Gluten Free? Looking for Friends and food ideas

KareenaDiet25

I was never diagnosed with Celiac Disease but my Specialist told me to go on a Gluten Free Diet to Help me lose weight and as a healthier lifestyle.

KareenaDiet25

I will be your friend!

lynn1982

nickelp22 wrote: »

cleverpun wrote: »

First started a gf diet in 2001 and, believe me, it's much easier these days. Udi's makes a decent sliced bread, as mentioned. My favorite gf pasta is still Tinkayada brown rice spirals. If you cook per the package directions you can't tell the difference.

Regarding baking: you'll need a different blend of gf flours depending on your desired outcome. After over a decade of experimentation with gf flour here are my best tips:

Pizza crust should be about one half tapioca flour and one half a combo of sorghum, rice, gf oat flours. Work the dough as little as you can get away with or it gets very tough (ditto with yeast breads).

Never use tapioca flour in anything you don't want to be chewy. (ie- pie crust).

Quick breads like pancakes, muffins and banana bread can be made entirely with a combo of almond and coconut flours as long as you use the right amount if eggs, fruit and leavening.

Yeast breads will generally require an extra protein or binder (xanthan gum, guar gum, and/or extra egg white).

Rice flour tends to be very chalky so use it somewhat sparingly and always as part of a flour blend. It can have a noticeable metallic taste on its own.

Garbanzo flour has a very strong taste. (I ruined a pot of chicken and dumplings experimenting with it once.) My only useful recommendation for it is to produce a great crispy fried coating on foods you're planning to dip in loud sauces.

Almond flour and coconut flour are generally great for baking sweet things like cakes.

It's good to mix several flours in many cases since most flours have a particular flavor when used solo that may not be desirable.

Here's my favorite all-purpose gf flour blend (cookies and such):

1 part coconut flour
2 parts almond flour
1.5 parts sorghum flour
1-1.5 parts gf oat flour

This is really helpful thank you! I love to bake with my children so this will be helpful over the holidays I tried some flourless recipes I found online but they were dry and crumbly. We make a lot of cookies and muffins.

I was originally diagnosed in college (about 13 years ago) and was told by the GI doctor no white flour and you will be fine. So like a 22 year old would I tried for a few moths and it was hard and expensive and not helpful so I gave up and totally forgot about it. Then I got sicker this past year and was reminded of the original diagnosis. So when I started again it was much easier and better than in 2002.

I have seen Canyon Bakehouse you can set up deliveries for your products. I like their bread anyone ever try that?

You've gotten some great advice on here. I just want to add that Canyon Bakehouse is my favourite gf bread! It is the closest thing I have found to non-gf bread... I try my best not to swap bread and other gluten products for their gf counter parts since I tend to feel better on a grain free diet (just my own preference), but sometimes I just really want bread!

Baking is one of those things that I have not been successful with. I find when I bake grain free products, I usually do better. Otherwise they come out crumbly. Be careful too with gf flour blends (the packaged kind) - some, but not all, contain xanthan gum. I have been told that this is not celiac friendly (although I could be wrong?)

And one other thing that I've learned recently - not all wine is gf!! Some wineries use a wheat-based glue for sealing the bottle (or something like that?). That surprised me.

dimeda78

KristenE83 wrote: »

Disclaimer: I do not have celiac nor do I eat gluten free... BUT a close family member is so I have tried to incorporate a lot of gluten free items into our diets and tried to find gluten free alternatives for my home. One thing I swear by is the Tinkyada Brown Rice Organic pasta. I love it. I literally prefer it over regular pasta. It holds up well (even in soups and pasta salads), doesn't get mushy (assuming you cook it according to the package instructions), and keeps me fuller longer. You have to buy the organic ones because the ones that aren't organic get mushy. Just a helpful tip.

That is Fantastic! I enjoy Tikyada Brown Rice Organic Pasta also. It is a bit pricey, but it is well worth it.

geneticsteacher

Xathan gum is added to many gluten free mixes or baked goods and is not a problem for those with celiac disease.

Lipstickcherry

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amf0324

Hello! I am celiac, diagnosed almost a year ago. I have found that being gluten free is amazingly compatible with my reduced calorie life. It means I never feel deprived when I pass on the bread basket.

Amy's makes great GF foods -- the frozen mac and cheese is delicious. Their soups are great too, my favorite is the lentil vegetable.

The hardest part of being celiac isn't dieting, it's eating out without getting glutened...

amf0324

Also, Udi's frozen pizza is the best I've found so far. When you cook it a little bit more than the box requires, the crust gets nice and crispy-chewy like a regular pizza crust.

SteampunkSongbird

From what I've read on this site, it seems that Udi's has lots of great products which aren't available in the UK, which is a real shame as the things I've had were very nice. Their bagels, toaster pastries and muffins are great, but other than that all I've really seen are rolls. I would love to try Udi's pizzas!

amf0324

SteampunkSongbird wrote: »

From what I've read on this site, it seems that Udi's has lots of great products which aren't available in the UK, which is a real shame as the things I've had were very nice. Their bagels, toaster pastries and muffins are great, but other than that all I've really seen are rolls. I would love to try Udi's pizzas!

I would be so bummed if I didn't have Udi's! They make great stuff.

nickelp22

Thanks for the tips that is the challenge I am running into eating out like at work functions even I have had issues. But yeah it helps with passing on stuff like doughnuts and cake at work. So that is nice

LisaLu618

I was diagnosed with celiac in 2008, and have been GF ever since. I'm sure others have told you, but as much as possible stay away from GF replacement grains (yes, even Udi's). It's a huge bummer, but they are PACKED with calories. I gained several pounds after going GF because I was buying all kinds of GF breads, pizzas, pastas, etc. Your digestive system will thank you if you lay off of grains for awhile and let it heal up. Also: beware of "cream of -anything-" soups. They almost all have wheat or some other form of gluten. That one was tricky for me. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions!

courtneyk59

xXBabyBelleXx wrote: »

I live in the Uk and I choose to not eat gluten as it makes me feel terrible. Headaches (migraines), bloating, stabbing stomach pain, diarrhea, skin rashes and I feel lethargic . I've been tested for celiacs disease twice (blood test) and both times have been found negative. My doctor now thinks I might just be very sensitive or intolerant to it. So I know some tricks and do / donts when avoiding certain foods. I try my best to eat natural foods that dont contain gluten or make my own, but do buy bread and gluten free oat cakes / porridge. Once you get used to it, I find its not that difficult - but worst part is eating out or going to a friends house for a dinner party..Ive even experienced an Italian restaurant refuse to cook my gluten free pasta that I took with me! :-( But good luck and if you need any help, I'll happily be friends also. To be honest, its a very healthy diet if you can try to avoid eating all the ready made stuff :-)

When I was first tested for celiac my blood tests came up negative as well. But as my symptoms so closely resembled celiac I went ahead and scheduled the endoscopy to make sure that it was or wasn't celiac. The doctor told me immediately after the procedure that I should start a gluten free diet, although the test results wouldn't be in for 2 weeks she could tell just by looking that I had celiac. Also if you are not eating large amounts of gluten prior to the blood tests it won't show up as a reaction. I am the type that I needed the a real diagnosis otherwise I would sometimes eat gluten even though it would make me sick. I have been gluten free for 4 years and it has made such a differnce.