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Gluten free for 2 weeks. Any tips?


gingersmom
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After suffering with stomach issues for two years my daughter finally went to see gastroenterologist.

 

She is running a ton of tests but wants her to go gluten free for 2 weeks.

 

Bad enough but even more difficult as she is away at college.

 

Any recommendations/tips appreciated. If you know of any good websites with info/recipes that would be great too.

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Keep it simple...non marinated meats, fresh veggies, fresh fruits, some types of ice cream, several types of candy, regular potato chips, eggs, white or brown rice, cheese, some brands of nuts, there are gluten free bread mixes, brownie mixes, etc if she has an oven.  For seasonings start with using non mixed seasonings...salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, ginger, etc.

Edited by Mama Geek
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If it's ONLY for two weeks, the easiest thing would be to resign herself to a boring set menu for two weeks. She can explore food substitutes and gluten free recopies if it becomes long term, but for now, it's important not to accidentally get some gluten (to mess up the observations) so keeping it simple also helps keep it totally accurate. 

 

Breakfast

Gluten free cereal (with milk, yogurt, fruit, honey, whatever)

Bacon or Gluten Free Sausage and Eggs (could also fry half a tomato, or some mushrooms)

 

Lunch

Salad. 

Tuna and brown rice

Gluten free bread sandwhiches/wraps (the gluten free breads are easy to find here)

 

Dinner

Meat and 3 veg. Steamed, boiled, whatever. 

Chicken and rice (avoid sauces which may not be totally gluten free)

 

Gluten free snacks like potato chips, rice crackers, etc.

 

Good luck!

 

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Is she able to and does she have time to cook from scratch? 

 

Corn tortillas for tacos and breakfast egg tacos with cheese. You don't need to fry the tortilla but just put them in the oven in tinfoil or another covered dish to warm

 

Instant mashed potatoes are quick and pretty good

 

white rice is quick to cook up

 

 

Edited by LavenderGirl
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Watch out for food that seems like it would be gluten-free, but isn't:  soy sauce, teriyaki, "crab," jelly beans, sushi, fish tacos, french fries, etc..... and don't take food from people just on their word that it's gluten free.  People have tried to give me low-carb tortillas made with wheat, soup made with condensed cream soup, corn dogs, all sorts of stuff they "swore" was gluten free.  haha 

Walmart has gluten free snacks that would probably tide her over for such a short trial.  When I was a single working girl, I ate tamales and yogurt for lunch nearly every day.  You can also do things like order hamburgers with no buns, and pizzas on GF crusts.  There's a lot of options out there, nowadays.

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Did they do blood work? If she feels significantly better during this two weeks, she might not want to eat it again to get definitive celiac testing. I would ask for a celiac panel before trying the diet. There are some things linked to celiac, and to be taken seriously down the road, it's nice to have the diagnosis. I found out about my gluten issues by accident, and by then, I was not going to eat it in order to get tested. I wish I knew for sure if I have celiac disease.

 

I agree about keeping it simple. http://glutenfreeeasily.com/ 

 

Sweet potatoes in the micro are super easy. I would not try a lot of breads if she can avoid it--I didn't like any of that kind of stuff until I'd be GF for quite some time. It would've made me depressed about my options, lol! There are a few things that might be good for a newbie--Aldi's brownies are good.

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How urgent is the situation?  Could she do the 2 week trial while she's home on Christmas Break (if she has such a thing), giving her a chance to shop a little more leisurely and more control of her kitchen, and then, if she sees improvement, advocate for whatever supports she needs at school to be successful upon her return?

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If she is having a problem with gluten chances are two weeks aren't enough to tell.  It takes 6 weeks to see a significant difference in inflammation & symptoms.

 

ETA: you should also look up fructose intolerance.  Sometimes people have reactions to wheat due to the sugars in it, not due to gluten.  If that's true she'll have issues with fructose in other foods as well.

Edited by Katy
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Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas.

 

The timing is not ideal but I want her to go gluten free sooner than later so maybe she will have some relief during finals. She also has a prescription med that will also help.

She wants to eat all the food she has been missing and begin when she goes back to school. She's had a headache since the doctor discussed this with her.

 

I have an Amazon order full of gluten free stuff to hopefully keep her on track till she comes home in about 3 weeks.

Edited by gingersmom
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Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas.

 

The timing is not ideal but I want her to go gluten free sooner than later so maybe she will have some relief during finals. She also has a prescription med that will also help.

She wants to eat all the food she has been missing and begin when she goes back to school. She's had a headache since the doctor discussed this with her.

 

I have an Amazon order full of gluten free stuff to hopefully keep her on track till she comes home in about 3 weeks.

There's a lot of great ideas in this thread.

Honestly, there's A Ton of regular snack and convenience foods that are GF, you shouldn't need to order GF items.

 

I wouldn't have her try any GF breads or do any GF baking during the two weeks.

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