WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
My LLMD has been urging me to try a gluten free diet and I'm strongly considering it.
I don't mind giving up certain foods to get well, but my hesitation is that my daughter has six food allergies and she is allergic to all the mainstream grains, except for gluten. So she and I would be on opposite diets. I remember how much work it was to adapt when we discovered my daughter's food allergies and I was healthy then, so I have no idea how to accomplish this given my current limitations.
I don't have enough energy to go grocery shopping to even one store so I don't know how I'm going to add in a trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or wherever every week to get gluten free items. And I don't know how I'm going to manage cooking a separate GF meal for me when I can barely do one for the kids. A lot of times my hubby and I end up with takeout after we put the kids to bed but eating out seems difficult to impossible with the GF diet.
So how am I going to do this? Does anyone have any practical tips? Does Trader Joes or Whole Foods have GF frozen items that I could pop in the microwave? What do you snack on to keep your energy up? (I often eat Luna protein bars now.) Are there any safe cuisines for GF? Thai? Chinese? Helpful web sites? I'm clueless on this! Oh and I'm also supposed to be on a yeast avoidance diet as well, and I'm not doing so well with that either.
thanks so much!
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- First, to be clear, you said your daughter is allergic to all the mainstream grains.
Does that include each of these? As a whole food, these can be wonderful with either savory or "sweet" herbs and spices.
Quinoa, Red Quinoa, Black Quinoa;
Brown, Red, Chinese Forbidden Black, Wild Rice;
Amaranth; Buckwheat Groats; Millet; Teff.
After I know for sure if she is allergic to all on that list, then I can further suggest things from this category.
However, really a diet heavy on VEGETABLES and the low sugar dark berries, if possible . . . with various good PROTEINS and good FATS will work for ANYONE.
I think it's very possible to be able to have the same menu for all, with a few exceptions here and there.
As for Cuisines that are "safe" for celiac / gluten-free:
ANY and ALL. It's just that prepared foods and sauces are history. It's easy to season with your own herbs and spices, then you know exactly what you are getting.
After you post about the grains (which really are mostly grasses & seeds), then I will know which cookbook or site to direct you to.
Although both stores you mentioned above have many GF packaged foods, it's really best to avoid most of those due to the very high glycemic index of the processed foods that still, often, contain additives that mirror MSG.
If you stick to food from the earth, generally, that works.
Minus those with gluten: wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley.
For some: oats cause trouble (the gluten is different than that main set but still it can be contaminated with wheat so if oats do work for you/child, be sure they are packaged and certified GF.
Also problematic for many: soy; corn; dairy (casein).
If you buy GF pizza, be sure it is certified. From a restaurant, the KITCHEN must be guaranteed to be GF, and that is very rare. A GF pizza from a kitchen where wheat is flying around will NOT be GF at all.
And - I've found with some GF pasta, that I can get all the flavor I want with a healthful pasta sauce.
Tinkyada has GF pastas - or Trader Joe's Brown Rice PENNE. Still, very small serving.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH makes a fine "pasta" really. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Google: HIDDEN+SOURCE+of+GLUTEN
There are a few different links. Be sure to see them all, copy & paste and then put all in your desk-top research file.
Excitotoxins; MSG; Aspartame; & "Natural" Flavors -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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Member # 12673
posted
- Snacks, you ask?
Since even GF "bars" often contain MSG or "Natural Flavors" and are often very very sweet, these usually work better for blood sugar stability:
NUTS (there are over 80 varieties); nut butters (but, if peanut that should be only from VALENCIA peanuts). Really best to avoid peanuts and go for other nuts and other nut butters.
Low sugar fresh whole fruits like tart apple, dark berries (but with a protein and a fat),
AVOCADO / Guacamole, Red Bell Pepper, Jicama,
HUMMUS with carrots, celery, Broccoli, zucchini strips
A little bit of quinoa or millet with olive oil, garlic powder, parsley flakes, sea salt. This makes a nice snack any time of the day. Add a touch of hot pepper if you like, or a seasoned SESAME OIL.
Quinoa or Millet (or ANY of the GF whole "grains") can also seasoned "sweet" with any of these: Cardamom (ground); Coriander; Cinnamon; Nutmeg.
Stevia (from a plant, not artificial) adds a touch of sweetness.
Walnut or Almond - or Coconut oil or coconut milk can be very nice with this, too. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- Wonder if there is a Fairy God-Mother sort of VOLUNTEER just waiting to help you get set up with this?
Could you afford to hire someone to wash and cut veggies, putting them in a air-tight bin in the fridge? I think that's the key.
I wonder if there might be a GF / Celiac support group in your town. If so, maybe you could see if they have a "grandmother" who could adopt you and help you get this all set up.
Maybe someone from your lyme support group might be better, though, as they would know all the other things to avoid.
WHOLE FOODS market may have someone with whom you could make an appointment and have a regular consult.
TRADER JOE's knows all about gluten but I don't think they would have the capacity for a teaching session - and so many of their GF offerings still contain "natural flavors" and high glycemic ingredients.
TRADER JOE's BROWN RICE BREAD - if used as toast, you will need to buy a brand new toaster and never allow any gluten bread in it. I warm it on a covered plate in the oven - to keep it moist - and then add almond butter. Yummm.
I do have some specific books but will wait to see the range of GF grains you can employ.
This seems very complex at first - I recall so clearly - but it gets easier and I feel so free, totally clear of all processed foods and
I feel so much better being GF. I can't imagine ever wanted to touch that again. But, I am a genetic celiac. For others, after lyme is in remission, they may be able to loosen up a bit. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- Nut-Fudge:
A jar of 100% nut butter, mix in pure cocoa powder and - very slowly using very little - work up desired amount of stevia (Trader Joe's has a nice stevia powder - just be sure nothing is added).
Keep in fridge and just spoon out a little bit as wished. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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WPinVA
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posted
Keebler - Thank you so much for all of this info! Just knowing which grains contain gluten is a great start. Love the idea of a fairy godmother!
But I do think I could handle washing and cutting some veggies and my hubby is very helpful when he's around so he could do that the night before for me. That is a great idea. To succeed on this, I need something ready to eat that I can grab when I'm hungry.
Thanks for inquiring about the specifics: my daughter is allergic to eggs, corn, rice, white potato, oats and watermelon. I have never seen anything marked GF that she can eat.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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Keebler
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- The age range for your daughter? For privacy, not her specific age, just wondering the age range as I start thinking.
A toddler; 2-3; 4-5; 5-8; 8-11; 12 up. I'm not a mom but think those ranges may be workable regarding what kinds of foods a kid may enjoy.
I assume that rice allergy is for ALL rices? Red and Black? WILD rice? Maybe or maybe not? I don't know but there are many strains of rice. This might be a question for the allergist who did the testing.
If you tested her against an actual sample of rice, it may be what that was treated with, even if organic. A friend's daughter found that out and she can eat brown rice but only from one certain company.
Still, while that cuts out a lot of rice options, there are still many other GF whole grains.
As we speak, I'm eating steamed kale with TOASTED SESAME OIL. I just discovered that again and it really makes a nice difference. Ginger with that would be good, too. And/or lemon. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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posted
- Well, regardless of her age group, I'm so out of steam. I always think I can do or that but I'm done for the day, I think.
I did look at the Mary's Gone Crackers site -- they contain brown rice. Sorry.
Some books to consider regarding the vast range of vegetable dishes:
A Spoonful Of Ginger
The Cure is in the Cupboard
Christina Cooks website -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Instead of cooking two different meals for you and your grain-allergic child, have you considered a "paleo diet"? It is entirely grain free, and utilizes almond flour and coconut flour and starchy vegetables rather than grains in all of their recipes.
Here are some paleo style recipe sites that are grain free and gluten free:
WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
Keebler - I have two kids and one is 4 and one is 6. Neither have very adventurous palettes so they like mac and cheese, pizza, etc. They don't like quinoa but we are working on it! The older one is just starting to warm up to proteins and veggies, the younger one not so much.
I-321 - I've never heard of paleo but I'm intrigued. Will definitely check into that.
Lymetoo - thank you for that website! Looks good!
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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posted
WPinVA let me know if you need help finding any specific recipes (like dairy free and gluten free mac and cheese or pizza). I wouldn't mind helping at all!
Posts: 44 | From United States | Registered: Mar 2012
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lymeboy
Unregistered
posted
OH Pizza! I miss Pizza so much. Id love to know a good gluten freen pizza recipe.
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posted
For you, LymeBoy (none of these will have gluten, corn or funky fillers and binders like xanthan gum because those are excitotoxins and make us feel icky):
[Choose toppings based on your personal food allergies]
Dogsandcats
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28544
posted
Costco carries Amy's gluten free pizza in the frozen section.
Costco also carries Amy's gluten free minestrone and lentil soup.
Glutenfrieda ( I think that is the name) carries a wonderful gf Oatmeal in different flavors.
-------------------- God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.
Billy Graham Posts: 1967 | From California | Registered: Oct 2010
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WPinVA
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posted
I-321 - those recipes look great! There are some of those that my daughter and I would actually both be able to be eat - awesome! thanks so much.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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