Anyone here have celiac? Help!!!!!!!

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  • tbresina
    tbresina Posts: 558 Member
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    First off, you're awesome for going gluten-free with your husband. My husband did the same for me, and it means a lot. :)

    The transition is a little tough, but it will become second nature. GF substitutes are expensive and used to be pretty nasty, but the options are becoming wider and better-tasting; your best bet, though, is to create new eating habits that aren't grain-based or that are based on naturally gluten-free grains. For example, corn tortillas are already safe, so have some tacos or breakfast burritos. Cream of Buckwheat has always been gluten-free and makes a good hot breakfast cereal for people who liked Cream of Death, er, Wheat. Stir fries are safe so long as you use gluten-free soy sauce (plenty of those available). I generally have yogurt and fruit for breakfast, which is safe.

    If you want to add some bread, your safest bets are Schar (you can mail-order these -- they have amazing bread and pasta), Udi's, and Rudi's products. If you like mixes. Pamela's pancake mix is great. Do not, under any circumstances, eat Glutino tapioca bread. It's disgusting.

    There are plenty of gluten-free treats available, too (again, mail-order is your friend), but a gluten-free cookie is just as bad for you as a gluteny one -- you don't want to make that the backbone of your diet.

    Consider joining the Celiac Disease Foundation. They have a wealth of information and put on a great annual conference (I've gone with my family twice). They also lobby for clear gluten-free labeling laws, which is particularly important for us.

    If you have a favorite restaurant, talk to the managers and chefs about your new needs. They'll probably take good care of you. There are a handful of restaurants around here that take good care of my family and me. Plus, gluten-free menus are becoming more common in chains (Outback, Chilis, Macaroni Grill...).

    There is a Celiac/Gluten-free group here on MFP that you can join, and, if you are so inclined, you can add me and look at my food diary. I can't promise you I'm the healthiest eater (I'm usually not too bad), but I can promise my food log is 100% gluten-free, so it may give you some ideas.

    Now is probably the best time to find out you have Celiac. When my grandma was diagnosed a decade or so ago, the only good snack out there was glutino pretzel rings (which are pretty dang good); now there are tons of options and the internet is overflowing with information. It isn't a hard diet for a Celiac to stick to since we feel SO much better and glutenings tend to be more severe the longer we're on the diet, but even my husband doesn't find it difficult (though he will eat gluten at a restaurant or friend's house, granted, which is FINE. I love that he doesn't bring it in the house).

    Thank you, I am slowly learning what is good and was is bad. My hubby is extremely thin (5ft9 and 140#) so I try to keep lots of sweets in the house for him, he was 160# before he lost weight from the celiac. The brownie mix isn't too bad and he loves the glutino sandwhich cookies. We have an appointment with a dietician in 2 weeks and hopefully she can give me some more advice. I think the bread issue and gravy issue is most concerning for him right now. I also don't know the other words to look for other than wheat when looking at labels. Everyone has been so helpful-thanks
  • amandammmq
    amandammmq Posts: 394 Member
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    That must be so frustrating for your husband! I have mostly cut out wheat because I notice I have major energy crashes in the afternoon if I eat wheat. However, nothing TERRIBLE will happen to me if I do eat it (other than feeling like I can't stay awake). So, it has been my CHOICE to not have bread and other wheat-y things in the house. It is difficult, because I do love sandwiches, but not impossible. Hopefully, with some experimentation, you can either find substitutes that he finds palatable, or he can slowly learn to retrain his palate to enjoy other meals.

    I have gone the non substitution route, like a lot of other people have posted. Lots of fruits, vegetables, meats, paired with quinoa, rice, etc. I make smoothies for breakfasts, or make big omelets on the weekends.

    Hopefully, you can find some helpful substitution ideas from the other posters, and maybe introduce some new meals that your husband will like. I wish you the best of luck! :heart:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I kinda walked around looking for something to eat the first week or so. I was so used to eating my bread with bread and a side of pasta, that I had no idea what to eat!

    Now, 3 weeks later, I am glad I didn't try to subsitute it. It is more of a habit than anything else (I am amazed to admit!)

    I had my first burger on a lettuce wrap the other day and actually loved it! My feet no longer hurt, and I am sleeping better.

    Sorry your family has to go through this, but happy for your hubs that he has such a supportive wife! You will be blessed for your sacrafice!(sp):drinker:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I made my gravy with the pan drippings and corn starch. Was the same.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    Awesome for you for going GF - best of luck with that!

    Honestly though... I read you threw out two trash bags worth of food and was just like
    tumblr_m8yqxnjf3u1qhnlxf.gif

    My 2 adult boys actually took the food, they were in heaven!

    This made me giggle.

    About 2 months ago my entire pantry was unders siege by weevils, so all my wheat based items went in the dumpster. Two full bags of food (which really did make me cry because I am on a tight budget!) I am wondering now if someone above was trying to tell me something:wink:
  • aNewYear123
    aNewYear123 Posts: 279 Member
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    My Dad has celiac. The rice pasta is good the first round, but it doesn't seem to reheat well. Mom got a rice cooker, so a lot of meat and rice dishes for lunch and dinner. Progresso has a lot of gluten free soups, but you have to read the ingredient list (we don't even bother with Campbell anymore). Bob's Red Mill has a lot of gluten free flours, but they also have good bread mixes. The bread tends to be pretty dry, but you also need to be sure to freeze what you aren't using because it goes bad very fast.
  • dollylohaze
    dollylohaze Posts: 15
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    Me :) also lactose intolerant. I have used it as an excuse to eat clean and keep as far away from substitutes as possible, because they are often carb heavy and filled with sugar. Nuts, fruit, veg, fish, meat, homemade sauces.. and sometimes a little soya chocolate :)
  • tbresina
    tbresina Posts: 558 Member
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    I made my gravy with the pan drippings and corn starch. Was the same.

    Good to know, I am definately going to try this!
  • Kristakaylin
    Kristakaylin Posts: 2
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    I was "doomed" from the day I was born. My grand parents are the 7th known couple in the entire world to both be diagnosed with celiac's. All their children have it and I now at the tender age of 28 have it along with lactose intolerance, no gall bladder, and a herniated disc. I've seem to put on 20lbs since I went gluten free vs. lose weight. I have to get this figured out so I can lose the weight and be healthy. I'm struggling because I live in the middle of no where North Dakota where my local super market is doing there best at getting GF items but they are hard to come by unless you're there when they put them on the shelf.
  • agadoogirl
    agadoogirl Posts: 36 Member
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    [/quote]
    Thank you, I am slowly learning what is good and was is bad. My hubby is extremely thin (5ft9 and 140#) so I try to keep lots of sweets in the house for him, he was 160# before he lost weight from the celiac. The brownie mix isn't too bad and he loves the glutino sandwhich cookies. We have an appointment with a dietician in 2 weeks and hopefully she can give me some more advice. I think the bread issue and gravy issue is most concerning for him right now. I also don't know the other words to look for other than wheat when looking at labels. Everyone has been so helpful-thanks
    [/quote]

    Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye and oats (although some people dispute oats). That means its in malt, which is made from barley. I live in australia and the government has amazing laws that mean it has to tell you on a label if a product contains gluten, if you don't have that then you need to be really aware of the numbers on food labels, for example 1422 is a thickener that can be made of wheat and 150 is a caramel colouring that is also wheat based.

    You can email companies for a list of gluten free products, they're usually pretty good about sending you stuff back. You also need to be aware of gluten in non-food sources like pain killers, stamps, the sticky bit of envelopes that you lick, lip balm, sun cream (if you have it on your hands and eat something then lick your fingers).

    Definitely get a new toaster, new wooden spoons and any chopping boards & plastic stuff that's all scratched up needs to be replaced too.

    Sometimes you can just substitute gluten free flour in a normal recipe, an extra egg can help stick it all together a bit. It's just trial and error and there'll probably be some disasters along the way, but you adapt when you realise how awesome you feel again. Good luck!
  • rotill
    rotill Posts: 244 Member
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    As people say: Just drop the bread. It's fairly easy to make things with baking soda and naturally gluten-free flour though. This means that bisquits, waffles, cookies and pancakes are still within reach. Rice, corn and oats are naturally gluten free, and breakfast can easily be changed from bread to oatmeal, for instance.

    The challenge appears to be his lunch. Does he have access to a microwave? My male colleages in my previous job were about to die with envy at lunch, as I reheated last night's dinner, while they had sandwiches. If not, and he can't sit down at a table for a lunch with plates and knife/fork, you need to think about finger-food or something to eat with just a fork or chopsticks. How about potatoes, raw vegetables, mayonnaise and slices of steak or fish? Easy to pack, put the mayo in a little box, and it can be eated with relatively little mess with the fingers while stuck in an office, a car or on a boat - or anywhere else.

    It's a transition phase, but it's not the end of the world. By and by he will discover that he feels much better when eating gluten free, and the craving for bread will disappear. I actually feel very reluctant to eat gluten free bread now, because I am so used to the bad reaction I get from eating normal bread: Bread and illness have become closely associated in my mind.

    Good luck!

    PS: about the oats - oats are naturally gluten free, but they often grow in fields where wheat, rye or barley tend to get mixed in. This means that regular oat mixes often contain gluten, and celiacs need to be careful. If you can get oats that are not "infested" with other grains, either before or after the harvest, they are gluten free.
  • megsybeth
    megsybeth Posts: 23 Member
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    I have Celiac's Disease and spend a lot of time on celiac.com where they have really active boards. How is your husband's weight? I just ask because I'm on this board because of the weight gain I've had since going off gluten. It can be a little frustrating for me sometimes because going gluten free for weight loss is so popular, but many of us were very thin and could eat everything when undiagnosed. The Celiac's disease, as I'm sure you know, can make your body not absorb fat and nutrients. I used to eat a ton of sugary carbs because my body was starving and I never gained. Now I never eat pancakes or other starchy foods, no muffins, scones, etc. but I'm up two dress sizes and ten pounds. So I'd try very hard to swap in vegetables wherever possible.

    For treats I use Pamela's flour, also for waffles for my boys. If your family really likes bread I'd recommend getting a bread machine and playing around with recipes on celiac.com and other gluten free sites. Watch out for rice flour as that's kind of the "white flout" of gf foods and it's very high calorie. We don't eat much bread. I've actually never had GF bread because it was never my thing, but I keep Udi's millet/Chia bread in the freezer. My non-celiac DH likes it and so do my boys.
  • amybg1
    amybg1 Posts: 631 Member
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    A friend of mine has celiac and we've had sleepovers over there a few times. their wheat substitutes aren't great but if you guys like bread there is one company whom we all agree tastes pretty decent called Udi's.

    In terms of flours there are a few out there taht can be bought but be warned it won't turn out the same as when using regular
  • carolynnn4
    carolynnn4 Posts: 1
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    Hi, I was just diagnosed in november, but after living with a roommate for over 2 years with the allergy the transition was not very hard at all! One thing I found interesting, if your husband gets a biopsy to diagnose his allergy, submit this diagnosis to the government. Then keep all your receipts on gluten free products (the ones that cost 5X the price) and the government will give you back money. Celiac disease is considered a "disability". So you will get paid "disability". By roomate has been doing this for over 10 years and gets around $1000 back each year.
    Small towns can be HARD to find products.

    Here are some things to shop for (if possible):
    - Chex cereal.
    - The brand: Glutino (their bread is actually decent), they have granola bars, pretzles etc
    - Betty crocker
    - Buy a recipe book for gluten free cooking. Alot of the time quinoa can be substituted in muffins.
    - Rice cakes! So good. Lots of Chips are gluten free (so if you like nachos!)
    - Gluten free pancake mix!

    Some things I generally snack on (snacks are the hardest)
    - Apple & Peanut Butter
    - Egg
    - Rice cake
    - Veggies & Hummus
    - Nuts
    - Dried fruits
    - popcorn

    Somethings that Gluten is hidden in:
    - Soy sauce
    - BBQ sauce
    - Gravy
    - Anything that is a gel kind of liquid (flour is usually used to thicken)

    I hope this helps! I know another one of my friends was diagnosed around the same time and the transition has been really hard!
    Best Wishes!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    My diet is very restricted from IBS, reflux and migraines. So no nitrates (deli meats or sausage) no tomatoes (:noway: :sad: no tomato sauce?) and now I have gone GF at the gastro's suggestion.

    I am truly not sure if gluten has played a role in the IBS or reflux for me. The celiac/gluten intolerence test results are not back at this time.

    It is daunting to work up the calories when you are without those fillers. (as was the OP issues I believe)

    I found Udi's GF bagels at the grocery and doubled my lunch calories in a snap. This was good for me as I was eating 800-900 a day and a healthy range with no exercise is 1200-1500 for me to lose 1/2-1 pound a week.

    My nutrients were fantastic, and actually my energy has been wonderful this week, but I dare not exercise on that kind of intake except light weights.

    I have not played with recipe's yet because I do not crave sweets or breads/pastas at all. This is nothing short of a miracle for me!! :laugh:

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