Help! I Have a Wheat Allergy and a Boring Diet!

Matthew112830
Matthew112830 Posts: 25 Member
edited October 2 in Food and Nutrition
Many people in my family have (or had when I add in those who have passed away) gastrointestinal issues--Crohn's disease, GERD, gall stones, ulcers, etc. I've endured stomach discomfort most of my life (mostly pain and bloating), so several years ago I went to the doctor to find out which one, or what combination, I have. It turns out I'm just allergic to wheat and rye. Although I have to avoid all food containing these two ingredients, I consider myself lucky: Last year my sister had 18" of her small intestine removed because of her Crohn's.

Avoiding foods with wheat and rye is not as easy as one would think. Like gluten, just about everything has wheat or rye in it. I'm sad to say that I'm NOT perfect at this all the time. I DO have my moments of weakness like last night when I had thin crust pizza and several Mother's Taffy cookies :love: , but after these slip ups, I really pay for it the next day.

I love MyFitnessPal because it has helped me to lose 17 of the 53 extra pounds I've been carrying around. One thing about it that I really enjoy is reading the recipes other members have shared. Sadly, I can't have many of them because they use wheat as one of the ingredients. For example, I just read a delicious-sounding recipe for a pumpkin cheesecake (and at less than 250 calories a slice!), but it has a graham cracker crust. I guess that I could make it in a glass pie pan without a crust, but I know I would really miss it. :sad:

I've done a pretty good job cutting out all bread from my diet, and now I eat rice pasta instead of wheat, but I miss what I can't have! I'm addicted to wheat, but I know it doesn't like me.

I want to know if anyone else on MFP shares my plight. If so, what strategies do you use and what substitutions do you make to avoid suffering the next day?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
    You can make lots of soups, and I make mostly meat-veggies-rice/potato meals. I know it seems boring but I have several friends who are gluten free, and I make all kinds of fun things, go to whole foods.com they have fun things like gluten free cookies and brownies, among other things!
  • Matthew112830
    Matthew112830 Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks for the tips!
  • shankleefranklee
    shankleefranklee Posts: 142
    veggie pasta & cauliflower pizza crust for pizza.

    i shred zucchini, and carrots, boil them, strain, and press so most of the liquid is out, then sautee for a bit, add sauce and some chicken. it's really delicious. i usually use at least 2 medium zucchinis and half a large carrot.

    cauliflower crust is with a cup of steamed califlower cooled, and shredded then mixed with an egg, and a cup of cheese. cook at 450 Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, add sauce and more cheese, broil.

    i don't have any allergies, my partner and i are both trying to limit carbs, wheat, starch, gluten into our diets and are finding new things that work for us.
  • Matthew112830
    Matthew112830 Posts: 25 Member
    Sounds great! Thanks! I will definitely add these to my menu. :smile:
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
    There are quite a few Celiacs on here (me included) that share info. Here is the thread that has a bunch of good stuff.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/207159-gluten-free-girls-and-guys

    PM me and tell me what you're missing the most and I can give you some good ideas on what to do. I've found replacements for most of the things I can't eat. HOWEVER, I will tell you I really don't eat a lot of carbs anymore, it's just easier and I don't have to worry about accidentally getting gluten.
  • StevLL
    StevLL Posts: 921 Member
    We've been working on being Gluten Free since january and except for the occasional "planned" slip up it's become easier and easier. For your cheese cake recipe you could crumble gluten free cooklies and use them as a crust. Bread and pasta were my main stays and now we use Quinoa for rice or pasta and occasionally Heartland GF pasta. (Cooks up better and half the price.) We do a lot of fresh foods and try to experiment with brines, sauces and different spices. We recently bought a ninja blender an that has opened up smoothies, Homemade Sorbet, protein shakes and if you really miss bread try Udi's white loaf, it's almost like real bread and when you toast it you can't tell, it's that good.
    Good luck
  • Matthew112830
    Matthew112830 Posts: 25 Member
    Sounds great! Thank you for sharing the link with me. I will definitely check it out!

    I would have to say that I miss bread the most. I used to love a thick chunk of warm bread right out of the oven dripping with some real butter... However, that's part of the reason I'm now using MFP! :blushing:
  • Matthew112830
    Matthew112830 Posts: 25 Member
    Thank you for sharing your tips! Where do you get the bread? I'm not familiar with Heartland brand. It may not be sold where I live. Maybe I can get it online or at Whole Foods.

    I appreciate your insight!
  • rodegghero
    rodegghero Posts: 212 Member
    could you try making your own grahams using a flour that you ca neat? google graham cracker recipes. I know its more work, but the more you make yourself the more you control whats in it. Making crackers is actually pretty easy and cheap
    I would also look for a wheat free cookbook. i have seen a few
  • Sandiraa
    Sandiraa Posts: 15 Member
    Hey! I am celiac also so I feel your pain!! Feel free to add me if you want :D My boyfriend is vegetarian so most of my recipes are veggie friendly also. There are a few on here....
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Sandiraa

    These are also some good gluten/wheatfree blogs. I cant promise the recipes are healthy though!!
    http://glutenfreegirl.com/
    http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
    http://www.wheatfreemeatfree.com/
    http://www.glutenfreediva.com/
    http://www.heythattastesgood.com/

    http://girlinoregon.blogspot.com/2011/08/gluten-free-pizza.html
  • ahavoc
    ahavoc Posts: 464 Member
    I am the Queen of food allergies. I too cannot eat anything with wheat or any sprouted grain, but my family can, so here's what I've found works for me.

    Rice Pasta - I make them regular pasta and I use Notta's Rice pasta. It's the best, doesn't turn into paste.

    Polenta - Polenta is made from corn, and if you can have corn you can do 1,000 different things with polenta. I spray a pan with Pam and fry up slices of polenta, then I eat it with eggs, or mix it in whatever I'm cooking. It's great!

    Anthony's corn flour - when something calls for flour, I use corn flour. You can find it in the "world" section at grocery stores. I don't bake with it, but for chicken, fish, anything that calls for flour when sautéing, that's what I use.

    Breads made with tapioca flour are the closest things that taste like, well, bread, but noting has a lot of fiber that's Gluten or Wheat free. That's what someone has to develop, a Wheat-free, Gluten-free, high-fiber bread or pizza crust. I'd be buying that for sure!

    And remember Gluten Free and Wheat Free are two different things, so read those labels!
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
    If you have a whole foods I'll recommend their Prairie Bread. It's pricey (I think $8.99 a loaf), but is very tasty. Oh and it's high in calories too. If you love English Muffins the Glutino ones are AWESOME. I basically DON'T eat processed carbs anymore and find I feel much better. BUT, it's nice to have go to items that still taste good.
  • Matthew112830
    Matthew112830 Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks to everyone for your ideas and tips! I'm excited to try some of the products and recipes that you've told me about. :happy:
  • StevLL
    StevLL Posts: 921 Member
    Thank you for sharing your tips! Where do you get the bread? I'm not familiar with Heartland brand. It may not be sold where I live. Maybe I can get it online or at Whole Foods.

    I appreciate your insight!

    The Udi's bread we found at Sunflower & Whole foods and also at Safeway and Fry's (Kroger) It's cheapest at Safeway 4.99 a loaf. We learned about Udi's on MFP. Ahavoc is right polenta is crazy versatile and can be used in lots of ways.
    The Heartland Pasta believe it or not we found at Walmart, they have been slowly increasing their Gluten and wheat free products. The only complaint I have at walmart is they don't have them together, they have them all over the place. If you want gluten free crackers go to the cracker isle. It makes sense, but the other stores sort of spoil you by putting it all in one place.
  • earlgreygirl09
    earlgreygirl09 Posts: 80
    Hi! I have gone through phases where I can't have wheat....and it was awful because I LOVE pizza, bread, cookies, etc....and wheat is in sooo many things! You should google 'crust free pumpkin pie'. I found a recipe for it on the internet, and man oh man is it delicious!! It's like the essence of pumpkin pie-it's just the filling! Even those who aren't gluten intolerant loved it AND it's also much lower in calories for us calorie watching folk, making it a double win! Good luck in finding products/recipes that work for you......the gluten-free industry has come a LONG way in just the past couple of years!!
  • lor007
    lor007 Posts: 884 Member
    I don't have any allergies but my daughter has several, including wheat. I suggest searching for recipes, there are actually a lot out there. I have made a lot of different cakes, cookies and bread recipes all wheat free that taste very good. If you get some recipes you like, share them with your mom, significant other, or whoever else may cook for you occasionally. I'm sure she would be happy to make you some different cookies that won't make your belly ache, that's what moms are for. :smile:

    Also, where we live it is hard to come by stores that stock allergy friendly foods. If you are in the same boat, I would suggest searching online and ordering them in bulk.
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
    I don't eat any grain products including wheat, oat, rice, corn, and others. I don't miss foods with these in mostly because I love vegetables and all the ways to prepare them along with meat, nuts and fruit. I haven't replaced them with packaged gluten free products because most of them have too much sugar and starches (tapioca, rice etc) as well as preservatives. That's just my decision and not suggesting it's right for you; however adopting this mindset made it easier to get along without grain based foods.
  • Nic0522
    Nic0522 Posts: 38
    bump! good ideas!
  • sphares
    sphares Posts: 15 Member
    I have a sensitivity to gluten. I make everything from scratch because, as someone else pointed out, a lot of gluten free products really aren't that healthy for you (and they're expensive AND they taste like crap).

    I don't look at a recipe and think I can't have it because it's not gluten free. I find ways to make it gluten free. If it's the graham cracker crust, google 'gluten free graham crackers'. Then you can substitute the crust. I find a lot of recipes can be gluten free either by omitting an ingredient (as long as it's not the main component) or by substituting.
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