Gluten Free Husband

I, too am a just diagnosed Celiac and have the same problem. The best place I have found is Trader Joe's. They are pretty reasonable. Whole Foods has a wider selection but is higher priced. My local Giant has a small selection and is priced between Trader's and Whole Foods. It makes no sense that because we have fewer options we are forced to pay high prices but I must admit I feel a thousand times better and really don't mind paying more for feeling HAPPY! Good Luck!

I suggest checking out this blog: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/

She has a cookbook out and the blog has lots of recipes and ideas with great pictures. On her sidebar are links to recommended GF products, websites, and other GF food bloggers.

Here's a good post to start with: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2007/05/do-you-have-ce...

Bob's Red Mill products are available in most grocery stores, including Shopper's, Whole Foods, Safeway and Wegman's, and they have many very good, reasonably priced gluten-free products. They are in a clear plastic bag and are usually in the healthy foods aisle with the other gf products.

Good luck. Once you figure out what he can eat, what actually tastes good and how to prepare it and get into a routine it gets much easier.

L., mom to 2 girls, 9 and 3, including one who is on a wheat-free, dairy-free, beef-free and banana-free diet due to food allergies.

I have Sprue which is similar to Celiac and unfortunately there isn't a lot of cheaper places to buy the food. The online stores are the same prices as in the stores and it is frustrating. HOwever, there are some online places like glutensolutions that give a 10% discount as well as Healthway Food stores but you have to ask for the discount or you won't get it. There are also online gluten and wheat-free recipes that are good. You can get your regular groceries, i.e produce, meats, veggies, etc at your normal grocery store and then supplement them. I have a cookbook by Betty Hagerman that has a "gluten/wheat-free flour mixture" that can be used in baking all kinds of things. There are many other cookbooks now that more people have found out they have this allergy and some that have this allergy can also have Kamut and Spelt flours/breads. Your husband would have to try them and see if he gets the same symptoms because I can't have anything related to wheat at all. You can also use Quinoa and Amareth flours. Hope this helps.

R.

I just wanted to let you know that Angelfood distributes a box of gluten free foods. they are a low cost grocery option available in ALL states! google them and you will find them on the web. www.angelfoodministries.com I think! try that! have a good day and good luck!

N., The other posts are very good if you're just doing gluten free. You said you did a lot of research and that is great. A vegan diet is a great one of those with ciliac. I do want to mention though that it's not just the gluten that he can't have. You also need to eliminate casein which is a protein in practically all dairy products. Check out this website for foods that are gluten free and casein free: http://www.gfcfdiet.com/
I'm not sure where you live, but if there is a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods near you, those are places that have the foods you need.

Hi.
My neighbor has this. I don't know of breads, but either Duncan Hines or Betty C has both Gluten Free cake mix and brownie mix.

Also, there are a few restarants that cater to this:
Outback
Cheeseburger in Paradise

M.

Hi N. -
It is hard because the choices are limited (they are getting better though) and expensive. Rather than buy the substitues, we just cut out things that would normally have gluten in them. We do use rice pasta but otherwise we stick to fruits, veggies and meats and that makes it easy. We do use our crockpot a lot for stew and whole chickens. We only shop at Trader Joes, but if you do want to continue eating things that would have required gluten your best bet for substitutes is online or Whole Foods. Good luck!

N.,

I know several people with celiac disease, as well. Yes, many of the foods are very expensive, unfortunately. That said more and more mainstream companies are coming out with gluten-free foods so you may find a little success in your local supermarket. I can't remember if it's certain Post Cereals or General Mills Cereals that are now gluten-free. I would post on the celiac message boards out there, as well. I sympathize with you and your husband. It's quite a life-changing event when you have to go gluten-free.

Are you aware that Bonefish Grill (a chain) and Outback Steakhouse offer gluten-free menus? I've not been to Outback, but I hear they have a wonderful flourless cake there.

Food prices aside, your husband should stick to a gluten-free diet, as the affects of not being on one can be devistating to his autoimmune system and wreak havoc with his overall health. I would continue to ask many questions, as you'll be amazed at how many people are being diagnosed with it now and the variety of products being offered.

There are at least 3 bakeries in a 20 or so mile radius from me that make gluten-free baked goods.

Also, as a post script to Angela's response (I think that's who it was)-- Celiac Disease is hereditary and can skip a generation, so it is wise to have all family members tested, including grandchildren. If the members of your husband's immediate family haven't been tested, they should be to be on the safe side.

Good luck with your continued research.

Most grocery stores and natural food stores carry gluten free products. I know that Trader Joe's carries gluten free products and they are reasonably priced.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

This is mainly about crockpot recipes but she has a gluten free house (I believe one of her children has ciliac). There are tons of recipes, tips, etc. on her site and now she has a book out. She uses pretty basic ingredients and manages to stay gluten free so I hope this will be at least a starting point for some ideas of what he CAN eat. Good luck!

I've met large families who live on one income and manage to stay vegan at low-cost. I'm always amazed at how people do this, but if you learn and stay disciplined, you might be able to reduce your grocery budget with this new diet. As of now, there are only two adults eating in your family and a toddler. Some vegans with three older children have told me they spend maybe $150 for the month, including some items like nuggets, etc. for the children! Make sure you stay organized, plan your weekly menu (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/#exa...) and be creative. Dishes like soup can last two days. You can make various soups by purchasing canned vegetable stock, bags of frozen mixed vegetables, potatoes. If you have an upright freezer, you can get bigger bags of frozen vegetables and beans from a bulk food store like Sam's Club, Costco or BJs. Plan to spend extra for a few special items like nondairy milk, rice noodles, etc. Should balance out. Make dishes like chili w/rice; soup; vegetable casseroles, and some pasta substitutes (spaghetti w/rice noodles instead of wheat). I'm not sure if he can still eat meat. Sounds like he's only losing mostly bread and cereal products and you can find great options at a store like Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Once you learn which bread products he can tolerate, you can read the ingredients and see if you can find recipes online using a search engine. It's good to know this now. After you have the baby, you might find the foods are pretty tasty yourself and let the kids try a few. Not sure if celiac disease is hereditary, but you might want to consider for your children anyway instead of planning 9 different menus daily. UGH! That will definitely increase the grocery bill.

Spend some time at Trader Joes and talk with their staff. They have lots of choices and it's not in a special designated area, (like the pancakes are in the frozen section, etc.) it's just throughout the store. And the prices are very fair. They have a brochure, just ask at the front desk, and you can go on a scavenger hunt to find the different products; then go home and experiment. Some of the food you can't tell the difference and some is just yuck. You've got to just keep trying different products in different ways.

Good Luck

Another option, which I'd not seen posted yet, is to purchase a mill, and mill your own rice for bread product making. If I'm not mistaken, most gluten free bread products are made with rice flour, which can easily (and cheaply) be milled on your own. Also, as far as noodles, if he can have noodles, mung bean noodles, available from ethnic (Asian) grocery stores may be a good option. Watch out for soy sauce, most is made with wheat & soy, but tamari is only soy, no wheat, and is available @ Wegmans, and probab;y Whole Foods & TJs. I personally order a lot of my food through co-ops, and this may be a good option for you also. Just some thoughts. Good luck!

Bob's Red Mill ( http://www.bobsredmill.com/ ) makes gluten free products, you can find them at many stores. ALso, the "Gluten Free Gourmet" cookbook series has many ideas and recipes. For instance, corn or rice pasta, available at most stores. Many sotres now have gluten free products available, as the Customer service desk of your local store. Also, try a Mediterranean diet, it focuses on fruits, vegeatbles, fish and meat. My son loves turkish food, several of his teachers are Turkish, we use http://www.turkishcookbook.com/ to look for recipes.