Omg, gluten-free For 4 Years And I Think Family Is Allergic To Rice

[Merika]

Hi,

I haven't been on this board in forever it seems. I was diagnosed celiac about 4 years ago and have been gluten-free since. I do all the cooking for me, dh and 2 kids. I only cook gluten-free, but will handle premade wheat things for dh and ds sometimes (being very careful about cc).

Recently, ds age 7 has been complaining about rice noodles. He doesn't like them and says he doesn't feel good after eating them. He's not sure in what way. At first I thought maybe he was just not into them right now (as kids are with various foods at times). But then last summer he was having some issue with rice milk on his cereal (he's not a fan of cow milk) and I think it was making his tummy bloated, because he'd say he was full after just a few bites, and then be ravenous a while later. We trialed several brands of rice milk, and i even made it from scratch, which he seemed ok with.

Ds is also super allergic to soy, and the whole family avoids it except dh at his own lunches.

Now, dd age 2 (almost) is allergic to dairy. This nearly sent me over the edge, what with the no-soy and no-gluten already in our house. But I have adjusted (mostly, lol).

I have numerous food intolerances. I am allergic to tapioca (which eliminates many premade gluten-free items). I have learned to cook really well I make basically all our own food from scratch. I also can't figure out if i have a problem with corn - it seems sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't.

Dh thinks he would do better on less rice, but eats it anyway. He has developed IBS since the family has gone gluten-free. He still eats gluten at breakfast and lunch (that he makes himself). (and yes, he's been tested for celiac.)

As for the kids, in case you were wondering, ds does not carry the gene (any) for celiac. Dd does carry one of the genes, and she eats a very minute amount of wheat (from dh, I won't feed it to her - too messy!).

Any tips????? I do NOT want to be a short order cook any more than I already am! How do I keep my family eating TOGETHER?

Thanks,

Merika

[tarnalberry]

millet, quinoa, amarath, buckwheat - all are gluten free and can be used in many cases where rice might be.

[Merika]

Hi Tarnalberry,

Nice to see you still here I'll have to check out the millet and buckwheat options. Quinoa I have problems with. Amaranth is kind of bitter?? I can't remember.

Thanks! I forget about all those, because so many grains I have problems with (even rice a bit, according to the allergy tests I've had run....). What is a yummy millet thing/recipe? The only thing I've ever done with it is put it under wheat (!back in the day!) pizza crust to help roll it off the pizza paddle and give it extra crunch.

Merika (in Los Angeles)

PS. How're you liking WA?

[tarnalberry]

I'm enjoying WA, when I'm not griping about the cold, short days of winter (despite loving skiing/snowshoeing). (How's that for confused. ) How's LA?

Honestly, grains are overrated.

Potatoes or sweet potatoes, and other starchy vegetables, can pretty much entirely take their place in regular dishes. (I mean, spaghetti sauce over potatoes? Yum. And easy. If you really want "pasta", use spaghetti squash. Similar texture, more vitamins.) Beans and lentils are good for the same purpose. The idea of grains is kinda overrated. Sure, sure... it means letting go of the idea of classic foods, but sometimes, foods get easier to cook too.

[maile]

if you have access to an asian grocer you could try Konjak Noodles, they are also called Yam noodle, they are a Japanese noodle traditionally used in shiritaki or sukiyaki.

the ingredients are konjac flour, water calcium hydroxide

because of the calcium hydroxide it's best to rinse these in hot water before using them or you can drain the package and/or put the noodles in the microwave for 1 minute. this seems to get ride of the funky smell that the CH leaves. I promise you that these do not taste like they smell!

be cautious if you are avoiding soy as there are types that include soy, but these are fairly identifiable by the label and colour, tofu konjac noodles are beige in colour, regular konjac are white.

these are brilliant in soup and good with sauce as well. they come in various shapes and have the benefit of being almost completely fibre! There's about 40 calories for a bag of noodles.

here's an online source that I've heard others say is reliable Open Original Shared Link (I buy mine at T&T here in Canada)

[Jestgar]

I agree with the 'overrated grains' statement.

I eat rice crackers occasionally, but that's about my only rice intake. I like almond crackers and Mary's gone crackers (both of which may have rice, I never checked) if I want that sort of food.

Lots of root veggies. I recently stared using rutabagas and parsnips, both of which are fun to say, as well as being tasty in soups and stews.

Hashbrowns can be baked into a crust for savory pies, or baked on top of a casserole for crunchyness.

Do you eat eggs? Somewhere there's a recipe for a breakfast casserole with hashbrowns, some veggie, cheese (just skip that), sausage or something similar and eggs.

[Merika]

Thanks for all the responses I love all the suggestions, and yes there must be an asian grocer around here I can find those noodles at. (I love LA!)

Reading all this, though, I realize I am ridiculously allergic (intolerant) of so many foods still. I love sweet potatoes, but stopped eating them this year when i found they make my skin insanely dry and painful (like white and cracking to bleeding, after I prep dinner and it takes days to go away) and my tummy not feel so good.

We do eat parsnips. I haven't tried much with them other than slow roasting (yummmm). Got any ideas?

I don't eat eggs, so that plus the no dairy for dd means no casserole or lasagne-type things, because there's nothing left to glue the food together, lol.

Since my post got reshuffled into the leaky gut topic anyway, have there been any advances in science lately here? I know about probiotics (they make me sick as a dog). I can eat more than I used to, and I try to rotate some items for variety. sigh.

Merika

(PS. Mary's gone crackers has soy.)

[Jestgar]

Who knew

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks for the Mary's tip. Must be why my tummy hurts after I eat them. Fortunately they're too expensive for me to buy often.

[tarnalberry]

lasagna- use avocado instead of cheeses and large, thin cut zucchini for the "noodles"

spaghetti - use spaghetti squash for the noodles and whatever sauce you want to make

creamy vegetable soups - use coconut milk (in small quantities) in combination with almond milk (or water)

come on! give me some of the harder stuff you're having trouble making "safe" for the whole family! I want the challenge. (no promises that it'll be the same, but "reminiscent of". )

you might find a raw food cookbook to help spur your imagination too.

[Merika]

come on! give me some of the harder stuff you're having trouble making "safe" for the whole family! I want the challenge. (no promises that it'll be the same, but "reminiscent of". )

LOL, you're on! I'm allergic to coconut (love it, and can kind of eat it once in a while w/o making me sick).

Cooked avocado? Or is it raw? (btw, dd doesn't like avocado)

Zuchinni and spaghetti squash are both, well, squash, which I was allergic to last summer (and have avoided for a while now, so maybe I could try it again?)

The thing about food intolerances is they seem to shift. Whatever I eat I become intolerant towards. After avoiding it for a year or two, some of it seems to go away. Not all, but some. I am going to try beans again soon. (was tested allergic two years in a row. haven't had ANY in about 3 years....)

Hey, I made millet tonight! Tomorrow will tell how we all handle it. Ds (age 7 remember, lol) LOVED it, until it got cold on his plate and then hated it. Kids!!

Merika

PS. Let me ponder for a while a specific challenge....

[caek-is-a-lie]

I"m allergic to rice, buckwheat, and quinoa, but I get by just fine. I don't make any bread, but I've found quite a few Bob's Red Mill mixes for cakes, etc., made from corn, potato, bean starch, and sorghum. They work great. I eat gluten-free corn cereal, like Gorilla Munch. I also like Corn Thins instead of rice cakes.

Other than that it's just meats and fresh fruits and veggies for me. I don't feel deprived in any way, although I do miss rice, etc., sometimes. You're not going to starve.

[RiceGuy]

You can certainly make casseroles and lasagna-type stuff without eggs or dairy. I've been playing around with a veggie "cheese" recipe idea I've had, and so far it looks like it'll work. I got a very convincing mozzarella texture, but it didn't really melt, which I think I can fix. I'll be posting it when I get it right. Anyway, starchy stuff can work as a binder, as well as other things. I once had spinach lasagna at a friend's, that was really delicious, and when I asked for the recipe, they rattled off the ingredients. They didn't say cheese, so of course I said "and cheese", to which they said "no cheese". I was like I never noticed it wasn't there!

On the grains thing, while they probably are overrated, there are a couple more worth mentioning: teff and amaranth. A 1/4 cup serving of either one has the protein of an egg, and loads of other nutrients too. Both can get sorta sticky, but amaranth would probably work better as a binder. These grains are very tiny too. BTW, quinoa is the bitter one.

If you get a skin reaction from handling sweet potatoes, it wouldn't surprise me, since they have oxalate crystals, which can irritate the skin. The crystals do break down when cooked. The usual advice is to wear gloves when handling them raw.

Incidentally, taro root makes a perfect replacement for potato. It can be baked, mashed, fried, etc. The skin looks a little weird, and I don't suggest eating it, but the flesh inside is white, and consists of the same main starch as potato. Plus taro is not a nightshade. The taste is very similar to potato too, only a tad sweeter, with a hint of what many describe as tasting like water chestnut. Like sweet potato, taro also has oxalate crystals, so do wear gloves while handling it raw.

What kind of rice have you been making? I wonder if it might help to switch to a different variety. My personal fav is Lundberg's sweet brown rice. It cooks up with a wonderfully creamy texture, not dry like the typical long grain stuff (which always made my stomach turn just smelling it). It works great in stews too, and the sticky texture could work as a binder as well.