Irish Heart,
Would you mind giving me the list of gluten-free comfort foods that I can have?
Jennifer C.
This info was compiled for my family and those with NCGI and newly Dxed Celiacs and is a starting point for information about celiac/gluten intolerance.
For info:
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/symptomsofceliacdisease/a/celiacsymptoms.htm
http://www.celiacdisease.net/symptoms
Dietary concerns –LISTS OF safe and unsafe gluten free foods:
http://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Safe-Ingredients/Page1.html
http://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsafe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Unsafe-Ingredients/Page1.html
Good books:
Living Gluten free for Dummies--Danna Korn
Celiac Disease: the First Year by Jules Dowler Shepard
Cecelia's Marketplace Gluten-free GROCERY SHOPPING GUIDE
A quick “get-started” menu for gluten-free eating follows:
FLUIDS: Drink 1/2 your body weight daily in filtered H2O every day. A must! Celiacs are dehydrated from malabsorption. Plus, it helps cleanse toxins from body tissues and organs and keep the bowels running smoothly. Gluten is an invasive toxin.
AVOID too many sugary sodas at first--they wreak havoc on the gut.
AVOID DAIRY for 3 months (or longer if it bothers you). Lactase, which is the enzyme that breaks down the sugar lactose, is produced in the tips of the villi. When the villi get blunted in celiac disease, sometimes the ability to digest lactose is decreased and you can become “lactose intolerant.” This may cause bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea, etc. After you go gluten-free, the villi will heal and most people are able to tolerate dairy foods again.
PROBIOTICS are a must. A good one is from Custom Probiotics, but a less expensive one is gluten-free and DF CULTURELLE.
Celiacs' leaky guts have an unbalanced amount of gut flora.
http://www.thefooddoc.com/probiotic_facts
SUGAR--too much makes me hyper, so I use stevia, honey, pure maple syrup (not most bottled pancake syrups—they contain gluten!)
Earth Balance soy-free is a good choice if you cannot have butter. You need some good essential fatty acids: Safflower oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, coconut oil.
Breakfasts:
Erewhon crispy brown rice cereal or Kellogg's gluten-free RICE KRISPIES, gluten-free CHEX corn or gluten-free CHEX Rice cereal, gluten-free CHEX honey-nut or gluten-free CHEX Cinnamon
Add: rice milk, almond milk or coconut milk and add berries or sliced banana.
CERTIFIED gluten -free oatmeal w/cinnamon (glutenfreeda brand, Bob's Red Mill are a few )
Eggs and bacon or sausage with gluten-free toast or bagel (Kinnikinnick, Udi's, Glutino Genius or homemade)
Pocono Cream of buckwheat --it's good!! (no worries--Buckwheat is not from the wheat family)
Amaranth pancakes w/pure maple syrup (bottled syrups can contain gluten)
gluten-free packaged pancake/waffle mixes (Pamela's brand is very good as is Bob's Red Mill –we use BRM on the site, for short)
Van's frozen waffles.
FRUITS and VEGGIES—eat plenty of these.
Snack ideas that are safe and handy
Cozy Shack Rice Pudding cups (in the dairy section-contains milk)
All natural applesauce cups
gluten-free cookies or muffins (Bake them or buy them.)
Pamela's Baking Mix is versatile and good for cookies, baked goods.
Bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter and jam . Udi's are pretty good (frozen section)
Pamela's and King Arthur makes a very good brownie mix too!
Chobani Yogurt (if dairy is okay)
Lundberg rice cakes or sliced apples and celery sticks with natural peanut butter or hummus smeared on
Glutino or Scharr crackers with cheese or peanut butter
BOAR's Head brand pepperoni, salami, all their cold cuts and cheeses are gluten-free
I get nuts from nutsonline (gluten-free certified) but some Planter's peanuts, almonds, cashews are gluten-free.
SUNMAID raisins, prunes. Craisins by Ocean Spray. (some raisins and dried fruits are dusted with flour to keep them from sticking but these brands are safe.)
Smoothies- made with coconut milk, fruit, yogurt, etc.
Potato chips----like Cape Cod or Kettle Brand or Utz
Indiana Popcorn--comes in all flavors--the kettle corn is delicious
Glutino brand pretzels—they come in all flavors even chocolate -coated
Coconut milk, creamer and ice cream (Turtle Mountain So Decadent brand is very good)
Ice Cream, if dairy is not a problem for you, most Haagen Das flavors are good, for exmaple. READ LABELS!!!
Organic Corn chips w/salsa, hummus, or Guacamole
Sunflower , pumpkin or flaxseeds
Candy—Hershey's kisses or bars, regular size Reese's cups, Snickers, York peppermint patty, Butterfinger and M &Ms plain and peanut. Ghirardelli squares.
Make some Chex mix with gluten-free chex cereals
gluten-free Rice Krispies treats (recipes are online)
CHEBE pizza and breadstick mixes—very good!
THERE ARE DOZENS OF YUMMY RECIPES ON CELIAC.COM AND ALL OVER THE INTERNET. LEARN TO MAKE UP FLOUR MIXES SO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE BAKING THINGS YOURSELF.
Check the labels of all packaged products-- if they were made with wheat or malt gluten, they will state so on the package.
LUNCH and DINNER:
Leftovers from last night's dinner make an easy lunch
Some Progresso soups are gluten-free. Check the label!
A sandwich with gluten free bread or rolls—UDIs, Scharr's and Canyon Bakehouse are decent packaged breads, rolls and bagels, but homemade is the way to go.
I have a simple recipe for white sandwich bread that is delicious if you want it.
A big salad with tons of veggies and grilled chicken or shrimp and Hard-boiled eggs/ with gluten-free or homemade vinegrette dressing. A list of gluten free salad dressings is available online. Marzettis, and most of WishBone and Ken's are okay. Homemade is best!
Homemade vegetable minestrone ,chicken soup, stews, black bean or white bean chili (gluten-free stock)
chicken or bean nachos (can use corn tortillas)
red beans and rice
almost all mexican food is safe (just no flour tortillas!)
PASTA and sauce w/meatballs (brown rice or corn pasta --TINKYADA BRAND rice pasta is delicious! Cook 13 minutes exactly) and use gluten-free breadcrumbs (just crumble some gluten-free bread and season)
Another good pasta is CORN pasta made by BiAglut or Sam's Hill. Cook as directed.
meatloaf (beef or ground turkey) baked potato or yams, green veggie of some kind
Other proteins: roasted or grilled chicken, turkey, pork, beef, salmon, talapia, scallops, lamb, some sausages are safe, bacon (Check labels)
Vegetarian chili--homemade.
I eat a variety of veggies..whatever looks fresh at the super market or farmer's market or stands...steamed, grilled--- or roasted root veggies in stock.
Sweet potatoes—baked at 350 degrees in a pan for 45-50 mins.--are yummy
Potatoes—roasted, grilled, whipped with milk
Fritattas with veggies and salad
Stuffed peppers—with ground turkey, beef or lamb and rice
ANY recipe can be altered--just use gluten-free breadcrumbs, or rice pasta ---use any flour made from amaranth, corn, bean, etc...just NO WHEAT, RYE OR BARLEY or cross -contaminated OATS. Quaker oats are Cced!!. Bob's Red Mill are not.
Cross-contamination is the bane of our existence. Learn how to make your home safe.
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/cookingglutenfree/a/crosscontaminat.htm
Hidden sources of gluten:
http://www.practicalgastro.com/pdf/September08/HlywiakArticle.pdf
Packaged/processed Foods:
A package stating a product is “Gluten-free “ does not always guarantee it was processed and manufactured and packaged in a dedicated facility. You want the GIG (Gluten Intolerance Group) circle stamped on the package –it is a big gluten-free in a circle.
Some DEDICATED gluten-free facilities are:
Bob's Red Mill
1-2-3 Meredith's Marvelous
Authentic Foods
Pamela's
Cause You're Special
Udi's
The Cravings Place
Andean Dream
Kinnikinnick
Organic Nectars
Orgran
Foods by George
gluten-free FULL FLAVOR Gravy
Prana Bar
Enjoy Life
EnergG
Gillian's
They make all kinds of ready made mixes and flours to make it easy to start baking.
The cooking and baking section on the forum has thousands of great ideas—these guys are amazingly creative!
That should get you started. No need to fear eating!
Best wishes!
