it will be easier as time goes on.
  • slm638
    slm638 Posts: 64
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    billy - I know my 3 yr old's whole attitude and emotional well being is affected when she eats any wheat. We let her go off of GF in October for the most part to see how she would do since it had been a year and a half with no illness or ear infections. (remember we are self diagnosed here) Lord was that ever the wrong thing to do! Now she's been back on the diet and is still having issues. And we aren't sure if its that the tubes need to come out, that it is something other than wheat or just her having a hard time acclamating to this preschool she's in. Outwardly she does great there but we've been hit with every illness a kid can have when they enter school on top of the food allergy issues.
    So when we get our tax refund in a week we are paying out of pocket to take her back to a Naturopathic doctor who actually believes us (her regular docs don't think anything of the potential allergy) in the hopes of getting some more help.

    pinguim - I can't say for sure what issues you may or may not come across, if any at all. However I had read several articles in a gluten free magazine and a web md magazine at the docs offce regarding not eating gluten/wheat products and some people have had issues when they decided to start eating wheat again. Allergy type symptoms. My advice: don't fix what's not broke. If you can eat wheat, continue to do so...however there is nothing wrong with eating less of it and going for rice pasta, etc. instead.

    Al

    That's interesting...in my ongoing research, I've come across a few sources that link frequent ear infections to celiac disease. Since it is an autoimmune disease, I'm also convinced my asthma and allergies (hay fever type) (since gr 8) in addition to my celiac disease (2001) and Chrohn's Disease (2008) are all indicating my immune system is just completed flawed!
  • slm638
    slm638 Posts: 64
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    Cookbooks I like:
    125 Best Gluten Free Recipes - Washburn and Butt
    Complete Gluten Free Cookbook - Washburn and Butt
    Bette Hagman books for basics
    Searching online (time consuming though)

    Any other recomendations?
  • ccaruso219
    ccaruso219 Posts: 92
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    Cookbooks I like:
    125 Best Gluten Free Recipes - Washburn and Butt
    Complete Gluten Free Cookbook - Washburn and Butt
    Bette Hagman books for basics
    Searching online (time consuming though)

    Any other recomendations?

    I just happened to find the one I have by accident in my supermarket. I can't seem to find any good recipes online. I get recipes sent to me from Gluten free club.com. The one thing about this site is that it is a paysite.
  • 463home
    463home Posts: 3
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    HI,
    I wanted to share a couple of things with you that you might find of great interest. I started reading this book, "Eat Right 4 your type", and I went to a naturepathic doctor and master herblist who shared with me the importance of food combinations as well as knowing the types of food I should eat to heal my body. Knowing my blood type helps me to understand why I would feel ill after eating certain foods, when I really should not be eating them. I was having muscle cramps so bad in my legs, hands and back that I was having trouble trying to cut tomoatoes with a knife, not to mention trying to exercise without cramping. After changing my diet I noticed I was not cramping anymore and I'm not hungry!!!!

    If you are interested then check out this web site! http://www.dadamo.com/resultbase/resultbase.cgi
    Go to the tab at the top named about the diets to see about your blood type. They also have a great recipe section.
    Keep in mind the book does not mention doing food combination but it is important for digestion.

    The Master Herbalist explained the importance of Food Combination, such as eating fruit only on a empty stomach and never eat a starch with protein. One thing for sure this can not hurt you it is healthy food intake.
  • ccaruso219
    ccaruso219 Posts: 92
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    FYI......Ian's chicken nuggets...very disappointing....less chicken than a McD's nugget.....It was all breading(potato) and very dry....
  • VegGrrl
    VegGrrl Posts: 336 Member
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    It's great to see all the other GF and/or WF folks out there! I found out about my wheat sensitivity when I went to a vegan doctor who's very big on nutrition. More "mainstream" doctors had told me that my extreme fatigue and depression (yes, depression!) were from CFS or Epstein-Barr or Lyme disease - none of them were even sure, nor could they do anything to help me but give me pills! My vegan dr. immediately suggested I have food allergy testing as I am prone to hayfever and drug allergies. Well what do you know - my reaction to wheat and spelt was off the charts on the blood test! (As was my reaction to dairy, but since I was already vegan that wasn't an issue.) I stopped eating wheat/spelt/triticale and felt my old energy return within a few weeks. It also alleviated my depression! It was challenging at first, but my dr. gave me a book called "Food Allergy Survivial Guide" (written by Melina, Stepaniak, and Aronson) - lots of great info and recipes in there. I would also recommend raw food cookbooks as valuable tools, as well as a yummy treat cook book called "Simple Treats". Anyway, I wish "mainstream" medicine would focus more on nutrition - I know so many people with digestive and other problems that were "cured" by vegan or dairy free or wheat free diets! As for people that are just going WF - hang in there - it gets much easier after a bit as you learn the ins and outs and what to eat. I can't say I don't miss fresh-baked bread, but feeling good is "tastes" much better!
  • souralice
    souralice Posts: 66
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    Aww...I like Ian's chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce.
  • tanyewest
    tanyewest Posts: 113
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    So pleased to see a group for these kind of issues! I have just had a blood test done to chedk for Celiacs Disease to see if I am Gluten Intolerant - I have suffered from severve bloatiness for years and years, and just dealt with it, till it has now caused me horrendous pain in my stomach so I had enough and want to get to the bottom of it! I am now on gastro-resistant tablets for the stomach pain, and should get my blood test results on Friday. I am really nervous but also hopeful that I will get the results I need to change my diet and hopefully live a more comfortable happy life.

    I hope we can all help eachother as you could help me.!:flowerforyou:
  • mshay05
    mshay05 Posts: 229 Member
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    FYI, used tried Udi's sandwich bread! WONDERFUL! Love it! Best bread I have tried yet! It actually feels & taste like real bread! :love:
  • ccaruso219
    ccaruso219 Posts: 92
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    I like Glutino's corn bread........
  • jenricher
    jenricher Posts: 32
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    Also have had celiacs since I was nine. Its took the doctors about six to eight months to figure out what was wrong. I was a rack of bone. I didnt even go to school that year because I couldnt move out of my bed. But today I am good to go. Does anyone know good Brand name resurants that have gluten free food choices or would give you alternatives if you told them?
  • ccaruso219
    ccaruso219 Posts: 92
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    I just saw in the supermarket that Betty Crocker has GF brownies, chocolate and yellow cake, and chocolate chip cookies....Their website has some recipes for carrot cake, pineapple upside down cake and marble cake...
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    billy - I know my 3 yr old's whole attitude and emotional well being is affected when she eats any wheat. We let her go off of GF in October for the most part to see how she would do since it had been a year and a half with no illness or ear infections. (remember we are self diagnosed here) Lord was that ever the wrong thing to do! Now she's been back on the diet and is still having issues. And we aren't sure if its that the tubes need to come out, that it is something other than wheat or just her having a hard time acclamating to this preschool she's in. Outwardly she does great there but we've been hit with every illness a kid can have when they enter school on top of the food allergy issues.
    So when we get our tax refund in a week we are paying out of pocket to take her back to a Naturopathic doctor who actually believes us (her regular docs don't think anything of the potential allergy) in the hopes of getting some more help.

    pinguim - I can't say for sure what issues you may or may not come across, if any at all. However I had read several articles in a gluten free magazine and a web md magazine at the docs offce regarding not eating gluten/wheat products and some people have had issues when they decided to start eating wheat again. Allergy type symptoms. My advice: don't fix what's not broke. If you can eat wheat, continue to do so...however there is nothing wrong with eating less of it and going for rice pasta, etc. instead.

    Al

    That's interesting...in my ongoing research, I've come across a few sources that link frequent ear infections to celiac disease. Since it is an autoimmune disease, I'm also convinced my asthma and allergies (hay fever type) (since gr 8) in addition to my celiac disease (2001) and Chrohn's Disease (2008) are all indicating my immune system is just completed flawed!


    Well it would certainly make sense in my daughters case. Granted she only eats abuot 90% GF diet, does okay with a little bit of wheat now and then. But for that first 18 months of her life I honestly could have killed her doctors. None of them, and I mean NONE, would even consider a food allergy as the cause of her constant cold like symptoms and ear infections. We ended up getting desperate after the worst ear infection of her life after tubes put in and paid out of pocket to take her to a Naturopathic Doctor. TOTAL LIFESAVER.
    In fact, we just took her back yesterday because her system has been on the fritz for lack of a better word for a few months and hopefully with the probiotics, slippery elm and no sugar we will get her back on track again.

    I am also convinced that hayfever allergy like symptoms can be caused by things such as these. While food allergies isn't an auotimmune disease, my dad was sick for two years before the (dumb) doctor finally sent him in for allergy testing. He had developed, at the age of 50, an allergy to eggs!!

    More and more..homeopathic and naturopathic medicine, IMO, is the way to go if you have these kinds of diseases and issues. Antibiotics can really throw off your digestive system and make it so much worse.

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