JennyD

Try Tarte as well, they are sold through sephora.

Boatguy,

I too had a similar experience with Chipotle and have since learned a few tricks... If I eat there I go about 15 to 30 minutes after they open only, never during or after a rush. Its not too busy and they have had a chance to cycle through last nights food so its fresh. Also I always always explain that I have a "Wheat Allergy" (Its celiac but they get wheat allergy, Ive had more luck with this) and ask if they can wash their hands and change their gloves and make my entire bowl without handing it off. They give you weird looks but this is actually in their company policy and quite a few employees are aware, after a few times they get to know you and just start on the routine on sight. I have still been glutened like this but only twice in 2 years so its a MUCH lower risk. Hope this helps Chiptole is a favorite for me, giving it up would be difficult.

Thanks for the heads up, Wegmens is my go to store and I probably would have tried it out.

So not to throw a curve ball in there for you but Ive been gluten free about 1.5 years now, Diagnosed Celiac in December of 2013. I started feeling better everywhere else minus my muscles and joints and was diagnosed with Celiac Arthritis and Fibro... Apparently Celiac Arthritis is a thing, this is a new diagnosis for me so I am still learning about it but you may want to check that out with a Rhumy. Hope you feel better soon

Thanks Judy Yeah my blood work also showed no Rhumatoid arthritis so that's consistent. Thanks for the well wishes also. Really after the Celiac diagnosis I was really down for a few months (mentally/physically) and have since been really positive about this whole thing... overall It could be so much worse! The Fibro/Celiac Arthritis pain is at a point that I can manage it just fine, stretching does def. help a lot along with mild excersize and plenty of short walks through the day. Over all I am feeling pretty great and healthy and am glad to sort out everything that is going on in my body lol. Thanks again for the reply, I am glad someone else has heard of this Celiac Arthritis thing.

Hey everyone, so I wanted to see if anyone else has heard of this... I went to see my general care doctor a few months ago and she felt that some of my symptoms sounded like Fibro. I have been gluten free for 1.5 years now, Celiac diagnosed in December of 2013. I want to say about 6 months or so ago I finally started feeling great after following my diet but I noticed some muscle aches etc. Anyway long story short, I went to see a Rheumatologist who ran some panels and she agreed with the Fibro diagnosis but also said that Celiac Arthritis is a thing... and separate from Celiac disease alone. I tried looking this up but I am not finding much on just "Celiac Arthritis", has anyone else heard of or struggle with this?

Advice is welcome

I hear you on not wanting to sound pretentious however I had to get over that real quick. I tend to say I have Celiac, and to treat is as though it is a severe allergy because I get super sick for a couple of weeks. That usually does the trick Most of the time restaruants are more than willing to help you out if you are upfront and plesent about your issue, my glutenings have gown down significantly with this approach.

Scion restaurant, Firefly, DOUGH, ShopHouse Asian Kitchen, Blue Duck Tavern, and Policy are all places i frequent on a regular basis. I have never been glutened by any of them after several dining experiences at each, all of them are close to the monuments and what not so they are all convenient. A couple of them are a bit pricier than others (Blue Duck mostly) but all of them have good food and I would totally recommend them as safe. Good luck

My local liquor store wont keep omission with their gluten-free alcohol selection because it is gluten removed. I was advised against purchasing it with celiac so I trusted my shop. I would avoid it.

All my pets are gluten free Also, if you do the frozen fish food (blood worms, algae, etc.) those are also gluten free and much better for your fishy friends than the standard pellets. It is a little bit more expensive but its not going to break the bank. My dogs are on a mix of a home cooked diet and Blue Freedom wet and dry foods with veggies like carrots and broccoli for treats.

They have more than just spaghetti, there are all kinds of gluten-free noodles All delicious enough that my 12 year old cant tell its gluten-free!

Thanks for the post you know, I was quite depressed about celiac for the first 8 months or so of my diagnosis... now though, I am loving life, feeling better and I truly feel that having something like celiac just makes me appreciate things so much more than I used to. It may sound weird to say but I laugh at myself for it constantly, and I am totally good with it. It seems that those around me have more of an issue with it than I do lol.

I use Desert Essance leave ins, i have thick curly hair and it works out alright... they make several products and are all gluten free as far as I know. + They smell pretty good

I like Van's as well but i def. prefer the Eggo waffles. + Its nice to have some "old school normal" brands back in my freezer !

At Home: Keeping a shared environment in my kitchen is hard due to the lack of... I don't know what to call it because its not knowledge or a lack of consideration but my household forgets to keep my surfaces clear of gluten. They have a small space in the kitchen separate from the rest. The cost of gluten free flours/breads is ridiculous. Other than that, everything I make at home is super tasty and flavorful.

Eating out: If your restaurant takes the time to offer a gluten free menu I expect my server to know what i mean when I say the word Celiac period. If i said Peanut Allergy, they would take me seriously, if I say Celiac or Gluten Allergy (I know that is a misrepresentation but its easier sometimes) I am not taken seriously and 9 times out of 10 the servers have no clue what I am talking about. Also 9 times out of 10 they think I am a fad dieter, ALL staff when offering an allergen or specialized menu should be trained on the basics else don't offer them. At any good place I have dined the second I say Celiac I am instantly taken seriously and made to feel comfortable, that is how it should be for any specialized menu for medical reasons, the blank stare is terrifying. Or the "Oh you can have bread right?" OMG really??? That's so basic. That is so incredibly frustrating, this is a disease that can do a lot of damage, if your going to offer the option offer it well don't half a** it. Half of the time the Chef will come out and talk to me, this does ease my mind but I don't want to have to do that, I want a "normal" dining experience. For example, I don't want a parade of chef's and managers at my table, If its just a chef or just a manager fine, that's ok. I would like a normal menu if possible not a piece of paper or binder... When I do get a "real" menu I call it the big girls menu now lol, I just hate feeling different when all I am trying to do is enjoy a good meal and a good glass of wine, this hands down is the worse. The only exception is the iPad at red robin, but that makes sense since they change their sourcing often, that is fine, at least its not a half torn piece of paper that's been updated god knows when. Having more than 3 options would be cool too, and options that are not just salad or plain meats... spice things up! Gluten Free isn't bad in any way when you really look at it, I didn't have to alter my diet much at all after diagnosis so come on chef's, get creative!

Things I Miss: A good Ruben, Desert of all kinds, pizza that isn't thin crust, a deep dish would be amazing, waffles, fish and chips (I had a champagne battered fish and chip that was amazing at Disney), deep fried goodies, POUTINE FRIES (this is the biggest one and so easy to do gluten-free, I do it at home), chiabatta buns.

So my Red Robin uses the iPad as well, the reason they gave me was that their sources for ingredients change regularly and they may make it unsafe for me to eat there if they don't keep up on the printing. I actually like the idea of the iPad because I know the food safety is always up to date to the minute. They probably just explained it poorly, but when you think about it, would you rather rely on a staff that may not be aware of an ingredient change or an iPad that has all of the current and correct food options for you there? This goes for all allergies as well as Celiac disease.

My Red Robin then went on to explain that they are trying to accommodate some guests with several allergies and medical restrictions, its much simpler for them to check all the boxes and make sure they aren't missing anything Just my 2 cents but the system has worked out great for me, no glutenings at my favorite burger joint.

Kind bars, mixed nuts and GoPicnic meals. If you have not heard of GoPicnic they are fantastic for a more substantial on the go meal.

Seconded on all of the replies above with one addition. There is an app called "The Gluten Free Scanner" that scans bar codes and lets you know if the item is gluten-free or gluten-free with a chance of cross contamination, etc. I don't rely on this solely, I will still scan the label for the key words (Wheat, Malt, etc.) but if the scanner (which has about 60% of the items I have scanned) and the label check out I feel a bit safer buying the foods I am not sure about. I hope this helps!

To offer some encouragement, I felt the same way at first I hated food and it was a scary thing all of a sudden. I dreaded the holidays, potlucks, get togethers, all of it, I just felt isolated and afraid of what I was eating. I think it was around my 8 month mark after diagnosis that feeling just went away and I have the best relationship with food now. I feel empowered knowing what my digestion issues are and just came to an attitude of "no I wont be afraid and I will enjoy eating/holidays/all of it even if I have to make my own dish". I do a lot of cooking and re-inventing my favorite recipes and make it a point to sit down and enjoy every meal that I can. I still eat out, though I am very picky about the places we go, and hey, my good friends all "get it" so its become a peaceful and fun event again.

I guess my point is, I understand this feeling and I think we all go through it but you can get passed it and find a healthy relationship with food again. *Hugs* to everyone stay strong.

You can also try the Blue Freedom, it is specifically labeled Gluten Free and I haven't had any issues. I also was glutened by my dog when she was on "normal" dog food, that was a fun one to figure out Good luck!

Hey everyone,

I was diagnosed with celiac disease January this year and have been Gluten Free (minus a few accidental glutenings) ever since. I have been recovering averagely I would say, I have good days and bad however I noticed that I am having new skin rashes popping up in a couple of spots and they wont go away, the oldest one is about 2 months old at this point. I went and saw a dermatologist and they prescribed a topical steroid cream for dermatitis and other skin conditions to see if it helped however they couldn't tell me what it was positively, its making no difference so far after a few days use. I am probably being impatient with the cream. I am not overly itchy which is odd since my pre-diagnosis rashes itched terribly.... Has anyone else come up with these brown splotchy spots during healing? It is almost scab like but not hard and rather odd. I hope nothing new is going on.

Any advice is appreciated Thanks!

I use a fitbit that tracks how much I walk/eat amongst other things. It has helped me keep track of things pretty well, i would recommend this to anyone trying to gain, lose, or maintain weight. Good luck!

I am at 9 months gluten free after my Celiac diagnosis and I still have symptoms similar to yours from time to time, they have gotten less frequent for me but they do still pop up. A friend of mine is at a year and a half gluten free after a celiac diagnosis and she is also still having symptoms far worse than mine. 18 months doesn't seem unreasonable to me, my doctor told me it can take up to 2 years or sometimes longer depending on how long you had symptoms before a diagnosis, how much damage you had, and other variables. Hang in there.

Ive been gluten free since about January, I have also struggled with outbursts and frustration at my partner... It's been a difficult adjustment period for both of us. Joining this forum has helped me out a lot as well as some regular stress relieving activities (walking/yoga/breathing deeply when I start to feel the frustration and anger well up). All in all, it does get better a little at a time, three steps forward and one to two steps back every day but that is still progress. My partner and I have laid out a game plan for when i get angry or frustrated over food/eating/shopping, he notices it before i do so he gives me a hug and gently points it out. We talk over the subject of the frustration (rice products and grocery shopping for you ) and we work through it calmly together over a walk or some other activity that removes me from the situation. We have had to do this less and less often as I have learned what/how to eat and what works. You may want to consider pre-cooking some quick and easy food items so you can quickly toss together a salad or favorite meal ( I do chicken but this is not an option for you, however I'm sure there is something similar you can do with a vegie diet ). Either way, hang in there, it gets easier and when you start feeling better it is completely worth it.

Thanks for the encouraging words, I have been struggling with frustration of being sick, feeling "left out" at parties and get togethers... just learning to re-live life in a healthy positive light. this really is helpful, thank you.