There Seems To Be A Genetic Factor Here

[Cin]

Hi,

I am new to all this!!!! Very confused, concerned and a bit depressed.

I have just learned that my mom, brother and his daughter all have celiacs disease.

I have 4 children.....they do not appear to have any GI problems except maybe one with "pasty stools" and some seepage still at age 9- history of UTI's. One son has very large BM's and ADHD. Two children are on the small size but so am I.....why test if no symptoms???? What could happen.

I have heard that following gluten free is expensive. With 4 children and a disbled husband this is gonna kill us financially. Does anyone have a helpful place to get low cost gluten-free food or a list of things to find at the supermarket. Maybe I am jumping the gun as I go get tested Tuesday but it is all just freaking me out and overwhelming me!!!!

Thanks for any input

Cindy

[Guest nini]

the gluten free diet IS ONLY EXPENSIVE if you try to buy a lot of the replacement products.

If you stick with a diet of foods that are NATURALLY gluten free (fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, hard cheeses and eggs, chicken, beef, fish, pork, rice, potatoes, simple seasonings) and there are a TON of mainstream products that are naturally gluten free like Frito Lay's Stax, Ortego Taco Shells, Delimex tamales and taquitos, Mission Corn Tortillas and Corn Chips, lots of salsas and spagetti sauces (can be served over rice or spagetti squash if you can't afford Rice Pasta)... There really is a world of great food out here that is naturally gluten free and not expensive. It's only expensive if you buy the expensive breads, bagels, crackers, mixes, muffins and on and on... You can supplement your diet with those things AS A TREAT, but they should not be the mainstay of any healthy diet.

I make all kinds of awesome food for my family and we are on a very tight budget...

And even though you say your kids DON'T have symptoms, what you described IS def. related to Celiac or gluten intolerance.

[Carriefaith]

I'm glad that you have decided to get everyone tested. Some people with celiac disease have no symptoms or very few symptoms (fatigue, anemia). However, everyone with celiac disease will get intestinal damage when eating gluten, symptoms or no symptoms. The gluten-free diet does not have to be expensive! Rice and potatoes are good replacements for gluten and they are inexpensive. Also, fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables are cheap and easy. Here are some recipe ideas:

Carrot Stir fry

1 bag small baby carrots, or 2 cups carrots

10 mushrooms, sliced

5 green onions

1 yellow or sweet onion

2 Tbl fresh lemon juice

2 Tbl olive oil

Cook all ingredients on high heat for 10 minutes, then simmer until done.

Tacos

Old El Paso Corn Tacos

Old El Paso Salsa

Old El Paso Taco seasoning

Your choice of veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers)

Extra lean Hamburger

Cook hamburger and seasoning according to package directions. Then make the tacos! These also taste great the next day.

Spaghetti

Tinkyada pasta

1 bottle Ragu Spaghetti sauce (herbed tomato and wine)

Extra Lean Hamburger

optional:

1 Green and 1 Red pepper, diced

1 Onion, diced

4-5 Mushrooms, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

Cook pasta as directed, cook meat/onions and garlic together until done, slowly add other veggies and mushrooms, then add the sauce.

Vegetable Casserole

1 cup uncooked rice (basmati is my favorite)

1 bag of baby carrots

4 stalks of celery, diced

5 green onions, diced

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, diced

1 can Kidney beans

1 cup Planters cashews

3 cups broth (use more if needed)

optional (about ½ cup of mushrooms, 1/4 cup parsley)

Put the rice on the bottom of a casserole dish. Throw everything else in the casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour at 350. Check on the casserole after 30 minutes and add more broth if necessary.

Chicken and Rice

1 cup of rice (I recommend basmati)

2 cups chicken, cubed

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use Imagine chicken broth)

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 onion, diced

1 can of Green Giant peas (or 1 cup of frozen Green Giant peas)

1-2 Tablespoons Chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and/or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon basil

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

Cook oil, chicken, onion, and garlic until done. Place broth, tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, and rice in a pot/wok and cook until the rice in done. Add chicken, onion, and garlic to the pot and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.

Turkey Soup

2 cups cooked turkey

3 cups Imagine chicken broth (add more if needed)

4-5 cups of water

3 carrots, diced

4 small celery sticks, diced

2 zucchini, diced

3 tomatoes, diced

1 onion, diced

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons Thyme (fresh or dry)

1-2 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash Original Spice

1 Tablespoon chili powder

Throw everything into a large pot, boil then quickly simmer for about an hour. Tomatoes and zucchini don’t have to go in right away.

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, cut into thin slices

Mrs. Dash Original Spice, or your favorite spice

Heinz ketchup

olive oil

Rub olive oil on a baking pan, then place the sweet potatoes on the pan and sprinkle the spice on top. Bake at about 350 for approximately 15 minutes. These will burn fast so check quite freqently. Serve with ketchup.

[Rachel--24]

I agree with everything Nini posted. It doesnt have to be expensive and you can make your own breads and such to avoid paying higher prices. I have never baked before but found out that its something I enjoy. Also, you dont have to have symptoms to have Celiac. Symptoms may not show up for years but it slowly does its damage in the meantime. Having everyone tested is the right thing to do. It may be the one child you *least* suspect would have it that comes back positive. If none come back positive you can at least put your mind at rest.

[tarnalberry]

why test if no symptoms???? What could happen.

Does anyone have a helpful place to get low cost gluten-free food or a list of things to find at the supermarket.

more than half of celiacs are asymptomatic, but damage is still done to their intestines which can contribute to other problems you don't think of as being related (including just having a taxed immune system that doesn't let you recover from colds as quickly, all the way to being at significantly higher risk for intestinal cancer and complications of nutritional deficiencies like osteoporosis and anemia).

the regular grocery store has oodles of low-cost gluten free food. all fresh produce is gluten-free, as is plain rice, beans, legumes, meat, dairy, and eggs. you can an awful lot of things from fresh ingredients! ;-) many many canned and frozen single ingredient pantry items are also safe, though you always have to read lists. it's just the specialty food that's expensive, and you don't have to eat that.

[chrissy]

cindy----we had one child with a positive blood test, so we tested most of the rest of the family and discovered that 2 more of our children have celiac also. another child is having more testing done because he is IgA deficient. we have 4 older children that still need to be tested. glad you're getting tested.

christine

[CMCM]

Hi,

I am new to all this!!!! Very confused, concerned and a bit depressed.

I have just learned that my mom, brother and his daughter all have celiacs disease.

I have 4 children.....they do not appear to have any GI problems except maybe one with "pasty stools" and some seepage still at age 9- history of UTI's. One son has very large BM's and ADHD. Two children are on the small size but so am I.....why test if no symptoms???? What could happen.

I have heard that following gluten free is expensive. With 4 children and a disbled husband this is gonna kill us financially. Does anyone have a helpful place to get low cost gluten-free food or a list of things to find at the supermarket. Maybe I am jumping the gun as I go get tested Tuesday but it is all just freaking me out and overwhelming me!!!!

Thanks for any input

Cindy

Apparently huge numbers of people have no symptoms, but are nevertheless getting intestinal damage. Some people don't find out they have celiac disease until they are diagnosed with some sort of cancer...for example, the intestinal cancer rate of celiacs is 33 times greater than the rest of the population. Many people don't get symptoms until adulthood. If it's in the family, the genetic predisposition is in the family, and it's good to know where you stand. You can get a gene test fairly cheaply so you will know if you even have the genes.

I'd also suggest reading the book "Dangerous Grains" and you may be surprised to learn that you actually DO have some potential symptoms. This book clearly emphasizes that not all celiac symptoms have to be digestive in nature. Everyone tends to wrongly believe it's all digestive, that you have to be underweight etc., but that's not true. There are over 200 symptoms that are often diagnosed as other things but which are actually due to celiac disease. Celiac is one of the most wrongly diagnosed conditions out there!

Eating the gluten free diet is not that difficult and it doesn't have to be expensive. You just can't eat the way you used to, that's all. You have to give up some things, and you have to read labels on foods. If you buy all the prepared cookies etc. it can be expensive, but you can learn to make a lot of things yourself. My mom was diagnosed with celiac disease 40 years ago, and the main thing that is difficult for her is eating out due to risk of getting some hidden gluten--which in her case makes her violently ill. Actually, eating gluten free is much better for you health wise, so look at the positive side!