Gluten free food

[Jo]

[?]

Can you help us . We are coming to Florida in March and my son and I need a strict gluten free diet( no wheat barley oats or rye) - Does anyone out there know of a good health food shop in Kissimmee where I can buy gluten free bread/ biscuits/ cakes etc?

Be jolly greatful or we'll be eating rice cakes for 3 weeks - not good as they taste like polystrene roof tiles!

Well Ok I've never eaten one , but I've got a vivd imagination!

[steph_goodrum]

Hi Jo
Publix supermarket and most of the others have a dietary/health section which includes gluten free products etc. I think Walgreens the pharmacy have them too but am not 100% on that.

[fiona]

I've got used to rice cakes! Publix are very good and where I get my things - although I only have a wheat intolerance not the full monty.

Found this info on diets at Disney:

http://www.dietitian.com/gluten.html
http://allearsnet.com/din/guestceliac.htm

[Maureen Edwards]

Fiona and Jo,
I was interested to read about your Gluten and wheat etc intolerancies.
Could I ask you how you were diagnosed please? I am awaiting to go in to hospital to have the old camera to try and sort out some problems I have, but all along I have asked doctors if I may have some food interlance. I am sure if this is the case it would save having to tie up the NHS unneccessarily. I would appreciate your comments or a guide to where I can find information on this subject. Thanks both.

Well this site is now NHS on-line as well as agony aunt, financial advisor and shoulder to cry on!! You can't beat it can you....[msnwink]

[DISNEYDIVA]

Maureen, i'm with you on this one, iv'e recently had my gall bladder out. While the pain has gone the symptoms still persist, if its not an ulcer i figured it may be food alergy. With my luck it will be chocolate.[msnsad]

[orlandobabe]

Jo-we found two excellent health stores in the Orlando area called Chamberlains-as both me and my daughter have wheat and milk intolerances.

The nearest Chamberlains is at the bottom of the John Young Parkway-ie if t you are travelling towards St Cloud on the 192 then it's right and it's in the first little shopping precinct on the right.

The other one is at Winter Park-which is north on the I4. You need to be at Winter Park Village-which is just along from Park Ave. This shop is huge. It has a fantastic range of organic foods-then there's all the breads, health supplements-we spent hours there. A long way to go I know-but you can combine it with shopping/boat trip/tiffany museum/and squirrel park in the Winter Park area.

[fiona]

Sorry Maureen have been in hospital - keyhole surgery on my shoulder, so now typing slowly with one hand!

I aksed to be referred to a specialist after several years of sharp pains in the abdomen and lower stomach. I had a colonoscopy (my aunt died of bowel cancer about 6 years ago aged 58), gastroscopy and a scan for ulcers. They found nothing but decided I had IBS and was given a suggested diet.

A week later I collapsed in a coma on the floor of A&E after passing blood for 4 hours. I'll spare you the gory details but they now think I have acute diverticulitis, and any signs of anything similar I am to get myself to A&E PDQ. However, my GP wonders if perhaps the camera nicked me during one of the procedures, so the jury is not out on this front!

It is quite difficult with a family who love pasta to totally give up this sort of thing, so I try and eat small portions, make sure I have a salad at the same time, and limit the amount of bread I eat. I get all the pains back when I have had too much, - and it's amazing how good I feel either on the Atkins diet or the Vorderman one!

[Maureen Edwards]

Fiona, thank you for your response. Hope you are making a good recovery!
I suffered for years before being diagnosed with gallstones. I had my Gall Bladder removed and to be honest seemed a little better, once I had recovered from the actual surgery.

Then more symptons and 15 months on from that I was diagnosed with IBS. Then more persistant symptons, so now on the waiting list for a colonoscopy! However, reading your experience, I am seriously wondering if I do in fact have Wheat intolerance.

I think I will try and eliminate Wheat from my diet for 1 month and assess how I feel. I am on Weigh[bad language filtered out]chers too, so lots to check out!
Thanks again for your help[msnsmile]

[Maureen Edwards]

Whoops, it was only the Famous dieting club, honest[msnsmile]

[Jo]

Thanks for the help with the gluten free food. Its put my mind at rest. And for those of you who really want to know the ins and outs of my bowels:-

I have a long history of anaemia. After each of my pregnancies I had to have blood transfusions. I too had been diagnosed with IBS, and put up with it for 10 years or so. A few years back I lost lots of weight without stopping eating. Fantastic to begin with , but when you start to feel your bones poking through your skin its worrying - I've not got the right face to be a supermodel. Anyhow, I had a new GP who decided to ignore all my medical notes and do her own tests.

First blood tests then a referral to gastro specialist to get the IBS confirmed. Felt this is just a label they give you for bloating/constipation , and diahorrea. Immediately they said I has Coeliac disease , which means the gluten damages your small intestine so that you can't absorb the nutrients from food. Swallowed a camera, biopsy confirmed intestine knackered. Luickily if you stay on a strict gluten free diet it mends itself and hey presto. The weight piles back on. Not so good! Children were tested with blood test as it can be inherited. One of my 3 has it others OK.

Its worth pressing for a proper diagnosis.Don't force yourself into this diet unless you have too. If you have Coeliac disease , not kjust gluten intolerance, you can get gluten free break, pasta, biscuits, flour,pizza bases on presciption on the NHS. Fine now just go for an annual weigh in and blood test so they can check I am not eating gluten and damaging my innards.


hope this helps someone