"Seeking Moms' Whose Children Have Gluten Intolerance"

There are some good cook books that have a ton of information in them. Bette Hagman is a great cookbook author with lots of tips. In time, this lifestyle gets easier.

K.,

You may want to check out a website called Karina's Kitchen. She calls herself the gluten free goddess. On her site there are some delicious recipes that are all gluten free. She also gives good insight into making it through the beginnings of learning about living with Celiac's.
Good Luck.
J.

Hi K.!

I don't know about any support groups as I am new to this area but I have Celiac myself, my daughter tests negative so far, and would be happy to help you out if I can. There is a GREAT on-line support group on delphi forums. You can just go there and search "Celiac" and it will take you to that group. They are very supportive there.

As far as food is concerned, I try to eat as many mainstream foods as possible because the specialty "gluten-free" foods are typically more expensive. That said, there are a few things that I do order on-line. The company Kinnikinnick is where I get my bread and pizza crusts. They also have good donuts and bagels. Let's see, Meijer has a small section of GF foods at the location in Plainfield. I don't know if all of them do. I've also heard that Dominicks has some too.

It must be very difficult for a child to have to understand this intolerance. I wasn't diagnosed until 5 or 6 years ago so at least I can "deal" with it but it is never easy to watch other people eating food that I'd love to have!

Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions...I will try to help. There are a lot of foods that I know off of the top of my head that I know I can't have so feel free to ask.

Hi There, there is a group that meets at Whole Foods every 3rd or 4th Thursday (the one in Wheaton) they discuss new ways of preparing food, they also bring in samples and guest speakers every meeting.

Glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com is one that I subscribe to. We are a wheat and dairy free family. Trader Joes and Whole Foods both have a up to date print out of all of their gluten free foods. Woodmans store in North Aurora has expanded their section and it includes frozen foods also. I have found many cookbooks but still have a hard time making the transition with "normal" recipes. A lot of trial and error. Living Without magazine is a good source of info on where to buy things and some ideas on what to make. On one of my store trips I talked to a clerk and she said that even though something says wheat free it doesn't mean gluten free.

My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac disease at 4y11mo and has since gained 26 lbs. She is in 1st grade.

Trader Joe's, Whole Foods both have store lists for gluten free items. Woodmans, Dominicks, Jewel all have gluten free sections with Woodmans being the best.

Most restaurants have the information of gluten free in their nutrition facts online. If ordering at any restaurant as to speak to the manager. They usually are more invested in seeing that the order is right then the server who will probably quit as soon as they find something else.

Online there are yahoo groups like Celiackids, SillYaks just search their groups for celiac and gluten free.

Alot of companies are starting to realize the power of having the words gluten free on their boxes. Example Chex Rice Cereal is going gluten free, watch for their box.

Always read labels as things change some take out wheat and some add it. You would be amazed at what has wheat and barley in it.

Also watch out for products... envelope glue that you lick, playdough, some other adhesives. Things that you just don't think about.

Let me know if you need any more information, help, mental support.

Remember that there are alot of junk foods out there there are gluten free/main stream and you just might wish that they had gluten in them.

Good luck.

Barbara(Batavia) Mom of 7 year old celiac, 4 year old showing signs of celiac and 4 month old son, who probably won't know what gluten is or tastes like.

____@____.com

Hi K.,
Bless your heart! Our entire family is gluten free and even with all the hassle, it is so worth it! I have been doing this for so long that I have forgotten some of the great websites; however, depending on where you live, there is a g-f support group at the Whole Foods in Wheaton. It meets every 3rd Thurs and the next one is tomorrow(17th). Bread was the hardest for me and I finally found a wonderful bread, Pamela's Amazing Bread Mix and you can order it from Amazon for about the same price as a wheat loaf. You do have to make it but it tastes so great!

Just a side note. You did not mention how your family was being tested and I don't know if you know about this lab or not but, my husband was blood tested and everything was negative. He still had symptoms, but they were not the usual ones like your daughter. So, I found this lab online that will do stool tests(more accurate, since straight from the gut where the damage is occuring) and he agreed to be tested only because he was so sure that it would be negative again. Well...it was positive. This lab www.enterlab.com checks for other genes that behave the same as the 'typical' celiac gene. The dr.(Dr. Fine) has been doing research on gluten for over 30 years. If you do not know about this, I urge you to check it out because it will save the other family members from further damage to their gut down the road. Anyway, it is so much easier for the entire family to go g-f than just to keep clean for one. : ) Gluten is such a common problem and leads to so many other health issues. My husbands' exzema/psorisis cleared up and he lost about 25lbs. He has more energy and his skin looks great. So stomach problems may or may not be a symptom. My daughter had terrible stomach problems(constipation, pain, bloating), but my son did not. My son was more tired, sleepless at night, nutrient def., muscle pain, and irritable/sensitive. Everybody seems to have a slightly different presentation.

Which company do you work for? ARbonne? I am a consultant too and LOVE it! Arbonne is amazing and their new detox line looks wonderful too!

email me if you would like anymore info. I'll dig up some websites. I have heard that glutenfreegirl.com is a good blog.
Best to you, C.

Definitely, definitely check out Trader Joes in Batavia if you have not already been there--they will give you a list of all the gluten free items available in their store.

Google the magazine Living Without. It will be a wonderful resource for you. You can get it at Whole Foods, many Barnes and Noble book stores or subscribe online. Good Luck!