NWR: Any gluten free brides out there?

Hi Coach416,

Your post caught my attention b/c one of my closest friends/co-workers has celiac and avoids all gluten products. I was one of her bridesmaids in her wedding this past July, and for her bridal shower at work, I whipped up a gluten-free flourless to-die-for chocolate cake I found online.

Here are some links that we found while searching for gluten-free foods that she could eat without getting sick:

Celiac Chicks
http://www.celiacchicks.com/

Celiac.com
http://www.celiac.com/index.html

Celiac Cafe
http://celiaccafe.blogspot.com/

Gluten-Free Goddess (this was perfect for her, since we call each other 'Goddess' all the time!) - they have recipes here too
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

There are many bakeries and restaurants (esp here in NYC) that now feature gluten-free meals and desserts, but unfortunately I don't have links to them. If you search 'gluten-free' or 'celiac' or 'celiac-friendly', you may find them.

Some tips that my friend does:
• ask the waitstaff if something is prepared with flour (sometimes they even coat french fries with flour before frying, so she can't eat them)
• ask for 'no bun' when ordering burgers
• use potato or rice flour as a substitute for wheat flour
• read labels very carefully and call the food manufacturer if you're not sure about a particular product (ETA: she called Quaker after an attack from eating Quaker Rice Cakes -- they have traces of gluten and she had to stop eating them)
• be careful with medicines (both Rx and OTC -- she had to call and speak to a pharmacist b/c one of her meds had traces of gluten and was causing celiac probs)

I know that she also shops at Whole Foods market. She hadn't had pizza and pasta in years, until her then-fiance found gluten-free pizza for her, and she was in heaven! She also gets special rice-krispie treats and sesame pretzels made from soy or rice flour. I can't recall the brand name, but the pretzels are shaped like rings and come from Israel. They're quite delicious too!

Also, if you like Chinese food, she said that PF Chang's restaurants are all gluten-free now, so she can eat there without worrying about getting sick.

And for her wedding, she had a regular wedding cake, but the layer that they cut and fed each other during the reception was on a separate plate and totally gluten-free! She was adamant about actually getting to eat a piece of her own wedding cake!! So don't worry, it can be done!!


Hope this info helps!
CarriAnne

Hey -

FH's mom is very very allergic!! a LOT of restaurants are starting to realize this as a major disease & will accommodate whatever you need. There's a major restaurant chain - Charlie Browns - they're VERY good about it!!!!

Whole Foods & Wegmans sell a LOT of items wheat & gluten free!!!

hi there,

it's so funny you posted this. i'm not allergic to gluten (as far as i know at least) but i've been reading a lot about gluten free diets and the effect gluten has on your body so i JUST decided to try to start eating gluten free or at least gluten reduced. last night we went shopping at whole foods and they had tons of products. i just had gluten free corn flakes for the first time this morning and it was pretty decent. i also work with a woman who is not only gluten free, but she is vegan and doesn't eat sugar (she's amazing!) she brings her own snacks with her a lot of the time, but there are also many places now that serve gluten free food. good luck with your test--i hope you start feeling better!

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Posted by CarriAnne

Hi Coach416,

Your post caught my attention b/c one of my closest friends/co-workers has celiac and avoids all gluten products. I was one of her bridesmaids in her wedding this past July, and for her bridal shower at work, I whipped up a gluten-free flourless to-die-for chocolate cake I found online.

Here are some links that we found while searching for gluten-free foods that she could eat without getting sick:

Celiac Chicks
http://www.celiacchicks.com/

Celiac.com
http://www.celiac.com/index.html

Celiac Cafe
http://celiaccafe.blogspot.com/

Gluten-Free Goddess (this was perfect for her, since we call each other 'Goddess' all the time!) - they have recipes here too
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

There are many bakeries and restaurants (esp here in NYC) that now feature gluten-free meals and desserts, but unfortunately I don't have links to them. If you search 'gluten-free' or 'celiac' or 'celiac-friendly', you may find them.

Some tips that my friend does:
• ask the waitstaff if something is prepared with flour (sometimes they even coat french fries with flour before frying, so she can't eat them)
• ask for 'no bun' when ordering burgers
• use potato or rice flour as a substitute for wheat flour
• read labels very carefully and call the food manufacturer if you're not sure about a particular product (ETA: she called Quaker after an attack from eating Quaker Rice Cakes -- they have traces of gluten and she had to stop eating them)
• be careful with medicines (both Rx and OTC -- she had to call and speak to a pharmacist b/c one of her meds had traces of gluten and was causing celiac probs)

I know that she also shops at Whole Foods market. She hadn't had pizza and pasta in years, until her then-fiance found gluten-free pizza for her, and she was in heaven! She also gets special rice-krispie treats and sesame pretzels made from soy or rice flour. I can't recall the brand name, but the pretzels are shaped like rings and come from Israel. They're quite delicious too!

Also, if you like Chinese food, she said that PF Chang's restaurants are all gluten-free now, so she can eat there without worrying about getting sick.

And for her wedding, she had a regular wedding cake, but the layer that they cut and fed each other during the reception was on a separate plate and totally gluten-free! She was adamant about actually getting to eat a piece of her own wedding cake!! So don't worry, it can be done!!


Hope this info helps!
CarriAnne

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one of good my friends has celiacs and can only eat gluten free food and all the stuff posted above is excellent advice!!

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Posted by Coach416

I've been sick for a really long time with a variety of stomach and intestinal issues and now they're testing for a gluten allergy. As a runner my life revolves around carbs...it's basically all I eat. Any of you allergic to gluten? How is it making the huge switch in diet? Can you go out to dinner anywhere? Do you know if it'll effect my training? Any info would help. Thanks girls.

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i work in a daycare and a child had that...seriously i thought it ****** at first and there is So much that you can have its crazy..for intstance if for certain u have it, u can eat the cool ranch doritos, not the cheeze ones,, at mcdonalds u can eat the burger and fries, not just the bun, alot of things are now packaged w/ gluten freee on them, and honestly the food is not that bad, stores are adding more and more products, its a little more costly but its deff better for you u wont get stomach aches

there is alot of bread stuff u can eat but its all substiuted w/ gluten free so iw ould talk to your doctor about that ...w/ the trainin cause i honesty dont know

hope that helps

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Posted by Coach416

Thank you girls. All this info is comforting. I'll be marrying a full blood italian, so if this turns out to be the problem, they'll be some interesting cooking situations going on!

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haha, they DO make gluten-free pasta so you might be okay.

For any food allergy or disease (like diabetes etc) after like 6 months of reading labels and doing a bit of research you will be shocked at how easy it is to integrate it into your routine without even thinking....

good luck!

when I was on WW I was looking for an alternative to whole wheat pasta (it's gross!) and I found brown rice pasta. I loved it! (my picky FH even ate it -- not bad for a couple of Italians!)

many of the markets are carrying it now (in the 'diet' section but if you still have trouble finding it check out Tinkyada.com (i think that's how it's spelled) you can even order in bulk from them.

HTH

I don't know where you live, but fairway (manetto hill rd in plainview) is a gourmet supermarket that is reasonably priced (unlike whole foods and wild by nature) yet has a lot of gluten free products... including breads. They also have redmill products, which have gluten free mixes for baked goods.....

My friend's mom can't eat gluten, and frankly, she generally avoids eating out... there is a short list of places she feels comfortable. Asking the waitstaff is a bit risky... I have a fish allergy, and find that people who don't have the allergy (such as waitstaff) can't think of all the foods with traces of of a particular allergen.... becuase it takes years of experience to learn all the 'bad foods'. For example, one waitress INSISTED that there's no fish in caesar's salad and I should eat one...... She basically refused to let me correct her. 'uh, no, you're wrong.... it has anchovies.... if it doesn't, it has worcestershire, which is primarily fish and tamarind.' She disagreed and insisted worcestershire has no fish.... as if I didn't know better after having this allergy for over a decade

if it's indeed the case and you can't eat wheat, you'll learn along the way. The healthfood shops are your best resource. I find it's easiest to not rely on pre-packaged foods, even time savers like shreaded cheese can be laced with gluten
(cracker barrel bars I vaguely recall are gluten-free, as are I believe hershey's and dove chocolate....)

good luck, and hopefully, it's not an allergy