Celiac / Gluten-Free. Looking for tips from parents who have BTDT

[Anonymous]

Don't have an official diagnosis yet (endoscopy is scheduled), but markers were all elevated so Dr. strongly suspects Celiac Disease.

So not sure what exactly I'm looking for, but I guess whatever advice you can give a parent just starting on the gluten free path. Everything from best sources for food / recipes to how to help your kid deal with giving up cookies and cupcakes.

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

The good news is you really don't have to give up anything!

Check out Pamelas cookies--most grocery stores sell them now. Glutino pretzels. Sticky Fingers does GF cupcakes. Whole Foods bakery. Lilit Cafe in Bethesda for pizza. Also so many chain restaurants to GF--PF Changs, Bonefish, etc. You can get toaster pockets for your toast to not cross contaminate. Vans or Nature's path for frozen waffles

This is a great resource:
http://www.livingwithout.com/

http://www.csaceliacs.info/

[Anonymous]

Oh, yeah, there's an app for that...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id324483597?mt=8

[Anonymous]

Check out MOMs organic market and Trader Joes.

Original Pancake House in Bethesda and Rockville have GF pancakes.

Clean out your fridge--ditch all condiments and start afresh. I think Heinz is all GF and buy GF soy sauce. If you do PB, buy two jars label one jar GF.

Also, love Against the Grain Bread. I found it at Lilit Cafe.

[Anonymous]

The good news is you really don't have to give up anything!

Make cookies and cupcakes using alternative kinds of flour (I've only ever been told to limit the use of almond flour, haven't seen warnings about any of the others so I use them freely), or buy the pre-made gluten-free kind.

The best piece of advice I can give you is when you need to eat out, to be very specific with waiters that it is for celiac's and not just a gluten-intolerance. A lot of people are going gluten-free because of less urgent health situations (e.g. I am gluten-free to control my eczema and headaches) but don't mind if their food is mildly contaminated (or wouldn't even know). Restaurants with gluten-free options have a dedicated process to ensuring no contamination for those diners who truly MUST avoid exposure, but you have to make sure they know that you'll need them to be very careful and aren't just a casual gluten-avoider.

[Anonymous]

The Happy Tart bakery in Del Ray has pastries and breads that are all gluten free.

[Anonymous]

Pasta replacement - Andean Dream Quinoa/rice pasta (we find it at Mom's, its also on Amazon.

Soy sauce replacement: San J Gluten Free Tamari sauce

Vans Waffles

Chex has a whole line of gluten free cereals.

Udi's bread, bagels, rolls, etc (we like the whole grain)

Better Batter flour for baking (pricey, but its the best)

King Arthur gluten free brownie, muffin, and cake mixes.

The biggest thing you have to watch out for is the hidden ingredients. Label's don't always blatantly say "wheat" and never say "gluten". Gluten can be found in some brands of ice cream, candy, condiments, etc.

[Anonymous]

Food Should Taste Good chips:
http://www.foodshouldtastegood.com/about-fstg/faq

Certified GF:
http://www.gfco.org/

[Anonymous]

Best advice I ever got after my DD was diagnosed was to simply shop the outside of the store and try to avoid premade and canned foods altogether. It really helped the whole family eat more simple and less processed foods. That being said we LOVE udi's bread and pizza crust. We also love the pasta at Trader Joe's. Its corn based which we like now that there is so much coming out about arsenic in rice and its cheap. Best of all, its yummy. I second the suggestion to have two labeled sets of condiments and a separate pasta strainer. Finally, download the app find me gluten free. It has saved our lives on little outings to DC and big ones across the country. It will show the closest GF restaurants and most of them have a link to menus. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I dont eat gluten free, but I like the blog Elana's Pantry. She has celiac disease and cook delicious GF food for her family. good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP back again. Thank you all for the replies. It all felt very overwhelming at first, but after a few weeks to process (and a confirmed Celiac diagnosis) I know these tips will all be very helpful. So I very much appreciate everyone's time in responding, and know I will be coming back to this thread as I start processing all the information.

[Anonymous]

Giant on the Arlington Road has a couple of shelves with gluten-free products, including flours and bread, as do the Chevy Chase supermarket and the Silver Spring/Takoma coop on the Grubb Road.

The Joy of Cooking has recipes for muffins and brownies made with rice flour; the muffins were good, but I haven't tried the brownies yet. Swedish pancakes (a kind of crepe) made with rice flour were delicious, maybe better than the wheat-flour version. Our family version doesn't add melted butter to the batter, but serves them with butter and maple syrup.

[Anonymous]

check out things tha tare paleo related like paleo parents who have a whole book on cooking for kids.

[Anonymous]

You have to be especially vigilant with reading ingredients. Things masquerade themselves as other things on the ingredients list. I would start with whole foods and not eating things if you don't know exactly what something is on the ingredients list. I agree with pp that paleo recipes are great options. Cauliflower can replace many things.

Coconut flour is great. Homemade butter cream frosting is awesome.

There are some really great gluten free baked goods options. Whole Foods has these awesome chocolate cupcakes that they keep in the freezer. And, Sweet N Natural is a local bakery that services some of the organic markets.

[Anonymous]

You might consider making an appointment with Cheryl Harris, a local dietician who specializes in celiac disease (she has kids and her own family is gluten free):
http://www.harriswholehealth.com/

I also recommend ordering these cards--they are great to give to restaurants, school, etc:

http://www.triumphdining.com/products/disposable-dining-cards

You'll find that restaurants, if you pick carefully and speak to managers etc, are actually much easier to navigate than social situations--going to people's houses is much more awkward, fraught, complicated (and much more likely to result in getting sick, in my experience).

Good luck!! It will get easier with time.