GF diet

scrowley · Post by **scrowley** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:17 pm

so I begrudingly bought the 50lb bag of all purpose GF flour, waiting on the Xanthan gum and going to give this GF diet a try.
i think i may hold onto the oatmeal for a while though?
its sucks because we are not considered cealiac but have to live like they do and we are not considered chrohns patients but also eat alot like they do, so it feels like i have 2 diseases now but its considered so rare that noone even gives you the free pass on it.

does anyone else feel like that and there are no books or nothing out there................

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 7:00 pm

yes it sucks big time that we pay 30 - 50% more for basic ingredients replacements like G/F flour and coconut milk etc

I found that as I was not eating out or buying lunches and not drinking alcohol, the food and drink portion of my budget worked out ok.

Book wise, when i started GF/DF/YF about 10 years ago there were some good books regarding allergies etc, i have heard numerous books mentioned on the forums, and there are quite a few reciepe books not only gluten free, but gluten and dairy free. there are also cook books for crohns/colitis that are gluten and dairy free and low sugar.
If i am not inspired by the Dee's kitchen section of this forum (there are some great posts about good replacements for key ingredients) then the internet has tonnes of reciepe ideas.
thanks to the posts in dee's kitchen i have managed to convert my reciepes to work aok and be GF/DF/YF/SF

it can be big adjustment at first, but i can assure you the efforts are worth it, feeling well and having minimal symptoms is worth it!
:flowersmiley:

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:29 pm

Right on, Gabes - feeling well is SO worth it!

Scrowley, I don't use oatmeal, because it's riskier than other things. You might try a rice cereal - some of those are very tasty (and some cook up quite fast).

You will find your own favorite web sites, over time. All the 'Paleo' type recipes are typically very easy for us to adapt, because they not only avoid grains, but usually also dairy. So if you find all the "gluten-free" blogs to be unhelpful, because they use so many ingredients you can't tolerate, give those folks a try...

Best,
Sara

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:16 am

its sucks because we are not considered cealiac but have to live like they do and we are not considered chrohns patients but also eat alot like they do, so it feels like i have 2 diseases now but its considered so rare that noone even gives you the free pass on it.

I couldn't agree with you more. I'm tired of seeing the celiac community eating cheese, dairy and soy non-stop, and feeling fine all the time until they are glutened. I have D whether I'm glutened or not!! And people with Crohn's and UC, while more serious than us, can actually have times of remission! I was shopping at Whole Foods yesterday and getting more depressed with each passing isle. This diet is freakin expensive!!! Try throwing organic meats and produce in there too. Ha!! I remember a post on my local celiac forum about Whole Foods carrying GF baguette in the freezer. So I looked...well it's $7.50 for a long lump of tapioca flour! Gimme a break! How many GF products must be produced and sold before their prices go down to regular grocery prices? What's worse, I forgot to use the coupons in their little flyer. I'm thinking of writing to Whole Foods to say they should issue discount cards for people with food allergies and intolerances, maybe 10% off, or discounts on certain products. At least offer us the coupon price for things without us having to remember to look for them. This diet is hard enough. We need one less thing to worry about. They need to throw a bone to the chronically ill crowd, which should be their priority, not the haute cuisine crowd. OK, I'm done with my rant.

Regarding breakfast food, I love hot buckwheat cereal (Pocono brand). It's very similar to corn grits, and it's great with a runny egg mixed in, or sweet. Quinoa is good too as a hot cereal, so long as you add fruit, nuts, maple syrup, maybe some spices for flavoring. You can buy GF oats in most stores (look for Bob's Red Mill and others). Trader Joe's sells a huge affordable bag now.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:16 am

The priority for Whole Foods will be shareholders, not haute-cuisine or ailing customers. Just to be clear...

*IF* they can make great money and "increase shareholder value" by catering to those with food intolerances, perhaps we can show 'em how.

I am not spending that much more to eat than I used to, because I eat none of that stuff. If I have a craving for hot cereal when the weather gets cold, I'll try some rice or rice cereal on occasion. My husband buys a dozen GF English muffins from time to time, "just in case" we need something for breakfast. And sometimes, *he* eats them. I find not eating those things is easier than the mental gyrations of label reading, getting all excited, and then finding than one WHAMMY ingredient that I can't tolerate.

It also gives me that delightful feeling I'm stickin' it to the man

At $7.50 for a lump of tapioca flour, I believe "the man" has it coming...

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:21 am

The priority for Whole Foods will be shareholders, not haute-cuisine or ailing customers.

I agree. I'd forgotten Whole Foods is publicly traded. Now it's the man sticking it to the little guy. Sigh.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:25 am

Oh, and while I'm on rant...

That we are not considered celiac/coeliac is a problem with their lame methods of considering. The "gold standard" for figuring out gluten intolerance leaves 90% of *true* celiacs undiagnosed, not to mention the giant horde of suffering gluten-sensitive folks who happen not to have exactly the genes they believe count, nor sufficient intestinal damage to join their special club.

The fact they seriously consider those diagnostic criteria to be any kind of "gold standard" - and that we are at some risk if we stop eating gluten without their help - really tees me off.

Thanks for listening

Post by **tex** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:35 pm

Sara wrote:The fact they seriously consider those diagnostic criteria to be any kind of "gold standard" - and that we are at some risk if we stop eating gluten without their help - really tees me off.

Yep, in their eyes, we're all a bunch of ignorant radicals, who are too stupid to follow their "perfectly good" medical advice.

Tex

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:35 pm

My GI told me that there are 5 diagnostic test for celiac...blood test, gene test, biopsy and gluten free trial. He says that if you meet 2 of the 5 criteria that you are celiac...mine were genes and gluten free trial. He gave me an official diagnosis without the blood test or biopsy.

I think things are changing slowly but surely.

Hugs,

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:47 pm

I agree, non coeliac gluten intolerance is starting to be acknowledged... as per the post i put up last week where it is being studied more seriously....

the fact that it has a name and an acronym gives it some creditibility

and for big pharma... there is a wider audience for the gluten intolerance vaccine....