Why Is This So Hard?

[rkmonckton11]

gluten free is so hard. Gluten is lurking in my tummy and its so annoying and uncomfortable. So Im thinking about buying the 11th edition of CSA gluten-free product listing. Im having such a hard time with foods. I feel like my nutrition is not good at all. All of the stuff im eating so not so good. Its Mostly just snacks and its making me feel sick. Its just when i go grocery shopping i don't know what to get, i don't know what is gluten-free. Its making me bummed. Most of the stuff i buy is junk because its so easy. love to cook but how can i cook when i feel crappy and confused about this whole gluten-free thing. Everything just seemed so easy not being gluten free. I need to find a balanced diet. I want to cook and freeze meals and all of that but its all so darn hard. How do you all do it everyday. i feel like im failing.. badly. i don't know why. maybe i just have no support. sorry for my ramble i just needed to vent and get things off my mind. I'll be on later

kristen

[Ruth52]

I'm sorry you are feeling this way. It's a whole new way of life that will improve - just give it time.

I can remember my doctor saying to me that it isn't good enough to just try and live on gluten-free snacks, that I needed to get out the recipe books and take hold of this gluten-free world. So that is what I have done. I've made plenty of food that has ended up in the rubbish bin, but I have also made lots that have tasted great.

Get hold of a couple of recipe books, find the gluten-free section of the supermarket, look ahead to how good your gluten-free life is going to be and I am sure things will start to look up.

Be kind to yourself and take things one step at a time.

[Ursa Major]

Kristen, you need to remember that plain meat, vegetables, fruits, spices (not mixes necessarily), herbs, nuts, seeds are all naturally gluten-free. Those are the things you want to start with, not replacements for junky gluten foods!

I agree, buy yourself some gluten-free cook books, experiment, make up some recipes of your own, have fun with it! It really isn't that hard.

Make up your mind to go and buy a fabulous cook book, find a recipe that really appeals to you, go out and buy the ingredients and start cooking! Invite a friend to come over to help you (or boyfriend, hubby, mother, cousin, whatever), somebody fun. Make sure you make a nice desert, too, and then eat together.

Always have enough food (different meats, veggies, salad, fruits) around to throw a normal meal together for when you get hungry, so you don't end up eating junk.

Take a day to cook several meals, and eat one and freeze the rest.

Anyway, you need to look at this not as a 'drag', but a new adventure. Show 'them' that gluten-free is great, not boring! You need to be positive about it, be determined to learn, and you will end up feeling so much better.

[kbtoyssni]

It looks like you haven't been gluten-free for that long, so give it time. It takes a while to learn what's safe and what's not. When I first went gluten-free, I didn't eat well at all. Seriously, I think I had corn chips and cheese for two meals a day just because I knew it was safe. And for a few weeks, I figured that was better than accidently eating gluten. A month or two of not-so-great nutrition isn't going to kill you.

Since it takes so much effort to figure out what brands are gluten-free, maybe you could pick one food a day and call the company to ask if it's gluten-free. Or maybe you could post some of the common foods you eat and let us tell you the safe brands. I remember the overwhelming feeling of trying to shop the first few months. You'd read the label, not be sure and decide to just go home. I just got a cell phone so now if I'm not sure I call the company right from the store.

I'd suggest planning what you want to eat for the next few days before you go to the store, write down all the ingredients and figure out what brands are ok before you go. Then when you get to the store you might not be so overwhelmed by having to read labels.

Things will get easier eventually. And you will probably accidently gluten yourself a number of times before you have the diet completely figured out. So don't get too upset that you're struggling to get this right. We've all been through it, and everyone is here to support you through the learning process 100%.

Forgot to mention - The Gluten Free Gourmet is an excellent cookbook, especially if you want to make bread, pizza crust or cakes

[Guhlia]

I totally agree with the others. Eating and cooking gluten free can be so rewarding. I surprise myself all the time with new gluten free dishes that are WAY better than the things I would be cooking if I weren't gluten free. It's like a new adventure every day at dinner time.

Until you start to feel a little bit better, you may want to stick to simple one-dish type meals. When I'm sick I tend to make casseroles with either rice or gluten free pasta, meat (chicken or beef), cheese, and veggies (usually broccoli since it's my fave). This way I don't expend a lot of energy on cooking and it still turns out yummy. I generally keep a couple of bags of pre-diced onions and green peppers in my freezer for such occasions as well as chopped broccolli and shredded cheddar. This makes for a great throw-together meal with some chicken, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Also, for super low energy cooking, try throwing some meat (beef, pork, or chicken) in a baking dish and smother it with BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is gluten free). Bake at 350 for an hour or two covered with foil. That's little or no effort and it makes great leftovers if you do a big batch and freeze it. Treat yourself to some of those steam-in-the-bag veggies too. They only take 4-5 minutes to cook and they're very tasty. Plus, they're way cheaper than junk food.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

[rkmonckton11]

thank you to everyone for support. i should come on more often. i was wondering what salad dressing are gluten free. i love blue cheese dressing and i don't know what kind is Gluten free. Does any one make gluten free croutons? Ive been wanting bread. does anyone have any recipes for there favorite bread?? Im going to whole foods tomorrow so i would like to pick some stuff up to make some bread. I just want to thank everyone for the help your given me i appreciate it alot.

thank you

Kristen

[MistressIsis]

thank you to everyone for support. i should come on more often. i was wondering what salad dressing are gluten free. i love blue cheese dressing and i don't know what kind is Gluten free. Does any one make gluten free croutons? Ive been wanting bread. does anyone have any recipes for there favorite bread?? Im going to whole foods tomorrow so i would like to pick some stuff up to make some bread. I just want to thank everyone for the help your given me i appreciate it alot.

thank you

Kristen

There is a company that makes blue cheese on a silicon pad instead of on bread...I'll try to find it for you. I know Outback uses it...

Gillian's Foods makes croutons and the BEST bread crumbs, actually all their products are yummy & you can order online! They have recipes as well www.gilliansfoods.com

[Nooner]

Kristen,

First of all, I agree with everyone else!

I feel the same as you! When I first discovered that gluten was my problem, I thought "Yay! That's easy, no gluten!" I was already used to reading labels and monitoring everything I ate because of a previous misdiagnosis. So this had to be a piece of (gluten free) cake.

Well, not so much. I've discovered cross contamination, gluten in personal care products (hair gel! why?) and now that my intestines have started to heal, they've decided they don't like much of anything, especially anything with preservatives. So for the next few months, I'm staying away from anything that has an ingredient I can't pronounce. I used to be a daring cook with a cast-iron stomach, and now if I make a meal that has more than 3 ingredients, I worry about the outcome.

But I'm sure it will all get better. In the meantime, I've started eating really simply. For example, dinner last night was pork chops, pan seared in a little canola oil, an acorn squash that I poked holes in with a knife and microwaved until it was cooked thru (the outside skin gives when you press on it), and a honey mustard sauce made with honey and a gluten-free spicy brown mustard. That's it. Meat and veggies. I enjoyed it, my hubby enjoyed it, and most importantly, I felt great all evening! The bonus was that it took about 15 minutes to prepare. Yeah, it might get a little boring, but it's healthy, cheap, easy, and when I heal up, I hope to be able to go back to more complicated food.

I'd recommend you try some simple stuff and see if you start to feel a little better. A chicken breast and some steamed veggies. A hamburger patty and a baked potato. A piece of salmon and some veggies. Brown rice. A piece of good cheese, like gouda, havarti, parmesan, something with flavor, if you can eat dairy. I hope this helps!

~Li

[CantEvenEatRice]

www.kinnikinnick.com has some great bread products

www.glutensolutions.com has lots of gluten free products.

Nature's Path makes some good gluten free frosted corn flakes and other cereals that you can eat with Rice or Almond Milk (if you have trouble with dairy). This helps when you are craving normal cereal!

I always have Lara bars on hand because they are quick and easy. The Lemon ones are excellent and so are the cherry ones.

But it is a pain to keep up with everything. I find myself eating potato chips a lot because it is quick and easy. I don't like to cook, but am learning that I need to in order to be satisfied with this diet.

I have also found that I have so many other food intolerances which makes things even harder. It may take you awhile to figure out what you can and cannot eat. I pretty much have trouble with all grains, but will try to have some gluten free bread products occasionally. I am going to try to learn to cook with nut flours instead of grains.

Good luck to you!

[StrongerToday]

It gets better, I promise!! Start by making your diet as simple as possible - roasted meats, potatoes and veggies/fruit. I always make extra for lunches and have bought some seperated Tupperware dishes so I can make my own frozen dinners. Keep good snacks on hand (apple, bannana, nuts or Lara bars) so you're not suddenly starving.

You do need to start reading every single label (including lotions, shampoos, etc.) so plan on spending a long time at the grocery store. But it does get easier!!

[suzven]

thank you to everyone for support. i should come on more often. i was wondering what salad dressing are gluten free. i love blue cheese dressing and i don't know what kind is Gluten free. Does any one make gluten free croutons? Ive been wanting bread. does anyone have any recipes for there favorite bread?? Im going to whole foods tomorrow so i would like to pick some stuff up to make some bread. I just want to thank everyone for the help your given me i appreciate it alot.

thank you

Kristen

I have been gluten free for 2 years now and have tried a variety of different gluten free foods...many have ended up in the garbage unfortunately but I have found some that I really do like. Orgran makes great pasta, corn and rice pasta, taste the closest to normal pasta....my family doesn't notice the difference. Also Glutino makes breads, corn bread (made from corn flour) is really good, most breads you will find are best when you toast them. I haven't had any luck finding any that taste good prior to toasting. If anyone has hopefully they'll post it. It does help when you stick to the gluten free diet though, you'll notice a world of difference when you get it right. When baking, you can also use the gluten free baking mixes, Pamela's makes a good one, in place of things like Bisquick. I have taken some of the bisquick recipes and have altered them to include the gluten free baking mixes and anything else that may include gluten to gluten free. They come out wonderful. Good luck to you and stick to it.

[Guest nini]

first off, if you haven't already downloaded my newbie survival kit, may I humbly suggest that you do that. Just click on the link in my signature below for my web page and then at the bottom of my web page there is a link to download the Newbie Survival Kit, (it's free). Then focus on what you CAN have, not what you can't. Naturally gluten-free foods like plain meats and veggies and fruits, nuts and herbs for seasoning. Don't spend a lot on gluten-free junk food, try one or two foods at a time like a new gluten-free pasta or a gluten-free cookie or cracker... check around on this board for our favorite reccomended products like Tinkyada rice pastas, and Pamela's bread mix, and The Gluten Free Pantry's Quick Mix (like Bisquick) don't be afraid to try new recipes or take old recipes and convert them to gluten-free. Sure some of your experiments may end up in the trash but you may surprise yourself.

[ironic]

newbie survival kits!

It's harder than I thought it would be. Cause I LOVE food. And while there are some good gluten free foods.. all my favorites (of course) aren't.

Plus, it seems like no one else understands. I was telling my friends about it and they were like, "thats not so bad, I've done diets before". And then we all go out to dinner and they try to convince me to "cheat" cause "everyone does when they're on a diet". Its aggrevating, but I can't blame them. They just don't get it.

[Nancym]

I think the easiest way to cook, until you get past the accidental glutenenings and subsequent brain-foggings, is to simplyfy everything! You will KNOW you can't get glutened if you stick to whole foods and spices. Shop the outsides of the store, pick up the veggies, fruits, meats, eggs, leave the interior of the store alone. Anything with an ingredient list you have to squint to make sense of, leave it alone.

I buy whole spices and grind my own in a coffee grinder dedicated to the task. Then I never have to worry about what else is in those so-called "natural spices" they aren't telling me.

Avoid eating out until you feel confident you know how to handle that situation. You might want to get Dining Cards to explain it to the waitstaff and cooks. Even then, you can't be 100% certain... but at least get out of the cycle of glutenings.

If your friends don't understand "celiac disease" try to explain it to them in terms of an allergy. Most people have the image of the girl dying from a peanut butter laden kiss (ok, it didn't happen) but at least it'll get them from urging you to "cheat".

[par18]

I think the easiest way to cook, until you get past the accidental glutenenings and subsequent brain-foggings, is to simplyfy everything! You will KNOW you can't get glutened if you stick to whole foods and spices. Shop the outsides of the store, pick up the veggies, fruits, meats, eggs, leave the interior of the store alone. Anything with an ingredient list you have to squint to make sense of, leave it alone.

I buy whole spices and grind my own in a coffee grinder dedicated to the task. Then I never have to worry about what else is in those so-called "natural spices" they aren't telling me.

Avoid eating out until you feel confident you know how to handle that situation. You might want to get Dining Cards to explain it to the waitstaff and cooks. Even then, you can't be 100% certain... but at least get out of the cycle of glutenings.

If your friends don't understand "celiac disease" try to explain it to them in terms of an allergy. Most people have the image of the girl dying from a peanut butter laden kiss (ok, it didn't happen) but at least it'll get them from urging you to "cheat".

Pay close attention to this post as it is the way to go! Naturally gluten free food takes the guesswork out of the equation. You ask in your title why it is so hard. There are a couple of reasons. (1) You have to prepare a lot of what you eat in the beginning. (2) There are not a lot of eating out options ( there will be more coming in the future). (3) Most people don't understand what you are trying to do and can't or won't support you. Suggestion: Organize your meals. Write down a sample diet for a week. Then go to the market and get the necessary items. Fix enough of whatever you are having so that you can eat leftovers the next day. Every little bit of pre-planning will pay off. Once you develop a system then it won't be so hard. Get the dining cards as mentioned above (if you don't have them) so you can maybe eat out more safely on occasion. Concentrate on getting better and less on your restrictions. There is a lot of support on this board if you are not getting it where you are. Good luck.

Tom

[mouse]

When I got diagnosed I was too sick to know where to turn for cooking. I did wok meals almost every day. We got, veggies, meat, etc. in there. We got sick of them until I learned what to do, but it sure helped us through the learning curve. BTW, even after 2 1/2 years I still am getting wonderful cooking tips on this forum. The recipes are fantastic.

[2tired]

Pay close attention to this post as it is the way to go! Naturally gluten free food takes the guesswork out of the equation. You ask in your title why it is so hard. There are a couple of reasons. (1) You have to prepare a lot of what you eat in the beginning. (2) There are not a lot of eating out options ( there will be more coming in the future). (3) Most people don't understand what you are trying to do and can't or won't support you. Suggestion: Organize your meals. Write down a sample diet for a week. Then go to the market and get the necessary items. Fix enough of whatever you are having so that you can eat leftovers the next day. Every little bit of pre-planning will pay off. Once you develop a system then it won't be so hard. Get the dining cards as mentioned above (if you don't have them) so you can maybe eat out more safely on occasion. Concentrate on getting better and less on your restrictions. There is a lot of support on this board if you are not getting it where you are. Good luck.

Tom

Kristren, I can relate to how you feel. I have been gluten free for 11 mths. now. I cannot say that I feel any better yet. Mostly I feel worse because my diet is not healthy. I never was never interested in learning to cook when I was growing up. Now, it is a real hinderance to me. I was use to a life of popping , Lean Cuisine, or Healthy Choice into the microwave. Now that those days are over I am really hurting. I have lost 55 lbs. since I have been diagnosed and I don't know where it is going to stop. I am so weak all of the time. I am doing the snack foods and lots of cheese, some vegetables and potatoes. I haven't figured out the meat yet. I am still working on that. It can be frustrating at times. My brother was diagnosed a mth. before me and he has gained weight, but he has a wife to cook for him. I hope that things will look up for you real soon.

[MistressIsis]

I;m just learning to cook as weel. My ex did all the cooking although it turns out everything he made I was allergic to! Never learned growing up, so now at 35 I'm finaly learning...sometimes it comes out really yummy, other times I toss it.

[gfp]

How do you all do it everyday.

Honestly ... we just do.

If you think about it, how do you remember to breath.... how can a human calculate where to hit a ball to knock another into a pool table pocket. --- how do you ride a bike?

Riding a bike seems aweful hard at first.... so does skiing .. but people do it and then it becomes second nature.

When I put on ski's I don't think about standing up...I just think about the snow and the slopes... not falling over just happens.... the first time I put on ski's I just fell over ... then stood up and started going backwards through a whole set of tables and chairs at a cafe.... actually standing up was more than I could do.... but I got up and I watched others and thought... they are not even trying.... it just happens...

gluten-free is the same i promise... it seems so hard but once you do it it really does become second nature.

Right now you are spending the whole time just trying to stand up..... in a few months you won't even need to think about that and you can look at all the wonderful scenery... or start enjoying it!

[rkmonckton11]

i love the support on this forum. everyone is a big help in my everyday life. the gluten-free survival kit rocks! major props to Nini thank you for putting that together. thank you to everyone for your help! i have a question i ate (sour cream and chedar ruffels) today and right after i felt sick. whats up with that. does the sour cream and cheddar chips have gluten? i don't htink so but it made my tummy hurt and all bubbley. Ive been buying alot of thoes roasted chickens from raleys there fresh twice a day at my raleys so when i need a quick fix i swing in a go buy a chicken and i have it for all night. its great for snacks so yummy! well i have to run i'll be on later and thank you again for all of the support!

Kristen

[babygirl1234]

yes they do because they are prostect anything thats prost dont eat just make sure you read the lables to make sure its gluten-free because if you dont you will know oh do you have a health food store around you because thats the best place to get your gluten-free foods and cooking supples at because most reg stores dont havr much of gluten-free things, or ask on here where to order from oh have you guys had pams gluten-free peanut butter cookies or there choc chip and for ice cream i love eddys yes eddys is gluten-free and if you want to know which kinds are gluten-free just PM me and i can tell you