Struggling with following gluten & dairy free diet

enterdanger

My husband is lactose intolerant so we eat very little dairy. The good thing is that some cheeses actually have no lactose. Cheddar, for one. You have to read the labels but shouldn't have to cut all cheese. I can't offer much in the way of suggestions for gluten free. I love me some bread. Try the skinny taste website, www.skinnytaste.com. I've loved everything from there and she has a ton of gluten and dairy free options.

GLH2576

Depends a little on how much effort you want to put into this. A really nice web site for gluten-free is "Against all grain". That site's author recently put out a good cookbook on gluten-free and many (most?) are also dairy free. There are a LOT of web sites that have recipes and tips for gluten-free/dairy free diets. Look at any of the books by Joel Fuhrman (Eat to Live...). Go to your local public library and check out some of the Mediterranean diet cookbooks. One of the people who works with me has an EXTREME sensitive to dairy - even medicines she takes cannot be in a capsule that has any dairy content or she will feel awful for a couple of days afterward. Another of my staff has a gluten sensitivity. Doing a staff lunch out is a real challenge but it can be done with a little planning.

kjktsmom

Jeheer, first, my sympathies if you, like me, need to follow a GFDF diet. If you don't need to, I would choose another nutritional route. BUT, here's my advice for if you DO need to. It echoes what some here have already said, but bear with me.

1. Learn continually (and there is new stuff coming out all the time about Celiac's, for example) about the physiological and possibly neurological response your body is having when you ingest gluten. I worked with my gastroenterologist and a nutritionist, and I never stop reading. End result: It's helped stifle any desire to "cheat", since I now have a much better understanding of the physical consequences. This has nothing whatsoever to do with losing weight!
2. Understand the difference between Casein (the main dairy protein) and Lactose (dairy sugar). Avoiding all dairy is very different than just avoiding lactose. I've found it MUCH harder than avoiding gluten. If you have to be completely dairy free, give it plenty of time and do not cheat. Eventually, the craving will lessen its grip on you (although if you're like me you may always long for gelato ...)
3. Learn the ingredients and the products to avoid, that should go without saying. But conversely learn the ingredients and products you CAN have--and there are lots of them. You may never have even heard of some of them before. For example, I can tolerate ghee (clarified butter - used for eons in Indian cooking) although I can't tolerate butter.
4. Learn the cuisines and restaurants that are more likely to be "GFDF friendly". For example, I've had great luck with Jamaican, Indian, Thai, and Japanese (if I bring my own GF soy sauce) restaurants, and also an app called "Find Me Gluten Free". Call restaurants ahead of time if you have any doubts. There are a lot of people with food intolerances out there, and better restaurants are pretty good at dealing with them. So you can stop dreading being "that guy" at the restaurant A lot of people now complain about all those GF faddists, but their very existence is proving helpful to people like us

So, bottom line, learn learn learn learn and above all be patient. I went through something like the "stages of death" for months and months before I finally started to see that this could be a "culinary adventure". And there's a strange silver lining to it too, since sometimes I still wind up as the person in the middle of lots of other people who are eating lots of great food, while I nurse a cup of black coffee (as at a recent church luncheon). I am losing weight, whether I mean to or not. To paraphrase Scarlett O'Hara, "As God is my witness, I'll never get heavy again!!"

Best of luck to you!

RaspberryTickleChicken

jeheer wrote: »

Hi,
I was wondering of anyone had any advice on how to follow a gluten/dairy free diet and still feel like they are not being deprived of stuff. I have really been struggling with this. I grew up eating a normal diet so I know what "normal" food tastes like. I will be honest some gluten free food tastes nasty and is ridiculously expensive. Any suggestions on how to eat healthy but still feel like you get to "indulge" at times? Thanks

First of all 'Gluten Free' does not automatically mean healthy. That has become quite the marketing ploy. jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/myth-gluten-free

If you do not have Celiac disease (an autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly reacts to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, as if it were a poison) you really shouldn't condemn yourself to one.

If you are 'struggling' with it then the likelihood of you being able to stick with it for the long run will be a challenge. A better approach may be to just read food labels and swap out simple high carbs & high sugar items in your normal food repertoire for healthier versions.

If you are looking for a lifestyle change instead of a quick fix I'd highly suggest to rethink the approach of how to get there.

Good luck!

cindytw

Lottiotta wrote: »

Hey how about we stop assuming that people need educating on their own food intolerances and actually answer the original question? If you're not GF and DF, go awayyyy.

RIGHT!! And SO many posters have NOT read through it and seen that the OP DOES have a medical reason! I really wish people would stop pushing the standard diet crap on those who clearly have a reason NOT to want it or CAN'T have it! If you are not GF, DF, or anything else, you have no reason to even reply to this, other than to offer support in her journey!

RodaRose

jeheer wrote: »

As many people have asked.. I am on a gluten free dairy free diet because I have a severe sensitivity to gluten and then suddenly became lactose intolerant. Any time I eat gluten I get severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea. Lactose has been harder too eliminate as I love dairy probably too much. But I drink almond milk eat lactose free yogurt.

It true that many people miss dairy and cheese more than the Gluten.
If you like to cook, you can go to Pinterest.com and look up "cheese sauce" recipes
using cashews and nutritional yeast.
http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/raw_vegan_cashew_cheese
I eat coconut yogurt too sometimes -- that is delicious.

neanderthin

jeheer wrote: »

As many people have asked.. I am on a gluten free dairy free diet because I have a severe sensitivity to gluten and then suddenly became lactose intolerant. Any time I eat gluten I get severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea. Lactose has been harder too eliminate as I love dairy probably too much. But I drink almond milk eat lactose free yogurt.

In the absence of celiac disease there seems to be no evidence scientifically that people are sensitive to gluten, but it seems to have made for some pretty good marketing and profit......just throwing this out there for people that may think they have an intolerance and about to spend double for bread and become obsessed with what they put in their mouth.......

waldermom

I realize that this is an old thread... but a cookbook came out recently that has made a big difference for me. America's Test Kitchen has published The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.

I have relied a great deal on America's Test Kitchens since going gluten free for the science behind cooking, as well as the equipment reviews. One of the first tips in this cookbook is to let your dough or batter rest for 30 minutes before baking to allow the rice flour to absorb the liquid. This helps avoid the nasty crumbly texture so many gluten free products have.

My favorite recipes so far are the brownies and carrot cake. I use Kirklands chocolate chips (no milk) and Smart Balance Light instead of butter. Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese is the best dairy substitute I have come across, and makes wonderful frosting- makes yummy spreads, and works well in recipes, too!