Wheat Intolerance

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  • clh126
    clh126 Posts: 115 Member
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    In addition to rice being gluten-free, most corn products are also safe to eat. Corn tortillas are great and cheap! In terms of alternative foods, Trader Joes has some corn pasta that I bought out of curiosity which actually seemed to be pretty close in texture and taste to wheat pasta.
  • Wenchilada
    Wenchilada Posts: 472 Member
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    In addition to rice being gluten-free, most corn products are also safe to eat. Corn tortillas are great and cheap! In terms of alternative foods, Trader Joes has some corn pasta that I bought out of curiosity which actually seemed to be pretty close in texture and taste to wheat pasta.

    Corn pasta is the only GF pasta substitute my husband will eat. He says the brown rice ones give him a tummy ache. Oh, the irony! But I've recently gotten him eating shirataki (yam) noodles in stir-fry, and he loves them. Before that, I was making two different pans of pasta for the two of us for the same meal (or just having my meal without pasta), and it was really frustrating because I can't bite-test his to see if it's done yet, so I'd be carrying a hot spoon across the apartment to get him to try it.

    Also, echoing what others have said - don't try to replace wheat-based products with corn/rice/tapioca/etc. substitutes 1:1 in your diet. You will be broke and disappointed in short time. I use lettuce leaves to wrap sandwiches or just put my burger/sandwich innards on a plate and eat with a fork, and while I do occasionally splurge and buy an Amy's rice-mac & cheese frozen dinner or some Udi's burger buns for a picnic, I generally just live without the bready "meal accessories" that I grew up with. I think I'm still doing pretty okay for myself.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    I am gluten intolerant , and it is expensive, for the most part I have cut out breads and pastas, but if you want rice pasta doesnt seem to be too crazy expensive, I find it hard to find inexpensive alternatives around wher I live anyways :cry:
  • kimchi84
    kimchi84 Posts: 56
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    if you are into asian food, alot of their food and recipes are gluten free, especially chinese, thai and vietnamese food. most of the noodles they use are rice flour noodles, hope that help. Oh and shopping at the asian store will definitely save you alot of money since their stuff is tend to be on the cheap side :)
  • rpounds1957
    rpounds1957 Posts: 177 Member
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    I'm primarily gluten free (it gives me tummy aches)
    The key for me was NOT buying most of the substitutes.
    They are generally expensive, processed, and not very healthy
    I do without, by and large (not always)

    ^^This^^

    Plus, I find foods that are naturally gluten free. That's a fairly easy task if you stay away from processed foods. Boxed food most always has some form of wheat gluten in it. Gravies, meat loaf mixes, taco meat seasoning, soy sauce, etc. Read the labels and you'll find wheat in most of these. Stick with whole foods. There is no wheat gluten in corn, green beans, carrots, potatoes, etc. Nor is there in any meats or poultry. The key for me was pretty much eliminating any bread or pasta (along with boxed and/or processed foods) from my diet. I cheat once in a while, but usually suffer the effects. Plus, being gluten free for the most part has helped me in my quest to lose weight.

    If you'd like, add me up and watch my food diary.

    Ron
  • SuperKeely
    SuperKeely Posts: 20 Member
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    Wait, you doctor said you have a wheat intolerance and then said to eat gluten-free? Wheat intolerances and gluten intolerances are two different things!

    I think you should get the facts straightened out from him/her first before you start this diet. If it is a gluten intolerance, then go gluten-free. If it's just wheat, then you don't need to go gluten-free. It will make life a lot simpler!

    Yes, this. Eating gluten-free is overkill if your sensitivity is only to wheat (and read Wheat Belly to find out why you might be sensitive to wheat).

    I don't eat wheat and I don't buy any of the prepared gf foods (except pancake mix occasionally because I'm lazy). There are tons of other grains that are perfectly acceptable and affordable substitutes (rice especially, as everyone said). I miss bread sometimes but once you get the cravings for it out of your system, it's really not that big of a loss.
  • WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr
    WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr Posts: 2,150 Member
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    Read labels on everything, even if you buy the same stuff every week, and the stuff that you wouldn't thing has wheat/gluten in it. The FDA allows for products to be labeled Gluten Free as long as there is less than 2% gluten in the whole product, watch out for the term modified food starch, unless it specifies that it is a specific modified food starch (for example some things will say modified food starch (corn)) consider it wheat. Companies have the right to change their products at any time without warning (this is why I say read labels-always!) as long as they change the content of their ingredients, and remove the terms. I had this happen to me with sour cream, the brand I bought was gluten/wheat free, so I didn't read the label and had a reaction, read the label after the fact and discovered that they started adding modified food starch.
    You're welcome to friend me and ask questions, I'll be happy to help in any way I can, Iwas diagnosed as wheat and gluten allergic (epi pen included) three years ago
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    It's times 2 in our house! I have an intolerance and my son is highly allergic. You are right, it is very expensive! I will watch to pick up any good tidbits.

    I tend to use taco shells, rice, tortilla chips a lot.

    My best tip is to use cereal instead of bread crumbs. baked chicken breaded with crushed corn flakes and seasoning. I use crushed rice chex in meatloaf. It's better than the price of gluten free flours.

    I could've written this response. :) We use taco shells and cornflake breadcrumbs.

    We also have a group. Come on over:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/112-gluten-free

    And feel free to add. I've got a sensitivity to wheat, so I'm not 100% celiac, but my diet's wheat free. :)
  • alasin1derland
    alasin1derland Posts: 575 Member
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    saving for later
  • lesliev523
    lesliev523 Posts: 368 Member
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    if you are into asian food, alot of their food and recipes are gluten free, especially chinese, thai and vietnamese food. most of the noodles they use are rice flour noodles, hope that help. Oh and shopping at the asian store will definitely save you alot of money since their stuff is tend to be on the cheap side :)

    Be careful with soy sauce, though. It has gluten.

    I have Celiac, and I avoid all gluten free substitute foods. They make me feel just as sick as the real thing!
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
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    I can't have gluten or cowmilk proteins. I do a lot of gluten-free baking because I really enjoy it. I certainly don't lack for yummy healthy things to eat though, lol. You're welcome to check out my diary and ask me for any recipes that look interesting to you.
  • Wenchilada
    Wenchilada Posts: 472 Member
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    if you are into asian food, alot of their food and recipes are gluten free, especially chinese, thai and vietnamese food. most of the noodles they use are rice flour noodles, hope that help. Oh and shopping at the asian store will definitely save you alot of money since their stuff is tend to be on the cheap side :)

    Be careful with soy sauce, though. It has gluten.

    I have Celiac, and I avoid all gluten free substitute foods. They make me feel just as sick as the real thing!

    Seconded on the soy sauce. La Choy brand is GF, as well as the Hy-Vee store brand if you happen to be a Midwesterner.

    It could be the xanthan gum in "substitute" foods that makes you feel so icky. I can't eat Glutino pretzels (well, most of their products, actually) without wanting to die.
  • mollysonnotice
    mollysonnotice Posts: 140
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    I am gluten-free, but the only gluten-free food I buy is Udi's bread or any specific sauce or dressing I need. I don't buy any pre-packaged food; if you're eating anything that comes as is (meat, eggs, almond butter, vegetables, fruits, quinoa) it's usually gluten free. You'll need to do some research into what actually contains gluten. Don't get discouraged, after reading into it and memorizing some stuff- you'll get it!

    ^ This. My older sister has Celiacs and I am gluten free.... This is basically my rule book
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    Corn tortillas can be your best friend! I make a lot of quesadillas instead of using GF bread because it is so expensive. The Udi's brand is one of the very best breads, so I do buy that when it is on special. Rice, lentils, and beans are cheap, and can be the basis of many different meals. I cook a lot of Indian and Thai food (using GF tamari instead of soy sauce). There is a GREAT cookbook called Artisanal Gluten Free Cooking (it's on Amazon) that has all kinds of recipes, including a cornbread that turns out fantastic! You start out buying a bunch of odd ingredients for their flour baking mix, but it's worth it when you can bake your own things and have them turn out well.

    Good luck to you!

    ETA: Forgot to mention that Tinkyada brown rice pasta is pretty good. The GF pastas that have corn in them tend to clump together a bit, so I prefer rice and/or quinoa. Expensive, so I tend to buy that stuff only on sale, too.
  • lsegatti
    lsegatti Posts: 77 Member
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    Here are somethings that I have switched out in my diet: I eat brown rice bread, rice pasta, rice cakes ( see a pattern here) Each of these items is available in my local, grocery store. The only thing that I have found is that rice pasta does not make good pasta salad, once it is cold the texture is odd. So I make rice salad: same as regular pasta salad with veggies and dressing but I use rice instead. There are specialized health food stores that have a wider selection of items, gluten free cookie and granola bars etc.

    These items might be a bit higher in price but feeling better is worth that cost. Keep switching over to more fresh seasonal fruits and veggies to keep your overall costs down.

    Last thought, once you have been off the gluten foods for a few weeks, your body may adjust to you being able to eat some it so an occasional cracker or pretzel may be in your future!
  • annelangenfeld
    annelangenfeld Posts: 1
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    GREAT POINT!!!! It seems there is such a "trend" of people who are going gluten free (aside from those with Celiac Disease) however those of us who can't eat Wheat suffer in the shadow. Its a challenge!
  • EroseT23
    EroseT23 Posts: 74 Member
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    http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/01/2008-flashback-entire-year-in-order.html

    If you use your slow cooker, there are some really great recipes here. Her family is gluten free (I think her youngest has Celiac), so all of the recipes are, too. I'm not intolerant to wheat or gluten, but I sometimes cook for friends that are. Good luck. :)
  • reyopo
    reyopo Posts: 210 Member
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    I've been gluten-free for 7 years, and essentially grain-free for 6 months (I eat quinoa, actually a seed, and millet occasionally). Not much to add, as there has been lots of good advice already offered. I also can't eat corn, soy or dairy, so I am a plant-based eater with fish, meat and eggs for protein. Although I don't do any GF baking anymore, this woman is pretty popular in the GF world, and I've found some great recipes on her site, she's also on Facebook and posts ideas regularly:

    http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    Good advice so far, and I would echo it all. I haven't seen anyone mention potatoes or beans! I am completely grain free, so rice and corn are out for me too, but root veggies and beans are dirt cheap, so then I can afford to get quinoa and buckwheat (pseudocereals, not grains) as well.

    Don't forget all of the usual frugal shopping tips apply here too! Shop the sales, keep a price book, buy loss leaders. My diet makes reading flyers superquick; I don't look at any of the processed foods, unless they are things like canned beans or fruit, just look for what produce is on sale this week and plan my meals around those.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
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    When I'm broke, I don't buy substitutes. Pretty much it.

    lol. I'm always broke so I never buy them. Just the pasta once in a while.

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