Can anyone help me with gluten free info

[disfan07]

I went gluten free in July when I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy after having a bad allergic reaction. In all honesty, in general, it's been the easiest of my allergies to deal with. What makes it more difficult for me is that I am severely allergic to eggs (can't tolerate them in baked goods either) and allergic to nuts (have to avoid made in same facility warnings)and I'd say a good portion of GF products have eggs and/or nuts in them

That being said, some of my favorite products are:
Tinkyada brown rice pasta
Enjoy life cookies and granola
Namaste baking mixes
King Arthur baking mixes (I used to love this but can't have them anymore b/c they changed their manufacturing procedures)
123 gluten free baking mixes
Gluten free cafe soups
Ian's naturals foods (chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, onion rings)

Some of the other things I've heard are really good are:
Udis
Glutino
Bobs red mill baking mixes and flours

Yes going gluten free is an adjustment. It's a big change. And some people deal with it better than others. For me, it was hard initially but it's become a way of life and even with all of my dietary restrictions I still eat pretty well. And eating gluten free is so common these days and such a big thing that's become pretty mainstream so it's much easier than people initially think.

I have to say though, I never got any books about gluten free. For me, it was just another one of the dozen or so foods I could no longer eat. I just basically learned along the way. But in addition to wheat at the time, I was allergic to peanuts, eggs, and shellfish already and at the same time diagnosed with allergies to oats, coconut, tree nuts and sesame, so I was very used to having to restrict my diet of certain foods and I was very very aware of reading labels.

Good luck. It will become much easier with time.

 

[LuLuO]

I'm not sure if it was mentioned but people with Celiac Disease have to be careful of cross-contamination, like from toasters, butter, peanut butter, jelly, etc. If the whole family isn't going to go gluten free then she needs to have her own toaster, peanut butter, butter, mayo, etc.

She also needs to be careful of beauty and personal products that may contain gluten. Reiterating that this means no wheat, oats, rye or barley. Vitamins and medicines should be verified too.

 

[tms295psu]

Quinoa is good alternative to rice (diabetic alternative)... We prefer it cooked in a bit of chicken or beef broth instead if water. Over cooking it tends to make it bitter, definately watch closely until you master it.

I know a fee families that substitute baby rice cereal as bread crumbs in recipes like meatloaf and other casseroles!

 

[Denine]

you people are amazing.. this is just what I need to give them idea and places to find info by themselves to make the transition to this. My DGD is very smart so she should be able to master the differnent names to look for on labels. She has a cell phone and an itouch too so she can put stuff on there to help her. Its just they master on problem and now its like starting all over again with new info. They have had a bad few years(I will not even go into it all) this is just one more thing to worry about and master but you all have given them places to go to make it easier... I have the book in my cart already and am looking around for more things to send them.
I just can't thank you all for taking the time to do this for someone you do not even know.. when you get down and then find people like you it makes a big difference that a stranger would care and spend their time to help.
Oh I forgot to answer...I live in NH and they live in Cleveland area mentor to be exact.

My DD 10, was just diagnosed as well. Tell them to go to Heinen's. They have large GF selection. We are also in the Cleveland area. I don't know if there is a Whole Foods close to Mentor. We are not close, but we are fairly close to a Trader Joe's.

 

[granmanh603]

Ok have passed on all info I have gotton from you all. I purchased the Dummies book and had mailed from Amazon and am going to make a "care" package and mail out next week.
I am going to read the forums, passed those links along to them, and read the labels of foods now myself. This info you have all given me in invaluable and I hope that someday your kindness will be repaid in kind.

 

[disfan07]

Quinoa is good alternative to rice (diabetic alternative)... We prefer it cooked in a bit of chicken or beef broth instead if water. Over cooking it tends to make it bitter, definately watch closely until you master it.

I know a fee families that substitute baby rice cereal as bread crumbs in recipes like meatloaf and other casseroles!

I agree with quinoa. It is very good and very useful. I have a recipe for quinoa blackberry muffins that uses quinoa and corn flour and it is amazing.

We also use quinoa flakes instead of oats for fruit cobblers. Great substitute.

 

[SDSorority]

Be careful when replacing traditional gluten filled foods with the gluten-free alternatives, especially if the child has diabetes. The gluten-free foods can cause sugar spikes just as much, if not more than, non-gluten-free foods.

We try to stick to a grain-free "paleo" type of diet, with eating Udi's and rice pasta, traditional boxed GF cookies, etc. as 'treat' foods, rather than everyday foods.

A typical day for me looks like:

Breakfast-
2 egg omelet with as many veggies as I can pile in, cooked in ghee or butter

Snack (if needed)
Handful of blueberries and some raw milk cheese, or nuts

Lunch-
Salad greens, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, grilled chicken with dressing made out of olive oil, coconut aminos (replacement for soy sauce), and a little apple cider vinegar. Grain-free coconut flour muffin or two topped with butter.

Snack (if needed)
Larabar, celery and almond butter, or hot tea

Dinner-
Ground Beef mixed with whatever vegetables I have in the house, topped with mashed sweet potato or pureed cauliflower, as a shepherd's pie. "Crumble"- heat blueberries in a container in the toaster oven, and mix almond flour, butter, and a little bit of maple syrup or honey in a bowl and pour on top.

So... a little unconventional, but OH SO YUMMY, and healthy. I make bone broth to mix into recipes or use as soup in the crock pot, and make my own little gummies, too! Actually, if you're interested in gluten free gummies, check out my new video , and the link to my blog is in my siggie below where I have a ton of recipes. Please pardon my lack of make-up in the video.... LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TfQ1PLqwjM

 

[platamama]

I also wanted to mention that celiac runs in families. I had a friend whose 7 yr old child was diagnosed with celiac, and then her mom was diagnosed with celiac a couple months later. It can become an active disease at any age too. Just something else to consider and be on the watch for.