Diagnosed with celiac (can't eat wheat)

[KnottedYet]

Don't oats have gluten?

Rice crackers are awesome. You can probably find spelt things that are gluten free too, like spelt english muffins (so good), spelt pretzles.

It's a big lifestyle change, but you can still get in your carbs. At least now you know what the problem is.

Spelt is a variant of wheat, so be careful.

If you crave something made with cracked wheat (like bulgar) try using quinoa instead.

I just had a great quinoa salad (using just plain quinoa grains) at a restaurant Trek took me to in Pt. Reyes Station. It was essentially a pasta salad with cooked quinoa grains instead of pasta. You could get salmon or chicken with it, but I had it plain. It was "tasty" as Trek says.

Quinoa can be made into a great warm morning breakfast cereal, too. Treat it like oatmeal with honey brown sugar, nuts, raisins, etc.

I think quinoa is a complete protien, too. And it's very cute when it's cooked! (like little ufos with rings around them or like little Saturns. very cute )

There are quinoa pastas out there, but they are very expensive and I like just using cheap rice pasta from the asian foods section. It takes a little more olive oil to keep the rice pasta from sticking to itself, but it turns out great! SKnot eats it, too.

[Duck on Wheels]

I think the basic message in many posts above is to shift your focus from what you can't eat to what you can eat. You need to keep a corner of one eye on the can't eat list too, especially when eating out, but mostly you just need to build up a repertoir of foods you like and that work well for you. There are lots of options out there, and learning new recipes can be fun.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself, living on a low fiber diet in a high fiber world. Not exactly the same problem as yours, but shifting my focus away from "Darn! But I love raw fruit and veg!" to "Hmmm... what can I do with this?" has helped enormously in terms of my spirits. And my guts are doing better too.

[eclectic]

OTG

I just wanted you to know that I have been thinking about you alot since reading your diagnosis.

I am not celiac but know a few people who are. It is a very inconvenient condition to live with and will mean many changes for you. The upside is you will feel so much better because of making the changes. I am thinking you will end up healthier and stronger than you are now once your system is fully purged and healed.

Hang in there - one day at a time - you have received excellent suggestions - I just wanted to add my support.

[Bluetree]

Sorry to chime in so late, OTG.

But just to let you know, if I have a big ride or workout planned, I find that white rice is as good as any pasta load I've ever done the night before.

My Japanese parents force fed me white rice growing up as a kid, so I rarely eat it anymore. However, I have found it's a great fuel source. Sometimes I'll have it with a bit of curry, or teriyaki or even vegetarian chili. If I plan to run one day, the night before it's rice. And like Knot said, finding a good Thai restaurant is great!

I'm both severely fructose and lactose intolerant, so I have had to make adjustments, but like others said, focus on the tasty things you CAN eat, instead of the ones you can't. Good luck!

[KnottedYet]

Last night's dinner: posole - no wheat or gluten (easy crock pot recipe: 3 shoulder steaks cubed, 3 big 29 oz cans of hominy, 3 heaping tbsp chili powder cooked on low for 5 hrs. Top with chopped onions, tomatoes, avocadoes, sour cream and fresh squeezed lime juice)

Night before last dinner: Trader Joe's brown rice fusilli with artichoke puttanesca sauce, and fresh shaved parmesan. - no wheat or gluten www.traderjoes.com

This morning's breakfast: pancakes (plain) and pancakes with fried banana slices. Real maple syrup. Apple butter.

YES!!! PANCAKES!!!!
Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix. www.pamelasproducts.com
Crispy edges, soft springy cake, warm and yummy! For the banana pancake, slice banana into circles like double-thickness quarters, let sit on griddle for about 30 seconds, then pour the pancake batter over the slices and cook like a normal pancake. - no wheat or gluten. This mix has almond meal in it, which makes a *fabulous* flavor and texture.

Trek has been almost gluten-free this week, and she hasn't complained yet! She says, "I'm not missing ANYTHING!"

[Offthegrid]

Knotted, I have that pancake mix! I made it last night -- not too bad. I like thicker pancakes, though, so next time I'm going to try less water than the recipe called for.

The GF thing is actually going surprisingly well. I'll have to add a Crock pot to my wish list -- after a breadmaker. Many of the GF products I've tried so far taste pretty good except the bread.

[Trek420]

Offthegrid "The GF thing is actually going surprisingly well. I'll have to add a Crock pot to my wish list -- after a breadmaker. Many of the GF products I've tried so far taste pretty good except the bread"

OTG, Knott was just saying you could pass on the breadmaker, that leaves you more money on the list for something like....a bike .

Seems that what breadmakers do is knead the dough to make the gluten stringy. No wheat, no gluten, no kneading needed.

Think of breads like cornbread, zuchini, banana....GF bread is made with batter like those, rather than a dough.

[mimitabby]

Last night's dinner: posole - no wheat or gluten (easy crock pot recipe: 3 shoulder steaks cubed, 3 big 29 oz cans of hominy, 3 heaping tbsp chili powder cooked on low for 5 hrs. Top with chopped onions, tomatoes, avocadoes, sour cream and fresh squeezed lime juice)

Hey Knot you made posole without TRIPE?


Susie, glad you've discovered there's life without wheat. I made some pasta out of amaranth flour last night. it can be done!