Diagnosed with celiac (can't eat wheat)

[KnottedYet]

Are you on B12 shots or B12 sublingual?

I'm on sublingual, mainly because it's a whole lot cheaper than the shots. Methylcobalamine works better for me than cyanocobalamine (both are variants of B12, but methyl costs about 2x as much) If I accidentally eat some wheat and start getting sick I take an extra one. Maybe it's my imagination, but the extra one seems to help.

Once you know what to look for, it's second nature to keep away from the wheat. Especially once your tastebuds learn the association between that yummy garlic bread and being sick for days afterwards!

Eating out is a little harder, but oh so doable. Thai food is my favorite, and luckily wheat isn't an issue there.

I'm willing to suffer for beer... Suffering right now with a Boont Amber Ale!

My favorite brownie mix is Cravings Place Oooey Gooey Brownies. Their chocolate chip cookie mix is good, too. Best pizza dough mix I've found is Namaste Foods. (actually, Namaste's brownie mix isn't bad, either.) They've got a pancake mix I want to try.

You can still eat pasta to carbo load, just make sure it's rice pasta. I get mine in the asian foods section of the store, it's about 1/10 the price for the same noodles as in the GF/health food section.

Rice crackers instead of wheat crackers. Rice cakes instead of toast. Rice bread s*cks in my opinion, but there is a bread company <Ezekial Bread?> that makes a GF bread with ground pecans that is really good. It comes frozen, so you just toast a piece when you want it and it lasts in the freezer for weeks.

For energy on the bike I eat Clif Shot Bloks and Lara Bars. (Clif bars have oats, and oats do make me sick.) I usually keep a couple Lara Bars with me in case I get hungry.

PM me if you'd like!

[tattiefritter]

I don't have coeliac (my aunt had something similar as a child but outgrew it apparently) and the advice given above is what would immediately spring to mind anyway. As she couldn't eat wheat she used to get a lot of wheat free stuff on prescription (free I think). She absolutely hated the bread with a passion, my mother on the other hand (not wheat intolerant) loved it.

I have a breadmaker as I think shop brought bread is crap (and full of god knows what) and it has a setting to make gluten free bread. It mentions some gluten free breadmixes that you can buy (at least in the UK) though I have never tried them. A friend of mine was avoiding wheat for quite a while and I'm sure she used to eat rye bread and was investigating using spelt flour to make bread. Both rye and spelt flours seem to be easily available in large supermarkets in the UK.

Edit: was in supermarket at lunchtime to pick a few things up and looked at the various flours on offer. Spelt is made from an ancient wheat variety, didn't say anything about gluten levels (the rye is apparently low gluten). I'm quite shocked at that as my wheat avoiding friend was going on about it. They had gram flour which was wheat free but not sure what you could do with it.

[Offthegrid]

I ordered a bunch of gluten-free products today, and I'm going to a grocery store tonight so I have something to eat. But, no, can't have rye or barley or oats, either.

[SR500]

My husband has been off gluten for almost 20 years, he cheats some but really likes rice. He's not a celiac, I don't think you will be able to cheat as much as he does. Anyway, good health food stores have almost everything, it's more expensive, but easy enough to find good stuff. Plus will all the low carb diets, people don't even ask anymore when ordering a burger without a bun. We recently tried some Italian gluten free pasta that was exellent, is was about $8 a box, where most corn/rice pastas are $2, and I think wheat based pastas are $1. Anyway, don't be discouraged, just try to adapt, it's easier then you think.

[KnottedYet]

I get my rice pasta in the Asian foods section of the grocery store, 2 lbs for $1.19.

"Gluten free" is becoming a marketing plus, so you'll see it often on food that never had gluten in the first place. (EnviroKids corn cereal, for example.)

[aicabsolut]

I may not be able to eat oatmeal, either. My problems were a LOT worse when I was eating oatmeal every morning. I have read that the oats are "contaminated" because they are handled on the same equipment as wheat. Although it's possible I may be able to find some that are certified gluten-free.

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.

[solveig]

I don't have celiac, but I do enjoy cream of rice cereal often. I cook it with 1/2 soy milk, 1/2 water, and a touch of salt, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top and eat it with additional soymilk. A nice source of protein, and I love the taste!

Best of luck with the gluten-free foods. You've gotten some good suggestions here - hope you start feeling great soon!

[gardinsa]

Hello,

Try not to get too down about the diagnosis. I learned that I have gluten-intolerance/celiac two years ago, and the diet is very manageable once you have the information on which foods to avoid and where to find the carbs that you can have. Acclimating to celiac requires:
1) learning the list of ingredients/foods to avoid
2) proper planning (ie packing of lunches, etc).
3) a bit more hunting at Whole foods/specialty stores/websites for your allowed carbs and paying a bit more $$ for these foods

At the end of the day, the extra efforts and planning will pay off, because you will feel fabulous on a GF diet. Who knows, athletic performance could improve once you are absorbing your food again. Mine did.

In terms of carbs, you don't have to give them up. Substitute flour derived from wheat with flour derived from rice, corn, garbanzo beans, tapioca, etc. These flours can be purchased in most stores (even major grocery store chains). For a bit more money, purchase pasta dervied from rice or corn (again, sold almost anywhere). Most these pasta brands taste great. There are numerous brands of chips that individuals with celiac disease are permitted to eat (just read the labels carefully). And you don't have to give up cereals or english muffins...just find gluten-free section of the market.

Keep your chin up.
S

[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.

[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!