Need To Go On A Gluten Free Diet For Two Weeks..where To Start?

[tkuiack]

Hi

My doctor doesnt' think at this point that i have celiac..however, she wants me to go

no wheat for 2 weeks. in order to see if i have an intolerance to wheat..

In order for me to do this with twin one year olds and a 5 year old and a husband who is pretty much a

meat and potatoe guy..i really need to get organized ..i need to find recipes that i like

and easy way to find gluten free foods..i want to plane my meals for 2 weeks and stick to it

thats the only way it will work..i have to find what i like that doesnt' have wheat.

I have looked and looked at sites and i am finding it hard to find easy recipes or food in my

own general grocery store to get started with this.

can anyone help me find example meal plans. it seems to me that everything i love

has wheat in it..I suppose you all have experienced this..how do i do this with more ease.i keep putting it off because i

dont' know where to start wtih the meals..

i'm sure i could take a few recipies i like and alternate over the two weeks

i'm just not seeing any easy way of doing it..I like pasta but dont 'know where to get gluten free pasta

i love bread..so would need a recipe for gluten free bread

what everyday cereals have no gluten?.

i need easy lunch ideas, snacks and 4-5 gluten free meals i can stick to..to start off.

I love chicken, pork, some beef, bread, eggs, i like rice, most veggies..

I like salmon, scallops, shrimp, and crab

a typical day for me i have egg on toast or cereal or toast for breakfast, lunches i have left overs or open faced sandwiches, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, pork, beets or egg salad or tuna w mayo sandwiches, lunch is the big meal for me..i love it but have little time for it as i have 3 one year olds here and a 5 year who i get ready for school each day.

Supper is usually chicken potatoes and veggies..

snacks can be banana's apples, cookies,rice cakes, jam on toast, cereal

to drink i would have tea, water, orange juice or sometimes..rarely though pop.

hopefully this will help you help me by knowing what kind of things i eat now.

Please help me

thanks

tanya

[GlutenGalAZ]

Here are a couple ideas:

Cereal --> Rice Chex is now Gluten Free.....But look at the box to make sure it is not an old one on the shelf with old ingredients (new ones will say gluten free on the front) also Nature Path Corn Flakes are good

Mac & Cheese --> You can do Gluten Free Noodles with Velveeta or Kraft has a little blue container that has the orange cheese powder in it just like what is in the mac and cheese boxes.

Salads--> Kraft and Wishbone will state gluten ingredients if in the product. You can do a salad with chicken. I recently if in a rush have cooked couple beef taquitos (Delimex corn not flour) and cut it up in a salad.

Dinner --> Some of our favorites are Spaghetti gluten free noodles, ground beef and Classico sauce. Tacos we use Mission White Corn tortillas or their hard sheels (will say gluten free on package). Hamburgers either on gluten free bread or just on the plate. Pork Loin with Sweet Baby Ray BBQ Sauce.

Rice--> Uncle Ben's Fast & Natural Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice is gluten free (says on the back of the box)

Here is a website that will show you companies that WILL list gluten ingredients on their label if present:

Open Original Shared Link

If you normally drink milk -- some people when they start eating gluten free they will be more sensitive to milk while their body is healing and can sometimes re introduce it slowly back in after a while. Same thing with soy.

Here are a couple links:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Some companies will have a gluten free list on their website i.e. Hormel (link below):

Open Original Shared Link

Also watch out for your cosmetics, soaps, lotions, shampoos, beverages etc.

Be careful of CC around the house i.e. your old toaster with gluten crumbs in it, cutting boards, counters, peanut butter jar, butter container...list goes on.

GOOD LUCK

[Ursa Major]

Why doesn't your doctor think you have celiac disease, did she do the tests for it? Or is she just guessing? If you haven't had the celiac disease tests yet, it would be best if you had those before trying the gluten-free diet. Because if you feel better on the gluten-free diet, she may then want to run the tests. But since you need to be consuming gluten while doing them, they may come back negative, and she may then decide that you definitely don't have celiac disease.

A wheat allergy would show up on allergy testing. Celiac disease is not an allergy, but an autoimmune reaction to gluten (which is in wheat, rye and barley). The testing for both is very different.

If you haven't been tested for celiac disease and wheat allergy, I suggest you go back to your doctor and ask her to do it before trying the diet.

[dbmamaz]

Meat and potatoes are gluten free. Meat and rice are gluten free. Veggies are gluten free. Depending, of course, on what you use to season it. But i make roasted chicken or turkey breast w mashed potatoes and veggies all the time. Stir-fry over rice . . any plain rice is going to be gluten-free, just dont get any rice mixes. Read your labels, substitute corn starch or corn meal for flour to start with, since you probably already have them at home. Also realize that most soy sauce has gluten in it, but you can get gluten-free soy sauce at the health food store.

Make rice-based meals: fried rice or jambalaya. My favorite pasta is glutino, many here rave about tinkyada. Both can be found at health food stores. For lunch, salad is good as long as you skip the croutons, but i actually recomend leftover dinner - quick and easy and gluten free as long as dinner was gluten free.

as for bread .. . i strongly suggest you just skip bread for 2 weeks and eat something else. There is NO gluten-free bread which tastes as good as regular bread. You can find some that are workable for sandwhiches, but bread tastes mostly like wheat, and you cant eat wheat, so your bread will tase VERY different. The texture will also be different. If you decide to stay gluten-free, then you can start experimentign w breads . .. but i gave up, personally, although I have many other issues anyways.

You can eat rice cakes, most chips (not sun chips, for example), and quick breads are actually a lot easier to do without gluten - try some mixes in your local health food store.

There are a lot of things you can experiment with, but for a 2 week trial, i would keep it as simple as possible. You can certainly skip bread for 2 weeks, or eat corn bread etc. Oh, and I found i liked gluten-free chocolate chip cookies BETTER than the regular ones!

In the first 2 weeks my stomach was definitely better. 4 weeks in to it I noticed I hadnt had an exedrin in a month. 2 months in to it my anxiety and depression began to lift, and my energy seems to be slowly coming back.

good luck

[tkuiack]

  GlutenGalAZ said:

Here are a couple ideas:

Cereal --> Rice Chex is now Gluten Free.....But look at the box to make sure it is not an old one on the shelf with old ingredients (new ones will say gluten free on the front) also Nature Path Corn Flakes are good

Mac & Cheese --> You can do Gluten Free Noodles with Velveeta or Kraft has a little blue container that has the orange cheese powder in it just like what is in the mac and cheese boxes.

Salads--> Kraft and Wishbone will state gluten ingredients if in the product. You can do a salad with chicken. I recently if in a rush have cooked couple beef taquitos (Delimex corn not flour) and cut it up in a salad.

Dinner --> Some of our favorites are Spaghetti gluten free noodles, ground beef and Classico sauce. Tacos we use Mission White Corn tortillas or their hard sheels (will say gluten free on package). Hamburgers either on gluten free bread or just on the plate. Pork Loin with Sweet Baby Ray BBQ Sauce.

Rice--> Uncle Ben's Fast & Natural Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice is gluten free (says on the back of the box)

Here is a website that will show you companies that WILL list gluten ingredients on their label if present:

Open Original Shared Link

If you normally drink milk -- some people when they start eating gluten free they will be more sensitive to milk while their body is healing and can sometimes re introduce it slowly back in after a while. Same thing with soy.

Here are a couple links:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Some companies will have a gluten free list on their website i.e. Hormel (link below):

Open Original Shared Link

Also watch out for your cosmetics, soaps, lotions, shampoos, beverages etc.

Be careful of CC around the house i.e. your old toaster with gluten crumbs in it, cutting boards, counters, peanut butter jar, butter container...list goes on.

GOOD LUCK

Dear Glutengalaz - wow thanks..i loved how you took what i ate and told me how to make them..that is so helpful

i will definitely check those sites out.

I dont' normally drink milk..

Can i have ice cream?? i was having back issues and one time a few years ago the emerg doctor told me i might have a fat intolerance apposed to a

lactose intolerance..he says there is no such thing as a mild case of lactose intol..i dont' think i agree there..anyway,,he suggested fat intolerance.which would

explain why sometimes ice cream bugs me and other times it doesn't.

i have disliked every soy milk i have ever tried. so straight milk has wheat? i have 1% in the house. i would have that with cereal.

tanya

[tkuiack]

  Ursa Major said:

Why doesn't your doctor think you have celiac disease, did she do the tests for it? Or is she just guessing? If you haven't had the celiac disease tests yet, it would be best if you had those before trying the gluten-free diet. Because if you feel better on the gluten-free diet, she may then want to run the tests. But since you need to be consuming gluten while doing them, they may come back negative, and she may then decide that you definitely don't have celiac disease.

A wheat allergy would show up on allergy testing. Celiac disease is not an allergy, but an autoimmune reaction to gluten (which is in wheat, rye and barley). The testing for both is very different.

If you haven't been tested for celiac disease and wheat allergy, I suggest you go back to your doctor and ask her to do it before trying the diet.

Hi,

Well my doctor said since i have had the issues for years and been told i have ibs..she said i would definitely have more severe reactions if i had celiac.

she recommended to start the diet to help my distended stomach..she thinks by lowering the intake would help..she has had many patients who are not celiac and

just had reactions to wheat when having large amounts of it.. or who's regular intake is higher then normal..something like that. I wondered myself why a test could not just tell me that..i want to say i mentioned it to her and she had stated it would be clear if i had celiac and the blood work would just confirm..she did not feel i had celiac but maybe a slight intolerance..i forgot to ask her..however she has been the only doctor so far that has listened and offered these suggestions..and now she is leaving

to go to ireland..go figure..she was really listening and offering her time to discuss these symptoms with me.

[tkuiack]

  dbmamaz said:

Meat and potatoes are gluten free. Meat and rice are gluten free. Veggies are gluten free. Depending, of course, on what you use to season it. But i make roasted chicken or turkey breast w mashed potatoes and veggies all the time. Stir-fry over rice . . any plain rice is going to be gluten-free, just dont get any rice mixes. Read your labels, substitute corn starch or corn meal for flour to start with, since you probably already have them at home. Also realize that most soy sauce has gluten in it, but you can get gluten-free soy sauce at the health food store.

Make rice-based meals: fried rice or jambalaya. My favorite pasta is glutino, many here rave about tinkyada. Both can be found at health food stores. For lunch, salad is good as long as you skip the croutons, but i actually recomend leftover dinner - quick and easy and gluten free as long as dinner was gluten free.

as for bread .. . i strongly suggest you just skip bread for 2 weeks and eat something else. There is NO gluten-free bread which tastes as good as regular bread. You can find some that are workable for sandwhiches, but bread tastes mostly like wheat, and you cant eat wheat, so your bread will tase VERY different. The texture will also be different. If you decide to stay gluten-free, then you can start experimentign w breads . .. but i gave up, personally, although I have many other issues anyways.

You can eat rice cakes, most chips (not sun chips, for example), and quick breads are actually a lot easier to do without gluten - try some mixes in your local health food store.

There are a lot of things you can experiment with, but for a 2 week trial, i would keep it as simple as possible. You can certainly skip bread for 2 weeks, or eat corn bread etc. Oh, and I found i liked gluten-free chocolate chip cookies BETTER than the regular ones!

In the first 2 weeks my stomach was definitely better. 4 weeks in to it I noticed I hadnt had an exedrin in a month. 2 months in to it my anxiety and depression began to lift, and my energy seems to be slowly coming back.

good luck

dbmamaz - i guess for some reason i thought i couldnt' have potatoes..so thanks for letting me know

I like corn bread. i think..if its what i think it is..hehe

do you have a jambalya recipe you can share with me? i have never had that

I am also suprised i can have chips..so thats awsome..not a big chip lover but i dont' eat it mostly because its not all that great for you..but i would love it when i'm taking other things that i love out of my diet.

can i buy choc chip cookies with no gluten ? if not can you give me a recipe for that as well??

thanks again for all the infor..I might be right up there with your feeling on the bread...

[dbmamaz]

  tkuiack said:

do you have a jambalya recipe you can share with me? . . can i buy choc chip cookies with no gluten ? if not can you give me a recipe for that as well??

My jambalaya recipe is on all recipes dot com (i am pretty sure links are altered so they wont work) Just search for Easy Cajun Jambalaya. I do it almost exactly as written, but I add some shrimp (raw, peeled) the last half of the cooking time and I reduce the cayenne to a dash and dont use the hot sauce (since I'm cooking for kids)

If you go to a health food store, you can find all sorts of gluten-free items, including cookies, brownie mixes, cake mixes, etc. I couldnt actually use them, because I cant tolerate tapioca, which is in almost all of them. Since i quit dairy and gluten at the same time, I had to go to the health food store for dairy-free chocolate chips, but I used the recipe from Gluten-Free Baking Basics by Annalise Roberts. Of course, there are probably mixes too . . .

1 c vegetable shortening

1 c granulated sugar

1/2 c dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tb pure vanilla extract

1 cups + 2 TB brown rice flour mix (see below)

1.5 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

12 oz chocolate chips

1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 and spray cookie sheets w nonstick spray.

Beat shortening and sugars on medium, add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Add dry ingredients; mix at medium until well blended, mix in chips and nuts.

Dop by spoonful 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes until light golden brown

Brown rice flour mix:

2 c extra-fine brown rice flour (probaby not available at health food store, try asian store)

2/3 c potato starch (not flour)

1/3 tapioca flour

[Redsd]

  tkuiack said:

dbmamaz - i guess for some reason i thought i couldnt' have potatoes..so thanks for letting me know

I like corn bread. i think..if its what i think it is..hehe

do you have a jambalya recipe you can share with me? i have never had that

I am also suprised i can have chips..so thats awsome..not a big chip lover but i dont' eat it mostly because its not all that great for you..but i would love it when i'm taking other things that i love out of my diet.

can i buy choc chip cookies with no gluten ? if not can you give me a recipe for that as well??

thanks again for all the infor..I might be right up there with your feeling on the bread...

Milk does not have gluten in it, but you may be intolerant of dairy, so I would give that up while you're trying this diet. I don't usually use any kind of milk, but if I do I use Blue Diamond Almond Milk. They have it at Trader Joes, health food stores, and even my local grocery store!

I also don't usually include any bread-ish foods in my diet. My doctors prefer I avoid all grains, rices, corn, etc. That means no gluten free muffins or chocolate chip cookies. I do eat lots of potatoes, since I have so few choices.

Please note that "cornbread" mixes are often mostly enriched (wheat) flour. You can make your own though. There are LOTS of gluten free recipe sites. I just learned of glutenfreemommy.com today.

hth, Lori

[tkuiack]

  Redsd said:

Milk does not have gluten in it, but you may be intolerant of dairy, so I would give that up while you're trying this diet. I don't usually use any kind of milk, but if I do I use Blue Diamond Almond Milk. They have it at Trader Joes, health food stores, and even my local grocery store!

I also don't usually include any bread-ish foods in my diet. My doctors prefer I avoid all grains, rices, corn, etc. That means no gluten free muffins or chocolate chip cookies. I do eat lots of potatoes, since I have so few choices.

Please note that "cornbread" mixes are often mostly enriched (wheat) flour. You can make your own though. There are LOTS of gluten free recipe sites. I just learned of glutenfreemommy.com today.

hth, Lori

hi . one doctor thought i was lactose intolerant..but just a minor intolerance..and told me to cut back

another doctor said there was no such thing as a little lactose intolerant.. you either are or your not.

i figure if i can eat dairy some times but have adverse reactions here and there but not consistent..it makes sense that i dont' have a lactose intolerance..who

knows..its all so confusing.

I am allergic to almonds..

avoid grains, rices and corn..wow..all these restrictions..it must have been hard at first..

i will have to check out glutenfreemommy.com..

thanks

[tkuiack]

  dbmamaz said:

My jambalaya recipe is on all recipes dot com (i am pretty sure links are altered so they wont work) Just search for Easy Cajun Jambalaya. I do it almost exactly as written, but I add some shrimp (raw, peeled) the last half of the cooking time and I reduce the cayenne to a dash and dont use the hot sauce (since I'm cooking for kids)

If you go to a health food store, you can find all sorts of gluten-free items, including cookies, brownie mixes, cake mixes, etc. I couldnt actually use them, because I cant tolerate tapioca, which is in almost all of them. Since i quit dairy and gluten at the same time, I had to go to the health food store for dairy-free chocolate chips, but I used the recipe from Gluten-Free Baking Basics by Annalise Roberts. Of course, there are probably mixes too . . .

1 c vegetable shortening

1 c granulated sugar

1/2 c dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tb pure vanilla extract

1 cups + 2 TB brown rice flour mix (see below)

1.5 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

12 oz chocolate chips

1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 and spray cookie sheets w nonstick spray.

Beat shortening and sugars on medium, add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Add dry ingredients; mix at medium until well blended, mix in chips and nuts.

Dop by spoonful 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes until light golden brown

Brown rice flour mix:

2 c extra-fine brown rice flour (probaby not available at health food store, try asian store)

2/3 c potato starch (not flour)

1/3 tapioca flour

thanks..

I checked out the recipe on all recipes dot com..but i can't find it..is the author the same as your name here..?

[dbmamaz]

  tkuiack said:

thanks..

I checked out the recipe on all recipes dot com..but i can't find it..is the author the same as your name here..?

Its not my recipe, i just searched for Easy Cajun Jambalaya on allrecipes.com and it came up . . . i'll try the link, but i doubt it will work:

Open Original Shared Link

[tkuiack]

  dbmamaz said:

Its not my recipe, i just searched for Easy Cajun Jambalaya on allrecipes.com and it came up . . . i'll try the link, but i doubt it will work:

Open Original Shared Link

oh..okay..i misunderstood.

I went out today and got ..Glutino spinach and feta pizza..I tried ti and liked it..it was small and i think it was like 6 dollars..but its more important right now

to find out what i like. i can make the pizza with gluten free dough..i'll just need toget the recipe for the dough.

I also bought Glum corn bread and i will try that tomorrow morning.not sure if i need to keep i refrigerated..as i bought it in that form..not used to buying bread in a frozen state..how long does it last once i defrost it? i plan to toast it each morning for breakfast. I am going to try a recipe for that bread as well and freeze that..

i want to start cooking and freezing this weekend.

I did learn that i need to go alone to the grocery store and not with my kids..it was so hard to read the labels as its the organic section and not all

were gluten free. its a lot of reading at first..as i expected..

so my research and testing continues..hehe

Oh..and the link worked..

[Redsd]

Keep your bread frozen, and toast it straight from the freezer. I put my toaster on it's darkest setting for the occasional bread I use.

[tkuiack]

  Redsd said:

Keep your bread frozen, and toast it straight from the freezer. I put my toaster on it's darkest setting for the occasional bread I use.

i tried the bread ..it was corn bread..toasted..it liked it..so i'm happy about that

did you know that pizza pizza now sells gluten free pizza? i just learned this

today..i'm not usually a pizza eater but i'm willing to try it sometime

[Guest joshua gregory]

  tkuiack said:

Hi

My doctor doesnt' think at this point that i have celiac..however, she wants me to go

no wheat for 2 weeks. in order to see if i have an intolerance to wheat..

In order for me to do this with twin one year olds and a 5 year old and a husband who is pretty much a

meat and potatoe guy..i really need to get organized ..i need to find recipes that i like

and easy way to find gluten free foods..i want to plane my meals for 2 weeks and stick to it

thats the only way it will work..i have to find what i like that doesnt' have wheat.

I have looked and looked at sites and i am finding it hard to find easy recipes or food in my

own general grocery store to get started with this.

can anyone help me find example meal plans. it seems to me that everything i love

has wheat in it..I suppose you all have experienced this..how do i do this with more ease.i keep putting it off because i

dont' know where to start wtih the meals..

i'm sure i could take a few recipies i like and alternate over the two weeks

i'm just not seeing any easy way of doing it..I like pasta but dont 'know where to get gluten free pasta

i love bread..so would need a recipe for gluten free bread

what everyday cereals have no gluten?.

i need easy lunch ideas, snacks and 4-5 gluten free meals i can stick to..to start off.

I love chicken, pork, some beef, bread, eggs, i like rice, most veggies..

I like salmon, scallops, shrimp, and crab

a typical day for me i have egg on toast or cereal or toast for breakfast, lunches i have left overs or open faced sandwiches, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, pork, beets or egg salad or tuna w mayo sandwiches, lunch is the big meal for me..i love it but have little time for it as i have 3 one year olds here and a 5 year who i get ready for school each day.

Supper is usually chicken potatoes and veggies..

snacks can be banana's apples, cookies,rice cakes, jam on toast, cereal

to drink i would have tea, water, orange juice or sometimes..rarely though pop.

hopefully this will help you help me by knowing what kind of things i eat now.

Please help me

thanks

tanya

  Reveal hidden contents

try this: 1 onion sliced thin (per person) 1 chicken breast (per person). saute onions to carmelized state (low heat): 20-30 mins in large skillet (add water if needed to keep from burning). at this time figure out what your sides are going to be, ie: rice, veggies, whatever, and start cooking them. add chicken (in same skillet as onions and cover)when onions begin to brown. season with sea salt, ground black pepper and basil. let simmer 30 plus minutes till sides are done. serve chicken and onion gravy over rice with a veggie side. good deal!