Gluten Free Girls (and Guys!)

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  • ccaruso219
    ccaruso219 Posts: 92
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    Aww...I like Ian's chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce.
  • tanyewest
    tanyewest Posts: 113
    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
    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
    I like Glutino's corn bread........
  • jenricher
    jenricher Posts: 32
    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
    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
    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.
  • arfletcher
    arfletcher Posts: 143
    YAY!! This topic makes me so happy! So many GF ideas.

    I have never opted to be tested for celiacs - my doctor is highly apathetic towards my health (I am young, female, and not the same religion as him - it sucks but I've been trying to get a new GP for two years with no luck!).

    In highschool I lived in a dorm and everything the cafeteria served was vegitarian - which means wheat and dairy were the staples. And EVERYTHING was smothered with tomato sauce! I came to the realization then that I was alergic to dairy and tomatoes. Both of which I LOVE! So I made the choice to be sick when I wanted to eat things like pizza or ice cream. I also guessed that I might be allergic to wheat as well... but I like wheat products! So I opted to ignore that as well and put up with the results - yuck - :embarassed:

    My partner and I went to a nutrionist lately and she has taken us off of all wheat products as well as dairy and a bunch of other things (white foods, processed foods...ect) With this diet change - surprise surprise... my stomach problems have stopped! No more sitting in the bathroom for 20mins at a go - I know TMI - And I have found that I can eat tomatoes again! YAY!

    So its Gluten Free for me! I am not being very strict about it - still eating oats that arent specifically GF and still have things like soysauce on my sushi! But as long as I'm not eating pasta and breads I seem to be fine...But boy do I ever miss the fresh cheese croisants from the bakery next to my house - and catching the bus out front of the bakery every day is killer - But now that I know what it is to feel good allmost all the time with only a few bad days - instead of feeling bad all the time with only a few good days - IM NOT GOING BACK!:happy:
  • iRun4wine
    iRun4wine Posts: 5,126
    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?

    You HAVE to check out glutenfreeregistry.com You can enter any location in the country and it will show you restaurants on the map that are either gluten free or have gluten free offerings :flowerforyou: I don't know what I would do without this website!
  • SammiAnne11
    SammiAnne11 Posts: 158 Member
    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?

    You HAVE to check out glutenfreeregistry.com You can enter any location in the country and it will show you restaurants on the map that are either gluten free or have gluten free offerings :flowerforyou: I don't know what I would do without this website!

    I plan to use this for Sat. Hubby and I have a date night! =)
  • LOVINLIFEGUY
    LOVINLIFEGUY Posts: 47
    My daughter had her biopsy yesterday and she was very very brave for a 3 year old. Watching a 3 year old going under with gas is very hard to watch. DR could not confirm the results without the lab results but was pretty sure it is celiak. Today we started the gf diet and she did not like the waffles :(, I thought they were good! My wife is shopping right now with a friend of a friend who has been dealing with this for years. Sounds like they are loading up on things that we need. lots of things we are learning. Purchased a few new toasters for home, daycare and gradparents. Didnt know how sensitive these things can be. Do we need to buy different pots and pans, cups, plates and silverware? We have given her spots in the fridge and drawers to put all her stuff so we don't get things mixed. This is going to be difficult to get used to! Thanks for all the support and great info.
  • rkascak
    rkascak Posts: 224 Member
    I know someone who cant have any gluten... but anyway i love Mare Blu Trail Mix bars. they are gluten free
  • iRun4wine
    iRun4wine Posts: 5,126
    My daughter had her biopsy yesterday and she was very very brave for a 3 year old. Watching a 3 year old going under with gas is very hard to watch. DR could not confirm the results without the lab results but was pretty sure it is celiak. Today we started the gf diet and she did not like the waffles :(, I thought they were good! My wife is shopping right now with a friend of a friend who has been dealing with this for years. Sounds like they are loading up on things that we need. lots of things we are learning. Purchased a few new toasters for home, daycare and gradparents. Didnt know how sensitive these things can be. Do we need to buy different pots and pans, cups, plates and silverware? We have given her spots in the fridge and drawers to put all her stuff so we don't get things mixed. This is going to be difficult to get used to! Thanks for all the support and great info.

    What kind of waffles? I eat the Van's Gluten-free blueberry waffles, and they're great! Also, if your daughter likes cereal, Corn Flakes and Rice Chex (as well as Cinnamon Chex, and perhaps Chocolate Chex- you'd have to double check the label) happen to be gluten free- I love them! :love: I eat them as cereal, or even just as a snack!
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
    My daughter had her biopsy yesterday and she was very very brave for a 3 year old. Watching a 3 year old going under with gas is very hard to watch. DR could not confirm the results without the lab results but was pretty sure it is celiak. Today we started the gf diet and she did not like the waffles :(, I thought they were good! My wife is shopping right now with a friend of a friend who has been dealing with this for years. Sounds like they are loading up on things that we need. lots of things we are learning. Purchased a few new toasters for home, daycare and gradparents. Didnt know how sensitive these things can be. Do we need to buy different pots and pans, cups, plates and silverware? We have given her spots in the fridge and drawers to put all her stuff so we don't get things mixed. This is going to be difficult to get used to! Thanks for all the support and great info.

    I think it depends on the severity of your daughter's gluten allergy, which you might not know until you get her off everything that has gluten in it for a good month at least and see. She might be okay to have her food prepared on the same surfaces, etc...or she might be at the extreme sensitivity end.
    Also, don't get discouraged with the waffles and other GF foods she tries. They taste different but keep having her try them. It took our daughter quite a while to where she would eat some things but now she will pretty much eat any GF product I put in front of her. Well....the nasty bread being the exception. We are very very very lucky that she can do sprouted wheat. Thank God for that.
  • SammiAnne11
    SammiAnne11 Posts: 158 Member
    ""I am looking for a good tasting gluten free bread. The ones we have tried so far have been, well, not good!
    Do you have a favorite brand? Do you toast it?

    My husband has major gluten allergies, as well as 2 of my 3 kids. We are switching to primarly gluten free at home.
    Thanks for your suggestions.

    ~Sami ""

    I just posted this topic in the food/nutrition topic section. Can you please chime in and let me know what type of bread you are using? Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flowerforyou:
  • jessmcwade
    jessmcwade Posts: 10
    My FAVORITE gluten free bread is Udi's. You can get it at whole foods, the slices are pretty small but it tastes just like regular bread. I do not touch any other type of gluten free bread, yuck. ;) Hope that helps.
  • jessmcwade
    jessmcwade Posts: 10
    Hi everyone!

    I am gluten free and dairy free. Also I avoid carbonated beverages because they make me puff out like a balloon! I was very sickly my whole life and finally discovered that I may be gluten intolerant so I gave it up and it made such a difference that I am a new person. I can't eat casein either which is in all dairy. My son is also gluten and casein free. In our case, we are both somewhat on the autistic spectrum which is how we found out in the first place. I thank my lucky stars every day that someone was bold enough to mention looking into it.

    I do not have a doctor at the moment but I am extremely sensitive to gluten and dairy, we do not keep ANY type of gluten anywhere in the house and my fiance is amazing at accommodating us. It certainly doesn't hurt his health any to give up gluten along with us, it's probably better. Since I don't have a doctor, I am not officially diagnosed as celiac but because of my severe sensitivity and extremely painful reactions I am pretty sure I have celiac. Even if I find out that I don't really have celiac, I am never touching the stuff again. :) The scary thing is that the longer I am gluten free, the more severe the reaction if I accidentally get an involuntary dose. It makes me scared to eat at restaurants, etc.
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