posted
How do you handle going gluten free when you feel so awful?
I just don't feel up to cooking from scratch every night, and everything easy from the store has gluten in it.
I really want to do this for my family, but I'm so tired and in so much pain that I keep reaching for the easy-to-cook items.
How do you do it?
-------------------- Take care -kelly --------------- Posts: 330 | From TX | Registered: Mar 2009
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
A number of companies are now making prepaired foods gluten-free. Check out http://gfmall.com/ for ideas. Also check local grocery stores and health food stores frozen food sections, health food sections, canned food sections, etc.
Meats, eggs, dairy, and fresh/frozen/canned fruits & vegetables are naturally gluten-free. Just make sure if you buy anything in a package that you watch the label. Labels must note if the product contains wheat, which is the biggest/primary source of gluten (other sources include rye, barley, and oats). You can get certified gluten-free oats, too, and those should be fine.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
I swear, I think I wrote this post at one time, not so long ago...and although all of my children are not totally gluten-free, one of my daughters is completely gluten free now, and so am I.
I am also going gluten-free slowly for the other 3 kids...but it's a little complicated since their father isn't exactly supportive...
I decided a few months ago that I simply couldn't take it anymore and I planned out what I would need to have in the house so that my daughter could start eating gluten-free. It really was not bad at all.
I am the most unorganized person, I simply do not have the energy or organizational skills to plan and follow through with things. But I actually did it, and now I have not had gluten in about 4 months and I don't miss it one single bit.
My daughter is so used to it now, she doesn't care, and I have plently to offer her and I never let her feel left out.
I basically buy all the Chex cereals for all the kids (all gluten free), I only make gluten free pasta (all four kids eat it, even my VERY picky son who hates everything). If you wanted me to, I would gladly send you a list of "musts;" things I personally must keep in the house at all times.
I put off going gluten-free for 2 and a half years because I was afraid it was too hard, and I am already soooo overwhelmed with being sick, working, and of course, being a mom.
I promise you can do it. It is fun discovering new foods - and feeling better because of it! I won't go near gluten anymore- I had it once about a month ago, and the next day I was so tired and groggy that I didn't do anything. It was horrible. My daughter is miserable and irritable and MEAN on gluten, too. She was a different person after 3 days off of it. However, unfortunately she has some gluten here and there (I have no control over this) and it makes her miserable. So I just do what I can and it still does help.
Let me know if you'd like ideas to get you started. It seems overwhelming, but it is possible. (If I can do it, anyone can.) My LLMD told me on the first day I met her that I needed to get off gluten, because it is "one of the very worst things for your body." Good luck! CB
Posts: 114 | From NY | Registered: Jul 2011
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posted
Thanks Razzle, I took a quick look at that link - there's a TON of information there. It's late and I'm tired, but I will certainly check it out tomorrow.
CB - I sent you a pm.
-------------------- Take care -kelly --------------- Posts: 330 | From TX | Registered: Mar 2009
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Don't try to "substitute" most things, because they just don't taste the same. Be open to finding new tastes, textures, and flavors.
Try to stay away from the premade, gf "goodies." I felt badly for myself at first and consoled myself with those (I wasn't in Lyme treatment yet, so sugar and yeast were ok). I quickly packed on pounds.
Scour the web. There are so many great blogs, recipes, cookbooks, etc. out there that can help to coach you through the transition. There are great iPod apps as well. I use "Is that gluten free?" at the grocery store, and at the beginning, it was a lifesaver!
On the days you feel up to it, make a big batch of gf soup and toss it in the freezer to yank out on those tired days. We tend to make a lot of chicken and rice soups, with homemade chicken stock. You can find gf/sugar free/yeast free chicken stocks, but they are hard to find and very expensive. Better to get a whole chicken, cook it off, and make your own to use.
My daughter and I have recently gotten into making stir fry with all of the fresh veggies that are in. Finding new ways to eat vegetables has helped me a lot.
I am not a quinoa fan, but I keep trying. I'm sure there are great recipes out there, I just haven't mastered them yet.
If you like eggs, maybe frittatas, which are like crustless quiches.
Keeping something like chex or other, relatively cheap gf cereals on hand can be a real lifesaver. I am having one of those days when I can't stand the sugar free/yeast free diet, so I had a bowl of gf corn flakes for breakfast with some blueberries. It was way tastier than I had anticipated, which was a pleasant surprise.
Making the household as GF as possible is a big help. My husband still has a bagel every morning (we have separate toasters and counters in the kitchen), and he and my daughter both have regular wheat bread for sandwiches. They eat regular pasta, but both will eat my rice pasta (I love Jovial). Otherwise, we all do gf--no wheat flour in the house anymore.
Sorry this is so long--if you want any other suggestions, I am happy to give you my two cents. I have done this for 11 months now, and I still feel pretty good about it!
Posts: 447 | From Vermont | Registered: Jan 2011
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AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
the freezer. mom cooks a bunch at once for me and we freeze.
somethings cook fast - like corn noodles - like six minutes
add no sugar ragu sauce and ground turkey or beans or veggies.
I believe tacos kits arw gluten free - the sauce mix has sugar in it but you can leave some plain for you.
before i became allegric to brown rice - i used to eat energ brownrice yeast free bread.
if you eat peanut butter - smuckers makes one without sugar. there is also an organic sunbutter with no sugar or salt that swanson sells,
you can also buy that brown rice in a box it cooks fast too.
Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
Amy's Kitchen has some great organic frozen foods - gluten-free bean & cheese burritos, mac & cheese, rice cereal, etc. Also there are some canned soups that look good (most have other things I'm allergic to, so haven't tried them).
Tinkyada makes one of the best gluten-free pasta's I've found. Doesn't hold up to stirring a lot, but it sure tastes good to me...
I've heard from others with Celiac that the Chex cereals may have some cross-contamination, so may not be good if you're super sensitive to gluten.
Oh, and there are mixes from the Cravings Place that are free of sugar and yeast...I like the pancake/waffle mix.
Chebe pizza crust mix is also excellent. Can be used 1/2 & 1/2 with other gluten-free flours for more nutritious pizza crust.
Arrowhead Mills also has some gluten-free cereals - my favorite is "Rice and Shine" hot rice cereal (the only ingredient is rice - no sugar or anything else). I throw in some frozen blueberries and a little agave and it is pretty tasty. Can also add some flaxseed after it's done cooking.
I agree there are tons of gluten-free recipes and such online...
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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momintexas
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23391
posted
Gluten Free Checklist will email you daily easy gluten free recipes. Just click on the "What's for dinner" tab and enter your email address.
I've been signed up for over a year now with them and have never had any spamming issues.
I was very overwhelmed by it at first until my sister showed me all recipes can be altered to be gluten free.
I use my crockpot often. Posts: 1408 | From Tx | Registered: Nov 2009
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MannaMe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33330
posted
Does anyone have a gluten free, egg free bread recipe that has the texture and 'feel' of regular bread?
Most of the ones I've tried are sorry excuses for bread. I did get a recipe from a cousin who helped in a bakeshop. My only complaint is that it has so much starch in it.
My husband is gluten free for 2 years - he had allergy testing done. We say gluten free but actually he can have barley - that one tested ok.
Posts: 2252 | From USA | Registered: Aug 2011
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rera said, "Try to stay away from the premade, gf "goodies." I felt badly for myself at first and consoled myself with those (I wasn't in Lyme treatment yet, so sugar and yeast were ok). I quickly packed on pounds."
VERY TRUE!!
I mostly just eat proteins and vegetables. I do buy Udi's bread.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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WET PORTION: *1/2 tsp organic extra virgin coconut oil *1/2 tsp organic almond or vanilla extract *1 or 2 eggs (I use 2 so it's more filling) *1 Tbsp water
Mix the DRY ingredients together then add the WET. Fry in a pan just like conventional pancakes (grease the pan with more coconut oil). The recipe makes 1 serving (2 medium sized pancakes)
no syrup needed!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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lymeboy
Unregistered
posted
I spend about 3 hrs on Sundays cooking stuff for the week. I don't always have the energy to cook from scratch either. Going Gluten free has saved me a lot of money and made me slightly more organized in the long run.
I do eat rice from time to time. I also eat Quinoa, which is a very healthy food and good source of carbs
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it cooks like oat meal, pretty painless to make, and relatively quick
I put pumpkin seed or flax or hemp oil on it (omega 3) and cinnamon
no sugar or a tiny bit of agave syrup (not lately)
quick fix and my body loves it
-------------------- Persistence, persistence, persistence!!! "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination are omnipotent." attributed to Calvin Coolidge Posts: 599 | From USA | Registered: Jun 2011
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