Going gluten free... need food ideas

Try the Paleo Diet. It is all gluten and dairy free. www.paleoplan.com has over 200 recipes for every meal of the day. They give you a 14 day free trial and you have access to all the recipes. :drinker:

I do eggs for breakfast with fruit, lunch is usually a salad with some sort of meat. Snacks are Luna bars and veggies. Supper is meat, veg, and fruit combo. Late night snack is usually popcorn

Luckily for you, there are many more aware people today and thus tons more food options.

First, I would recommend checking out the grocery store for gluten free flour options - play around with recipes and you'll be able to replicate almost anything. Bob's Red Mill is a great brand to start with.

Second, chocolatecoveredkatie.com has some good dessert options on her blog and she's always dairy free.

Third, most real food is still good for you - stuff like baked chicken, fish, shrimp, etc and of course there are "Grain alternatives" like quiona that you can try out. Instead of coating meats and such with bread crumbs, try nuts like ground almonds, peanuts, and macadamia nuts.

Instead of cereal, you might be able to eat oatmeal (sometimes it is processed in a wheat facility, try with care) and here are some other breakfast ideas: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/321641

While it sounds hard, it's probably not as bad as you might think, just let people know and be open to discussing it!

There are tons of posts on here for support as well.

KIND bars rock my socks off for gym snacks. All gluten-free.

I follow the Primal Blueprint and often go to a site called Mark's Daily Apple. There are loads of recipes there and also in the forum. If you sign up for his free newsletter you will also be send two reader-created cookbooks (they are PDFs) and those will give you loads of ideas. I guess you are also not eating cheese? Some of the recipes include cheese but you can always substitute for that and maybe use a lactose-free product.

I also LOVE my bread and toast but now after not having it for a while, I don't miss it that much. When I do need a crunch I make primal crackers (found the recipe in one of those cookbooks) - put two cups of seeds/nuts into a food processor and blend till it looks like flour (you can do it by hand if you don't have a food processor. I usually use a cup of sunflower seed and a cup of sesame seeds but sometimes I experiment and use cashews, pistachios or almonds). Then add water while in the final stage of grinding till it looks like a paste - you can add spices here too like S&P, garlic, whatever you want. Roll out the mixture between two pieces of parchment paper then take off the top piece. Score into squares and bake in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. These are great when I want cheese and crackers or I'm having tuna and want something crunchy!

you can make lots of "breads" using rice flour! an old boyfriend of mine was gluten free.

CoryIda, I wondered if that was what was going on with you. I have been told that gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley and rye) is very similar to casein (a protein found in dairy), which is why so many people who are allergic to one are also allergic to others too.

Don't be surprised if your intestinal tract takes a couple of weeks to adjust to a gluten free diet. Mine did too, but it all mellows out after the shock wears off. And eventually, you'll likely find that you feel better than you have in a very long time.

Two great gluten-free websites with lots of resources can be found here:
http://www.the-gluten-free-chef.com
http://glutenfreegirl.com/

As far as whole grain toast, most gluten free breads are very poor excuses for regular breads (gluten is what gives baked goods their spongy texture), but I have found one brand that is actually quite delicious. Udi's bread and muffins are the closest to any "normal" baked goods I have found. They make the only gf bread I can stand to eat without toasting, frying, or otherwise heating up to improve the texture.

As far as gluten free pastas, brown rice has better texture than corn, and holds up better as leftovers. If you can find quinoa pasta, that's great too! In fact, quinoa in general is a wonderful, delicious, high-protein gluten-free grain. I LOVE cooking with quinoa!

I don't substitute grains nearly as much now that I've been off gluten for several years. It helped with the mental/emotional withdrawals, but now I just tend to focus on fruits, veggies, and proteins instead of grains. Sort of a half-hearted paleo diet, I guess.

There must be over 50 gluten-free cookbooks out there, but I highly recommend the Gluten Free Bible.
I think that's my two cents worth. Good luck to you!

I am currently eating a paleo diet to try to resolve some inflammation and autoimmune issues. If you're in the market for a cookbook, I have heard nothing but fabulous things about "Make It Paleo:Over 200 Grain Free Recipes For Any Occasion" (http://www.amazon.com/Make-Paleo-Grain-Recipes-Occasion/dp/1936608863) and I plan on getting it myself soon.