Celiac Disease/gluten intolerance help

bzags

My daughter has celiac and is totally gluten free. I would recommend first, getting tested. The first step is a simple blood test to check protein levels in your blood. You need to do the testing prior to switching to a gluten free diet. I buy hardly any actual gluten free products. I cook real food. My daughter doesn't eat much meat either, but she gets protein from peanut butter and beans. I will splurge on UDI's bread because it's the best I have found. Fresh fruit and vegetables are naturally gluten free. We eat quite a bit of rice as well. Eating out is difficult and the gluten free alternatives are very expensive, but if it's necessary you will find a way to make it work.

bcattoes

So I need some help. Recipes? Resources? Tips and tricks? I should probably mention that I don't really eat meat (I make myself eat chicken breast sometimes), I'm mildly lactose intolerant and I'm allergic to seafood. Kind of limits my options >.<

Help?

If you can eat meat, I'd suggest finding ways to eat it that you like since you can't eat dairy or seafood.

Do you like tofu? A tofu stir fry with brown rice is gluten free and a meal complete with carbs, protein and fat.

Nuts are also good options for protein and work well in stir fries or salads.

There are a lot of meal options with non-wheat grains and beans.
A salad of quinoa, beans and chopped veggies.
Beans and rice can be seasoned in countless different ways for a variety of meals.
Bean or lentil soups.

Do you like eggs or egg whites? That is a cheap source of protein that is pretty versatile. Omelettes, egg fried rice, boiled eggs in salads.

Rice noodles are usually gluten free and are a good option for pasta dishes.

RatherBeInTheShire

Welcome to my world!

I find out 15 months ago that I have Celiac Disease. It's horrible, and yes there is gluten in everything.

Easiest thing I can tell you here without writing a novel? Eat REAL food and stop trying to subsitute everything.

Eggs, fruit, Veggies, and milk/cheese are your best friend. I love meat and fish but you don't have that option.

It's not going to be easy, but it you are truly gluten intolerant, it's the only thing you can do other than keep posioining yourself.

*hugs*

anniealedsm

Hey guys,

So to make a long story short, I have a sneaking feeling that I may have some form of gluten intolerance. I have 97% of the common symptoms and while I don't want to jump to any conclusions, I figure the easiest way to confirm my intuition is to try cutting gluten out for awhile and see if any of the symptoms go away.

The issue I'm having with this is that there seems to be gluten in E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.!!!! My boyfriend wanted to get subs today and I wanted to stay away from the bread so I had to find something else instead. Everything I thought of getting, had gluten in it! Chicken pieces (breading), salad (croutons), soup (noodles or thickeners), etc. I ended up getting the salad and just taking the croutons out, but it's still really frustrating. I know this is something that everyone with gluten intolerance has to go through, but it's just like.. AHHH!!!!

The things I've looked at that are made as alternatives to things that generally have gluten in them, are 2-3 times the price of their gluten including cousins! I'm sorry, but I'm poor. I'm on medical leave from work, I get $200 a month for a food budget, I have no savings. So how am I supposed to afford the gluten-free alternatives when I only have $200 a month to feed myself? The $200 already doesn't last the entire month (the last week of the month is always very very tight). It used to last me the whole month, but that was when I bought pre-packaged crap food. Now that I'm buying healthy food, it goes a lot faster.

So I need some help. Recipes? Resources? Tips and tricks? I should probably mention that I don't really eat meat (I make myself eat chicken breast sometimes), I'm mildly lactose intolerant and I'm allergic to seafood. Kind of limits my options >.<


Those frozen steam veggie meals are amazing and fairly cheap, and also healthy!

DMW914

Check out www.mariahealth blog.com, www.marksdailyapple, againstallgrain.com or www.lighterside.com for recipe inspiration & great infor on being gluten free. I'm doing the same thing & I've not been officially diagnosed either. It is very expensive & I have a limited budget too. I mainly stick to meats, cheeses & veggies & use those website I gave you above for recipe's. Good luck, I hope this helps.

jazzcat55

You should really get tested for it...there are many diseases that are very similar and cutting out gluten wrongly can have bad effects....

Even a simple blood test will give you a better idea of if you are or not

I would seriously suggest being tested before diagnosing yourself and jumping to conclusions

Seriously.

'I went on WebMD and a bunch of websites and I have all the symptoms of XXX'....no, just go to a doctor. Also, if people keep lumping Celiac Disease in with gluten intolerance, I am going to have an aneurism. That's like saying 'My blood sugar got a little high after that birthday cake, so I probably have diabetes.' STAHP. It's not the same thing.

Thank you. Too many people are eager to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon without cause. Why would anyone voluntarily undertake a diet as restrictive and expensive as truly gluten-free unless they actually have celiac disease? Yeah, lots of people say they feel better without gluten, but I can't help but wonder how much of that is the power of the mind.

Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.

songbyrdsweet

You should really get tested for it...there are many diseases that are very similar and cutting out gluten wrongly can have bad effects....

Even a simple blood test will give you a better idea of if you are or not

I would seriously suggest being tested before diagnosing yourself and jumping to conclusions

Seriously.

'I went on WebMD and a bunch of websites and I have all the symptoms of XXX'....no, just go to a doctor. Also, if people keep lumping Celiac Disease in with gluten intolerance, I am going to have an aneurism. That's like saying 'My blood sugar got a little high after that birthday cake, so I probably have diabetes.' STAHP. It's not the same thing.

Thank you. Too many people are eager to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon without cause. Why would anyone voluntarily undertake a diet as restrictive and expensive as truly gluten-free unless they actually have celiac disease? Yeah, lots of people say they feel better without gluten, but I can't help but wonder how much of that is the power of the mind.

Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.

The placebo effect has increased so much over that past 20 years that it is actually beginning to outweigh the effects of the drugs against which it should be serving as a control. The phenomenon is widely attributed to participants' access to information on the web. They know how they're supposed to feel when they do X...so that is how they feel regardless of the actual treatment.

Sethswife316

Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.

YES!!!! The biopsy is the only true diagnosis for celiac disease. A blood test might give you a hint, but it is not totally accurate. My blood test came back that I didn't have celiac disease, but after the biopsy, it was positive. And if you clean up your diet before the endoscopy, even the biopsy may not be accurate.

Also, if you do have celiac disease, removing croutons from a salad will still make you sick. Ask me how I know. Cross contamination is a huge issue. If you knew somebody had a peanut allergy, you wouldn't let peanut butter touch anything else that person is going to eat. The same should be said for gluten.

Trust me, not all people with celiac disease are skinny. I never had a problem maintaining my weight until I was diagnosed a year ago. I got sucked into all the gluten-free convenience foods you can buy at the grocery store. Way over-priced and much less healthy than making it on my own. However, I used them until I learned how to cook better gluten free. I'm still trying to lose the 15 pounds I gained this year, though.

Best of luck to you. Eating healthy is often more expensive than junk food, but you can work around it and your body will love you for it!

songbyrdsweet

Don't guess with this stuff. Go to a real doctor (not some quack) and get properly tested to find out once and for all. There are blood tests that can suggest the possibility of celiac, but for a true diagnosis, you need a small bowel biopsy. And don't get these tests if you've been off gluten for a while. It can give misleading results.

YES!!!! The biopsy is the only true diagnosis for celiac disease. A blood test might give you a hint, but it is not totally accurate. My blood test came back that I didn't have celiac disease, but after the biopsy, it was positive. And if you clean up your diet before the endoscopy, even the biopsy may not be accurate.

Also, if you do have celiac disease, removing croutons from a salad will still make you sick. Ask me how I know. Cross contamination is a huge issue. If you knew somebody had a peanut allergy, you wouldn't let peanut butter touch anything else that person is going to eat. The same should be said for gluten.

Trust me, not all people with celiac disease are skinny. I never had a problem maintaining my weight until I was diagnosed a year ago. I got sucked into all the gluten-free convenience foods you can buy at the grocery store. Way over-priced and much less healthy than making it on my own. However, I used them until I learned how to cook better gluten free. I'm still trying to lose the 15 pounds I gained this year, though.

Best of luck to you. Eating healthy is often more expensive than junk food, but you can work around it and your body will love you for it!

I think the fact that people either call it 'gluten intolerance' or 'Celiac disease' has led to the complete disregard that this is an **allergy**. You are so right in pointing out the parallel between this and a peanut allergy. Same with shellfish, or dairy. A dairy allergy is not the same thing as lactose intolerance. A dietary allergy arises when the body lacks enzymes to break a large protein into smaller peptides; the protein enters circulation and the body mounts an immune defense. It's like rejecting an organ transplant or blood transfusion. It's not just getting a little gassy and bloated when you eat a bagel.

HikeThatMountain

There is an awesome book called Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.Which helps heal the gut. It is a diet called the The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I had my son The Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a year and it did wonders for him. I highly recommend the book and diet. Pecanbread.com is a great tool for the diet. Good luck to you.

I already posted once, with further information on this book above, it is definitely amazing!! I have has Crohn's disease for 36 years and since I began that diet, no problems, really amazing. My profile picture is the cover of this book mentioned above.

Good luck!

siriuslestrange1

I want to point out that I am NOT lumping Celiac and gluten intolerance into the same category. The reason I stated it that way in the title is because while I highly doubt that the issues I'm having are severe enough to be Celiacs, there are cases of it in my family. If anything, it's likely that I have a mild form of gluten intolerance. I realize that Celiacs is a complete allergy to gluten where as gluten intolerance is not.

I AM planning on seeing my doctor about this. I have a previously set up appointment on Monday, at which I plan to address this. This post was more of a preemptive "what if" situation: Preparing myself for the possibility that I might have to take gluten out of my diet.


For those of you who had suggestions and resources for me: THANK YOU! Even if I'm not gluten intolerant, it's always good to have extra health food resources.

cjcolorado

My daughter has celiac and is totally gluten free. I would recommend first, getting tested. The first step is a simple blood test to check protein levels in your blood. You need to do the testing prior to switching to a gluten free diet. I buy hardly any actual gluten free products. I cook real food. My daughter doesn't eat much meat either, but she gets protein from peanut butter and beans. I will splurge on UDI's bread because it's the best I have found. Fresh fruit and vegetables are naturally gluten free. We eat quite a bit of rice as well. Eating out is difficult and the gluten free alternatives are very expensive, but if it's necessary you will find a way to make it work.

Same here, with my daughter. Cook lots of healthy, whole foods, avoid processed foods (with the exceptional treat of Udi's bread or cookies once in awhile). Eating out is trickier; but, you can usually stick to simpler dishes that revolve around a meat/protein without a lot of added sauce or a dinner salad. We had much more trouble trying to eliminate corn and soy before we narrowed in on her gluten sensitivity. Those two are in freaking everything!

mongersarah971

Coupons, coupons, coupons! I have found that if I save on other items I buy, I can afford more gluten free items. I try to use the Catalina's (the coupons from the register) In addition to the ones in the newspaper. I also only buy on sale and in season. During the summer I go to the local farmers market and make most ofy veggie purchases for a fraction of what it would cost on the supermarket. My meat I purchase at a small local store because it is high quality but much more affordable. I try to save with gas as well. I'm from eastern PA and there are two chains that work together - sheetz (a gas station) and weis (a supermarket). Sheetz loyalty card gets you $.03 off/gal and weis' loyalty program partnered with them to offer $.20 off.

I have found that baking gluten free bread is difficult and I don't like the texture of the homemade stuff. I willingly spend the money for Udi's Sandwich bread. I haven't ventured into making my own pasta yet, So I buy pasta as it is a key part of my diet. I also enjoy making my own spice blends. My mother is allergic to onions and my dad shouldn't have black pepper or salt and me with my gf intolerance ("natural flavorings" often have gluten in them, also msg is in most of these spice blends) so making our own is important. Taco seasoning is one of the big ones - cumin, a little tumeric, cayenne pepper (or siracha sauce - a cheap, hot!, and tasty hot sauce - a little goes a long way) and a little garlic and it is tastier than the prepackaged stuff. Individual spices can be expensive. But in the end they are way better for you.