Gluten Free
alainadbabb
Posts: 2 Member
So I have been struggling with a low immune system for some 10 or more years now. This led to a downward spiral of eating whatever foods were easy and quick to prepare (fast food typically) because I was always tired. My doctor suggested gluten allergy as a reason for my constant sickness and I tested positive.
What good resources are out there for recipes/ less pricey alternatives? I still have 60 lbs to lose before I hit my goal weight too.
Thanks and please friend me so we can share recipes and experiences too!
What good resources are out there for recipes/ less pricey alternatives? I still have 60 lbs to lose before I hit my goal weight too.
Thanks and please friend me so we can share recipes and experiences too!
1
Replies
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I feel your pain! I'm allergic to wheat and struggled with it for most of my life before finally figuring it out about 10 years ago. The good news is that there is plenty of good gluten-free food out there now that it has become something of a fad. And there are decent gluten-free flours available that can be substituted for wheat flour in most recipes. My advice is 1) pay attention to the ingredients in the food you buy, because lots of things include some wheat, 2) learn to cook foods you like, 3) just substitute gluten-free flour for regular flour in any recipe you want to try. Experience is the best teacher and you will learn over time what does and does not work. FYI, my family often eats foods with rice (less so now that we are trying to reduce carbs) and corn tortillas in lieu of breads.3
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My best advice as a celiac of 20 years is to eat foods and dishes that are inherently gluten free. There is a world of cuisines out there based on rice, potatoes, quinoa, beans, and corn as their primary starches and you don't need to do anything special to adapt those recipes.
For a sweet tooth there are plenty of naturally gluten free dessert options too! Puddings, ice creams, and believe it or not plenty of international cookie recipes made with either almond flour or cornstarch.
While there are a lot of gluten free items available on the market, it can get expensive trying to keep your current way of eating and trying to simply convert it to gluten free. It's often more caloric and less filling to boot. Branch out and above all... learn how to read labels and learn how to find hidden sources of gluten.
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I need to exclude gluten for life due to thyroid problems. The most important piece of advice I can give you right now is to learn to eat new nourishing foods.
If you love carbs then yes you will have to spend a bit more on gluten free things, but if you have energy (i dont) make them from scratch.
Ive found as a little time goes on you learn to enjoy new foods and when you feel better (and you should
) that is the best motivator you can have.
Breakfast is gluten free cereal with fruit, alpro yogurt and lactose free milk.
Lunch, a carb- usually gluten free bagel,thins or toast with some kind of protien.
Dinner, I eat mostly rice and potatoes. Occasionally rice pasta or gluten free pasta with any veg and some protien.
Snacks,nuts,fruit or some fluten free cookie/macaroon/cake or rice cakes.
Not sure where you are from but some ranges are better than others. In the UK we have "genius" amongst others but they do fab cupcakes! My husband swears they taste like normal.
So yes you could make it cheaper by making but equally if you change your carbs so that when you by the gluten free stuff it lasts longer (freeze individual portions) then its not so expensive.. also find out when your supermarket does reductions. Often mine reduce batchs of gluten free bakery stuff!
I do feel your pain though. But once you have your routine and feel better for it then it will become easier
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Cant have gravy though. As i cant have onions and this seems to be in everything. I could however make it from scratch myself.....1
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »My best advice as a celiac of 20 years is to eat foods and dishes that are inherently gluten free. There is a world of cuisines out there based on rice, potatoes, quinoa, beans, and corn as their primary starches and you don't need to do anything special to adapt those recipes.
This, this, this. Gluten free food substitutes are not very healthy, they are heavily processed and full of artificial ingredients. And in my experience, it's not good for your palate or your mindset to be attempting to maintain the same kind of diet, just substituting GF for regular foodstuffs. Far better to enjoy whole foods that are naturally gluten free.
OP, you may want to consider eliminating dairy too, maybe for a month, as very often those who react to gluten react to dairy too (I'm one of them). That might seem overwhelming, but keep health and energy as your focus and you won't find it hard.2 -
And I must commend you for being willing to make changes in your diet for your health. I have friends & family who freely acknowledge that their health problems - such as lupus, asthma, IBS, thyroid, fibromyalgia - are clearly affected by their diet, but who refuse point blank to even experiment with a change. I find this more frustrating than I can possibly say.3
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »My best advice as a celiac of 20 years is to eat foods and dishes that are inherently gluten free. There is a world of cuisines out there based on rice, potatoes, quinoa, beans, and corn as their primary starches and you don't need to do anything special to adapt those recipes.
This, this, this. Gluten free food substitutes are not very healthy, they are heavily processed and full of artificial ingredients. And in my experience, it's not good for your palate or your mindset to be attempting to maintain the same kind of diet, just substituting GF for regular foodstuffs. Far better to enjoy whole foods that are naturally gluten free.
OP, you may want to consider eliminating dairy too, maybe for a month, as very often those who react to gluten react to dairy too (I'm one of them). That might seem overwhelming, but keep health and energy as your focus and you won't find it hard.
It's not even so much the processing it's that they GF alternatives just aren't as satisfying. A gluten free bread isn't as filling as wheat bread is. It also doesn't have the same characteristics.
OP, do you love dipping toast into your egg yolks and having it absorb some of that deliciousness? That doesn't happen with gluten free bread. Nor does the butter sink into the toast. It sort of sits there on top.
Gluten free pizza? The tomato sauce doesn't "marry" with the crust in that delightful way it does with wheat pizza and the crust doesn't have that same chew. It's just not worth the calories, especially since it's just not as filling.
The only gluten free substitute I've found that I still eat somewhat regularly is gluten free pasta. Brown rice pasta is satisfying and has the same amount of calories as regular pasta. Usually, however, when I eat pasta for myself, I eat chickpea pasta. When I make a dish to share with the family, that's when I break out the rice pasta. They all like that as much as regular wheat pasta.1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »My best advice as a celiac of 20 years is to eat foods and dishes that are inherently gluten free. There is a world of cuisines out there based on rice, potatoes, quinoa, beans, and corn as their primary starches and you don't need to do anything special to adapt those recipes.
This, this, this. Gluten free food substitutes are not very healthy, they are heavily processed and full of artificial ingredients. And in my experience, it's not good for your palate or your mindset to be attempting to maintain the same kind of diet, just substituting GF for regular foodstuffs. Far better to enjoy whole foods that are naturally gluten free.
OP, you may want to consider eliminating dairy too, maybe for a month, as very often those who react to gluten react to dairy too (I'm one of them). That might seem overwhelming, but keep health and energy as your focus and you won't find it hard.
It's not even so much the processing it's that they GF alternatives just aren't as satisfying. A gluten free bread isn't as filling as wheat bread is. It also doesn't have the same characteristics.
OP, do you love dipping toast into your egg yolks and having it absorb some of that deliciousness? That doesn't happen with gluten free bread. Nor does the butter sink into the toast. It sort of sits there on top.
Gluten free pizza? The tomato sauce doesn't "marry" with the crust in that delightful way it does with wheat pizza and the crust doesn't have that same chew. It's just not worth the calories, especially since it's just not as filling.
The only gluten free substitute I've found that I still eat somewhat regularly is gluten free pasta. Brown rice pasta is satisfying and has the same amount of calories as regular pasta. Usually, however, when I eat pasta for myself, I eat chickpea pasta. When I make a dish to share with the family, that's when I break out the rice pasta. They all like that as much as regular wheat pasta.
Have you ever tried the Schar products? I find them actually pretty tasty, especially the pasta. I use UDis for bread and pizza and they seem to soak up flavors, especially the bread.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »The only gluten free substitute I've found that I still eat somewhat regularly is gluten free pasta. Brown rice pasta is satisfying and has the same amount of calories as regular pasta. Usually, however, when I eat pasta for myself, I eat chickpea pasta. When I make a dish to share with the family, that's when I break out the rice pasta. They all like that as much as regular wheat pasta.
I haven't tried chickpea pasta, but I'm in love with corn pasta, made by La Veneziane. I swear it's better than the real pasta!!!!!1 -
My daughter is Celiac and when first diagnosed we stuck with mostly whole, naturally gluten free foods. We got a rice cooker and cook a lot of our own rice, plus potatoes and corn and beans to round out the starches. Otherwise, just normal meats and veggies and fruits.
Over time we found GF foods we liked...crackers and breads and cookies and such, but let her palate adjust before introducing those.1 -
Our favorite GF pasta is the egg noodle by Jovial and everything Tinkyada.0
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »My best advice as a celiac of 20 years is to eat foods and dishes that are inherently gluten free. There is a world of cuisines out there based on rice, potatoes, quinoa, beans, and corn as their primary starches and you don't need to do anything special to adapt those recipes.
This, this, this. Gluten free food substitutes are not very healthy, they are heavily processed and full of artificial ingredients. And in my experience, it's not good for your palate or your mindset to be attempting to maintain the same kind of diet, just substituting GF for regular foodstuffs. Far better to enjoy whole foods that are naturally gluten free.
OP, you may want to consider eliminating dairy too, maybe for a month, as very often those who react to gluten react to dairy too (I'm one of them). That might seem overwhelming, but keep health and energy as your focus and you won't find it hard.
It's not even so much the processing it's that they GF alternatives just aren't as satisfying. A gluten free bread isn't as filling as wheat bread is. It also doesn't have the same characteristics.
OP, do you love dipping toast into your egg yolks and having it absorb some of that deliciousness? That doesn't happen with gluten free bread. Nor does the butter sink into the toast. It sort of sits there on top.
Gluten free pizza? The tomato sauce doesn't "marry" with the crust in that delightful way it does with wheat pizza and the crust doesn't have that same chew. It's just not worth the calories, especially since it's just not as filling.
The only gluten free substitute I've found that I still eat somewhat regularly is gluten free pasta. Brown rice pasta is satisfying and has the same amount of calories as regular pasta. Usually, however, when I eat pasta for myself, I eat chickpea pasta. When I make a dish to share with the family, that's when I break out the rice pasta. They all like that as much as regular wheat pasta.
Have you ever tried the Schar products? I find them actually pretty tasty, especially the pasta. I use UDis for bread and pizza and they seem to soak up flavors, especially the bread.
I've tried Udi's and didn't find that it soaked up stuff. Weird. I might just have super picky soaking things up standards. I'm Italian. We're renowned for dunking bread.0 -
fitoverfortymom wrote: »Our favorite GF pasta is the egg noodle by Jovial and everything Tinkyada.
I've been using Tinkyada for years. Back in the day, it was one of the few brands available and was the most highly recommended. I've never seen any reason to switch, especially since the whole family likes it.
I've been eyeing those Jovial egg noodles since I spotted them recently in Wegmans.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »The only gluten free substitute I've found that I still eat somewhat regularly is gluten free pasta. Brown rice pasta is satisfying and has the same amount of calories as regular pasta. Usually, however, when I eat pasta for myself, I eat chickpea pasta. When I make a dish to share with the family, that's when I break out the rice pasta. They all like that as much as regular wheat pasta.
I haven't tried chickpea pasta, but I'm in love with corn pasta, made by La Veneziane. I swear it's better than the real pasta!!!!!
I'll have to give that a try!0 -
We love Schar. The ciabiatta and French bread are both fantastic!0
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »fitoverfortymom wrote: »Our favorite GF pasta is the egg noodle by Jovial and everything Tinkyada.
I've been eyeing those Jovial egg noodles since I spotted them recently in Wegmans.
The Jovial is great as a true spaghetti dish with red sauce. We get two boxes for 4 people (highway robbery), but it is so, so good.
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »My best advice as a celiac of 20 years is to eat foods and dishes that are inherently gluten free. There is a world of cuisines out there based on rice, potatoes, quinoa, beans, and corn as their primary starches and you don't need to do anything special to adapt those recipes.
This, this, this. Gluten free food substitutes are not very healthy, they are heavily processed and full of artificial ingredients. And in my experience, it's not good for your palate or your mindset to be attempting to maintain the same kind of diet, just substituting GF for regular foodstuffs. Far better to enjoy whole foods that are naturally gluten free.
OP, you may want to consider eliminating dairy too, maybe for a month, as very often those who react to gluten react to dairy too (I'm one of them). That might seem overwhelming, but keep health and energy as your focus and you won't find it hard.
It's not even so much the processing it's that they GF alternatives just aren't as satisfying. A gluten free bread isn't as filling as wheat bread is. It also doesn't have the same characteristics.
OP, do you love dipping toast into your egg yolks and having it absorb some of that deliciousness? That doesn't happen with gluten free bread. Nor does the butter sink into the toast. It sort of sits there on top.
Gluten free pizza? The tomato sauce doesn't "marry" with the crust in that delightful way it does with wheat pizza and the crust doesn't have that same chew. It's just not worth the calories, especially since it's just not as filling.
The only gluten free substitute I've found that I still eat somewhat regularly is gluten free pasta. Brown rice pasta is satisfying and has the same amount of calories as regular pasta. Usually, however, when I eat pasta for myself, I eat chickpea pasta. When I make a dish to share with the family, that's when I break out the rice pasta. They all like that as much as regular wheat pasta.
Have you ever tried the Schar products? I find them actually pretty tasty, especially the pasta. I use UDis for bread and pizza and they seem to soak up flavors, especially the bread.
I've tried Udi's and didn't find that it soaked up stuff. Weird. I might just have super picky soaking things up standards. I'm Italian. We're renowned for dunking bread.
We like Udi's for sandwiches. Plus, we are in CO where it's made so it's everywhere here. The Omega Flax is outstanding and has tons of fiber.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
I'll have to give that a try!
I get it from Amazon, the tagliatelle is my favourite.0 -
I'm still relatively new to being gluten free having started about 6 weeks ago. I also had to give up dairy at the same time. I've adopted the same approach as several have already posted- eating the wide variety of naturally gluten free foods available whilst making small amounts of substitutions for gluten free products.
Tonight for instance I made pizza.....I made my own base using chickpea flour, my own tomato sauce using real tomatoes and used a processed dairy free cheese that is an "occasional item". Then topped with loads of beautifully, naturally GF veggies! For pudding I made a small batch of cookies with gluten free oats.
There is such an abundance of alternative grains, rices, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc that I haven't had the same meal twice in the last 6 weeks whilst experimenting with all the variety!
It hasn't cost a fortune either....instead of buying pricey GF processed foods I fill my shopping list with yummy vegetables, good proteins and so lots of these alternative carbs that can easily replace wheat.0 -
Speaking of cookies made from gluten free oats!!!!! Shortbread made with gluten free oat flour is AMAZING.0
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Speaking of cookies made from gluten free oats!!!!! Shortbread made with gluten free oat flour is AMAZING.
Ooo that I've got to try!! Is there a particular recipe you follow?
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Speaking of cookies made from gluten free oats!!!!! Shortbread made with gluten free oat flour is AMAZING.
Recipe please - I love shortbread cookies and hate hate hate the texture of the packaged gf ones! Thanks!0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Speaking of cookies made from gluten free oats!!!!! Shortbread made with gluten free oat flour is AMAZING.
Bummer, I am allergic to actual oat which sucks.0 -
I have used a lot of recipes on glutenfreeonashoestring.com. Not low cal, but super yummy.2
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And I must commend you for being willing to make changes in your diet for your health. I have friends & family who freely acknowledge that their health problems - such as lupus, asthma, IBS, thyroid, fibromyalgia - are clearly affected by their diet, but who refuse point blank to even experiment with a change. I find this more frustrating than I can possibly say.
That's just crazy to me. I also know the same type of people you're talking about. They are often very smug about it, too. They'll say things like, "I may die young, but at least I'll die happy" or "I'd rather be sick than give up X,Y,Z" or "I'm not weak like you. I can live with it." Whatever. That's their problem, not mine.
I was so sick for several years before my doctor finally figured out what was wrong with me. I was near-constantly nauseated, suffering from malnutrition, had super high inflammation markers in my blood work, and all kinds of DAILY digestive issues which trapped me in the bathroom for hours on end - vomiting from both ends - and I developed an anxiety disorder when out in public because I never knew when sickness would strike. It was miserable for me AND my family. I would NEVER go back to eating gluten voluntarily and I don't understand why people would rather be sick! No food is worth that to me, no matter how delicious! And there are so many fine substitutes these days - and tons of good GF recipes for my favorite baked goods. I don't suffer at all.
It's been a long time since I've been that sick, but I remember it so well...
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And I must commend you for being willing to make changes in your diet for your health. I have friends & family who freely acknowledge that their health problems - such as lupus, asthma, IBS, thyroid, fibromyalgia - are clearly affected by their diet, but who refuse point blank to even experiment with a change. I find this more frustrating than I can possibly say.
That's just crazy to me. I also know the same type of people you're talking about. They are often very smug about it, too. They'll say things like, "I may die young, but at least I'll die happy" or "I'd rather be sick than give up X,Y,Z" or "I'm not weak like you. I can live with it." Whatever. That's their problem, not mine.
I was so sick for several years before my doctor finally figured out what was wrong with me. I was near-constantly nauseated, suffering from malnutrition, had super high inflammation markers in my blood work, and all kinds of DAILY digestive issues which trapped me in the bathroom for hours on end - vomiting from both ends - and I developed an anxiety disorder when out in public because I never knew when sickness would strike. It was miserable for me AND my family. I would NEVER go back to eating gluten voluntarily and I don't understand why people would rather be sick! No food is worth that to me, no matter how delicious! And there are so many fine substitutes these days - and tons of good GF recipes for my favorite baked goods. I don't suffer at all.
It's been a long time since I've been that sick, but I remember it so well...
Love that one!! My response...."I'm strong enough not to let a piece of bread control my life!"
But seriously I hate that I feel pressure to constantly have to explain my private health problems in order to justify a choice over what I choose to put on my plate.
Saying that....I'd never change it now! I feel so much better in this short period of time that I've been gluten and dairy free. My symptoms of my health conditions are starting to ease. And as a side product I have lost 10lbs and have far more energy....not purely because of cutting out the gluten ad dairy but because of that making me think more carefully and chose more wisely what I ate.
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Speaking of cookies made from gluten free oats!!!!! Shortbread made with gluten free oat flour is AMAZING.
And you don't even have to buy oat flour, you can just whizz your oats in a blender, and voila, flour!
I have found that I can't tolerate some gluten free oats, but other brands I'm okay with. Whether that's because of contamination in processing, or the variety of oat, I really don't know. But Bob's Red Mill is the best brand, for me.0 -
It is great to read that other folks suffer from wheat - wait, I don't mean I'm happy y'all suffer - I just mean I don't feel so alone! When I went GF 4 years ago, my husband came along with me. Really though he didn't have much choice, did he? We just basically have eaten Whole Foods that are naturally GF without trying to substitute. Missed bread &a pasta for a while but now do not even think about it (much0
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Speaking of cookies made from gluten free oats!!!!! Shortbread made with gluten free oat flour is AMAZING.
Ooo that I've got to try!! Is there a particular recipe you follow?
This is the one I've been using the past few years. I always use Kerry Gold butter and raw sugar and it's sublime.
https://blog.kathrynmcgowan.com/2010/06/07/scottish-shortbread-gluten-free-baking-ahead-of-its-time/1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Speaking of cookies made from gluten free oats!!!!! Shortbread made with gluten free oat flour is AMAZING.
And you don't even have to buy oat flour, you can just whizz your oats in a blender, and voila, flour!
I have found that I can't tolerate some gluten free oats, but other brands I'm okay with. Whether that's because of contamination in processing, or the variety of oat, I really don't know. But Bob's Red Mill is the best brand, for me.
That brand is awesome for gluten free products. I've trusted it for years.0
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