getting started with gluten-free fun

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godblessourhome
godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
in Food and Nutrition
my hubby thinks he would like to try a gluten free diet for a while (he has arthritis and has heard it might help). can anyone get me started with some easy recipes/menus? i'm especially looking for side dishes, and main dishes with 5 ingredients or less. a list of brands (tortillas, soy sauce, etc) to avoid might be helpful as well. thanks!

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  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
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    Back to Nature Gluten Free RIce crackers are really good.
  • rainydayboys
    rainydayboys Posts: 79
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    If you do some searches for Celiac organizations, you'll find a list of foods - both gluten free and ones to avoid.
    It's in EVERYTHING! We're "gluten light" over here...
  • Bumblebee26
    Bumblebee26 Posts: 118 Member
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    I just tried Old Wisconsin Turkey sticks they are gluten free and yummmy snack!
  • theba2il
    theba2il Posts: 548 Member
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    Van's frozen waffles
    Blue Diamond crackers
    Not sure where you live, I've the stores in my area are starting to have a GF section.
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    yeah, i know i could google it, but there are a million and twenty websites out there about it. instead of me spending several hours combing through it to find something we would make, i'd prefer some recipes and advice from friends on mfp who are practicing gluten-free already. :) thanks.

    keep the ideas coming please!
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    Celiac here, I got your back, so covered :) Also, I have to be more careful than some people with an intolerance, so heads up.

    I love Glutino products! Their pretzels, pizzas, crackers...so tasty. Udi's is the "best" GF bread, Kinnick(something like that) is good (sweets).

    GF bread is best homemade, like, I eat it without toasting it. Which says a lot if you've had store bought GF bread.

    Be wary of nuts and oats.

    Quinoa is awesome.

    Celiac.com has awesome forums, very helpful.

    Going GF changed my life. I started dropping weight, stopped getting migraines, stopped being sick, my ADD 'cleared up', my depression is gone...it is amazing, I hope he has success!


    OMG therse aren't really a side, but they are tasty:
    1 cup COOKED rice
    .5 cup salsa
    1 cup cheese
    1 cup shreded sweet potato
    6 eggs


    Mix rice, salsa, sweet potato and 1/2 of the cheese together
    Divide into a 6 count jumbo muffin tin (Do not fill to the top!)
    Crack an egg onto the top of each "muffin"
    Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top
    Bake at 350* for 40-45 Minutes

    252 cals each


    Hot rice cereal:
    http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/hotricecereal.htm

    I use la bandarita (?) tortillas and i've been ok. soy sauce is a no-go unless you find GF soy sauce

    All things veg are safe and easy.

    Everything in my diary if GF, check it out, if anything catches your fancy let me know!

    glutenfreegirl.com = awesome
  • jrlenig
    jrlenig Posts: 364 Member
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    Daughter is on a gluten free diet I say all gluten bread takes yucky. but the Bisquick pancake mix has been helpful makes yummy biscuits...
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    OMG therse aren't really a side, but they are tasty:
    1 cup COOKED rice
    .5 cup salsa
    1 cup cheese
    1 cup shreded sweet potato
    6 eggs


    Mix rice, salsa, sweet potato and 1/2 of the cheese together
    Divide into a 6 count jumbo muffin tin (Do not fill to the top!)
    Crack an egg onto the top of each "muffin"
    Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top
    Bake at 350* for 40-45 Minutes

    252 cals each

    awesome. that is super helpful! thanks!
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    meat, vegetables, fruit. The rest is just fluff.

    check out http://whole9life.com/2010/12/whole30-2011/ for a real jump start kick in the pants. I am doing it this month.
  • schroje83
    schroje83 Posts: 17 Member
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    meat, vegetables, fruit. The rest is just fluff.

    check out http://whole9life.com/2010/12/whole30-2011/ for a real jump start kick in the pants. I am doing it this month.

    Exactly my thoughts. As you'll see on whole30, the first week or two of gluten free may be tough, but hang in there and it gets easy.
  • 16mixingbowls
    16mixingbowls Posts: 205 Member
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    In general, most Mexican food and Thai food is gluten free. The best gluten free food is food that is naturally gluten free. Gluten is what provides the elasticity in dough; GF baked goods are more dense, crumbly, and not chewy.

    My favorite noodles are the quinoa ones, brown rice ones, and even more amazing, the Hungry Girl Shiritaki noodles. They're made out of tofu and the whole package only has like 3 carbs and 40 calories. Seriously look into these!!!!!

    Soy sauce is a major sneaky spot, as well as things that would be gluten free if they were cooked in isolation. This more relates to restaurant eating, such as: tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant. Yes, corn tortillas are gluten free, but if they are cooked in the same fry oil as chimichangas, chille rellenos, and other gluten-full items, there is cross contamination.

    I second the Kinnininik foods, Udi's, Glutino, GF soy sauces, and many of the Amy's frozen foods that are GF. She has an amazing GF mac and cheese (but calorie-laden.)

    Watch out for gluten in soups, sauces, shampoo, deodorant, body lotion, and herbal tea. Oh yeah, and beer is out, restaurants that claim to be GF and also cook on the same surface and use the same utensils, and anything fried in a restaurant. Oh yeah, and oatmeal. Oatmeal should be gluten free, but often farmers will grow crops of wheat and oats side by side. Wind carries wheat into the oat fields, and upon harvest, wheat is mixed in to the oats. GF oats are grown in designated places to protect them. Rice-a-Roni has pasta, as well as similar quick-prep items.

    Grrrrrr........... I just typed all of this and realized you want recipes. Well, most recipes can be made gluten free really easily, you will just need to get creative with substitutions. I really don't buy a lot of prepped foods, I make most stuff at home from scratch. I end up making low carb meals like protein, grilled veggies, and salad.

    Oh, and for me with Celiac, it can take weeks after me accidentally eating gluten to start to feel better. Don't expect it to be a quick repsonse to going GF. Friends/coworkers have a hard time with this. I often hear, "Just have a tiny nibble." It's not that easy.
  • caitmcwill
    caitmcwill Posts: 102
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    my favorite gluten free brand is udis. the granola is amazing. i would definitely research about how to have a gluten free diet because there are so many things that contain it. like soy sauce, some lunch meats, imitation crab, etc. my absolute favorite recipe for gluten free is chicken fried chicken with white gravy in the 1000 gluten free recipes cookbook. not exactly so healthy, but probably fine to have every once in awhile.
  • theflyingartist
    theflyingartist Posts: 385 Member
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    Going gluten free is best when you make your own meals from scratch.
    Good staples to have are:
    Rice
    Potatoes
    Frozen veggies like Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Spinach, Asparagus, ect.
    Lean meats like fish, shrimp, and chicken. Turkey if you like!

    Making stir fry and baking your meat is great.. little seasoning.. maybe salt, pepper, basil, oregano.. ect.
    Try to go without a lot of starch before using the gluten-free alternatives. You might find you don't miss those things at all (I don't).
  • shrinkwrecks
    shrinkwrecks Posts: 4
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    glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
    nourishingmeals.com
    xgfx.org

    ^best gluten free websites for recipes and product recommendations.
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    Oh, and for me with Celiac, it can take weeks after me accidentally eating gluten to start to feel better. Don't expect it to be a quick repsonse to going GF. Friends/coworkers have a hard time with this. I often hear, "Just have a tiny nibble." It's not that easy.

    your response was very helpful! i knew that gluten was in lots of items, especially items you don't think of containing gluten (like salad dressing), because we did gluten-free, casien-free for about two months when my son was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome several years ago. i remember it being very hard to find products and recipes at that time. luckily, gluten didn't affect him and we could stick to just casien-free, which to me was easier.

    we are thinking of trying the gluten-free for my husband for a month. do you think that is enough time to start to tell a difference or should we give it longer?
  • 16mixingbowls
    16mixingbowls Posts: 205 Member
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    I am not a professional by any means, but I would say give it longer. That way you can see if the change (loss) is due to gluten or just reduced calories. My doctor did tell me that even one crouton messes with my intestines and their ability to absorb nutrients FOR 6 MONTHS!

    Soooo, to me this means that I was eating healthy but not absorbing nutrients, and my body got out of whack and under/malnourished, and and so when I first went gluten-free my body was straightening its self out. I think you could start to see differences in simple things, like digestion, headaches, hydration, gas, and other quick and easy symptoms, but to see if it really health benefits it could take a while.

    Also, the best exclusionary diets means excluding only one thing at a time to see if that is what really what you're body is allergic/sensitive too. (Or excluding almost everything and adding one thing back at a time to see if it induces a reaction.) For example, the author of Gluten Free Girl wrote a long post about how she initially thought she was just GF, but now determined that she needs to also exclude xanthum and guar gum. Her symptoms got better but didn't go away completely.

    If you only try for a month your husband might notice gains or losses or other things that are just from his body finally being able to absorb things he couldn't before (if he is really Celiac) or due to him excluding calories he used to get often (an apple fritter at Starbucks which is now replaced by a banana.)

    Gluten Free Goddess has a blog with some really succinct and informative info on going gluten free, too.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    your response was very helpful! i knew that gluten was in lots of items, especially items you don't think of containing gluten (like salad dressing), because we did gluten-free, casien-free for about two months when my son was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome several years ago. i remember it being very hard to find products and recipes at that time. luckily, gluten didn't affect him and we could stick to just casien-free, which to me was easier.

    we are thinking of trying the gluten-free for my husband for a month. do you think that is enough time to start to tell a difference or should we give it longer?

    I could tell within days of going GF, but I was incredibly sensitive to it, I can also tell before I've finished a meal if I've been glutened. A month should help. The GI stuff cleared up for me by then, the migraines/brain fog were better, my joints took longer to feel better (bum knee and a bad ankle). Seriously, celiac.com forums are a wealth of information.
  • jessicamiller25
    jessicamiller25 Posts: 20
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    Gluten free here. I agree with the others, the best meals are naturally gluten free meals made at home. I live off of potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, corn, meat, dairy, veggies and fruit. Like someone else said, be aware of things like nuts, oats, corn chips and things you would think are gluten free but are probably cross contaminated in the factory. A few products I stick with to cook at home are Herb Ox chicken and beef seasoning, Mission White Corn Tortilla wraps, Corn Chex. Glutino is a great brand to get snacks to ease your husband into the diet. It is hard at first because you grieve over your favorite foods you can no longer eat. Soon you/he will loose weight and feel amazing! Good Luck!
  • FabCheeky
    FabCheeky Posts: 311
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    Celiac on the paleo diet here.
    Going gluten free only wasn't a fix for me.
    I had to eliminate more than that. It turns out that I'm pretty sensitive to things that mimic gluten in the body, too.
    Check out this cool scientific info:
    http://www.thedr.com/images/gs201crfoods.pdf

    So, paleo eating is easiest to deal with and I've had phenomenal results with it. Completely fixed fibromyalgia/joint problems, migraines, fatigue, endometriosis, gut issues, skin issues, wildly out of control asthma, severe allergies, blood sugar issues, and has nearly cured my PCOS. (All of this and I've only been working it since October 2011.) Oh, and I've lost fat and gained muscle mass.
    Check out fastpaleo.com, everydaypaleo.com, civilizedcavemancooking.com, robbwolf.com, marksdailyapple.com for more information and recipes than you can shake a stick at.

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