Allergy to milk(dairy), wheat, and oats

rachf2013

Hey everyone! I found out from recent lab tests that I am allergic to milk (so all dairy), wheat, and oats. I had been eating 1200 cal a day for 5months and hadnt lost a pound so my doc suggested I do allergy testing and it turns out those 3 things were making my cells swell and so my stomach is larger than it should be.

The problem now is that I need help figuring out what to eat. Basically I can have any meat, fruits, veggies, legumes (beans), and rice. Which is fine but beans and meats are really high in calories so it's hard to stay around 1200. And also I'm a college student so I'm always broke and being able to afford fresh fruits and veggies doesn't happen as often as I'd like. And getting gluten-free dairy-free food is crazy expensive.

Comments and suggestions?

impyimpyaj

A couple of things:

Why do you want to stick to 1200 calories? For most people, that goal is too low. Consider increasing it to where you're consuming at least your BMR each day. You might find you LOVE the results.

Beans are cheap, especially if you buy them dried. They take a little more advance planning to prepare, but they're very healthy, easy to store, and like I said, super cheap. You can buy meat on sale. If you stick to in-season produce, it shouldn't be that expensive at all. Ask around to find a local farmer's market -- you'll get fresh, in-season produce for a great price.

Don't look for gluten-free substitutes, because yes, those are EXPENSIVE. Look for foods that don't contain gluten to begin with. Whole foods, not processed. Stick to the edges of the grocery store as much as possible, and try not to buy things that have more than one or two ingredients on the label. That will be your best bet to avoiding your allergens AND saving money.

Sometimes frozen produce is cheaper than the fresh. Look for frozen fruits and veggies without sauces or seasonings -- again, check the ingredient label, and make sure there's only one ingredient. Maybe 2, because sometimes they need to use salt in the freezing process. And make sure you're comparing price by weight. A lot of times you think you're getting a good deal on the frozen stuff because of the size of the package, but really it's cheaper to buy fresh.

rachf2013

1270 is just what MFP has me at, so I go with it. I'm already petite and trying to lose the last 10lbs of body fat; my body is at it's set weight so trying to convince it to go down is harder. I would just be happy where I'm at but my doc said my body fat is still too high.

I hadnt thought about dried beans, thats a great idea! And definitely now that its the summer I'll hit up the local markets for produce.

Thanks for the help!!!

lelstar

Got room for a vege garden? My sis is allergic to wheat so I can ask for cheap recipes

impyimpyaj

1270 is just what MFP has me at, so I go with it. I'm already petite and trying to lose the last 10lbs of body fat; my body is at it's set weight so trying to convince it to go down is harder. I would just be happy where I'm at but my doc said my body fat is still too high.

I hadnt thought about dried beans, thats a great idea! And definitely now that its the summer I'll hit up the local markets for produce.

Thanks for the help!!!

When you're in the last 10 pounds range, sometimes it's better to focus on strength training and eat more than to just cut calories. Your body doesn't have a lot of reserves left, and it wants to hang onto those! Muscles burn fat, and you don't have to build big manly muscles for that to happen. There's a group on here, I think it's called Eat More to Lose More. Check them out. You might find some tips there.

rachf2013

no i wish, we're in an apartment. The hardest part is my boyfriend doesnt have the allergies so he's eating all that delicious stuff I cant have. (He offered not to, but I didnt think that was fair)
Know any veggies that can be grown easily inside?

AmandaLAcosta

This is a great site. You can check what you are allergic to and it will search recipes from all over and find ones that are with in your specifications.

http://www.yummly.com/recipes

impyimpyaj

Got room for a vege garden? My sis is allergic to wheat so I can ask for cheap recipes

This is an excellent point. Sometimes you can even grow small vegetable plants indoors -- a little Googling will get you some good results. Even if you can't grow big veggies, you can certainly grow green onions (just buy some, and put the white bottoms in a container of shallow water in a sunny window) and herbs in little pots. I *think* you can grow celery in a pot indoors as well. It doesn't take a lot of effort to keep up a container garden, and it can take a little bit of pressure off your food budget.

AlphamaleBAMF

Brown Rice

lelstar

no i wish, we're in an apartment. The hardest part is my boyfriend doesnt have the allergies so he's eating all that delicious stuff I cant have. (He offered not to, but I didnt think that was fair)
Know any veggies that can be grown easily inside?

Windowsill gardens are relatively easy. Herbs are much more controllable that way, I keep mine out of the garden and on the sill. You can get long narrow self watering pots which would be good for it. Lettuce and spinach/silverbeet would be easy. Do you have a balcony or something like that? If so I recently saw an upsidedown tomato planter that would be awesome. Mushrooms you could do inside. Radish and possibly baby carrots. If you really get into it it might be worth getting a uv light so you can have more 'sunshine'

lelstar

Got room for a vege garden? My sis is allergic to wheat so I can ask for cheap recipes

This is an excellent point. Sometimes you can even grow small vegetable plants indoors -- a little Googling will get you some good results. Even if you can't grow big veggies, you can certainly grow green onions (just buy some, and put the white bottoms in a container of shallow water in a sunny window) and herbs in little pots. I *think* you can grow celery in a pot indoors as well. It doesn't take a lot of effort to keep up a container garden, and it can take a little bit of pressure off your food budget.

Random hint I was given for growing celery: place a milk carton (not bottle) around the plant when its a seedling

momtokgo

Fruits, vegetables, chicken/turkey/fish, rice and quinoa, beans, rice crackers are yummy, rice cakes.

My mom has celiac disease (no wheat) and she also allergice to dairy and oats, and a few other things. There are other grains out there that are gluten free that you can experiment with to bake etc.

Do you have a health food store near you? They might be able to walk you through and show you all the gluten free options.

rachf2013

Fruits, vegetables, chicken/turkey/fish, rice and quinoa, beans, rice crackers are yummy, rice cakes.

My mom has celiac disease (no wheat) and she also allergice to dairy and oats, and a few other things. There are other grains out there that are gluten free that you can experiment with to bake etc.

Do you have a health food store near you? They might be able to walk you through and show you all the gluten free options.

Yea I went to my health food store, that's when I discovered it's too expensive to have all these allergies, but I found at least a gluten-free cereal that I like.

rachf2013

no i wish, we're in an apartment. The hardest part is my boyfriend doesnt have the allergies so he's eating all that delicious stuff I cant have. (He offered not to, but I didnt think that was fair)
Know any veggies that can be grown easily inside?

Windowsill gardens are relatively easy. Herbs are much more controllable that way, I keep mine out of the garden and on the sill. You can get long narrow self watering pots which would be good for it. Lettuce and spinach/silverbeet would be easy. Do you have a balcony or something like that? If so I recently saw an upsidedown tomato planter that would be awesome. Mushrooms you could do inside. Radish and possibly baby carrots. If you really get into it it might be worth getting a uv light so you can have more 'sunshine'

No window sills either. =( However I do appreciate all the suggestions, I've been searching to see what I can grow inside and there are some things, mostly herbs. But I'll keep looking.

lelstar

If you can manage it then get a uv lamp, sucks that you can't use actual Sun light. I'll check my gardening stuff in the morning and let you know if there is anything else in there

Jbarbo01

If you're trying to lose those last 10 lbs, cut your carbs. I would suggest looking into Paleo/Primal diet style recipes. You can add beans, quinoa, and rice as a side to the dishes. However, a Paleo style diet will help you stay at 1200 easier than eating the beans and rice will. The paleo diet already excludes wheat, milk, and oats so its pretty easy to follow for someone who cant those foods.

impyimpyaj

no i wish, we're in an apartment. The hardest part is my boyfriend doesnt have the allergies so he's eating all that delicious stuff I cant have. (He offered not to, but I didnt think that was fair)
Know any veggies that can be grown easily inside?

Windowsill gardens are relatively easy. Herbs are much more controllable that way, I keep mine out of the garden and on the sill. You can get long narrow self watering pots which would be good for it. Lettuce and spinach/silverbeet would be easy. Do you have a balcony or something like that? If so I recently saw an upsidedown tomato planter that would be awesome. Mushrooms you could do inside. Radish and possibly baby carrots. If you really get into it it might be worth getting a uv light so you can have more 'sunshine'

No window sills either. =( However I do appreciate all the suggestions, I've been searching to see what I can grow inside and there are some things, mostly herbs. But I'll keep looking.

Do you have windows at all? Just shove a small table up under the window. Instant "sill."

LiddyBit

I'm not allergic to those things but I do work hard to avoid dairy, wheat, and oats so feel free to peruse my dairy for ideas!

bcattoes

Beans are not high in calories when you consider how filling they are and how much nutrition they contain.

Fish and eggs are good low calorie protein sources.

Brown rice and quinoa are healthy grains that do not contain gluten.

Soy and almond milk are both low calories replacements for milk. Even the sweetened versions are usually less calories than milk.

Fill the rest of your diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit. If fresh is too expensive, go for frozen. It's not as versatile but is just as healthy.

BrokenButterfly

Things you can have for breakfast: millet flakes, buckwheat flakes and puffed rice. You can also substitute milk for almond or coconut milk.

jjblogs

I have the same problems....haven't been diagnosed, but I know what I have issues with milk/wheat/oats, etc. I've been trying to eliminate as much gluten as possible. It's not terribly difficult if you stick with fruits/vegs/meat. I don't buy all that expensive gluten free crap...not really necessary. When it becomes difficult is when you're at parties or whatever. I usually stick to the veggie trays and any plain meats they serve.