Has anyone tried going gluten free? I have lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks and I have not exercised. It is not too bad and I have felt better, but this is just 2 weeks. I have not gone dairy free, but I came off of all diet foods and drinks. Any suggestions or recipes or anything? ???
This is a big active list that supports the gluten free lifestyle:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SillyYaks/ (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SillyYaks/)
I love baked goods, which is a challenge when going gluten free. Udi's makes great muffins and cookies that are GF and really yummy. I can find them in the health food store, but lately I have spotted them in the regular grocery store too. They are usually refridgerated, not in the regular bakery area. Good luck!
KellyG
Hi there,
I posted about this not long ago and got some great info from the wonderful people here.
I have been gluten free since feb. And feel really pretty good. Still tired, not as dry in the mouth and my rashes are gone and my skin is way better.
The posters gave me names of some cook books.
Wheat free gluten free by michelle Berriedale Johnson
More for the gluten free gourmet by bette Hagman
Gluten free quick and easy by carol Fenster
I subscribe to a great magazine i found called Living Without
It has a great substitution page where you can use their combination of flours and use it with yout own recipes.
I have made my brownies and raspberry bars with the gluten free flour combiation, yum yum yummy!
right... do not overdo the GF breads and foods... they are very "WHITE" and full of sugar... best just to eat protein and vegetables. I'm not sure I'm a celiac due to less than stellar testing procedures, but I have been GF for about 5 yrs and feel much better. Gluten creates inflammation in the body.
www.celiac.com is another good site .. They have tons of recipes there.
Hi again, I also do not go overboard on the gluten free breads and pastries, but it is nice to have a little treat now and then.
I had to go Gluten Free. Last summer I had severe diahrrea in addition to other serious medical problems. My primary doctor first had me go dairy free that didn't help so next was gluten free . Guess what? Gluten was the big problem!
Betty Crocker has come out with a line of baking products also Progresso soups that clearly marked that cost about half what the GF products cost. Also, Walmart carries GF pasta & cookies that are a lot cheaper than anywhere else, now. More & more stores are coming out with GF products at reasonable prices not just health stores or on the health food aisles.
I use the BC GF yellow cake mix and make myself individual pineapple upside down cupcakes they are absolutely delicious! I have even used there GF bisquick to make them. I pour the juice from the pineapple in the batter to add extra flavor into the mix!!!
Enjoy!
Let It Snow
Here are some of my favorite GF recipe sites:
glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
thespunkycoconut.com
healthfulpursuit.com
nourishingflourishing.com
dailybitesblog.com
G'day I have been gluten free for 2 years now. One thing I have learned is how to be a food detective. Watch out for hidden gluten in foods. Learn to read the labels closely. If you don't know what a ingredient is, do a Google search on it. I do a Google search on all the new foods I try. Going gluten free is a good choice.
Seek
If you haven't done so already, go to www.celiac.com and print out their lists of OK and NOT-OK ingredients.
Many of us like myself have celiac disease that sometimes goes hand in hand with other autoimmune diseases. You can be tested now with a simple blood test to check your gluten intolerance.
I was tested for gluten intolerance twice after the fact but I wasn't eating gluten so it didn't work. Too little too late!!! You have to be eating gluten for four weeks before a blood work draw or it's a false negative!!! And I get sooooo sick eating gluten now I am not going to eat it just to get a piece of paper stating what I already know. I had to look that up on the internet, the two different doctors that had me do it didn't even know! Go Figure!!!
I have cooked for my Celiac husband since 1978 and I have sure seen a lot of changes. When he was diagnosed there was hardly a thing on the market that was gluten free. If you thought it was gluten free you were just guessing as nothing was labeled back then. He went without bread for many, many years as I could not find any.
He lived on meat and potatoes and vegetables. Lots of potatoes and home made soups, etc. Now there are so many things. The Udi's bread is very, very good. I even sneak a piece once in a while. There is another brand called Rudi's that came out in the last year I think. That is really good as it has more texture and really makes good sandwiches.
There are many different kinds of GF breads that have more than the white flour. There are flours made from nuts that is really a good addition to the baked products. I bake all the cakes, cupcakes, waffles, etc for hubby. It is so much cheaper to bake it from "scratch" than to buy it.
I have made the Betty Crocker cakes and cookies for hubby and our Celiac son and I find that they are not as good as the home made ones I make. They are still so dry and the flavor is lacking.
I have found that if you use brown rice flour, white rice flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch you can make a pretty good cake. I also add a small amount of the nut flours as it adds more flavor and a different texture. I used lots of vanilla also.
When I bake I use a basic recipe that I have pretty much memorized after all these years. I use the oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla, a large amount of soda, baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt per 9x13 cake. I also will add a mashed banana and applesauce. I have even taken to adding a container of the Hunts gluten free snack pack pudding for a little more texture.
You can just run wild with your imagination. Put sliced apples and brown sugar on the bottom of the cake pan along with cinnamon and butter. Also, mashed canned peaches makes a great addition for flavor and moistness. Buttermilk can be bought dried and made up as you need it. I will use half buttermilk or regular milk and orange juice for the liquid. Some recipes I used years ago even used 7 up for the liquid.
Do not be afraid to try things. I had a lot of products that didin't look so great and weren't so great. Now I can throw a couple cakes together without a recipe or make a double layer round cake with lemon filling and 7 minute frosting. I also have a good wedding cake frosting that is really great on the cake. I try to avoid the pre made frostings as they all seem to have the same texture. Great for being in a hurry though.
Find a recipe for mixing flours together to store for quick use. I used to use a recipe for that also but finally learned to just eyeball it. With practice you learn what each flour adds. White sweet rice flour is really great for making cakes and causes them to be more moist.
One warning---avoid potato flour. That will make things gum up big time. Your cake mix will stir like instant potatos and have texture and flavor like wall paper paste. Also, I buy the gluten free bread one case at a time. The Udi's has 8 loaves to a case and when I buy that much I can get a 5% discount. I store it in the freezer and take one loaf out at a time.
Another thing I have finally tried is to make bars from scratch. I like to make the ones with the gluten free cold cereal. I have used the Chocolate Rice Chex and one of the GF cereals that are like a Cheerio or Rice Krispies. Melt the marshmellows and butter and have a fast bar. You can melt Choc chips to put on top to make it better.
With all the products out there it is possible to make just about anything. One Christmas I made roll out sugar cookies that were gluten free and I frosted them. My hubby thought he had died and gone to heaven.
All you have to do is do a search for "gluten free recipes" and you will get a lot of sites with a ton of recipes. I am thankful to have the GF cake and cookie store mixes to use when I am in a pinch, but the price really is high---coming down, but still high. Also, there are places that you can learn what you can deduct on your income tax for a gluten free diet used for medicinal purposes. You need a script from your doctor. Good luck. Irish ;D
Irish, I swear you are a volcano of information. Wish you lived near me and I'd have you bake me some goodies. Thanks for all the good info you give us on here. Lucy
I have been on a diet of gluten free, sugar free, no dairy, Just raw food of vegetable and fruit smoothies every day. Plus chicken, pork and beef. No shell fish or sea food. I down loaded a whole list of foods that contain azo dyes and salicylates and excluded them.
I do have more energy, gluten makes me sleepy and lethargic - I am not allergic to gluten. I can eat breads, noodles made of rice.
I also had to stop all medications due to the skin rash. Good thing is, I learned I can get along without the meds for a few days just fine. In fact I sleep better, have more energy.
Definitely worth a try. Keep our bodies calm. It is more than just gluten free- such a buzz word these days.
Pegasus
Quote from: Let It Snow on August 13, 2011, 05:53:24 PM
I was tested for gluten intolerance twice after the fact but I wasn't eating gluten so it didn't work. Too little too late!!! You have to be eating gluten for four weeks before a blood work draw or it's a false negative!!! And I get sooooo sick eating gluten now I am not going to eat it just to get a piece of paper stating what I already know. I had to look that up on the internet, the two different doctors that had me do it didn't even know! Go Figure!!!
On celiac.com they say you need to eat the equivalent of 5 slices of bread for 90 days in order for the test to be valid.