Tips For Newbies

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So you or a loved one have just been diagnosed and told you need to be on a strict Gluten-free diet. You're probably totally overwhelmed by all the sudden changes that you're going to have to make to live a healthy Gluten-free Lifestyle.

First of all - RELAX! Life goes on and you'll be able to do just about everything you did before you were diagnosed, but you'll have to do it Gluten-free.

Hey - that means there are now four things in this whole world that you can't eat - wheat, oats, barley and rye. I know it's not quite that easy, but I'm just trying to put things in their proper perspective. There is no denying that things are going to be a lot less convenient then they were before.

Take a deep breath - let it out - NOW get to work. The sooner you do, the sooner you'll feel more comfortable with the whole situation. No one can do this for you - you are going to have to work to make your life get back to some semblance of normalcy.

The following are just a few of the things we suggest you do to get on the right track. They're in no specific order. If you have other tips you think we should add to this list, please let us know. We're all in this together:

*	Get a copy of the American Dietetic Associations Gluten-free Diet Guidelines found in the Sixth Edition of the Manual of Clinical Dietetics. Or, you may just want to get the information from one of the national support groups that accept the ADA diet as the current diet for those on Gluten-free. The NIH recommends the ADA as the authority to determine the proper guidelines.
*	Learn how to read labels and know how to look for hidden gluten. By January, 2006 our world will get a lot easier. That’s when the new food labeling act will go into affect. Wheat will be listed as one of eight allergens, which is probably better than 90% of our problem, but we'll have to look for the other three.
*	Join a local support group. Talk with as many others on the Gluten-free diet as you can.
*	Attend any of the National conferences around the country or even "Gluten-free Food Fairs" that seem to be becoming more and more popular around the country.
*	Subscribe to some of the national publications that are available.
*	Subscribe to the Celiac List Serve
*	Don't be embarrassed to ask questions. There's an enormous amount of information for you to absorb at one time. It's not going to happen overnight.
*	When In Doubt - Don't!! This credo applies to packaged food; food served at restaurants or parties; or just about anywhere.
*	Learn how and who to ask for help.
*	In restaurants ONLY speak with the cook, chef, owner or manager when asking for the ingredients or methods of preparation of the food you want to order.
*	Attend one of our 4-hour Going Out To Eat and Traveling Gluten-free Workshops that we give around the country.
*	Purposely Cheating on the Gluten-free Diet is only hurting yourself. In some cases irrevocably.
*	Just because a cook in a restaurant says that you don't have to worry about getting Gluten-free food "they'll take care of it" - still respectfully ask all necessary questions
*	Never trust a travel agent that says "don't worry you'll get all the Gluten-free food you want on this trip or cruise, etc."
*	Whenever flying domestic or international - always ask for Gluten-free meals, but take back-up - just in case you don't get it or what you get is questionable.
*	Just because you tell a chef that you are on a Gluten-free diet and can't eat wheat, oats, barley and rye - don't assume that he will know what's safe for you to eat and what's not. You need to teach the chef how to accommodate you, not expect them to do it for you.