Celiac Disease/gluten intolerance help

If you do in fact have a gluten intolerance, picking croutons out of your salad will likely still get you sick. Do some reading about cross-contamination and protect yourself. Sharing utensils, cutting boards, all of it - be careful. Places that make sandwiches in front of you, like Subway, are dangerous because of cross-contamination from the bread into the sandwich fillings.

As for GF life being expensive - it's only expensive if you try to replace everything. GF cereals, breads, (etc) are pricey, so pick and choose. For example, I do like to buy GF bread sometimes (Udi's is great) but I also make my own, which helps save money. Also, GF baked goods tend to be higher in calories, fats, salts, sugars (etc) because the manufacturers need to make the flavour appealing. Choose carefully. You don't have to have a GF version of everything. I find it's better to buy GF cooking ingredients (such as worchestershire sauce) which I can use to make my own food from scratch, which is cheaper and healthier, and GF.

Feel free to PM with any questions.

Get a big bag of dried beans, lentils, and brown rice. Each of them will make a ton of meals.

Gluten is EVERYWHERE. You'll find malt extract in chocolate, wheat starch in soup, fillers in meat products...the list goes on and on. I would recommend the celiac forum (www.celiac.com/gluten-free) as there are a lot of great resources there.

My daughter is gluten, dairy and soy intolerant. Issues with soy knock out about 3/4 of the gluten-free processed foods for us.

In order to not spend a fortune, I have to cook.

I make dried beans, frozen veggies, fresh veggies, eggs, grits, lots of grilled chicken and salads with oil and vinegar dressing.

She eats a good bit of fruit, which gets expensive quickly.

She LOVES pasta, and so we tried a whole lot of them, and the good news is that the cheapest one we found, is also her favorite! Pasta Joy makes brown rice pasta in several different shapes, and they sell it at many Walmart stores (but not all of them).

Because of her dairy/soy issues, and her love for processed mac and cheese (sigh... I really tried to avoid this particular love), we looked for some easy things she could make for herself that would keep her from feeling deprived. We discovered Road's End Organics and I can't recommend them enough! (But not because I think they are good for anyone!) http://www.amazon.com/Roads-End-Organics-Cheddar-1-1-Ounce/dp/B0017SWAAW/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1365562788&sr=1-2&keywords=Road's+End+Organics+Gluten+Free

It is very expensive to buy their boxed processed foods, but you can buy the powdered "cheese" and use it in all kinds of things. Sometimes I can find it on amazon in a case of 36 for about $.60 cents per envelope... that's cheaper than Kraft mac and cheese, even after I add some pasta!

The way she doctors it to make it taste more like conventional cheese is she adds a couple of tablespoons of goat cheese, which for some reason doesn't seem to upset her stomach. I have found goat cheese at Aldi, for less than 1/2 what it costs everywhere else.

We haven't really found any bread we like much. She eats Udi Cinnamon Raisin bread sometimes, but it is expensive. I just need to learn how to make gluten free bread from scratch. I used to make all of our bread, but I'm really intimidated by gluten free stuff.

Another thing she likes to eat is lunch meat wrapped in lettuce. Once again, I'm not a fan of lunch meat, but it is something she can fix herself. I try to keep lots of fruits and veggies and salad stuff in the fridge and discourage the processed stuff... but it sure is cheaper when she eats the processed foods!

I think we actually have a harder time avoiding the soy than the gluten, though.

Many restaurants have gluten-free menus, so you can check those out before you go out to eat. That also might give you some ideas for things you can fix at home!

I have hardly any money and am gluten intolerant (possibly CD or just severe wheat allergy, that has yet to be determined).

I would not rely too heavily on GF versions of gluten foods. Things like GF cookies, pasta, baked goods, and bread are all expensive, sometimes don't taste that great, and are very processed.

I like to enjoy some GF versions of things, but 80-90% of the time I just try to eat whole foods as much as possible. Fish, nuts, vegetables, fruit, etc.

I can't afford to buy a lot of fancy stuff, but if you go for less processed it oftentimes is cheaper.

i have to agree with the above comments you just have to put effort into cooking wholesome foods. the easiest way to figure out if you are infact gluten intolerant without paying out the *kitten* for testing is to do a juice cleanse or a juice fast and then add foods back into your diet one at a time to see what triggers your symptoms.

Hey There

As others have advised, stay clear of all the "gluten free" products that you can buy in the supermarket.

Focus on real, whole foods. I would cut out all wheat, grains, and dairy and see if you feel better.

I would suggest doing some research on the Paleo lifestyle and start eating Paleo. It will help you lose a lot weight. Paleo means anything that the caveman use to it - all natural.

Sweet potato, lean meats, loads of veggies and a bit of fruit and nuts.

See you go with that. But def DON'T buy those gluten free products or anything in a box.

I have a gluten intolerance and I'm lactose intolerant. Eating out is pretty much impossible since gluten is in EVERYTHING!! Soya sauce, teriyaki sauce, the fake crab in the California sushi rolls etc. luckily my husband is a chef and can help but honestly it sucks I would rather not eat gluten than have the horrible pain and side effects, so I try to plan, plan, plan. And I bring my favorite non-gluten snacks with me when we are out.

Don't fall for the 'gluten- free' products, they are expensive and are usually made out of high glycemic foods like rice and corn, which is bad for your blood sugar and healthy eating. I eat lots of veggies, fruit, and proteins. I try to eat as clean as possible, and you can do this on a tight budget. Most packaged food has gluten in it, try to stay away from it. Good luck!

I understand, it's hard to figure it out at first. I have trouble eating pastas, pizza and tortillas, noodles, I eat them, and I soon get cramps, I get swollen...not like the I just ate 10 cookies chubbiness but I literally swell, my stomach, neck, arms, hands... I pass gas like a 300 lb man ( sorry I know it sounds graphic) I have had to cut out a lot of bread like items, and started cooking out of the eat clean cook book by Tosca Reno.
I eat rice noodles ( do you guys have a Winco?) or a whole foods market? Or a Henrys?
My lunches are usually omelettes with spinach an mushroom, my dinners are usually a stir fry ( chicken, broccoli, shredded carrot, shredded zucchini, olive and onion) I also love quinoa.
I juice every morning but if you don't have a juicer, Greek yogurt with almonds berries and honey are yummy. The more you make your meals, the more creative you can become.

http://www.scdiet.org/

http://www.scdiet.org/1about/scdwhatis.html

The book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle (through intestinal health), by Elaine Gottschall, B.A., M.Sc.

http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/p/beginners-guide/

My profile picture (just changed it back again) is of the greatest book ever, especially if you have Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chronic Diarrhea, Diverticulitis, Celiac Disease, Cystic Fibrosis....pretty much any inflammatory bowel disease.
The Book: 'Breaking The Viscious Cycle (intestinal health through diet)'. The Author: Elaine Gottschall B.A., M.Sc.
The name of the diet is SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet).

After 36 years of having Crohn's disease I stumbled across this diet and began following it (started diet two years ago as of this April 19). That was 36 years with six operatiions because of the disease plus one operation to fix a hernia caused by getting pregnant too soon after the last operation . 36 years of knowing where every single toilet was in every single place I managed to go out to. 36 years of a painful gut and learning how to make all kinds of excuses for not doing things with my friends and still keep my dignity intact. 36 years of only feeling safe if no further away from a toilet than 50 seconds. 36 years of having some very demoralizing "bathroom" accidents, or more clearly, not being able to reach the bathroom in time.

Well since I started this diet, I am now pretty much normal in the bathroom department, as long as I don't eat any illegal stuff.
Not sure I can explain the way the diet is supposed to work, but according to Elaine Gottscall, our bowels contain a multitude of bacteria and in the cases of all these diseases above, there is an overabundance of the wrong type of bacteria (which can even be caused from something as simple as antibiotics, given to you to fix up something else). In short, with some foods (complex starches/sugars-polysacharides/disacharides) our body needs help to digest these foods, which means that they will sit in your gut until the help arrives and in the meantime are feeding the piggy little bad bacteria, which causes more problems in your gut, and it all ends up a vicious cycle of feeding these guys which cause harm to the intestinal lining etc. Therefore, the idea is that, as in the SCDiet, if you eat only simple starches/sugars (monosacharides), these simple starches/sugars don't have to wait around in your gut for help to digest them and get used up immediately by your body, thus, starving all those nasty little bad bacteria to death and allow your intestinal tract some time and space to heal and grow the good bacteria.
Now I am not saying this diet is easy, but you do get used to the work of preparing things once you are in a routine, and there are things (if you allow yourself to accept them) than can replace those things that you really crave that are not allowed on the diet. I've actually managed to get by on about $200 a month, even at home in Canada. In hind site, I actually found all that processed food more expensive than the fresh/frozen stuff. But I won't try to explain the diet illegal/legal food here, going to the SCDiet site would be much, much more enlightening, especially if you read the testimonials after you read a little bit about the diet. A lot of the testimonials said they were gluten intolerant/celiac disease and were not helped on other diets, but did find relief with the SCD diet. I never thought after 36 years of "peeing through my *kitten*" (sorry, I know that's disgusting, but in the past it was true, and the most accurate way to describe), with blood often included, that normal bathroom ventures would ever be possible for me, as I already mentioned, I don't have that problem anymore, I have found a miracle...healthy REAL food!".
If nothing else, since you haven't got the money to go spend on the book unless you are sure, try giving five (5) days out of your whole life and do the 'beginner's guide diet" (third site down, at the top). If you follow it completely for that five days, you will know if this diet is going to help.... but as I said, if you try those five days, you have to be absolutely true to the diet. Imagine only five days out of your life and you can stuff your face (don't try to calorie count). When I did those five days (and as a lot of other testimonials mentioned) I lost a good deal of weight and I ate like a pig. That is not always the case with this diet though, especially once your gut begins to heal and absorb properly, then you can put on weight unless you watch your intake (just like any way of eating).
Another thing, I felt so much better. I had gotten so used to the constant pain and not feeling 100% that I didn't even notice that I had been feeling crappy all those years until I was on this diet and began to feel fantastic. And the elation of not feeling tied to a toilet bowl is... is.. well its so wonderful I cannot describe it ).
Please read the SCD site, this site is very informative and gives a lot of other places to check out as well, including a lot of sites to find recipes for gluten free and SCD. And as mentioned in the some of the posts above, you would be very surprised to find what processed foods contain some undisclosed wheat products, including powdered spices, like garlic or onion powder, it is very enlightening to find out what the companies don't legally have to list on their products in the ingredients section.
And if you have any questions I can help with, please let me know, I would be thrilled if I can help, I can even give a couple of recipes, that I have for bread made from nut flour that works quite well (haven't figured the calories yet tho). And if you make to soup in the beginner's diet, please note that is is a very large pot of soup and I have figured that out and I know that it runs between 62 - 100 cals per 8oz cup, depending on the amount of water. But for those five days, don't calorie count!!

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

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.

I've had stomach problems for years!! And the doctors have performed every test under the sun to determine what was wrong. They couldn't find a darn thing wrong. So I decided to go gluten free. Best decision I ever made, so I'm probably just intolerant or over sensitive to gluten. I agree with everyone that the gluten free products can be expensive. However, invest in a gluten free cookbook. Right now I use Elizabeth Hasselbeck (sp?) cookbook. She has celiac and she has some great recipes. Her main point: Buy the GF flour's at the store, they're expensive but in the long run they cost less than buying the pre-made GF products. Her baking recipes are to die for! Right now I have the following GF products in my cupboard:

Coconut flour
Garbanzo Bean Flour
Brown Rice Flour
Millet Flour
Potato Starch
Tapioca Starch
Xanthum Gum
Quinoa (haven't used it yet, not sure if I'll like it lol)

All of these, when made in certain combinations, can make pretty much anything you desire: pizza crust, cookies, bread, muffins etc

As far as rice goes I eat either Brown or Jasmine rice. Jasmine rice has a little lower calorie count but still has those pesky carbs in them. Also, I love edamame, it's my favorite snack now. Has tons of protein and really fills you up. Add me as a friend if you have any more questions! Good luck!

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.