The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed [Paperback]

Jules E. Dowler Shepard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2008 | Series: First Year

If you’ve just been diagnosed with celiac disease, you’re not alone: as many as 1 in 133 Americans have this autoimmune disorder characterized by an inability to digest gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains. For ten years, Jules Shepard’s gastrointestinal symptoms went misdiagnosed. Finally diagnosed, she experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and illness the year following, as she discovered what she could and could not eat through trial and error.

Now, in The First Year®: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free, Shepard explains everything you need to learn and do upon your or a family member’s diagnosis.

- How celiac disease affects your entire body

- Eating gluten-free (and avoiding hidden glutens)

- Keeping your kitchen safe from cross-contamination

- Can I drink alcohol?

- Celiac and fertility

- Finding support groups

- Parenting a child with celiac disease

- Dining out, traveling, and entertaining

This unique guide prioritizes all the most important information on diet and lifestyle changes for you. Day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, learn how to safely alter your diet, manage your symptoms, and adjust to living gluten-free. Complete with easy and delicious recipes for gluten-free baking, The First Year®: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free is your essential guide to a healthy life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Living Without, April/May 2009
“This easy read is an inspiration not just for celiacs but for anyone with food sensitivity.”

Gluten Intolerance Quarterly, Spring 2009
“‘The First Year’ is such a practical, well-written guide to the disease and the gluten-free lifestyle that it should be a part of a starter kit that doctors give newly diagnosed patients.”

About.com, 7/15/09
“A glossary, FAQ, gluten-free baking Q and A and an extensive list of Celiac support groups in the U.S. give readers the tools they need adapt to life without gluten. I highly recommend this book, not only for those newly diagnosed with Celiac disease but for anyone curious about this not so rare autoimmune, genetic disease.”

About the Author

Jules E. D. Shepard is the author of a cookbook and a spokesperson for the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research. She lives in Catonsville, Maryland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books; 1 edition (December 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073821227X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738212272
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Abdominal
  • #31 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diets & Weight Loss > Gluten Free
  • #100 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Allergies

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Celiac Disease December 22, 2008

By Rhonda M. Stanton

Format:Paperback

This is an excellent book for newly diagnosed Celiacs. Although written in a time frame for the first year, I read it in the first two weeks and now in my third week as a celiac, I carry it with me for review. Highly recommended.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is a Must for All Newly Diagnosed Celiacs! December 11, 2008

By Mrs. Patricia A. Minnigh

Format:Paperback

I am privileged to know Jules Shepard and I have witnessed, first hand, her excellent knowledge of this life-changing disease and her passion for educating & supporting those who live with Celiac Disease/Gluten-Intolerance.
This book will be the `First Line of Defense' for anyone who has first gotten that diagnoses and are told to maintain a strict Gluten-Free Diet. Having gone down that road myself, I know what an awesome task this is. If you want to understand Celiac Disease better, this is the book for you! If you want to learn more about living with Celiac Disease/Gluten-Intolerance, this is the book for you! I highly recommend this author and this book for all! Check out her cookbook, "Nearly Normal Cooking for Gluten Free Eating"!

Pat Minnigh
[...]

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous resource; easy read! May 8, 2009

By Celiac Mom

Format:Paperback

As the parent of a child with celiac disease, I found this book to be an easy read, a valuable resource, and a source of inspiration. It's well-written, well-researched, and includes a variety of special topics. The author, who has celiac disease, has emerged as a true authority on the disease. It's refreshing to read a book written by not just an expert, but an expert who has the disease!

There are certain sections that are most relevant to us right now - and, there are others that will become more relevant as my son gets older. I anticipate this book remaining a timeless resource for our family.

BTW: We use Jules' Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (the author's signature GF flour)- it's a staple in our house! I'd highly recommend it. It truly is a 1-to-1 substitute for wheat flour.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for those with Celiac May 3, 2009

By K Flood

Format:Kindle Edition

This book is well written by Jules, a Celiac herself. Who better to learn this new path from someone who lives it each and every day. I highly recommend the book. It was fast reading and yet I refer to it time and time again.

When I was newly diagnosed I left the doctors office thrilled that after 2 1/2 years of very bizarre and uncomfortable symptoms following a bad virus and being told I suffered only from IBS for 16 years before that, I now had the answer. What the doctor didn't share with me was...."What now, how to precede?" I about cried the first time walking into a grocery store and realized this was going to be no easy task to learn on my own.

I was forced to learn a lot of what I know before her book came out but was thrilled once coming across it because of her intimate knowledge of what it is like to go through this new transition. After reading it, I knew I was on the right track. The author has inspired me to return to my love of baking as she shares some recipes in the book as well. I'm was so excited to see that gluten free recipes can taste the same if not better than their gluten filled counterparts. She also shares a great chapter on how to deal with eating out safely, another on travel and one of my favorites, how to handle social events confidently when food will be served and many more situations broken down into different chapters so that it is easy to refer back.

Purchase the book you won't be disappointed. And on another note....I was thrilled she also made her book available to those of us that read on a Kindle.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Resource May 10, 2009

By Jed A. Sutton

Format:Paperback

The First Year Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free, is an invaluable resource on how to learn to live with Celiac. The personal stories made me feel that we were not alone with this disease. Jules gives you hope that you CAN live a normal life on a gluten- free diet. She explains how to alter "every day" recipes to make them gluten-free.

Jules' first hand experiences and knowledge of Celiac disease helped us accept and deal with some of the new challenges that we will face. It is extremely helpful and comforting to read this book whether you are living with Celiac yourself or if a loved one or a friend has been diagnosed. Thanks, Jules!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative - GREAT help. May 4, 2009

By Trisha N. Stecker

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was sick of searching online for tons of different information I wasn't sure I could trust. This has it all in one place answering ALL the questions I had.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book March 26, 2009

By Anne Luther

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book should be required reading for anyone starting a gluten free lifestyle and it is well worth reading even if you are a gluten free pro. It takes you, step by step, through the first year. Some of the many subjects covered are eating out, college, shopping, holidays, children's birthdays and traveling. This is an upbeat book and the author points out the many positive aspects of the gluten free life. Yes, there are some recipes too. I wish this book had been available 5 years ago when I went gluten free. It would have made the transition easier.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope for the Celiac July 17, 2009

By V. Rivera

Format:Paperback

When diagnosed with Celiac, I read everything I could get my hands on concerning the disease. I had the facts, the recipes, and a grim determination to face the difficulty of the rest of my life. This book was like rain to the parched earth of my soul. Not only did it summarize everything I'd read elsewhere, but I believe it overcame the clinical feel that other books often had. I was not at a seminar in a hospital, but felt like an invited guest into a home. The personal testimonies that Jules included in the book were inspirational and triumphant. Even without the recipes, which are wonderful, these stories give hope, and as it turns out, that was what I had been lacking. I was empowered not only to think "I can do this", but "I want to do this." I very highly recommend this book to those who are diagnosed and to those who care about them.