Hello Star. I haven't been "officially" dx with Celiac yet, but a new Dr. thinks I have it...as I have been dx with Lupus & Fibromyalgia. So, I'll be tested in a few weeks. Here are a few sites that might help:

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm#diet

http://www.celiac.org/

http://www.celiac.com/

http://karinasrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/09/gfcf-goodness.html

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470067802,descCd-buy.html

http://www.glutenfreemama.com/

Hope these help!! ;)
~Tonya

Hi, Star, I can't imagine the doctor making it sound easy - it's NOT !! However, it is DOABLE !! I had to learn at age 70 how to cook for my celiac husband; You can look on it as an adventure, or a curse. It is up to you.

Do you cook or do you eat in the cafeteria?

I'm adding two sites to the ones already listed, for you to find information and recipes. The csatulsa site has a list of 100 things to eat right now. This will come in really handy when shopping, so make a copy to take with you!! Also, under the bread recipes, is one that is super easy; it's called GF, Yeast-free bread. Try it - it's good. I make it for my husband all the time.

http://www.csatulsa.org/

www.savorypalate.com (Excellent recipes, including pizza, cookies, and brownies.

The most important advice I can give is learn what you need to avoid, and READ LABELS LIKE CRAZY!!!


I wish you well on your new journey!!
HSTAR

Hi Star,
Quoting HSTAR "I can't imagine the doctor making it sound easy - it's NOT !! However, it is DOABLE !!" and "You can look on it as an adventure, or a curse. It is up to you."

You are so lucky (really!) to have been diagnosed early in life with CD. You see, my doctors missed diagnosed me all my life....now I am fighting Lymphoma (cancer), which was found while testing for CD. Had my doctors paid attention to all of my symptoms of CD, I would not be fighting cancer going on three years now.

The ladies above have given you some good sites to do your research. (My doctor basically told me that I had to do the researching.)

What I have done is copy all of the safe drugs and made a binder to keep it in. I don't have the site address any longer, however, the list was compiled by the
Wheaton Gluten Free Support Group. I need to go and check for up dates there.

I also made a recipe binder for all of the recipes that I have copied. I also have a list of all the "no-nos" to look for on labels.

I have found that Pamela's gf products are very good. I love her bread and pancake mixes. I have use her bread mix to make my gravies. Pamela's also has ready made cookies, yummy. www.pamelasproducts.com
You can find some ideas on how to use her mixes in recipes also.

It is DOABLE! My tummy and intestines feel so much better not having that mean poison "gluten" in it any longer!

Best Wishes my dear.....think healthy!

Hey Star114,
I have been eating wheat and gluten free since 2000 and it is tough. I have to say I am not one for baking and don't have time to do all the extensive cooking, so I have found some staples from the regular grocery store that I can tolerate just fine. When I first started removing all the wheat and gluten from my diet I had dreams about eating a cookie and freaking out! lol Personally I don't want to pay so much for bread that is dense as a brick , crumbly and not very good so I just don't eat those things anymore. Plus I found that I can't tolerate the ezekiel bread, which was actually very good. Don't worry you will eventually get used to the alternate tastes and be able to figure out what you like with what. Also I have to make sure the product is Wheat free as well as Gluten Free- I didn't know they were different at first. Here is a list of my staples in place of bread like products:
Frito Lay -White Corn Chips- ingredients: whole white corn, oil, salt
uses: try anywhere you might choose crackers

Quaker-Butter Flavored Rice/Corn Cakes-(double check any ingredients from them)
uses: I recently have taken to putting ham and cheese on top, or peanut butter and banana slices. This is lighter in calories than many gluten free breads and gives a nice crunch.

Van's-Wheat Free/Gluten Free Homestyle Frozen Waffles-This is labeled as such and I find it in higher end stores in the specialty frozen section
uses: I used these for a very long time and still go back to them. If you wrap 2 frozen waffles in paper towel pop in microwave for 40sec take them out quick so they don't stick to towels. They come out very soft and are a very good fast thick bread substitute. I have used them for burger buns (kinda weird, but works) or for any heartier sandwich. These are higher in calories so sometimes I just use one.

Any Brand- White Corn Tortilla, Soft (ingredients should only be: corn, and tolerable preservatives)
uses: they are lower in calories than the waffles but can be heated two at a time in a paper towel for 28 seconds, taken out fast. They will be hot and soft. Use them for any kind of sandwich roll, turkey roll, ham cheese, veggies, I even put eggs to make a egg burrito.

There is a brand of Noodles made from brown rice that come in any form you like and hold up very well to sauces. These are very good quick alternative. They are also in the higher end stores in the health food section. I wish I could remember the name and will pass it on when I remember what it is.

These suggestions do vary based on your tolerance which is different for everyone. Some who are very sensitive might choose instead to buy only products that are strictly labeled gluten free.

Also, for cooking I go as simple as possible. I have learned that there are some countries who don't have access to wheat and so most of their recipes don't include them and are very very good. If you can find a good place to get your spices, individual spices are better than mixes because mixes alot of times have anti caking agents which are a no no for many celiacs. I keep good gluten free spices in the cabinet and make simple recipes. There are lots of Indian, Mexican, and Thai recipes that don't include wheat products. I hope this helps because I know how hard it is when I had to go through it. Thankfully when I started eating this way the Atkins diet was picking up steam so it wasn't too wierd to ask for something with out the bun or crutons at a restaurant. Oh! restaurants!..Ok...Outback..they have a gluten free menu and aaaand a flourless cake called Chocolate Thunder from Down Under....yuuum..eeeee! Sometimes people try to feel sorry for me when I say I can't eat this or that but I tell them ..please there are soo many food choices we have access to over here..pppssstttt I do still miss pizza, but it really isn't worth it anymore..it actually doesn't taste as good as it used to. Have fun..there are simple choices out there. I would love to trade recipes too.

More items:
Victoria-Pasta Sauce (this is higher end but does not include tomato paste..which might not be gluten free)

La Choy-Soy Sauce (I have called them to confirm that this does not contain gluten)

In the begining I kept a cheat card of restaurants and fast food places and what their gluten free selection were. Don't be afraid to call that number on the back to find out for sure. That way you can build up your personal acceptable foods library.
~Sorry for such a long post..I am new to posting and am excited to help :)

Hi, Star, I checked out the Wheaton Gluten Free Support Group and they have a lot of good information. Just do a search and you'll find their site. They mention http://www.clanthompson.com/ as a good info site. He has a lot of good info, plus archives to go thru regarding back issues of the newsletter. I highly recommend the site.
I believe it was also Ladywinger who mentioned starting a binder to put your new recipes in. Excellent Idea. I started out with a l" binder, then went to a 3", then to a hanging file, and now to a stack of unfiled sheets. Granted, they aren't all GF, but can be converted to GF. I'm out of control !! I collect recipes and cookbooks!!

Sezno2weet mentioned the difference between wheat free and gluten free. Wheat free can contain barley or rye, and therefore gluten.
I ran into that also. As for the Ezekiel bread - I like it, so I called, and they said it contains sprouted wheat. Drat !!

I go thru lots of ink cartridges and paper, trying to learn all I can about CD and LBS (Hypoglycemia), in order to cook properly for hubby (who is 76 today). I baked his favorite cake - Pineapple upside down Cake - and it was DELICIOUS. However he can only have a small piece due to the LBS. I used gluten free flour mix, and cut the sugar in half, and it worked!! He was pleased.

Gradually, as you come to grips with the new way of eating, you will EVENTUALLY be more comfortable with it. But in my opinion, it will require you making a lot of things from scratch, if you want it to taste right.

You might check with your library to see if they have any cookbooks by Carol Fenster, Bette Hagman, and others.

I wish you success in your new journey.

HSTAR,
lol I too collect cookbooks and recipes. I love to copy and paste them to my computer folder. When I was in a bad flare and couldn't eat alot I was obsessed with watching the Food Network. Of course I skipped the ones that were talking about making cakes or frying things :) Now that I can eat what I want I realized that I don't watch Food Network like I used to. That is sooo wierd.

yes it is devastating but it is worth it to change I try all the time to make my own stuff that would normally be made with gluten If you can try to duplicate what your used to with gluten free you'll be fine and if you need any recipes you'll probably find em here My husband got me the Rachael Ray cooking set mostly cause I have celiac and I love it now I can make her chicken pan pizza. Think of your new life as an adventure or challenge and stay strong it's hard six years now and I think I'm healthier this way

SAdly, this is a major issue with this disease! Doctors send patients home from hospital with the statement "oh, all you have to do is just stop eating gluten and you'll be fine".


Yeah! Right! They would not consider releasing a diabetic from hospital before their sugar was under control and they knew how to control the disease. But we leave half dead and are expected to just "know" what to take out of our diet.

Gluten is in so many products that it is a nightmare to eliminate every one.

What you need to do first is to shop the outside of your local grocer. That is where the fresh foods are generally stored. If you have to prepare it from scratch, it is usually gluten free.

GOod luck,
C

Don't despair! It is daunting at first, but it will get easier as you figure out what you like. I have been eating this way for about a year now, and at first felt like I was going to starve to death, but now I have discovered lots of yummy foods that I can eat, and am actually back to watching my weight again. Luckily more and more products can be found in the regular grocery stores. Health food stores and food buying clubs/coops (such as www.unfi.com) are also excellent sources for the harder to find items.

Generally, for a meal, I will have some rice, potato or a rice pasta with a protein source and a large portion of fresh veggies, and that will leave me feeling quite satisfied.

If you play around with spices, and check labels to find acceptable sauces/salad dressings, your food will not be bland. :)

By the way, if you like gravy, potato starch makes a great thickener!

Here are my fave processed foods:

Tinkyada pastas
Van's GF waffles - the blueberry and cinnamon ones are excellent
Amy's Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese (Frozen)
Pamelas Baking mixes
Gluten Free Pantry mixes
Namaste mixes
Gillian's - French Rolls and Cinnamon Raisin Rolls (Frozen)
a little crumbly if toasted, but fried in a pan with some
butter, and they are much better
I used the french rolls for sandwiches or mini pizzas.
Kettle Cuisine Gluten-Free Soups (Frozen)
Glutino products
Rice Chex - I have to buy the name brand because of the corn
in the store brands.
Erewon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal w/ Berries. Yum!


A lot of these I'm able to find right in my regular grocery store, in the "health food" section, and some are in with the regular foods.

Even eating out is tricky, but not impossible. Some restaurants even offer gluten free menus now. All you have to do is ask around. :)

Oh, forgot to add, if you eat out at a cafeteria/restaurant, or someplace like that, don't be afraid to bring your own bread for sandwiches (a lot of places don't mind), or just ask them to put your burgers/sandwich makings on lettuce instead.

There are gluten-free wraps out there that too that aren't bad. You can use them for sandwiches or quesadillas, or toasted as a snack.

Just be careful about processed meats, they can contain gluten, but grilled beef or chicken is usually okay, depending on whether they've marinaded it or not. Burgers may also contain fillers, so ask whether it's all beef or not.

Good luck!

If you like processed meats like lunch meats, most of the Boars Head brand are gluten free (GF).

Bette Hagman wrote several excellent GF bread books that also have recipies on making your own instant powdered soup mix, advice on flours that keep on the shelf and those that do not, and where to find hidden sources of gluten.

Best of luck to you
C