luvs2eat

From the day I was diagnosed, I did not let a MORSEL of gluten pass my lips, knowingly. I just switched to "real food," meaning that I ate plain meats, seasoned by me, fresh fruits and veggies, rice and potatoes. I only ate baked goods I made myself. I'd been a label reader for years, so while shopping was time consuming, it wasn't too hard.

All that said... it took an entire year for my system to get back to any semblence of "normal." Luckily, I don't have other food allergies and can have dairy and stuff.

I've been gluten-free for 3 years. Several times in the last year, I've eaten a piece of bread or had a few sips of beer... "to experiment," and have had little or no repercussions. But I think it's because I am SOOOOO completely gluten-free all the time.

I keep thinking that I might be able to "plan" cheats... like eating pizza once a month... and not hurting myself. But so far, it's just dreaming... I've read too much about what gluten does to your intestines.

Um... I think ice cream is a medical necessity... as are chocolate and martinis and french fries. In fact, I think Haagan Daaz Swiss Vanilla with Almonds ice cream is essential to my health!!

(just kidding)

I'm partial to brown rice pasta... I find it tastes the closest to regular pasta. None of them reheat so well, but at the first meal, no one in my house can tell the difference betw. brown rice pasta and the old wheat pasta.

Well... as soon as I received the Manna from Anna, I made some rolls and a small loaf with the first mix! It is delicious and I brought one of the rolls for lunch today to have with tuna fish!!

Eureka!!

I just ordered some. I'm crossing everything that it's as good as y'all say!!

What obstacles do people with Celiac disease face?

i.e. at work, at home, traveling etc.

I don't face so many at work. A coworker's aunt is a celiac. It's not hard for me to say, "No thanks, no cookies, etc. for me." Traveling is only hard if you don't speak the language and can't ask about gluten-free foods in restaurants, etc. It is quite amazing tho how people don't "get" it... "There's no wheat or flour in the soup..." that's got pasta floating all in it. (Arrgghh!!)

I was with the "know where the bathrooms are" crowd, but since I've been gluten-free for several years, it's unusual for me to be running for a bathroom anymore... I'm THAT careful.

What are the common complaints?

i.e. about Gluten Free products?

As others have said, they are expensive and a poor substitute for yeasty wheat bread, an ice cold beer, and about 100 other tastes and sensations I could name. Altho, I've just ordered some Manna from Anna bread mixes that I'm keeping my fingers crossed for!

What social stigma and limitations?

I don't find a social stigma at all. I'm not a thin person, so if I refuse cookies or beer, it could easily be for any kind of diet. The limitations are in my own head. I miss bread and beer and cookies and lots of stuff like that.

But, know what? There are so many worse things to have than celiac disease.

I'll have to reluctantly agree. Luckily, I loved to cook before being diagnosed and was already a label reader (I didn't like giving my kids crap) so I pretty much knew what I couldn't have before I got all the lists of No-Nos.

But what happened to me is that when I was diagnosed, I was so upset at not being able to have bread, beer, etc. etc. again that I OVERDOSED on the things I COULD have... potatoes, rice (in its every form!) homemade cornbread, brown rice pastas... and packed on some weight. Not to mention... that my celiac disease was diagnosed so fast (3 month of gastro symptoms) that I didn't even begin to lose weight!! ARRGGHHH!!

I have a friend who I sensed was getting impatient with my not being able to have wheat/gluten. She's a diabetic who manages the food she eats by shooting more insulin rather than managing her insulin and her diet. She asked me once... "Can't you just have SOME??" I finally told her, "Sure... if I want MOLTEN ACID comin' out my butt!" haha... sorry to be so graphic, but it made her understand that cheating on a gluten-free diet is not an option!!

Celiac Disease - Yes

Diabetes - No

Sex - Female

My night time cramps are on the top of my foot near my toes... where it seems there shouldn't be enough muscle to cramp!! I should try the bar of soap thing... I've read that before.

I was diagnosed so quickly that I didn't have the unexplained weight loss problems that are so common. Then I substituted rice and potatoes for all the stuff I couldn't have anymore and have packed on weight. AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!

As soon as I was diagnosed, via blood test, I became obsessive about my diet... and was COMPLETELY wheat/gluten free... and it still took a whole year before I decided things were as normal as they were gonna get. No more gas, or diarrhea, unless I've eaten something I shouldn't have.

My diagnosis was pretty fast and simple. I had unrelenting diarrhea for about 2 months when I finally took myself to a GI doc. He gave me a course of Flagyl (an antifungal) while he tested for Giardia after I told him we'd spent the summer boating and swimming in the Delaware River, and did blood tests.

He told me he'd never seen antibody levels as high as mine and told me I had Celiac Sprue. He said it was common in folks of Irish descent... I told him my mom and fam were right off the boat from Belfast... and that was the end of my wheat days.

I remembered questions about possible wheat allergy when I was around 5 years old cause I had to take my own snack to school for a while, but nothing ever came of it and I was completely "digestive system" healthy till I was 48!!

I've since come to the conclusion that my sister's wicked allergies and eczema and my brother's eczema would be helped if they too stopped eating wheat... but if all I had was eczema, I'd keep eating it too!!

Luckily for me, tho, I've always loved to cook and know how a lot of things are made, so it wasn't as hard for me to avoid ingredients when dining out and cooking. Still looking for a good bread recipe tho!

I tried the pizza crust from Bette Hagman's book and found it to be quite good. We cooked it on one of those Pizza Pizazz things and everyone thought it was geat!

New here!

It took my intestines almost a whole year to calm down and return to any kind of normal. I was diagnosed very quickly and didn't lose any weight at all... and have only GAINED eating no gluten... talk about depression!!

My all time favorite food to bake was bread. I used to make beautiful braided challah breads and big round crusty country loaves... I still do make them. Only now I can't eat them.

The loss of bread since my diagnosis (August 2003) has been the hardest for me. Whenever someone asked what my favorite food in the world was, I always said, "Homemade bread... and butter... that's one food, right??"

With all that's happening in the world... I know this is so not important. I'm just missing bread today. I've yet to find a good celiac bread and ... trust me... I've tried a bunch of recipes.