mbrookes

This is an almost exact replica of the canned onions:

Slice onions very thin and separate into rings.

Soak in milk for about 30 minutes

Shake in a bag of rice flour (not a mixed gluten-free flour) with salt and black pepper.

Fry in deep fat (I use peanut oil) at 360-370 degrees. Watch closely. Thay brown fast.

Drain on brown paper bag or paper towels.

These will stay crisp in a zip lock bag for several days.

I have started making "trash" as a snack. One large recipe lasts for a long time in tins or zip lock bags.

Just use your old recipe (or any from a book) with Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Whole Os cereal, Glutino pretzels, and a can of nuts, if you like them. No one will even knnow they are eating gluten-free.

Any other good snacks? I LOVE snacks.

The Betty Crocker yellow cake is good, too. I used it to make a pineapple upsidedown cake and it was great.

Just cover the bottom of the pan with a paste of dark brown sugar and melted butter. Cover that with crushed pineapple. Bake as the box directs. When done, invert on serving plate.

Gazpacho (That's not spelled right) is a really good cold soup and carries well. Just Google gazpacho recipes and pick one that sounds good.

Bless your heart. It WILL get better and easier.

See if your grocery store has Ledbetter's packaged bacon wrapped filets. Ceasp for a steak and a few minutes on each side in a very hot iron skillet will give you a delisous medium rare steak. Tear up a little lettuce for a salad and pour on the blue cheese dressing.

Wendy's chili over their baked potato is good fast food. Five Guys french fries are legal. Several of the Progresso soups are gluten free (sorry, you have to read the labels)

Any fresh vegetables and fruits are good. Look at vegetables you can eat raw or with a minimum of fuss (carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery,) Make a hole in the top of a small onion (especially red one) fill the hole with butter and microwave for a few minutes until soft.

Most of all, remember there are a whole lot of us out here who know what you are going through and we are all pulling for you. You can do this and you will feel SO GOOD and be so glad not to be sick any more.

Check back in and let us know how you are progressing. Also ask questions. We Celiacs love to share our triumphs and discoveries.

My store has the Betty Crocker gluten-free in with the other baking mixes. They also make chocolate cake, brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I have used the brownie mix and love it. It makes a fairly thin chewy brownie

This week end I'm going to use the yellow cake mix to try a pineapple upside down cake.

Also look in your regular cookbooks (I'm a collector and have several hundred) Many recipes are naturally gluten free and those that use only a little flour (like thickening a sauce) can be made with gluten-free flour or cornstarch.

Since your kitchen is already gluten free (IT IS, ISN"T IT?) you don't have to worry about cross contamination.

We entertain frequently and no one even knows they are eating "without."

I can drink any distilled spirits except gin. I think it must be the botanicals that are added after distillation to give flavor. I can drink bourbon, scotch, rum and tequila with no reaction.

My favorite is a potato vodka (I think from Poland) called Luksusowa (Spelling is close) It is available in most liqour stores here and is not expensive.

Red or white wine (including sparkling) give me no trouble.

Someone earlier mentioned a diminished tolerance. Do watch out for that. And remember, the amount can give you a bad reaction just as it does our non-celiac friends.

Gluten free beer (I like Redbridge) is great with pizza or Mexican, but here it is about never available in a bar or restaurant. I do wish more places carried it, and they will if enough of us ask for it.

Yep. I've got it, and it bout drives me crazy. Do you suppose it is in any way connected to Celiac?

All the medications for it seem to have such dreadful side effects that I have decided to just live with it.

Any body got "home remedies" or suggestions other than high powered drugs?

Hey,

That was me. I don't remember where it was either, but I will look at some of the places I usually go.

I know it is hard for others to put up with us sometimes, but it really is a natural condition as opposed to an act.

I have had some rough times (divorced with 2 small ones, lost both parents, job problems etc) but it does all seem to work out OK. Kids are grown and doing great. Remarried to a WONDERFUL man. Much better job and retiring in 8 months.

I guess what I mean to say is it's not that we don't have problems... sometimes huge ones... it is just a different way of reacting. I wish I could remember who said it: I can't always control what happens to me; I can only control the way I react.

Try putting "Pollyanna" in the key word search box. The quote you're looking for is under "Only a few weeks in and not trusting...." all the way to the end.

Nothing to eat? Surely, you jest.

How about fruit, vegetables, meat... or do you mean packaged convenience foods?

Have a Snicker and a Coke. (gluten-free)

Have some Lays potato chips and a V_8 (gluten-free)

There is tons of stuff to eat... you just have to look for what you CAN have as opposed to what you can NOT have.

I feel its a bit tough for me too a this moment...just gluten free for one month doing better but its hard to eat out .its like eating with anxiety hoping that you are not going to be glutened....i guess its live and learn, I'm glat to have read your post it makes me feel better to know that I'm not alone with this

Diva

You are far from alone, my dear. Our name is legion.

One thing... because of the very nature of Celiac Disease it will have a great deal of control over you, but don't let it take over your whole life.

Part of eating out is the social side, which I contend is necessary for mental health. The simple fact is... be as careful as you possibly can and you will still get a dose of poison occasionally. Suffer through and start again. No guilt, anger or any other negative emotion will speed your recovery, so don't waste the energy.

(Feel free to roll your eyes and call me Pollyanna. I've always been like this and don't expect I'll change any time soon)

I specifically avoided the bakery at the store, which is not easy to do. The closest I got was the fruits. When I got up today, I felt OK, not great, but my hubby woke me up by locking himself out - again...

So I got home, and now I'm dizzy, migraine started, and I feel weak all over. I called in sick to work, because I just feel like junk.

But, is this going to happen every week at the store?? This is very frustrating! I can't tell if its that, or from kissing my hubby after he'd eaten pizza! See, when I'm home I feed him Gluten Free, lol, so this hasn't happened yet!

So, I guess I'm not sure which one caused it. I'm really frustrated, cause I'd been feeling soooo good.

I can't believe walking through the bakery dept would cause a problem. You don't get gluten by breathing the aroma of bread!

The kissing? Unless he had big hunks of the pizza crust stuck in his mouth that shouldn't be a problem, either .

If I were you, I would l;ook for some other hidden source of gluten.

Just got my results from the biopsy and the pathologist said there was inflammation which showed the beginnings of celiac. However, the nurse practioner was hesitant to call it celiac because my blood didn't show it! She wants me to go back on gluten to redo the blood test which I said no. Enterolab found high IgA, fecal fat, the dr who did the endoscopy said she saw flattened folds and now the patholigist thinks its celiac. Plus, gluten-free has cleared my rashes and stopped my gi symptoms. So why won't she call it celiac? Any one else experience this?

Laurel

My blood tests were"inconclusive" but my gut was slick as an oil spill. Yep. That's celiac. Maybe the NP doesn't realize that the biopsy trumps the blood tests.

You can find out about cosmetics etc by calling the companies involved. Almost all companies will be totally cooperative.

One word of warning as you start this journey into gluten free good health. Don't listen to the whiners and complainers. There are lots of them AND THEY WILL NOT BE HELPFUL.

Living totally gluten free is not the easiest thing in the world, but it is very "do-able". If you don't cook much, expect that to change. Some foods will be safe only if you know what's in them (I make fried chicken, fried catfish, hush puppies, pizza, brownies... lots of stuff, but I KNOW what's in them)

You can eat out, but avoid fast food (Set recipes and frequently pre-prepared food) Restaurants that prepare food when it is ordered can tailor to your needs. Remind them (make a joke of it) to use clean utensils and cooking surfaces.

I know. I am the gluten-free cheerleader. But I feel so good and I know that I want to keep on feeling good. Don't let any one rain on your parade. I'll help whenever I can, but so will most people if you just ask them.

It seems to me that the first logical step would be to ask your present doctor to refer you to a GI who is familiar with celiac, possibly at a teaching hospital if there is one near by.

I hope it is the experiences some of you have had that are unusual and not mine. Every person, family member or friend, that I am in contact with has been very concerned about my health and they knock them selves out trying to be helpful.

A woman I work with but don't even know away from the office brought me a pkg of gluten-free biscuit mix. She saw it while shopping a thought of me.

No one has said a single mean or belittleing comment.

Surely more people have this kind of experiences. I cannot imagine being that cruel and unfeeling toward a stranger, much less a family member or friend.

Cereal is my favorite for breakfast, with or without fruit. Corn Chex and Rice Chex are both gluten-free and there are good cornflakes and fake Cheerios that are also gluten-free. I can't remember the brands right now, but they are both generally available anywhere with a gluten-free section.

Dr. Shirley Donelson

Jackson, MS

She saved my life. I was at the end... severe malnutrition, renal failure, dehydration, BP 60/40 when I wound up in the emergency room. Thank Goodness she was on call. She had me tested for Celiac as soon as I was stable.

Now. a year sand a half later, my quality of life has improved immeasurably. Gluten free is not so hard when you consider the alternative!

For a little country town that got fat (That's Jackson) we have a startling number of excellent physicians. Of course, having the medical school here with a teaching hospital doesn't hurt.

All that "Eastern" medicine sounds suspect to me... awfully close to wierd science.

Find a good nutritionist. Your "Western" doctor or a teaching hospital should be able to reccommend one. Then learn how to become truly gluten free. If you think you have other allergies (eggs, dairy) be tested for them.

Your gut is in a mess if you have just been diagnosed Celiac. Eat easily digested foods for at least 6 months to heal. Then add ather things back gradually.

Celiac is a reaction to gluten... not a result of what foods you eat together or the time between eating certain foods.

I'm not saying your Eastern specialist is not sincere and maybe right for some people. There are, however, a lot of charlatans that will take your money without any ability to really help you.

I very rarely have trouble eating out. The higher end places actually are safer, as each meal is fixed especially for that order and you can specify what to NOT include.

I eat out a lot and frequently use a card that explains the foods to avoid. We are such a litigous society that most places will be very careful not to make you sick so you won't sue them. Lousy reason, but it works.

Chains are a special challenge as they often have recipes set in stone or use pre packaged foods. Even they don't know what is in them.

I have not had a problem with anything except gin. Vodka, bourbon, wine, scotch are all OK I really do like Red Bridge beer, but no bars or restaurants around here carry it. I can only buy it at the store for home. Do the bars/restaurants carry Red Bridge where y'all are?

I've had to learn that not all tummy upsets are Celiac related. Example: I had diarrea during a course of antibiotics (normal) and too much wine (also normal) It is easy once diagnosed to blame everything on gluten, but that is not always the case.

[Welda, I like what you said about others relaxing. I know just what you mean. And I'm almost over the "poor me" except for occasional bouts. It has been 14 months since I wsa diagnosed.

I know I am fortunate because I don't have a lot of sensitivities other than gluten. Dairy, eggs and most other stuff is OK for me. I've read that distilled alcohol is safe, but it is not for me. I do love a martini, but now it is a potato vodka martini.

Thank goodness for wine, tequila and rum. I sound like a big old drunk, but I just have a very active social life.

I am sorry that so many of us seem to have trouble with depression. I guess I felt so bad (in fact, I was in the hospital near death) that I can put up with anythinmg that makes me feel so good. I am 64 years old and have more energy than I have had for years.

I guess my message is "hang in there" Gluten free, although difficult, is totally worth it!

I was diagnosed Jan of 2008. A few months later my Dr. started me on B12 shots (I give to myself once a month) and more recently on prescription D. I just keep feeling better and better, unless I slip up and poison myself.

Thank you much. That should help.

That pretty much rules out Taco Bell for me. Oh, well.