Curious About Food Preferences

[queenofhearts]

A sort of theoretical question for all you wonderful helpful people:

I've just this week been diagnosed with Celiac (at the age of 49) & it came as such a surprise to me because all my life it has seemed like starches were the ONLY thing I could digest easily. I was a vegetarian for many years and although I now eat fish & poultry two or three times a week, the very idea of eating beef or pork still makes me feel ill. I've always been okay with eggs & cheese & yogurt, though milk itself sometimes bothers me. (I have always loved rice too, including those rice cakes everyone seems to hate!)

When busy or stressed I've gone for weeks at a time with very little other than bread or crackers, peanut butter & fruit & veg to eat. I have to remind myself to eat protein-- have no natural appetite for it as others seem to.

Now reading some of this material I see that many people are recommending a diet with lots of protein, especially meat, & few starches of any kind. I feel sort of choked just thinking about so much meat... do you think my distaste for meat & preference for starch is some sort of cruel trick my body has played on me all these years? What is the deal? I've heard some Celiacs crave gluten-- WHY? I'm very curious & want to understand how this disease works...

If I force myself to eat meat will I start to like it? All I can think of is childhood meals when relatives would beg me to eat more meat & I was just so miserable... Ugh!

In the week since my diagnosis I've already tried lots of alternate flours (I love to bake from scratch) & I have a feeling I could be pretty happy with them after some more experimentation, but I'm beginning to think my starch preference could actually be a symptom of some kind. It's absolutely eerie how many of my "discomforts" (some of which I never even thought of as illnesses before, because "that's just the way I am") turn out to be classic Celiac symptoms.

Any thoughts?

Many thanks,

Leah

[ravenwoodglass]

A sort of theoretical question for all you wonderful helpful people:

I've just this week been diagnosed with Celiac (at the age of 49) & it came as such a surprise to me because all my life it has seemed like starches were the ONLY thing I could digest easily. I was a vegetarian for many years and although I now eat fish & poultry two or three times a week, the very idea of eating beef or pork still makes me feel ill. I've always been okay with eggs & cheese & yogurt, though milk itself sometimes bothers me. (I have always loved rice too, including those rice cakes everyone seems to hate!)

When busy or stressed I've gone for weeks at a time with very little other than bread or crackers, peanut butter & fruit & veg to eat. I have to remind myself to eat protein-- have no natural appetite for it as others seem to.

Now reading some of this material I see that many people are recommending a diet with lots of protein, especially meat, & few starches of any kind. I feel sort of choked just thinking about so much meat... do you think my distaste for meat & preference for starch is some sort of cruel trick my body has played on me all these years? What is the deal? I've heard some Celiacs crave gluten-- WHY? I'm very curious & want to understand how this disease works...

If I force myself to eat meat will I start to like it? All I can think of is childhood meals when relatives would beg me to eat more meat & I was just so miserable... Ugh!

In the week since my diagnosis I've already tried lots of alternate flours (I love to bake from scratch) & I have a feeling I could be pretty happy with them after some more experimentation, but I'm beginning to think my starch preference could actually be a symptom of some kind. It's absolutely eerie how many of my "discomforts" (some of which I never even thought of as illnesses before, because "that's just the way I am") turn out to be classic Celiac symptoms.

Any thoughts?

Many thanks,

Leah

You need to eat what you are comfortable with. If you don't like meat you don't need to eat it. Just make sure your diet is well balanced and that you don't have any other intolerances. I was recently diagnosed diabetic and got a book called "Defeating Diabetes" by B. Davis RD and T. Barnard MD. While it is not celiac specific it does give good info on the way the body reacts to foods as well as lists of foods and their protein carb and sugar counts. I was getting tired of mostly meat and veggies and found this helpful for planning gluten-free meals that are not just meat and potatoes type stuff. Last night I made a quinoa salad with cukes, tomatoes, kidney beans, onions and parsley. Complete protein and 3 servings of veggies in one serving. I combined this with hummus (recipe also from the book) and made the Gluten Free Pantry french bread mix but formed the bread into a flat bread (I miss pita pockets).

As to the addictive nature of gluten that is caused by the protein peptide being able to lock into receptors in the brain. The brain releases chemicals to counter the attack, the same sort of chemicals released when cetain drugs enter the system. The brain and body become used to always having to fend off the attack and it becomes accustomed to the need to produce the chemical. When you stop the poison the brain and body are still thinking they need it. Thus we sometimes get withdrawl type symptoms like depression and anxiety. Once your system realizes that it is not going to be poisoned anymore it will stop producing the 'attack mode chemicals' and the withdrawl will be over. For me this took about a week. If you 'cheat' to make yourself feel better your body will stay in the attack mode and your withdrawl will continue. I know this is not a real scientific explanation and perhaps someone can explain it better but if you are rigorous in avoiding gluten in everything the craving should go away and perhaps be replaced by a healthier one like chocolate

[tarnalberry]

There are celiacs on the board who are vegetarian! While it takes some adjusting, you don't *have* to eat meat, particularly if you're not dealing with other grain intolerances or blood sugar issues. (BTW, I'm a fan of peanut butter on rice cakes, myself. :-) Though I am not vegetarian (I've got blood sugar issues).)

[queenofhearts]

This is quite reassuring. It's enough to cope with just ridding my world of gluten-- adding lots of meat seemed completely unnatural to me!

Thank you so much. This forum is a lifesaver!

Leah

[lorka150]

Hi Leah!

I don't eat any meat, fish, dairy, and I get enough protein. If you are uncomfortable with it, by no means should you feel 'forced' to eat anything you don't want to

Welcome to the boards.

[BRUMI1968]

There are some studies to suggest that folks with auto-immune diseases should avoid high protein diets. That's not to say they should get busy eating white rice bread, but watching what kinds of carbs you eat does not necessarily mean pounding down the protein.

I only eat fish and eggs for animal protein, and am currently waiting on eggs until my digestion calms down (I'm one month dx'd). I 100% cannot imagine eating most meat, except maybe bacon which smells really good. Don't fret!

Also, my nutritionist was just telling me about which grains to try to eat a lot of: brown rice (especially sweet brown rice and best if you overcook it a bit until your digestion gets back to normal); millet; quinoa. They are really quite nice grains.

-Sherri

[Mango04]

I can relate to this too! I generally have no desire to eat meat. I find I feel better with a more balanced diet that includes complete proteins, so I do try to eat eggs, white meat, fish and occasionly pork. I don't eat animal protein daily though. I often rely on things like lentils, beans, quinoa and raw nuts. There's still plenty of food to eat, even on days I don't eat meat. I'm also soy and dairy-free.

[queenofhearts]

Thank you all so much for your help & encouragement. I would feel so lost without this forum. After this morning's posts I went right out & bought some quinoa & millet at Whole Foods. In my baking experiments so far I've really missed the chewiness of the whole-grain breads I was used to, so I'm hoping I can approximate it with exotic grains.

Ravenwoodglass, how did you cook the quinoa for your salad? Is it basically like rice? Your salad sounds so delicious. One of my first thoughts when I was doing the mental "Goodbye Tour" of foods I loved was "Oh no! No more tabouli!" & yes, I'll miss pita too. Thank goodness baba ganouj is still okay! (Though I'm a little worried about cross-contamination at my favorite Middle Eastern deli.)

Again, heartfelt thanks to all!

Leah

[BRUMI1968]

I just had a nice quinoa salad from my coop:

green onions, black beans, quinoa, lime, cilantro, cumin, corn

It was great!

[ravenwoodglass]

Thank you all so much for your help & encouragement. I would feel so lost without this forum. After this morning's posts I went right out & bought some quinoa & millet at Whole Foods. In my baking experiments so far I've really missed the chewiness of the whole-grain breads I was used to, so I'm hoping I can approximate it with exotic grains.

Ravenwoodglass, how did you cook the quinoa for your salad? Is it basically like rice? Your salad sounds so delicious. One of my first thoughts when I was doing the mental "Goodbye Tour" of foods I loved was "Oh no! No more tabouli!" & yes, I'll miss pita too. Thank goodness baba ganouj is still okay! (Though I'm a little worried about cross-contamination at my favorite Middle Eastern deli.)

Again, heartfelt thanks to all!

Leah

I put a cup of quiona and about 2 cups of water in a small pan, bring it to a boil then simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. There is very little water left and the quiona will be tender and the germ will be visable as a white ring. Some quionas need rinsing before cooking but I use Ancient Harvest and except for a quick rinse when I put the water in I don't do anything else. I think it also would work quite well in tabouleh and as a replacement for couscous. I really miss baklava and tamir, I was a middle eastern chef for quite a few years and love the food. Baba ganoush is easy to make yourself at home. You just put the cooked eggplant and much the same stuff as for hummus in a blender and whoosh away. I've got some wild grape leaves growing in my yard and am impatiently waiting for them to get big enough to use for dolmas, yum. Make sure you also try buckwheat, its safe and if you like cream of wheat cereal it comes real close. Happy cooking.

[Ursa Major]

Now reading some of this material I see that many people are recommending a diet with lots of protein, especially meat, & few starches of any kind. I feel sort of choked just thinking about so much meat... do you think my distaste for meat & preference for starch is some sort of cruel trick my body has played on me all these years? What is the deal? I've heard some Celiacs crave gluten-- WHY? I'm very curious & want to understand how this disease works...

If I force myself to eat meat will I start to like it? All I can think of is childhood meals when relatives would beg me to eat more meat & I was just so miserable... Ugh!

Okay, there is a misunderstanding out there, that one diet is right for everybody. This is absolutely false. Some people need to eat a diet with lots of meat (like me) to feel good, and some people need more carbs and little meat (and mostly the types of meat you're eating), and then there are the ones in the middle of the two. Try googling for 'metabolic typing' to get more of an explanation for this.

If you feel nauseated at the thought of eating a lot of meat, then don't. Tons of meat obviously doesn't agree with you, you must be a carbohydrate type (while I am at the extreme end of the protein type). If I would eat your diet, I'd lose all energy and would be sick and miserable, and if you would eat what I eat, you'd be feeling terrible.

And no, if you have to FORCE yourself to eat lots of meat, you are definitely not going to learn to like it. In fact, you will just achieve the opposite, and lose the taste for the meats you like now. Go with what your body tells you is right for you (while not giving in to cravings for things you KNOW are bad for you).

[queenofhearts]

I put a cup of quiona and about 2 cups of water in a small pan, bring it to a boil then simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. There is very little water left and the quiona will be tender and the germ will be visable as a white ring. Some quionas need rinsing before cooking but I use Ancient Harvest and except for a quick rinse when I put the water in I don't do anything else. I think it also would work quite well in tabouleh and as a replacement for couscous. I really miss baklava and tamir, I was a middle eastern chef for quite a few years and love the food. Baba ganoush is easy to make yourself at home. You just put the cooked eggplant and much the same stuff as for hummus in a blender and whoosh away. I've got some wild grape leaves growing in my yard and am impatiently waiting for them to get big enough to use for dolmas, yum. Make sure you also try buckwheat, its safe and if you like cream of wheat cereal it comes real close. Happy cooking.

Thank you for all the great ideas! I have grapes in my garden too & have toyed with the idea of making dolmas in the past, but since there is a fantastic middle eastern restaurant/bakery/deli nearby I always thought it would be more practical just to buy them. But now I'm motivated to try-- the leaves are quite large already. (I live in the south-- NC.)

I am thankful that I like to cook & to experiment in the kitchen. This would be a whole lot harder if I had to depend on others to do the cooking! I really feel for Celiac college students, constant travelers, & others who don't have kitchens at hand (or who just hate to cook). Even with Whole Foods & Grand Asia Market in our area, there isn't a whole lot to choose from ready-made. I was heartbroken when I found out about soy sauce! Cuts out a lot of otherwise great ready-made options.

Thanks again for all your help. I can't wait to try the quinoa!

Leah

[tarnalberry]

Thank you all so much for your help & encouragement. I would feel so lost without this forum. After this morning's posts I went right out & bought some quinoa & millet at Whole Foods. In my baking experiments so far I've really missed the chewiness of the whole-grain breads I was used to, so I'm hoping I can approximate it with exotic grains.

Ravenwoodglass, how did you cook the quinoa for your salad? Is it basically like rice? Your salad sounds so delicious. One of my first thoughts when I was doing the mental "Goodbye Tour" of foods I loved was "Oh no! No more tabouli!" & yes, I'll miss pita too. Thank goodness baba ganouj is still okay! (Though I'm a little worried about cross-contamination at my favorite Middle Eastern deli.)

Again, heartfelt thanks to all!

Leah

I put a quinoa pilaf recipe on my 'as promised, a few recipes' post in the recipes section as well. I have a feeling it would be a perfectly fine grain substitute for tabouleh, as long as you make it a bit dry.

[key]

If you are looking for chewyness for breads, etc. You may want to try Breads by Anna. It is called "glutenevolution.com" I believe. YOu can google this if you want. I have found that the best one is the regular one. When I tried the one that didnt' have dairy in it, I couldn't get it to turn out in my bread machine. THe other one has the best texture for gluten free bread I believe.

I am vegetarian and don't eat meat. I have never eaten any, but sometimes I wish I did. I just haven't brought myself to try any. YOu should be fine as long as you eat wholesome foods. I eat alot of avocadoes, beans, potatoes, brown rice, Pamela's pancakes, corn flakes, corn tortilla's-crunchy and soft, eggs. Also Kinnikinnick makes a great brown bread, english muffins, etc. Tinkyada pasta's are great too.

Monica

[queenofhearts]

Just made my first batch of quinoa & discovering this grain is definitely one of the major compensations for losing wheat! I tasted it plain first just to get acquainted, but I'm going to use it next in an Indian dish with peas-- normally I would use rice but I'm all excited about my new discovery & I think this will work great! I love the chewiness, & the flavor is delicious. I can think of so many ways to use this! Definitely I'm going to try it in some bread.

Thank you all so much! What an adventurous journey this is turning out to be... The Mexican quinoa salad sounds fantastic I'm going to look up that pilaf too.

You folks are the best!

Leah

[loraleena]

You can have soy sauce. San-J makes a gluten free soy sauce. It says wheat free, but it is ok. I personally use Braggs liquid aminos which is unfermented soy sauce and is gluten free. It is better for you if you suspect you have candida overgrowth as I do. It tastes great.

[queenofhearts]

You can have soy sauce. San-J makes a gluten free soy sauce. It says wheat free, but it is ok. I personally use Braggs liquid aminos which is unfermented soy sauce and is gluten free. It is better for you if you suspect you have candida overgrowth as I do. It tastes great.

That's great news, thanks!

Leah

[powderprincess]

Hi Leah!

I don't eat any meat, fish, dairy, and I get enough protein. If you are uncomfortable with it, by no means should you feel 'forced' to eat anything you don't want to

Welcome to the boards.

What she said!

Thank you all so much for your help & encouragement. I would feel so lost without this forum. After this morning's posts I went right out & bought some quinoa & millet at Whole Foods. In my baking experiments so far I've really missed the chewiness of the whole-grain breads I was used to, so I'm hoping I can approximate it with exotic grains.

Ravenwoodglass, how did you cook the quinoa for your salad? Is it basically like rice? Your salad sounds so delicious. One of my first thoughts when I was doing the mental "Goodbye Tour" of foods I loved was "Oh no! No more tabouli!" & yes, I'll miss pita too. Thank goodness baba ganouj is still okay! (Though I'm a little worried about cross-contamination at my favorite Middle Eastern deli.)

Again, heartfelt thanks to all!

Leah

I've made tabouli with quinoa and it rocks my socks. You won't be able to go to any grocery store and pick it up quickly, but it is so easy to make and worth it!