help - wheat free, gluten free diet

[katbalou]

to all the great bakers and chefs on the board - i need help. i've finally discovered that i'm intolerant to wheat and boy, does it bite. means no pasta, wheat bread. many cereals, vinegar and lord knows what else - seems like wheat is in everything. my whole diet must change (And my 16 yr. old son - try telling him no squishy white bread!) so i need help on this very challenging diet. thankfully my background is what it is - i don't know how i would cope if i didn't know how to boil water.
so i'm looking for all kinds of substitutions, i've found a few on other boards - but everything tastes like ____. there must be some way to make things more palatable.
thanks in advance,
kathee

[Botanique]

Kat, so sorry!!! Barooooo!

You are going to be looking at fresh vegies, lots of salads (no crutons ;-), and whole protiens. I'll dig up some recipes for you. I hope you like cheese! B

[even stephen]

I feel your pain,

In addition to a gluten intolerance, I also am lactose intolerant.
I tried to stay off all those foods and made it for about 5 months.
Then one night I was out and a basket of fresh bread landed on
the bar where my wife and I were eating and I just lost control.
I almost ate the basket. Then I found out Bourbon was off limits.
I just couldn't live like that. I have a glass of bourbon every evening
and half and half in my coffee in the morning. I also consume any and
everything with flour. Just plan for a little more time in the bathroom
every morning. I find it helps to eat as little as possible in the daytime
hours and eat only one big meal, in the middle of the evening. Beware
of Possible problems with your colon. You'll find colonoscopies less and
less painful as time goes by. The nicest most attractive nurses cleaned
my clock last time. Just get one every five years to be safe. Good luck.

[Suzanne]

My cousin recently found out she has celiac disease, and now that she knows what it was that was making her so sick, she's getting along with it very well. There are a lot of things she can't eat, but there are still a lot of things she can. And the same goes for you.

Remember, too, that you don't have to impose your restrictions on everyone in the family. If your son wants that squishy "bread" -- well, he can still have it, but now you have a good reason to not eat it yourself. Shouldn't take much will power to pass it by.

If you Google on "celiac" you get a lot of information. http://www.celiac.org can tell you about the disease, and http://www.celiac.com has diet suggestions.

And for a start, http://www.kingarthurflour.com has gluten-free mixes that I'll bet are better than the average stuff -- look here in the Baker's Catalogue for what they've got.

Dietary restrictions are a bummer, but feeling sick is worse! Hope this info helps.

[katbalou]

thanks for the replies, i've found a lot of recipes thru the celiacs website, i'm just having problems making them tasty. who knew that wheat taste was so good?!!!!
my son probably has it too, that's why i mentioned him, possibly my older son also. seems it' s a lovely genetic gift i've given them along with other food and drug allergies. they really love me youngest should get his biopsy results on monday.
so to add to the list of no-nos: sulfites in wine or 'shrooms, seafood, shellfish and soy, possibly oats also. seems if you have this disease you may have other food allergies or intolerances. the fish and wine allergies are the kind you stop breathing with. i do like breathing.
kathee

[DanBrown]

Your problem is really incredibly common. I've had som many gluten-free requirements from guests at my restaurant the I decided to go through the whole menu and determine what is and is not gluten free, and then I wrote a menu specific to those needs. I've already got vegan dishes on the menu for both lunch and dinner, so this was just another step in a different direction. My understanding is that soy is questionable, but depends on the manufacturer, but obviously I wouldn't encourage you to take an unknown risk.

[katbalou]

found a good supplier of nearly white bread - www.ener-g.com tapioca loaf is good and they sell some stuff in bulk - 5# bags being bulk
gluten free flours
www.bobsredmill.com
[url]www.hodgsonmill.com
recipes
www.wheatfreeliving.com
www.celiac.com
still searching for pasta that tastes like pasta. i guess 1'll be fooling around with the corn flour i just received.
kathee

[MikeLM]

Kat-
There's a long, front-page article in today's Wall Street Journal on Celiac: "Belatedly, an Illness Of the Intestines Gets Notice in U.S."

You probably know everything in it already, but it was an eye-opener for me.

Don't know if if it's on their free website at www.wsj.com.

Mike

Nope- it's subscribers only.

[katbalou]

this morning i found out that you can take everything you thought you knew about the science of baking and throw it out the _________ window. chemical reactions are entirely different. if not for the addition of xanthan gum, your baked goods are very dry. the all-purpose flour from bobs red mill is not pleasing to my taste as it contains bean flours, so there goes a dz. muffins and 2 quiche shells. never mind that w/o gluten pie dough really is a different thing.
trying to access that article through my public library. thanks mike - i really don't know much about this disease, but i feel like i'm on a real fast learning curve.
kathee

[DanBrown]

This might be of interest www.livingwithout.com had a customer come in a give me a card with that website's name, and a list of allergies....got a call today asking me to go over what would be feasible for my New Year's Eve menu for gluten allergic clientele...they get my time, I want the business.

[aklap]

Originally Posted by katbalou

still searching for pasta that tastes like pasta.

Hi Kathee,

I stumbled upon this board. It looks quite interesting. I know this thread is old, but it might help others that are browsing.

Have you tried Bi-Aglut or Tinkyada Rice Pasta? They are some of the best pasta in the GF world.

The BiAglut is probably the closest tasting to "real pasta". However, if you are new to the diet, you might still remember what wheat based items still taste like. My non-gluten free wife loves to bake and has replaced just about all my gluten polluted faves with GF ones. I know when she has perfected something [tastes like the glutened version per her taste buds], it has a slight bitter taste to me.

Hope this helps! Good luck in your GF Journey!

[katbalou]

yup, tried the tinkyada. it's not bad. holds up fairly well. hate the corn stuff that's out there it kind of disappears into sauces. found a few good breads - notably the kinnickinkick(sp?) brand - actually tastes like the real stuff, best when toasted. i've found some brown rice wraps also. the biggest problem is the prices!! gasp!! for an ailment that is actually more common than people think a lot of the prices are nuts. many mainstream cereals would be great if they just left out the barley malt!! no one would probably notice the difference in taste.
and i had bookmarked your sight before. there seems to be a lot of info out there, it's just trying to find what's right for my son and i. that and finally regaining my health and hopefully more of my energy. i figure it will take at least a year before verything is pretty much normal again considering how far the disease had progressed.
thank you for your input, every little bit helps,
kathee

[aklap]

Hi Kathee,

Most of the Kinnikinnick products are pretty good. If you find a bread made with some Montina Flour, I think you'll find the taste pretty close. Plus it adds good texture too.

We have gone to baking our own bread. My wife makes a great quinoa bread (actually she just makes me buns instead of a loaf). It's a adaptation of a Bette Hagman recipe. No toasting needed - a quick trip to the microwave to unthaw it from the freezer - it's as good as right out of the oven

Ahhh yes...the joys of a GF diet LOL!! Getting a handle on it will take some time. Hang in there, it does get easier. The health issues should resolve in time as well.

[katbalou]

so.... after a year of no gluten.... i've found that any dessert made with gluten free flour can always be helped with a large scoop of premium ice cream. seriously.
it has been hard to remove all gluten from my family's diet. but i feel so much better and my son's skin rash is gone. husband lost 8 lbs. (we're not positive his side carries the gene, but with his mom's health history, we're pretty sure).
and it really is a good thing i can boil water and then some, as other wise i'd be totally broke and even skinnier as most GF food tastes like ____. my kid says i should open a GF bakery, but i just don't have the stamina any more. i guess i figured out what was wrong a little too late. it took over 15 yrs. of drs. telling me there was nothing wrong with me and it was all in my head. (well the brain fog that can come along as a symptom sure was - glad that's gone)
if any one would like more info. on some of the tips i've come up with, feel free to ask.
kathee

[aklap]

Originally Posted by katbalou

so.... after a year of no gluten.... i've found that any dessert made with gluten free flour can always be helped with a large scoop of premium ice cream. seriously.
it has been hard to remove all gluten from my family's diet. but i feel so much better and my son's skin rash is gone. husband lost 8 lbs. (we're not positive his side carries the gene, but with his mom's health history, we're pretty sure).

Hi Kathee,

I am glad to hear that you are feeling better! I suspect as more time passes, you will notice more changes. Depending on how much damage has been done, it can take up to 2 years for full intestinal healing. It's possible there may be other food intolerances or you may be getting some hidden gluten [meds, old pots & pans, cutting boards - that stuff is everywhere!]. There is a simple genetic test that hubby can do to see if he's at risk.

Originally Posted by katbalou

and it really is a good thing i can boil water and then some, as other wise i'd be totally broke and even skinnier as most GF food tastes like ____.

Can you clarify that a bit? If you're talking about prepackaged GF food, I would agree there is some nasty stuff they try to sell us. But as for made from scratch GF food - there's no reason it can't be just as tasty. Certainly someone with your culinary skills [or anyone in your profession] would be able to make a piece of cardboard tasty.

Originally Posted by katbalou

if any one would like more info. on some of the tips i've come up with, feel free to ask.

We'd love it if you stop by our board and share some of your knowledge and expertise. I would venture to guess, you might pickup a few things along the way too

Take care. Keep up the good work!!