Re: How in the world do you afford it? And whole family vs just celiacs kid??

[Guest guest]

Two of my children require the diet, and the other four of us have noticed that we feel better too! With six people on one income, we also worry about cost. I shop the ads to see which fruits are on sale - we eat a lot of fruit for snacks. I don't buy many "snacks" because it just costs too much. Trader Joes has gingersnaps and snickerdoodles that we have when we need a snack.

Another thing is cook, cook, cook! and I don't really enjoy cooking. So I make five cups of brown rice at a time, throw in a bunch of veggies, like red bell peppers, onion, corn, black beans, etc. and I have meals for four nights. I freeze them in ziploc gallon size freezer bags. Just squeeze out the air and flatten it out the square way, like a big pancake, and stack them on a baking sheet in the freezer. I do the same with soups and stews. So convenient, and I know everything that is in it! Then in the morning, or midday, I set it on the counter on a baking sheet to thaw. My kids homeschool, so I don't have to pack lunches, we often just have left overs from the night before.

I think it's important to have family meals, and since I don't like to cook, I make one meal that everyone can eat, instead of two. I'm sure it works for some, but I four kids, and that's just one less thing for me to do each day. I hope these ideas help!

Debbie in Santa Cruz

From: Libby <libbykranz@...>Subject: [ ] How in the world do you afford it? And whole family vs just celiacs kid?? Date: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 2:27 PM

So I have like a million questions right now...If anybody wants to talk on the phone I am open to that if its easier than posting questions 50 times a day!!I looked up some of the foods that were mentioned on my last post (thanks for all the great feedback) But was floored by the prices of everything. Money is very very tight for us so I am honestly scared about how to make it work. I looked into getting disability for her since I read (at least for school lunchs it is considered one) But I dont think it will qualify there...Next I am going into Kaiser to see what they might be able to do for is...I know we HAVE to do this for her...but I am really worried about the costs.That brings me to family versus just her..I am thinking it might be cheaper to have it be just her. More work yes, but less money. So I am curious if any families have only 1 celiacs person in the family what do you choose to do?? A little

history our daughter was adopted at birth so we do not have any concerns of anybody else needing the diet.And my biggest question how do you afford it???ThanksLibby

[Guest guest]

Don't be afraid of posting as often as you like. The great thing about

this forum is that others may be having exactly the same questions as

you, and will stand to benefit from the discussion. Also you can get

feedback from a wider set of people this way. Fire away!

I am the only celiac in my house. My wife and kids eat as they please,

although usually family dishes are gluten free anyway. We have to be

extra careful on cross contamination, so we have a special place set

up for dedicated cooking equipment and keep gluten free foods high up

in the cupboards and fridge. But for the most part it works. It took

us a while to figure out the pitfalls, but eventually we got to the

point where it was no longer a problem. My kids are even extra careful

about it for me.

Dont feel like you need to load up on a lot of expensive products just

because they are labeled gluten free. Most of what we cook is simple:

Meats, veggies, fruits, and simple carbs like rice and potatoes. Rice

Chex and Corn Chex are gluten free which isn't expensive and makes a

great quick breakfast option. Just stick with simplicity and it should

be manageable. Healthy, too!

Cheers,

Joe

On Thursday, August 19, 2010, Libby <libbykranz@...> wrote:

> So I have like a million questions right now...If anybody wants to talk on the

phone I am open to that if its easier than posting questions 50 times a day!!

>

> I looked up some of the foods that were mentioned on my last post (thanks for

all the great feedback) But was floored by the prices of everything. Money is

very very tight for us so I am honestly scared about how to make it work. I

looked into getting disability for her since I read (at least for school lunchs

it is considered one) But I dont think it will qualify there...Next I am going

into Kaiser to see what they might be able to do for is...

>

> I know we HAVE to do this for her...but I am really worried about the costs.

>

> That brings me to family versus just her..

>

> I am thinking it might be cheaper to have it be just her. More work yes, but

less money. So I am curious if any families have only 1 celiacs person in the

family what do you choose to do??

>

> A little history our daughter was adopted at birth so we do not have any

concerns of anybody else needing the diet.

>

> And my biggest question how do you afford it???

>

> Thanks

>

> Libby

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

There's only my husband (non-CD) and me (CD), but we both eat GF at home for simplicity. I honestly think our grocery costs are lower now than before CD, because we no longer impulse shop, and we no longer buy many processed foods.

We concentrate on foods that were never meant to contain gluten, rather than using a lot of gluten-substitute foods.

GF-corn tortillas are often on our menu; they're inexpensive.

Asian rice noodles can be less expensive than GF pasta.

I'm told that Costco and (especially) Walmart have GF processed foods.

If you go with simple, basic meals that don't call for GF substitutes, I don't think you're going to find the CD diet to be particularly expensive.

Best wishes.

H.

-----Original Message-----

From: Joe <joelewis@...>

< >

Sent: Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:01 am

Subject: Re: [ ] How in the world do you afford it? And whole family vs just celiacs kid??

Don't be afraid of posting as often as you like. The great thing about

this forum is that others may be having exactly the same questions as

you, and will stand to benefit from the discussion. Also you can get

feedback from a wider set of people this way. Fire away!

I am the only celiac in my house. My wife and kids eat as they please,

although usually family dishes are gluten free anyway. We have to be

extra careful on cross contamination, so we have a special place set

up for dedicated cooking equipment and keep gluten free foods high up

in the cupboards and fridge. But for the most part it works. It took

us a while to figure out the pitfalls, but eventually we got to the

point where it was no longer a problem. My kids are even extra careful

about it for me.

Dont feel like you need to load up on a lot of expensive products just

because they are labeled gluten free. Most of what we cook is simple:

Meats, veggies, fruits, and simple carbs like rice and potatoes. Rice

Chex and Corn Chex are gluten free which isn't expensive and makes a

great quick breakfast option. Just stick with simplicity and it should

be manageable. Healthy, too!

Cheers,

Joe

On Thursday, August 19, 2010, Libby <libbykranz@...> wrote:

> So I have like a million questions right now...If anybody wants to talk on the phone I am open to that if its easier than posting questions 50 times a day!!

>

> I looked up some of the foods that were mentioned on my last post (thanks for all the great feedback) But was floored by the prices of everything. Money is very very tight for us so I am honestly scared about how to make it work. I looked into getting disability for her since I read (at least for school lunchs it is considered one) But I dont think it will qualify there...Next I am going into Kaiser to see what they might be able to do for is...

>

> I know we HAVE to do this for her...but I am really worried about the costs.

>

> That brings me to family versus just her..

>

> I am thinking it might be cheaper to have it be just her. More work yes, but less money. So I am curious if any families have only 1 celiacs person in the family what do you choose to do??

>

> A little history our daughter was adopted at birth so we do not have any concerns of anybody else needing the diet.

>

> And my biggest question how do you afford it???

>

> Thanks

>

> Libby

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

My family of 5 eats gluten free like Harper--fruit, vegetables, rice, quinoa (my

new favorite!), meat, chicken, fish, corn tortillas. We eat very few processed

foods.

I too think we eat better, and more cheaply, than most. We almost never eat

fast food, for example, which means we have to plan ahead to bring our own

(healthier) meals.

--lp

________________________________________

From: [ ] On Behalf Of

Harper [flatcat9@...]

Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 3:24 PM

Subject: Re: [ ] How in the world do you afford it? And whole family

vs just celiacs kid??

There's only my husband (non-CD) and me (CD), but we both eat GF at home for

simplicity. I honestly think our grocery costs are lower now than before CD,

because we no longer impulse shop, and we no longer buy many processed foods.

We concentrate on foods that were never meant to contain gluten, rather than

using a lot of gluten-substitute foods.

GF-corn tortillas are often on our menu; they're inexpensive.

Asian rice noodles can be less expensive than GF pasta.

I'm told that Costco and (especially) Walmart have GF processed foods.

If you go with simple, basic meals that don't call for GF substitutes, I don't

think you're going to find the CD diet to be particularly expensive.

Best wishes.

H.

-----Original Message-----

From: Joe <joelewis@...>

< >

Sent: Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:01 am

Subject: Re: [ ] How in the world do you afford it? And whole family

vs just celiacs kid??

Don't be afraid of posting as often as you like. The great thing about

this forum is that others may be having exactly the same questions as

you, and will stand to benefit from the discussion. Also you can get

feedback from a wider set of people this way. Fire away!

I am the only celiac in my house. My wife and kids eat as they please,

although usually family dishes are gluten free anyway. We have to be

extra careful on cross contamination, so we have a special place set

up for dedicated cooking equipment and keep gluten free foods high up

in the cupboards and fridge. But for the most part it works. It took

us a while to figure out the pitfalls, but eventually we got to the

point where it was no longer a problem. My kids are even extra careful

about it for me.

Dont feel like you need to load up on a lot of expensive products just

because they are labeled gluten free. Most of what we cook is simple:

Meats, veggies, fruits, and simple carbs like rice and potatoes. Rice

Chex and Corn Chex are gluten free which isn't expensive and makes a

great quick breakfast option. Just stick with simplicity and it should

be manageable. Healthy, too!

Cheers,

Joe

On Thursday, August 19, 2010, Libby

<libbykranz@...<mailto:libbykranz%40gmail.com>> wrote:

> So I have like a million questions right now...If anybody wants to talk on the

phone I am open to that if its easier than posting questions 50 times a day!!

>

> I looked up some of the foods that were mentioned on my last post (thanks for

all the great feedback) But was floored by the prices of everything. Money is

very very tight for us so I am honestly scared about how to make it work. I

looked into getting disability for her since I read (at least for school lunchs

it is considered one) But I dont think it will qualify there...Next I am going

into Kaiser to see what they might be able to do for is...

>

> I know we HAVE to do this for her...but I am really worried about the costs.

>

> That brings me to family versus just her..

>

> I am thinking it might be cheaper to have it be just her. More work yes, but

less money. So I am curious if any families have only 1 celiacs person in the

family what do you choose to do??

>

> A little history our daughter was adopted at birth so we do not have any

concerns of anybody else needing the diet.

>

> And my biggest question how do you afford it???

>

> Thanks

>

> Libby

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

I keep a variety of GF dry goods (granola, instant soup, etc.) in the

car and always have 2 GF snacks in my purse, rather than have to

depend on restaurants or impulse shopping for snacks at a random

supermarket. Impulse shopping GF quickly becomes a budget-buster.

Ouch.

Comparison shop the staples. I went a little crazy comparing prices

on ~100 essentials across 10 different stores (local groceries,

Amazon, health food store, several nearby ethnic markets). Knowing

what the rock-bottom price is, and where I can find it, has done a lot

to help me control costs. In general, it's cheapest for me to shop

ethnic markets as much as possible. Not just a little better, either.

Routinely 30-75% cheaper. Though the catch is that pretty much

nothing in an ethnic market is labeled GF or warns when the facility

also processes glutinous stuff. So if potential for

cross-contamination is an absolute deal-breaker, take a pass. The

next best bet, which does come with good labeling, has been my health

food store. Though ours doesn't carry Chex and most other big brand

products, so it's still necessary to go to the supermarket.

Like the others, cooking more at home has made a big difference.

Throwing stuff into a crockpot, or stir-frying veggies, is low effort.

Like , I'm eating better because there's more produce, and less

processed nonsense, in my diet.

I skip the GF bakery goods unless it's from a local bakery making them

fresh daily. The packaged brands are terribly expensive, and too many

of them have lost their palatability by the time they make it to my

table. Whereas the stuff I bake is so spot-on that non-celiac friends

always check in that it's really GF because it tastes so good and

otherwise has no detectable difference. With a GF flour mix + xanthan

gum, as 1:1 substitute for wheat flour, you can keep on using so many

favorite recipes without any trouble. (She says, having not yet

delved into making GF levened bread...)

Hasselbeck's book, The G-Free Diet, has some controversial

or incorrect claims that make it questionable as a source of medical

info. However, she does offer useful practical advice for keeping a

mixed kitchen. Rules like " no double-dipping " and using squirt

bottles rather than in jars, help a lot to keep contaminants out.

With help from her doctor, the public school can be required to

accommodate her dietary needs or to at least recognize the seriousness

enough to voluntarily collaborate with you. This document from USDA

has a lot of useful information:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/guidance/special_dietary_needs.pdf

Good luck!

On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 3:32 PM, Palmer, <palmer@...> wrote:

> My family of 5 eats gluten free like Harper--fruit, vegetables, rice, quinoa

(my new favorite!), meat, chicken, fish, corn tortillas.  We eat very few

processed foods.

>

> I too think we eat better, and more cheaply, than most.  We almost never eat

fast food, for example, which means we have to plan ahead to bring our own

(healthier) meals.

>

> --lp

>

> ________________________________________

> From: [ ] On Behalf

Of Harper [flatcat9@...]

> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 3:24 PM

>

> Subject: Re: [ ] How in the world do you afford it? And whole

family vs just celiacs kid??

>

> There's only my husband (non-CD) and me (CD), but we both eat GF at home for

simplicity. I honestly think our grocery costs are lower now than before CD,

because we no longer impulse shop, and we no longer buy many processed foods.

>

> We concentrate on foods that were never meant to contain gluten, rather than

using a lot of gluten-substitute foods.

> GF-corn tortillas are often on our menu; they're inexpensive.

> Asian rice noodles can be less expensive than GF pasta.

> I'm told that Costco and (especially) Walmart have GF processed foods.

> If you go with simple, basic meals that don't call for GF substitutes, I don't

think you're going to find the CD diet to be particularly expensive.

> Best wishes.

> H.

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Joe <joelewis@...>

> < >

> Sent: Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:01 am

> Subject: Re: [ ] How in the world do you afford it? And whole

family vs just celiacs kid??

>

>

> Don't be afraid of posting as often as you like. The great thing about

> this forum is that others may be having exactly the same questions as

> you, and will stand to benefit from the discussion. Also you can get

> feedback from a wider set of people this way. Fire away!

>

> I am the only celiac in my house. My wife and kids eat as they please,

> although usually family dishes are gluten free anyway. We have to be

> extra careful on cross contamination, so we have a special place set

> up for dedicated cooking equipment and keep gluten free foods high up

> in the cupboards and fridge. But for the most part it works. It took

> us a while to figure out the pitfalls, but eventually we got to the

> point where it was no longer a problem. My kids are even extra careful

> about it for me.

>

> Dont feel like you need to load up on a lot of expensive products just

> because they are labeled gluten free. Most of what we cook is simple:

> Meats, veggies, fruits, and simple carbs like rice and potatoes. Rice

> Chex and Corn Chex are gluten free which isn't expensive and makes a

> great quick breakfast option. Just stick with simplicity and it should

> be manageable. Healthy, too!

>

> Cheers,

> Joe

>

> On Thursday, August 19, 2010, Libby

<libbykranz@...<mailto:libbykranz%40gmail.com>> wrote:

>> So I have like a million questions right now...If anybody wants to talk on

the phone I am open to that if its easier than posting questions 50 times a

day!!

>>

>> I looked up some of the foods that were mentioned on my last post (thanks for

all the great feedback) But was floored by the prices of everything. Money is

very very tight for us so I am honestly scared about how to make it work. I

looked into getting disability for her since I read (at least for school lunchs

it is considered one) But I dont think it will qualify there...Next I am going

into Kaiser to see what they might be able to do for is...

>>

>> I know we HAVE to do this for her...but I am really worried about the costs.

>>

>> That brings me to family versus just her..

>>

>> I am thinking it might be cheaper to have it be just her. More work yes, but

less money. So I am curious if any families have only 1 celiacs person in the

family what do you choose to do??

>>

>> A little history our daughter was adopted at birth so we do not have any

concerns of anybody else needing the diet.

>>

>> And my biggest question how do you afford it???

>>

>> Thanks

>>

>> Libby

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> ------------------------------------

>>

>>