Celiac disease, what is it? What do i do when I have it?

I need recipies and much more info on celiac disease (gluten free)! my mom has it. She is gluten and and milk lactollerant, but she still is very sick. She has gone to many Dr. but they cant help her! Any info could save her life! Plaese help!

She gets weak and tired. She gets cramps, she also has leg pains. My mom gets dizzy and lightheaded as well. Dr. dont know what it is, thay say she has celiac disease. Does she? I need recipies and alll the info I can get!

I hope your mom starts feeling better soon!

As for Celiac Disease and Gluten Free ... to start out, your mother will need to eat simple foods with minimum seasonings, additives, etc. The more natural and non-processed the better. Her gut needs time to heal.

This is a good time to educate your self on the many places where gluten may "hide." Natural Flavorings can sometimes hide gluten grains, especially barley. Watch out for anything labeled "Malt."

Vinegars -- even those which are not derived from gluten grains can be very hard to handle for new Celiacs -- but after the gut has had time to heal, these can be included. Apple cider and balsalmic vinegars are fine -- watch for anything that is a flavored vinegar or which is malted.

All foods, beverages, medications (over the counter and Rx) will need to be checked and verified as gluten free. ANything that can end up in the mouth needs to be looked at as suspect.

www.celiac.com has some good info -- in particular, look for the Safe/Forbidden Lists -- these are the "strange" ingredients that sometimes have gluten.

Good luck

My eleven year old daughter is going in for a biopsy to see if she too has Celiac. It is an autoimmune disorder and is entirely manageable. Diet is the key. Try www.celiac.org and glutensolutions.com. From what I have been told there are support groups out there for people with Celiac. There are some specialty food stores (natural food stores) that carry gluten free foods. You will have to read your product labels and find out from the Celiac site which ingredients to avoid. Hope everything works out for you and your mom.

What do you do?

Sadly... you scrutinize EVERYTHING you eat.

Any flours/grains must obviously be avoided... if the ingredients say "spices and flavorings", you should probably steer clear. No balsamic or malt vinegar, and honestly, ANY vinegar may cause issues. Pick foods that are SIMPLE... the more ingredients the higher the likelihood of something that will affect you/your mom.

Try and focus on basic meats & proteins and pure vegetable recipes (i.e. not mixed foods - casseroles, flavored, spiced, coated, etc.)

Good Luck!!!

It's SO tough... read the info below...

Great resource:

http://www.celiac.com/st_main.html


Recipes:

http://www.celiac.com/st_main.html?p_cat...