Celiac ?????

[busy mom]

DD (21 yrs) was just diagnosed with Celiac. Can anyone recommend any resources (books, websites) that can get us better educated?

Thank you!!!

 

[LuLuO]

Celiac.com

 

[tootsiemolly]

I was diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago. Find a gluten free store in your area. You will be able to see all kinds of gluten free products in a confined area. "Tom Sawyer" flour is the best! Google it. You can buy it online and they will ship it. It is the best to bake with. You just use it like regular flour. You do nt need to add xanthum gum. It makes normal tasting chocolate chip cookies. My favorite things are rice crackers from Costco, bolthouse salad dressing, mission chips, kettle chips, hamburgers on a gf bun at red robin, steak and a gf brownie at outback, see's chocolates, mission corn taco shells, delimex taquitos, McCormick seasonings, Heinz ketchup, la Victoria green sauce, pei Wei gf sweet and sour chicken. I hope this helps. I live on Mexican food.

 

[mistysue]

You should let her know that I think it's Pizza Hut- they did this big ad thing maybe last spring about how they have a gluten free pizza- it's not actually gluten free!

Finding a gluten free local store can be helpful, but if it's a small shop they likely have very inflated prices. Mine sells boxes of cookies for $6.99. They are $5.99 at Walmart and $3.99 at Meijer all for the same ones. The prices can be wildly different by location. We get most of our cooking supplies online. Bob's red mill pancake mix makes heavy pancakes but amazing waffles. We like them better than non-gluten free.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

You should let her know that I think it's Pizza Hut- they did this big ad thing maybe last spring about how they have a gluten free pizza- it's not actually gluten free!

It's Dominos. The issue, as I understand it, is they cannot guarantee their stores do not cross contaminate with the wheat flour used in the regular pizza crusts.

 

[erinmomof2]

I have Celiac and so does my 5 year old daughter. I don't know of any good resources, but I can say that it gets easier. We were both diagnosed 3 years ago and I didn't know anything about celiac. But I checked out a few books from the Library and just started reading the labels of everything. Once you know what to look for it's easy to find gf products. There are more and more cereals that are gf, I love Bob's Red Mill gf all purpose flour and substitute it in all my recipes, Nut Thins are great crackers, and Udi makes a pretty decent bread. A lot of gf products taste bad so it's a lot of trial and error to find what you like. I also do a lot of my own baking because I enjoy it. My daughters favorite gf recipe is for peanut butter cookies. Just 1 cup of peanut butter, one egg, and one cup of sugar. Mix it up, drop balls onto the cookie sheet and flatten a little, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Super easy and tastes just like a regular peanut butter cookie.

Honestly at first it seems really overwhelming and it is difficult figuring out what you can and can't eat. But it really does get easier with time and my daughter and I have no problem now. Even she knows what she can and cannot eat. I would also suggest that you and your DH get tested for Celiac because my doctor said it's often genetic. My daughter was diagnosed first and I found out I had it after the doctor recommended testing. My symptoms were VERY different than my daughters. She was very sick and I had no idea I had anything wrong. I do feel better since changing my diet.

Lots of restaurants have gf options too now. We eat out a lot and our favorites are PF Changs, Outback, Chili's, Red Robin, and Chipotle. Nearly every restaurant will provide you with an allergen list if you ask for it. And I find my daughter and I can still eat out at most restaurants.

PM me if you have any questions!

 

[jennykay]

Celiac.com

Yes. This is a great site. They have a friendly and active forum too.
The DIS-abilities forum here is another good resource.
The book "Living Gluten-Free for Dummies" was helpful for me. (I am non-celiac gluten intolerant.). I got it from the library.
It will be hard for a while, but she'll be feeling so much better within a few weeks and that will make it easier.

 

[jennykay]

My daughters favorite gf recipe is for peanut butter cookies. Just 1 cup of peanut butter, one egg, and one cup of sugar. Mix it up, drop balls onto the cookie sheet and flatten a little, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Super easy and tastes just like a regular peanut butter cookie.

Honestly at first it seems really overwhelming and it is difficult figuring out what you can and can't eat. But it really does get easier with time and my daughter and I have no problem now. Even she knows what she can and cannot eat. I would also suggest that you and your DH get tested for Celiac because my doctor said it's often genetic. My daughter was diagnosed first and I found out I had it after the doctor recommended testing. My symptoms were VERY different than my daughters. She was very sick and I had no idea I had anything wrong. I do feel better since changing my diet.

Oh, these cookies are really good. We've drizzled melted chocolate on top after they were baked and that was yummy too.

Yes, I realized my dd was probably intolerant after I was diagnosed when I was reading about some of the possible symptoms in the Gluten-Free for Dummies book (I forgot to say it's written by Danna Korn.) Her ped recommended removing gluten from her diet for 3 weeks to find out. So, the whole family went gf for 3 weeks, and dh was the only one of us who didn't feel noticeably better. Then we did a "challenge" where we all ate gluten and holy h-e-double-hockey-sticks was that a bad few days at my house. That was a year ago, and after that we were all much happier with our new way of eating. All that to say it is worth checking whether you and your dh are affected as well. As of now, me, dd, both ds's, and one sister are gluten free, and I have a strong suspicion that my other sis, niece, and mom in law don't tolerate gluten either.

I think the hardest thing for us has been bread. Store bought GF bread is not the best. It's easier to make at home than regular bread (no kneading!) and I like to bake a lot of our stuff, but for quick lunches we tend to eat crackers with our deli meat and cheese.

At first, I remember feeling I couldn't eat anything but rice. I was pretty miserable the first couple of weeks. It really does get better.

 

[Aneille]

Betty Crocker also makes GF cake mix, brownie, cookie and pancake mix.

I like their pancake mix the best so far.

Uno's, Legal Seafood, 99 Restaurant, British Beer Company, The Chateau all have gluten free menu's. I think the Olive Garden as one as well.

Some of these are more local restaurant chains but as you can see there are many to choose from.

In my town there are also numerous small restaurants that also serve gluten free pizzas or pasta's. You just need to ask.

My daughter lives on GF Cinnamon Chex Cereal.

One thing to be careful with are nacho/BBQ flavorings on chips and rice cakes etc. Regular Nacho Doritos are not gluten free yet their cool ranch are. The nice thing is Frito-Lay lists all items that contain gluten right on their website.

The BBQ/nacho thing even a year later throws me sometimes. I accidently bought BBQ rice cakes the other day in a multi pack and didn't realize they had barley until after everyone ate a few.

 

[jennykay]

One thing to be careful with are nacho/BBQ flavorings on chips and rice cakes etc. Regular Nacho Doritos are not gluten free yet their cool ranch are. The nice thing is Frito-Lay lists all items that contain gluten right on their website.

The BBQ/nacho thing even a year later throws me sometimes. I accidently bought BBQ rice cakes the other day in a multi pack and didn't realize they had barley until after everyone ate a few.

They regular Doritos are no longer made with wheat - but many of the ones at the store are still the older ones that aren't gf. If you check the bags you can find the newer wheat free ones. (DS was thrilled!)

Ugh-bbq. I did the same thing with bbq lay's.

 

[Sagginit]

http://www.amazon.com/The-Gluten-Fr...=1349578677&sr=8-1&keywords=gluten-free+bible

this is my favorite book and resource. i was about that age when i was diagnosed. i remember i had days when i actually cried. at the time i could not get GF bread, cookies, flour, etc at stores in my area. restaurants were hard to find at first and for a while i really wasn't GF because i kept accidentally eating it. that book will go through everything.

Trader Joes has a great GF selection and the prices are some of the best i have seen.

in addition to food things she will need to research and replace: medications, beauty products that may be consumed (including anything that goes on the lips), anything that touches the lips (paper products, i stopped licking envelopes for fear they may have gluten), oh and flour can stay in the air for several hours, so if you may want to stop baking at home with regular flour as she could breathe it in and it will coat the kitchen.

and since she is a college kid she will need to be careful at bars. some mixers may contain gluten and of course she cant have most beer, malt beverages, whiskey etc.

i love http://www.redapplelipstick.com/. if you sign up for the newsletter you get notifications of sales and discounts.

also find a few GF blogs to follow as that makes it easier to keep up to date on new things going on in the GF world.

i also read wholeliving magazine. you really need to rethink your approach to eating and food and to me it was a big inspiration. it introduced me to a lot of new foods including great GF alternatives.

 

[MineMail]

Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are good sources of GF foods and they have recipes on their websites as well. The latest GF find is Quinoa, which is GF and protein-rich. Many people use it as a side dish in place of grain or pasta.

Gluten can turn up in the oddest places, like soy sauce. Some brands use fermented wheat in the recipe, which of course means gluten. It's tricky, so you'll have to be very store- and brand-conscious.

Cross-contamination is a major problem as well. As a friend explained it, it's not just at the factory. Open jars of peanut butter, jelly, mayo, etc. might pick up crumbs from previous uses if someone isn't careful. (Ex: double-dipping while making a PB&J sandwich on whole wheat)

I have some friends and family with Celiac and Gluten Intolerance. When I know they're coming for a party or meal, I open new jars of everything and fix their dishes first, covering them carefully before preparing anything else.

 

[janiejake]

DD (21 yrs) was just diagnosed with Celiac. Can anyone recommend any resources (books, websites) that can get us better educated?

Thank you!!!

Try CeliacChicks.com

 

[Nayan]

If you have an Iphone/Ipod Touch grab the app 'Is That Gluten Free?'.

 

[mjkacmom]

My daughters favorite gf recipe is for peanut butter cookies. Just 1 cup of peanut butter, one egg, and one cup of sugar. Mix it up, drop balls onto the cookie sheet and flatten a little, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Super easy and tastes just like a regular peanut butter cookie.
!

Thanks - just whipped up a batch of these for dd. She has a dance competition today, will be there all day, and there is never anything gf to buy there. She had a gf pasta salad, but these will be great for later.

 

[Kathi OD]

http://www.gfoverflow.com/ will help you determine if a food is GF.

http://www.gluten.net/find-a-restaurant.aspx will help you find a GF restaurant.

 

[adisneymama]

I second all the recommendations here. Another thing to be careful of is oats. Not all oats are gf. Also, the Betty Crocker mixes are great, but you will need to alter the recipe instructions if you want them moist. I use milk instead of water, oil instead of butter and add some pudding to the mix. Tastes great! Nice and moist. I actually made cupcakes for a friends birthday party (they are non gf but she wanted my DD to be able to eat). They could not tell the difference.

It does get easier. G/L!

 

[GraysMom]

Another app for iPhone (maybe others, I'm not sure) is 'Find Me Gluten Free'. You can search restaurants by popular chains, by address, those close by, etc. for ones that offer gluten free options and the menu/list of choices that are GF. It also has a 'dining card' section to show to servers/chefs that clearly states what celiac is, what they cannot eat, and lists items specific to certain cuisines that cannot be consumed (ie Mexican/South American foods listed include flour tortillas , bread, battered foods, fried ice cream, churros, beer). It also contains lists of items by cuisine that celiacs must be cautious about, and items that are "safe". I believe it was free.

DH eats a lot of rice/cinnamon/chocolate/honey nut Chex cereals, for snacks as well as breakfast. Other snacks include nuts, Blue Diamond Nut Thins and Nut Chips, fruits, veggies and dip, cheese curls, tortilla chips, and Crunchmaster crackers. Desserts are tricky because he has a bad reaction to more than tiny amounts of xantham gum, which is added to so many GF baking mixes to add elasticity. I've found some GF brownies that use almond meal that he loves, so I make those for him. I've found a lot of GF recipes on Pinterest, along with a long list of GF baking mixes to make, but I haven't tried many of them yet. A PP mentioned GF burger buns at Red Robin restaurants. Our local RR manager told DH he could call the restaurant 24 hrs in advance and order as many buns as he wanted. When I get more space in the freezer I will order a dozen and just freeze them. The best pasta DH has found is Schar. It's actually made in Italy I believe.

OP, where are you from? Here in PA we have Giant, Weis and Wegmans grocery stores that have dedicated GF sections to shop in (some are bigger than others).

 

[POOH1060]

Wow you just never know what great information you will get from the disboards. My daughter has Celiac and this info will help her alot. She feels so alone in this. I've been looking for more information to help her. Thanks for great links & info !!

 

[limace]

My husband can't have gluten, so I've been figuring this out, too. As someone who loves to cook, I highly recommend Gluten Free Girl-she has a blog and a book, is married to a chef, and her writing and recipes are gorgeous.

Nthing Trader Joes and Bob's Red Mill-red mill stuff is much cheaper through amazon than in our local stores. Their pizza mix is great. Most GF bread sucks until it's toasted.