Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
I live in Brooklyn, Michigan, a small town (our claim to fame is Michigan International Speedway) with one grocery store. It's a great store, and it does carry some specialty foods, so right after I was diagnosed (12 days ago) I went to the bakery counter and asked if they had a gluten-free section. The girl pointed me to the display behind me. I thanked her and went to look. It was all SUGAR-free, not gluten. Maybe she thought I meant "glucose"?
More searching led me to a gluten-free section on the other side of the store. Unfortunately, though, the only gluten- AND dairy-free food they had was ginger cookies! I think this diet is going to be harder than I thought, at least around these parts. The closest big grocery store is 18 miles away, and the closest specialty stores are in Ann Arbor, 42 miles away. Is there a good way to shop for the foods we need? Is online better, or do shipping costs make the cost exorbitant? Or do I just do without anything that's not naturally gluten- and dairy-free? (Paleo, here I come!)
Hi Patc73,
I have found that I really don't rely much on the gluten-free products. Once in a while I might buy a loaf of
bread but I generally even prefer to make that. I tend to buy just plain ole real foods, organic as much as possible. I do probably have nearly every conceivable flour known to man (or woman) most of which are available in grocery/health food stores or online when I decide to bake/experiment a bit. We were up at the lake this weekend and made some fabulous fresh walleye in a gluten free beer batter with brown rice flour; one of the best I've ever made. I'm finding it is not as hard as I thought it would be. Deb
Thanks, Deb! I'm hoping to figure this all out soon. When I was diagnosed, first I was elated that I finally knew what I had, and what was causing my tummy troubles and skin rashes. Then I was sad about all the foods I could no longer have! I'm learning, though, that it isn't going to be as bad as I thought.
When I first went gluten free last July, I went to a "nature market" and couldn't believe how many GF products they had. I thought going "gluten free" would be a snap, and loaded up on every conceivable kind of gluten free product. However, I quickly discovered it was not such a good idea to buy these processed foods, as I would invariably react to something else in them. Like Deb, I now hardly buy any of those items, and mostly prepare food from scratch. It's so much better, and so much cheaper :), and best of all so much SAFER.
Wish you lots of luck with managing your MC, and look forward to hearing updates as you move along. I see that you're relatively new here, and am not sure if I've welcomed you yet, so in case I didn't, here is a great big WELCOME to this wonderful online family. You will find more accumulated wisdom and knowledge here (along with lots of caring) than anywhere else.
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
I think it might have been your experience that made me cautious about GF shopping (and Patc, if Kari recommend a GF product, you can be sure it has very few scary ingredients!). I am now using a couple of GF products (we're just back from whole foods), mostly as convenience foods. I have an almond butter I really like with only one ingredient. But I'm "test-driving" Jason's brand now, because they offer it in single serving packs, which would be great for traveling. I wish it had nothing but almonds in it, but I'm optimistic.
Patc, I would currently be more of a Paleo gal if I hadn't lost eggs from my menu. We're going to try a cold cereal (rice) this week, with So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk. (I'll try those one at at a time.) Quite honestly, I am fine to eat a boiled potato with almond butter for breakfast, or a sweet potato with leftover chicken... but fixing the "breakfast problem" has become a personal mission for my husband ;) And of course you're right - meat, vegetables, eggs, fruits, and nuts are all GF by definition.
Sounds like you're doing great. And we can all relate - relieved to know where the health problems originate, and a little stunned about the dietary adjustments... some more than others. For me, feeling better has been very motivating. I'm trying to be more about feeling great, and less about terror of feeling horrible... though that's motivating, too!
There's a lot of GF junk food these days. Doesn't that just figure?
Sara, speaking of almond butter....Trader Joe's has an almond butter/roasted flaxseed blend that I believe the only other ingredient is salt. (I'm currently out of it so I can't check) It's WONDERFUL and stays more blended and softer than most almond butters I've used in the past. I love it on a piece of apple or celery and if I want a sweet treat it's divine on a piece of dark chocolate. It's funny how our tastes change. It's so much better than a sugar- laden piece of cake!
Deb - how very true - couldn't agree more. I actually think that's a great thing, as I'm convinced that in the long run, we'll be a lot healthier than "normal" people .
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
I think I'll try to stick to "whole foods" too. (Although the ginger cookies are good!) I'll stop at Trader Joe's tomorrow in Ann Arbor and find some almond butter, and see what else they've got. And, Sara, I've been having GF oatmeal (Bob's Red Mill), Corn or Rice Chex, or a GF puffed rice cereal every morning, topped with ground flaxseed and bananas, and with Silk almond milk. So far, no problems! I haven't tried coconut milk yet. Overall, this is a very healthy diet, isn't it?
I'm glad the oatmeal is working for you (and corn)! I "have a feeling" it's not my friend, so haven't tried it. I had trouble with rice in the early weeks, but I had trouble with air and water at that point. I know I can tolerate rice in small amounts, but don't want to push my luck by making it the centerpiece of a meal. (I sympathize with your feeling that the Paleo diet is trying to stare us down.)
I've been making my own almond milk - it's easy, but it does take time and forethought, and cleanup. I wish they didn't put so many stabilizers and thickeners etc. in the commercial products. I didn't like the idea of those ingredients before MC - now I just feel too busy figuring out what "real foods" I can eat, and don't want to invest energy learning which of those additives I can tolerate... though I suppose I will, in time.
You're doing well if the flax is agreeing with you. Many here report having trouble with high-fiber foods early in the healing process, when the gut is inflamed. (I picture it like an internal sunburn, where anything with 'texture' hurts.) Good for you! But keep that in mind if you have a bad day here or there, or wind up getting inadvertently served something with a rogue ingredient.
We ate very few processed foods before MC, so this has been perhaps a less mind-blowing transition (for my husband, too). My biggest dilemma is food on the go. (And for those needs, I'm seeing the offerings at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods with a whole new eye.)
It sure can be a healthy diet. Though I believe it was the generally super-wise-eating Kari who made me aware of the MC-friendliness of (some brands/flavors of) potato chips. Very helpful discovery!
This is Trader Joe's list of the gluten-free products they carry (ones that are only carried in certain parts of the country are noted). It is current as of December, 2010, so as always READ THE INGREDIENT LIST.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
I live in the DC area so I have many specialty markets to choose from for GF products. However, their cost is almost prohibitive in some cases, so I've learned to pick from about a dozen items that I buy on a regular basis. Typically, it's pizza dough, crackers, pasta, breakfast bars, veggie burgers (SF and GF!), etc. I do agree with others that buying such convenience foods is a tricky business due to unexpected ingredients. So, do read your labels carefully!
Although I have not purchased from glutenfreemall.com, I do know they carry quite a few products. In general, their prices seem to be roughly in the same range as many of the specialty stores in my area. Don't really know much about their shipping costs, but it might be worth a look.
Re: Trader Joe's...I have several in my area and do sometimes stop by to pick up a few things. However, when I first went GF, I stopped in there and picked up their printed sheet of "GF products" within the store. Much to my surprise they had wheat crackers on the list! Long story short, their list was completely inaccurate and included almost all products that carried gluten! I pointed the mistake out to the store manager and he pulled the lists. But, can you imagine if you were a novice label reader and didn't notice the mistake? Ever since then I don't depend on any lists, I read the label of every product before it goes in my cart! Marliss said it best, "READ THE INGREDIENT LIST." I couldn't agree more!
Hope you can find at least a few convenience foods that will help stretch your dietary choices. But blending those products with items you know are safe (because you prepared them) is likely the best bet.
Welcome to this group, it is a lifesaver! I have found that www.vitacost.com and www.iherb.com are both good and reasonable places to buy GF groceries such as the various flours if you bake, pasta--Dee of Dee's Kitchen fame likes Tinkyada brand, and it is good, etc. Vitacost usually charges $4.99 for shipping no matter what size, sometimes they have a free shipping deal for about $50 minimum purchase. Iherb is usually about $4 shipping for about a $40 order.
If you have a store nearby that might carry frozen bread products, Udi's is a good brand, love their bagels. Expensive, though. Corn tortillas, if you tolerate corn, make a good wrap in lieu of bread for a sandwich type meal. But, our watchword, always check ingredients!
To add to Beverly's comments, down here in Texas, and in many other parts of the country, corn tortillas are gluten-free, but I've been told that in some states, even corn tortillas contain gluten, so as she says, always check the label. Flour tortillas, of course, always contain gluten. Places such as Trader Joes, (which, unfortunately, don't exist in my part of the world), also sell rice tortillas that are gluten-free.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
.
