Gluten-Free?

slykat48
slykat48 Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone! I recently joined this site so that I could lose the weight I gained from being on medications for lupus, an auto-immune disease.
I'm on a lower dose, "the magic dose" as my doctor calls it, (under 10mg of prednisone a day) at which I will start to see improvements in the weight I've gained if I eat healthy.
The problem I am facing is my celiac disease. Celiac disease is an intolerance to gluten (flours such as wheat, barley, etc.). While I feel I am managing a fairly healthy diet, and am adding more fruits and veggies into my diet, foods aimed towards being specifically "gluten-free" contain a great deal of calories.
I try to eat foods that are not labeled as "gluten-free", sticking towards plain foods that do not need this gluten added. For example, a plain chicken breast without any sauce, or plain rice etc. But sometimes you want the extra flavour, or a meal NEEDS that gluten free substitute, but the calories suffer because of it.
I find the biggest challenge is finding foods with low sodium that are also gluten free.
Anyone on here who is on a gluten-free diet that could give me some tips on losing weight while being on the gluten free diet?

Replies

  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    I sprinkle dry seasonings and marinate foods in things like lemon juice. Basically, use oils and spices and cook veggies and even broil them. Nuts are great too. There are gluten free breads out there if you really want them that are decent in calories...just limit them.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Why don't you add your own seasonings/ make your own sauces or marinades so you control exactly what goes in? Herbs, spices, block creamed coconut, lemon juice, lime juice, chilli, garlic, red wine (boil off the alcohol calories), olives, homemade meat stock, tomato paste .... all these ingredients have health benefits and most are low calorie.

    Would have thought a gluten free soy sauce would make a worthwhile ingredient because it's strong flavoured so a little goes a long way. Don't know if you can get it but Marigold reduced salt bouillon powder is fairly natural and gluten free (I know but I bought it for the reduced salt-ness and it stuck because it tastes good). Also don't know if this is the same where you are but here in the UK Amazon i cheaper for purchasing 'health food store' type products than many health food stores are.
  • ShannonKelliG
    ShannonKelliG Posts: 70 Member
    I sprinkle dry seasonings and marinate foods in things like lemon juice. Basically, use oils and spices and cook veggies and even broil them. Nuts are great too. There are gluten free breads out there if you really want them that are decent in calories...just limit them.

    This is what I basically do. I season all my own foods and make my own sauces. The only things I really eat that are specifically gf is pasta and bread, and I don't eat much of that.
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    You can take tomatoes (like two big ones), green onions (chives - 6 or 8 stalks), cilantro (1 bunch) and then add stuff like salt, cumin, lea and perrins sauce, onion powder, and garlic - cook it for several minutes. You'll end up with a fantastic sauce that you can cook meats in and or other items. Basically, puree veggies to make sauces. It's works great and the flavors are amazing.
  • jillybeanpuff
    jillybeanpuff Posts: 144 Member
    I'm GF and just put a bunch of spices on my food to make it taste good. I love cayenne pepper, it makes everything better. Stay away from any prepackaged GF stuff as much as possible, that's part of how I gained weight
  • abbyrae1
    abbyrae1 Posts: 265 Member
    Look into the Paleo diet for some great recipe ideas, almost all that I have seen are gluten free and they use substitutes like unsweetened coconut, coconut flour, almond flour, etc. These tend to be higher in calories or fats, however they also have more protein so you stay fuller longer than you would on simple carbs.

    Look into the brand "food for life" they have a lot of great gluten free, natural products that you may enjoy, the bread I buy from them is only 80 calories a slice, gluten free, 15 carbs and 5g of protein, so better than normal bread anyway
  • tattoogrrl28
    tattoogrrl28 Posts: 53
    I have my family on a gluten free diet as a behavior modification tool for my autistic son.. My biggest problem has been finding GF bread that doesn't taste like sadness.
  • jillybeanpuff
    jillybeanpuff Posts: 144 Member
    good GF bread is hard to find. Udi's is the best brand if you can find it. Not sure where you live but they have it at Whole Foods so I'm sure they have it at Trader Joe's or Fresh Market as well. The best advice I can give on GF bread is to toast it. It solidifies the bread so it doesn't get that weird crumbly texture
  • gramanana
    gramanana Posts: 657 Member
    I have my family on a gluten free diet as a behavior modification tool for my autistic son.. My biggest problem has been finding GF bread that doesn't taste like sadness.

    Udi's makes a wonderful muligrain sandwich bread; I also love their cinnamon raisin bread in the morning. Glutino does a fair job on bread, too. Since I was a "breadaholic" the bread part has been the hardest. If you're into baking, Bob's Red Mill has a bread mix that's not bad, too. Good luck.
  • Cassierocksalot
    Cassierocksalot Posts: 266 Member
    I'm technically new to the GF world but once I started, I reallized that I was mostly there already just with the natural progression of my diet. I marinade and season all of my own foods with natural oils and lots of seasonings! I haven't added salt to a recipe in years. Also, look into quinoa. Naturally GF and makes great pasta, you can even get it at some Walmarts so it's inexpensive. I have yet to find a bread that I like, but the longer I go with out it the less I miss it, especially when I realize how many other delicious things I can fit into my macros without it!

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