What Do I Eat?

[Buck22]

Hi All,

I react the same to corn products as I do to glutens thus corn starch, corn oil, corn syrup are out. Tomatoes are sometimes a problem so I'm also avoiding nightshades at least until the damage done to my villi/digestion, etc has had a chance to repair itself. I also have a problem with cream and cheeses. I'm not sure if it's the lactose or something else like carageean (sp?), but I think I should stay away from dairy, again at least until things heal. I seem to be ok with eggs, but I'm afraid to worsen the damage. Shrimp makes my dermititis herpetiform flare up. Should I rule out salmon and tuna as well?

The problem is that with all of these restrictions I don't know what to eat any more. I desperately want to put some weight back on, but you can only have rice, chicken and vegetables so many times a day and so far it's not helping me gain weight. For breakfast I have gluten free almond bread with honey and gluten free almond bread with honey, and sometimes gluten..... you get the idea. This morning my wife made me rice with coconut mike and yam which was yummy and felt like it had a lot of substance to it. Hopefully I react well to it - I could see it becoming a staple.

Any meal ideas for me? ... specifically breakfast, or any suggestions to help me put weight back on with consideration of all the restrictions above?

Thanks,

Richard

Markham, Ontario, Canada

[mftnchn]

Hi Richard,

What about nuts and legumes?

My doctor told me to try meng beans (they soften really well), which taste a bit like lentils. Cook until really soft, these really don't need to be soaked even. He also said to try to soak beans several days, changing the water, until they just start to sprout. Then cook until really soft and mushy. This makes them easier to digest.

The peanut butter cookie recipe on this website is really good, no flours. I am guessing you can use other nut butters the same way but I haven't tried it.

Rice noodles are good. You could cook them, then rinse with cold water. (The Chinese do it this way). Then stir fry some meat and veggies and gluten free soy sauce if you can have soy. Add the noodles and season as you like.

If eggs are a problem, you could try finding fresh duck eggs as a substitute, perhaps at a health food store.

Hope you find some more yummy options soon!

[RiceGuy]

A nice breakfast cereal is Rice & Shine brown rice cereal from Arrowhead Mills. Kasha (roasted buckwheat) is really tasty too IMHO. Muffins with good texture are relatively easy to make. Have you tried making French toast with the bread you eat? That can be done with egg replacer too. Pancakes with fruit can be great for breakfast. In place of potatoes, try taro. It can be boiled, mashed, fried, etc just like potato. Just make sure to get the dry land taro, which is white inside, and DO wear rubber gloves when handling it raw (oxalates).

As was said already, nuts and legumes are a great thing if you can have them. Tofu can be used in a zillion places too.

[Buck22]

Thanks a bunch RiceGuy! I'll give some of those a try.

Regards,

Richard

A nice breakfast cereal is Rice & Shine brown rice cereal from Arrowhead Mills. Kasha (roasted buckwheat) is really tasty too IMHO. Muffins with good texture are relatively easy to make. Have you tried making French toast with the bread you eat? That can be done with egg replacer too. Pancakes with fruit can be great for breakfast. In place of potatoes, try taro. It can be boiled, mashed, fried, etc just like potato. Just make sure to get the dry land taro, which is white inside, and DO wear rubber gloves when handling it raw (oxalates).

As was said already, nuts and legumes are a great thing if you can have them. Tofu can be used in a zillion places too.

[Nancym]

I just made a custard from coconut milk (or cream) and eggs with some sweetener. It was very good! I also make a lemon curd (like a custard) with lemons, eggs, sweetener. With raspberries on top it is sinful.

Sometimes for breakfast I eat olives and nuts. Other I make a coffee cake out of coconut flour and rice bran (and other delicious things) and have that for breakfast. Sometimes I just have soup.

I love Thai food so I'm always making curries with meat, peppers, curry paste, coconut milk, veggies. I eat lots of chicken and pork, beef only rarely.

You might try salmon and tuna and see how it goes.

I find it helps to forget thinking of breakfast as having to be something like cereal and widen your horizons a bit. In some countries they have rice and fish for breakfast.

[Buck22]

Coconut flour, never thought of that. Thanks Nancy.

Regars,

Richard

I just made a custard from coconut milk (or cream) and eggs with some sweetener. It was very good! I also make a lemon curd (like a custard) with lemons, eggs, sweetener. With raspberries on top it is sinful.

Sometimes for breakfast I eat olives and nuts. Other I make a coffee cake out of coconut flour and rice bran (and other delicious things) and have that for breakfast. Sometimes I just have soup.

I love Thai food so I'm always making curries with meat, peppers, curry paste, coconut milk, veggies. I eat lots of chicken and pork, beef only rarely.

You might try salmon and tuna and see how it goes.

I find it helps to forget thinking of breakfast as having to be something like cereal and widen your horizons a bit. In some countries they have rice and fish for breakfast.

[Juliebove]

I used the coconut flour to make meatballs. Would probably work for meatloaf as well, but you'd have to make some adjustments for the lack of tomato sauce.

[RiceGuy]

I find it helps to forget thinking of breakfast as having to be something like cereal and widen your horizons a bit. In some countries they have rice and fish for breakfast.

I totally agree. In fact my largest meal is my first of the day, and it's never what is culturally regarded as "breakfast food". None of my family could ever understand how I could eat so much in the morning. But IMO the typical American diet routine is upside down. That is, they barely nibble for breakfast, have a usually small lunch, then by the end of the day they're so famished that they stuff themselves. Where do you suppose all that food is going? The day is essentially over. The work is done. Seems like a reason why America is so obese. It's like waiting until after a long trip to fill your car's gas tank. It's bound to run low before then.

As the saying goes; Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

[corinne]

I don't eat any grains. For breakfast, I usually have fish and a couple of bananas (sounds like a strange combo, but it's good). I also eat lots of avocados to keep the weight up.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

It sounds to me like you could look to vegan recipes and such for ideas. Tofu could be added to your meals but just look up some recipies and I am sure you can find some non-boring meals/desserts for you! Good luck, Richard!

[ArtGirl]

Diestel makes some frozen turkey sausage (no gluten, no corn) - breakfast sausage and Italian sausage. Actually, there's not a lot of difference between the two. After defrosting, make small patties and fry. It's nice to just do up the whole roll and then freeze for another day so you don't have to cook every morning.

I mix the Italian variety with hamburger to make meatballs or put in spaghetti sauce.

Almond meal with salt and pepper and some butter makes a good topping for baked fish.

There are many varieties and blends of rice. When I have rice, I vary the blend so that gives me more variety with the rice.

Have you tried almond milk? It makes a great shake - put in blender with frozen strawberries and some sugar or stevia.

You might find it helpful to go to the library and check out some cookbooks to find some recipes to give more interest to your meals. If you are near a store that has Kosher foods, you can find some things there - those that are for Passover would not have corn - those that are Pareve would not have any dairy. Mother's margarine has no dairy and no corn (that's the one I use).

Dehydrated fruits are good snacks - like pineapple, papaya, mango.

The only cereal I've found that has no gluten and no corn is Erewhon Gluten-free Crispy Brown Rice. I add chopped dates, pecans and bananas, and some sugar to sweeten it up, with almond milk. I eat this either for breakfast or when I just want something good.

If you can have yeast, there are some good cashew based "cheese" . Do a search on this forum for "cashew" and you should find the cheese recipes. They are really good on a number of things, such as melted on a hamburger patty, as a sauce for vegetables and caseroles, on pizza.

[Buck22]

Thanks a lot Valda, et al...

Thanks to this thread I think I've finally solved my 'butter' dilemma, that is finding a replacement without dairy, gluten or corn: Coconut Butter, made by Artisana! It's got the texture and consistency of butter and it tastes amazng! It's the best thing since sliced Food For Life Wheat and Gluten Free Rice Almond Bread! Ha! Best of all - no red spots on my legs either! I was afraid I might be allergic to coconuts as well because I develop DH when I use coconut cream from the can (must have been the "Potassium Meta Bisulfide E-224"), but not with this stuff (coconut butter). The coconut butter I bought is made by Artisana: "Raw Organic Coconut Butter", Contains absolutely No Peanuts, Glutens, or Dairy.

My mission today is to find Pacific brand milk replacement and those Diestel frozen turkey sausages someone mentioned.

This Forum has been a Godsend for me, not just for the tips, suggestions and recommendations, but especially for the understanding and compassion. Thank you so much everyone.

Regards,

Richard

Diestel makes some frozen turkey sausage (no gluten, no corn) - breakfast sausage and Italian sausage. Actually, there's not a lot of difference between the two. After defrosting, make small patties and fry. It's nice to just do up the whole roll and then freeze for another day so you don't have to cook every morning.

I mix the Italian variety with hamburger to make meatballs or put in spaghetti sauce.

Almond meal with salt and pepper and some butter makes a good topping for baked fish.

There are many varieties and blends of rice. When I have rice, I vary the blend so that gives me more variety with the rice.

Have you tried almond milk? It makes a great shake - put in blender with frozen strawberries and some sugar or stevia.

You might find it helpful to go to the library and check out some cookbooks to find some recipes to give more interest to your meals. If you are near a store that has Kosher foods, you can find some things there - those that are for Passover would not have corn - those that are Pareve would not have any dairy. Mother's margarine has no dairy and no corn (that's the one I use).

Dehydrated fruits are good snacks - like pineapple, papaya, mango.

The only cereal I've found that has no gluten and no corn is Erewhon Gluten-free Crispy Brown Rice. I add chopped dates, pecans and bananas, and some sugar to sweeten it up, with almond milk. I eat this either for breakfast or when I just want something good.

If you can have yeast, there are some good cashew based "cheese" . Do a search on this forum for "cashew" and you should find the cheese recipes. They are really good on a number of things, such as melted on a hamburger patty, as a sauce for vegetables and caseroles, on pizza.