HOW TO START A GLUTEN-FREE LIFESTYLE

FOR THE NEWLY-DIAGNOSED CELIAC AND DH’er

HOW TO START A GLUTEN-FREE LIFESTYLE©

by Janet Y. Rinehart and Lynn Rainwater

A definite diagnosis of Celiac Disease (screening blood tests plus endoscopic biopsies) and/or Dermatitis Herpetiformis (skin biopsy) means a lifetime commitment to a gluten-free diet.

Join national celiac support groups, for example:
-- CSA/USA;
P. O. Box 31700, Omaha, NE 68131-0700; www.csaceliacs.org.
The full membership includes a quarterly newsletter, Lifeline,
and publications that can be an important part of your orientation.

-- GLUTEN INTOLERANCE GROUP (GIG);
31214 124th Avenue, SE, Auburn, WA 98092-3667; 253/833-6655

-- CELIAC DISEASE FOUNDATION;
13251 Ventura Blvd., #3, Studio City, CA 91604-1838; 818/990-2354

Take full advantage of your Houston chapter membership. Our group leaders and contacts have experience with the gluten-free diet. We can help you acclimate to the changes in your lifestyle. We welcome your questions.

Start your gluten-free diet using unprocessed fresh foods, like fresh fruit and vegetables, unmarinated poultry, beef and fish. Add new foods one at a time every 3 days. This way you should discover, perhaps, other food allergies, and what agrees best with you.

Do more research at reputable Celiac Disease Center:
-- University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research, http://celiaccenter.org
-- University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program, www.uchospitals.edu/specialties/celiac
-- Celiac Disease Center at Columbia Univ., www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu
-- Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, www.bidmc.harvard.edu/celiaccenter
-- National Institute of Health: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/diseases/pubs/celiac
-- NASPGHAN: http://www.naspghan.org/sub/celiac_disease.asp
-- Gluten-Free Diet Guide Families: www.celiachealth.org

Start your gluten-free diet using unprocessed fresh foods, like fresh fruit and vegetables, unmarinated poultry, beef and fish. Add new foods one at a time every 3 days. This way you should discover, perhaps, other food allergies, and what agrees best with you.

Start a Food Diary with notations about both investigated "good" brands and those which do not seem to agree with you. Write down every thing you put into your mouth – food, liquids, and medications – and questionable ingredients, as well as your body’s reactions. You may see a pattern indicating other food sensitivities.

Sort out your pantry and refrigerator. Stock with approved goods and produce. Give away non-gluten-free items -- like baked goods, pasta, soups, etc., or keep them on shelves for family members who are not gluten intolerant. You may want to use special stickers to differentiate gluten-free items.

Learn to read all labels to discern possible gluten.

Understand that you will make unintentional mistakes as you are learning and may cause some symptoms to reoccur. Unfortunately, that’s part of the process. Just get back to basics and do the best you can. Gluten is hidden in so many products.

READING LABELS

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act goes into effect on January 1, 2006. The top 8 allergens must appear in common terms on labels: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans. Note that gluten is not one of the terms to be included. We will still have to look for malt (barley), oats (because of contamination with wheat), and rye, although they usually are on labels. Companies are allowed to use up their supplies on store shelves and warehouses with old labels.
This new labeling will help people with wheat and gluten sensitivities because wheat is our biggest challenge and used to be hidden under nebulous terms on labels. These allergens may appear as a source in parenthesis for an ingredient or in a "Contains" statement at the end of the ingredient listing. It still may be hard to ascertain whether a new label or old, so continue to call manufacturers if you are confused.
There may be voluntary “Advisory Statements” included below the ingredients; for example, Processed in a facility that also manufactures wheat, dairy, etc. Newbies should be very careful of these type of statements; when you are comfortable and knowledgeable about your own level of sensitivity you may want to try out these products.

DO USE: Flours from rice, corn, potato, nuts, beans, tapioca, sorghum, Montina, manioc (from yucca plant) or quinoa.

AVOID ALWAYS: Wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, triticale and kamut.

HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein), HPP (hydrolyzed plant protein), and TVP (texturized vegetable protein) may contain wheat. If source is not shown, investigate.

The terms "modified food starch", "modified starch" or "gelatinized starch" are now believed to be less likely to contain wheat, although there is no guarantee. Look further on label or call manufacturer.

The word "starch" alone on a U.S. food label is supposed to indicate that corn is the source of the starch.

The word "vinegar" alone on a food label should denote apple cider vinegar on U.S. products.

These ingredients contain gluten: Bran, bread crumbs, bulgur, cereal extract, couscous, cracker meal, durum, durum flour, enriched flour, farina, gluten, graham flour, high gluten flour, high protein flour, malt or cereal extract, malt vinegar, matzo, semolina, soft wheat flour, pastas, gluten flour, vital gluten, wheat (bran, germ, gluten, malt, starch), whole wheat berries, whole wheat flour, barley grass, orzo (rice-shaped pasta), matzo meal.

These items usually contain gluten and should be questioned: Most soy sauces, brown rice syrup, flavorings in meat products, coating mixes, communion wafers, imitation seafood (surimi), marinades, roux, sauces, self-basting poultry, canned soups and soup bases, bouillon, stuffings, thickeners.

AVOID: Malt flavoring, a very common ingredient in cereals and elsewhere, is usually from barley. Do not use products with malt or malt flavoring.

QUESTION: Dextrin and MSG if product is imported; vegetable starch; artificial or natural flavorings in meats. Question Brown rice syrup.

Read labels carefully on your vitamins and medications, both active and inactive ingredients. Call manufacturers if sources of ingredients are unclear, as they often are. The word "starch" on medications can mean any starch in pills.

Although, it is the ingestion of gluten that does the main damage, some celiacs may be sensitive to gluten in lotions, cosmetics, or other topical products. Read all labels and choose appropriate brands without gluten.

Other Sensitivities: Certain products are questionable for celiacs, not because of gluten, but some other issue having to do with an individual sensitivity. For example: New fat replacers Olean and Olestra are not recommended for people with digestive problems; they may have a laxative effect. Similarly, guar gum does not contain gluten, but larger amounts may have a laxative effect. Likewise, sorbitol, mannitol and the like may cause diarrhea, even though the products are GF. Celiacs tend to have other food sensitivities.

Cross contamination is a real problem in terms of manufacturing, conveyor belts, shipping; at restaurants and at home with bottled/canned products everyone uses (use one implement for dipping and another for spreading), toaster, cooking; in restaurants on grills, using same spoons, picking off croutons instead of none to start with, etc. Be aware and vigilant.

Note that manufacturers may replace fat in some no-fat or low-fat products with starch of indeterminate source. Therefore, no-fat products are probably not a good choice

If in doubt, leave it out! Wheat free is not necessarily gluten free.

Always read all labels! Manufacturers may change ingredients frequently based on the lowest cost provider.

WAIT

You may want to wait 2 to 4 months to use milk products. Many newly-diagnosed celiacs are intolerant to lactose (with similar symptoms to gluten ingestion). The lactose in milk does not damage the villi, but the damage to the intestine may interfere with the production of the enzyme lactose, the enzyme used by the body to break down lactose (milk sugar). After the gut heals, celiacs who were not lactose intolerant before developing CD may regain the ability to tolerate lactose.

Wait to use fatty foods like bacon & ham. Sick celiacs tend not to digest fats well.

Wait to try millet, amaranth, buckwheat. Although these grains in pure form are probably gluten free, these may be contaminated with wheat. There are so many great recipes using the common substitutes that you need not use any of these at the beginning.

Celiacs tend to be susceptible to other food sensitivities. After milk, the most common one is soy intolerance.

TOOLS

Invest in good gluten-free cookbooks. The CSA cookbooks, Bette Hagman’s Gluten-Free Gourmet series, and Carol Fenster’s series (with food values and substitutions) are excellent resources to start with. If your child is the celiac in your family, collect a variety of cookbooks and teach him/her to cook. Engage your spouse to learn to shop and cook gluten free. In order to stay committed on any special diet, you will be more satisfied with a variety of foods. Try at least one new recipe a week.

Get used to calling manufacturers. An important tip when investigating products is to first ask whether the product contains wheat, barley, rye or oats, or any derivatives – rather than asking initially whether something is gluten free. (Some manufacturers lump corn gluten into a big "gluten" category, and that complicates the picture.) You will find most company representatives are friendly and helpful. However, many companies don’t want to be committed to saying something is gluten free because of possible litigation.
Manufacturers can and do change ingredients and suppliers at any time and without warning, so always read the labels! Unfortunately, at this time the label cannot be the final arbiter of what truly is gluten free and what’s not. Some companies have full disclosure on labels, but not many.

Medications
- You can’t necessarily tell by labels or package insert whether a medication is gluten free. Investigate with a manufacturer the source of any starch in both active and inactive ingredients.
- "THE DRUG DIRECTORY OF MANUFACTURERS" is available from Marcia Milazzo. This resource will help you find good telephone numbers for many pharmaceutical companies. The price is $24.95 (plus postage?). This resource is available through CSA/USA, Inc. See www.csaceliacs.org.
- Also, access pharmacist Steve Plogsted’s site: www.glutenfreedrugs.com, a free site.

SYMPTOMS

- Diarrhea: -
If you’re still having diarrhea, perhaps try a softer diet of mashed potatoes, bananas, well-cooked soft vegetables, apple sauce, GF bread (warmed in microwave or toasted), soft cooked chicken or fish, eggs, etc., for a couple of weeks. Avoid fatty foods like bacon or ham. Avoid milk products and ingredients.
A short course of the over-the-counter medication Imodium may be helpful. If symptoms persist, consult your GI specialist.

- Constipation: -
If you’re suffering with constipation, gradually add more "al dente" vegetables and fruits that contain fiber. If possible, begin a walking plan. Exercise will help digestion. You may find Metamucil will balance out the system, as needed.

- Dermatitis Herpetiformis: -
Skin eruptions for celiacs with DH usually take longer to disappear than the digestive symptoms. Work with your dermatologist to ensure you use the smallest amount of dapsone possible to provide relief from symptoms. Remember that the GF diet must be strictly followed to achieve remission. Iodine (in salt, some fish, etc.) may exacerbate symptoms.

MEAL PLANNING

Plan meals before you get to the grocery store. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store to find fresh produce, meats, poultry and fish. The first couple of months will be frustrating when going grocery shopping because you are new at reading labels. Yes, gluten-free specialty products are more expensive; that’s just a fact.

To save time and trouble, plan to make as much of the meal gluten free as possible. The celiac will appreciate not feeling different, and the cook will not have to make two meals. The "civilians" in the family can add gluten-containing bread or dessert items as they want.

Start out with simple meals, rather than combination dishes.

Pay attention to all food sensitivities of your family.

Make a rough draft of your meals for the next week, taking into consideration the family’s schedule. Plan for the main entree, veggies, fruit & salad. Plan one new interesting GF dessert per week.

Use the CSA Gluten-Free Product Listing and our "Cooking for Celiacs" paper to evaluate brand names of products. Then draw up a brand-name grocery list based on the recipes you plan to use. Working on a weekly basis helps you eliminate extra trips to the grocery store, which will in turn cut down on the frustration of looking at labels again and may save money.

Be sure to plan for the family’s snacks, both gluten free and non-GF. When you have GF items readily available (like nuts, popcorn, fruit, raw cut-up vegetables, etc.), you will be less tempted to "cheat" when you are starving.

Try at least one new gluten-free recipe a week. Mark your cookbooks with comments, or develop a list of your favorites with the cookbook page noted. Include the family in meal planning. What kind of meals do they like? Try to find good gluten-free substitutes.

Make good use of your freezer. Freeze single portions of dinner dishes to use as lunch items. Freeze dessert items for snacks.

There are many companies that manufacture gluten-free specialty products. These products are more expensive than the comparable; that’s just a fact. However, many of the mixes, frozen meals, and already-baked goods are quite good and make your life easier. See the CSA Products booklet for a listing of some of the specialty food manufacturers. In Houston, there are a variety of specialty products available at Whole Foods Markets and Kroger’s Signature Stores (Nature Market corner). On the Web there are several on-line grocery stores with extensive GF product lists. You may want to consult support group members to get their opinion of some of the products before you invest in a big order.

Make gluten-free food first, whether it is toast, sandwiches or baking.

Use a secondary dedicated toaster for gluten-free items, or use a toaster oven that can be cleaned readily.

You do not have to have a complete second set of dishes, pot & pans, or implements dedicated for gluten free. Wash dishes, countertops, and your hands with hot soapy water and make sure all food residue is removed before using it for gluten-free food.

Pay special attention to any place you see crumbs in your kitchen! Those are potential places for cross-contamination.

Put food on a plate, in a bowl, or on a paper towel before you cook it in a microwave. (If this is common practice for you, you are ahead of the game - a lot of people just cook on the glass plate).

Consider containing the gluten in your kitchen to one cupboard and one section of counter top. This is a flip of the usual advice of setting aside a section of the kitchen for gluten-free food, but it makes good sense.

ALWAYS READ ALL LABELS!!!

SUPPLEMENTAL

Find a gluten-free multivitamin; for example, Freeda brand, Nature Made, Theragran or others.

Have a bone density test (DEXA) as a base line right after CD diagnosis, then subsequent tests every couple of years, unless more often suggested by your own doctor.

CONCLUSION

Continue your education about Celiac Disease and the Gluten-Free Diet. Attend a national celiac conference. Former Surgeon General Dr. C Everett Koop has said, "The best prescription is knowledge." Your success in going gluten free will ultimately get you back to good health. Don’t cheat. Every single bit of gluten is doing some damage in your small intestine and promoting inflammation.

Never give up. You can do it. Foster a support system within your family and local celiac support group. Don’t forget to utilize your sense of humor; some day a guest will really ask for your recipe (GF)! Stem depression by thinking of, reaching out to, and helping others. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Back to Home Page
Updated 13Feb11