I was just diagnosed with Celiac. I have been reading a lot online about it and some of the things I read make me nervous. It was only confirmed 2 days ago and I have only been Gluten free for 2 days. When I first found out my mind went straight to a list of foods I couldn't eat and it seems that over the past 2 days that is all I have come across. I actually feel that I might be depressed about it. That probably sounds very dramatic, but it's as if it is all still sinking in. My family has been pretty good about it, we went to the store tonight to buy all Gluten-free foods and I hated it. Everything I wanted seemed to have Gluten in it. I know things could be worse and everyone seems to keep telling me that, but I feel like no one really understands.

I also tend to eat out a lot, so if anyone has any recommendations because I am finding it extremely hard to eat out and I guess narrowing down the amount of times I eat out will help, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.
Thanks,
nicoleee

Hey hun,

I know it can seem overwhelming at the beginning - but, honestly, as so many other people on this forum will tell you, it gets better.

I began a gluten/wheat free diet 9 days ago and today I have also begun eliminating both soy and dairy. What is most frustrating for me is when I accidentally eat something that contains "hidden" gluten (happened to me last week) and feeling as if I have to start over. But it's all a learning curve. I like to think of it as a kind of adventure; it can be kind of fun to experiment with the foods you CAN eat (and believe me, there are more than you would at first imagine) and create all sorts of weird and wonderful things...

It's so normal to mourn that previous way of life, wherein you could eat whatever you wanted without feeling sick. But if you focus on the notion of becoming healthy and feeling good, it becomes a lot easier. I promise.

As for eating out, where do you ordinarily go, and where do you live? I think this is probably the hardest part of the whole thing for me, but there are ways of dealing with it - you just have to be really, really careful.

xx

Hey,
Thanks for getting back to me! Why did you begin eliminating soy and dairy, because you had to? or just because it was something you chose to do. And I am afraid of eating "hidden" gluten, I check and re-check everything I eat before I eat it. I guess it is something I will get used to, I keep hearing that before I know it, it will be normal to me, so I guess I just have to wait and see with that.

When I go out, I normally go to Italian restaurants or pizzaria's, which I get salads from there, or American restaurants, which I realize I can get steak or a burger without bread, but I just feel like I am going to get sick of these foods. I live in Westchester County in New York.

Thanks for all the advice, I guess it was better to hear it from someone who has to eat gluten free too!

well.. just like the other person i got rid of dairy and soy too. well, also because i have hallucinations, and the milk mainly triggers my hallucinations, but i find that in other people getting rid of milk can help alot.

and it's normal to be deprressed over it. and you're not taking a long time to get over it, my god, i've been diagnosed for several years and i'm STILL getting over it. (it's addicting!). And, yeah, it can be worse, but don't listen to them. it kinda makes you feel bad that it 'could be worse' right? well, yeah, it can but you gotta first deal with your situation and feel sorry for yourself before you can realize that that it could be worse. that its, as long as the feeling sorry for yourself doesn't take years and years

you can pity yourself, just not for too long. and sometimes rough times will show who your real supporters and friends are. trust me, i know that VERY much!! it's okay. be strong. it's hard, and you'll make MANY MANY MANY mistakes. you'll accidentally eat gluten, or you might just sort of crave gluten and eat it on purpose, but as long as you TRY your very hardest, you're becomeing a better person. and don't listen when other people say 'if you were trying your very hardest you wouldn't be doing it" because that's not true. this is true - "if you are trying your very hardest, then you will still make mistakes, but over time you will make less mistakes " and 'over time' may be a couple years. trust me! i know!

Gurlie, feel free to PM me. i don't have any1 to talk to and i'd be happy to talk to youz!

.::STARGIRL::.

I've been doing this for over a month and i'm still having those cravings. It doesnt really phsyically effect me, but when i eat gluten it makes me depressed and angry like all the time. But when i accidently have something it doesnt seem to effect me anymore and i just wish i could go back to how i used to be where i could eat normally. Idk its just so hard i hate everything about ittttttttttt. Thats why I joined this group, I know over time if i continue eating gluten i'll get really sick which is why i'm trying to get over my cravings. any suggestions..?

If you get pain from eating foods with gluten, isn't it enough to know that by not eating gluten you're allowing yourself to feel better? I think it's worth it to go that extra step and not eat gluten if you're saving yourself from a lot of pain. I get very sick when I eat gluten. Yeah, I miss pizza and stuff but I've found ways to go around it. Brown rice pasta, etc. Try new recipes and dishes at restaurants. It's all just a learning experience.

Welcome! There is a huge learning curve to this diet, and the list of foods you can't eat is extremely overwhelming at first. But keep reading this board and keep reading labels, and in a few months you'll be a pro.

Eating out can also be tricky until you get the hang of it. Try mexican (substituting corn tortillas) or thai (with rice noodles). American food can work pretty well - I usually order a salad or a grilled chicken breast with swiss cheese and pickle/lettuce/tomato and a baked potato or veggies. Grilled fish is good, too. Breakfast style food works well - try omelettes and hash browns (hash browns are ok about 50% of the time). Don't worry about digging through the menu - for american and breakfast food I usually know exactly what I want and ask for that rather than trying to pick something on the menu and have them do substitutions. When I order salads, I often say "salad with no croûtons or blue cheese". If you try to pick a menu salad and take things out, you'll usually get a pile of lettuce.

about eating out though. some chains have gluten free menus. the ones that don't; if you ask to talk to a manager they will usually be more than happy to accomodate you and will work with you to find things on the menu you can eat. in non-chain resteraunts its easier because you can work off the menu and mix and match things together. usually plain foods are the way to go, e.g. salads, plain veggies, grilled chicken or fish. its best to have the grill cleaned off if possible.

hope that was some help.

i know what you mean, its amazing how many things they slip gluten into, but have faith there are some really good alternatives out there. the thing with coeliac disease is we are in controll of our own health, sure our family can help us but they cant watch over us 24/7 (although i know my pearents would probably like to). keep going and dont give in, ive been on the diet for 2 months and already its just become part of my life, its like ive never known any different. for futher support from people our age check out www.celiacteens.com, its really helpful and everyone there knows exactly what we are going through