My First Gluten-free Day

[Frances03]

For breakfast I had brown rice heated with shredded coconut, sliced almonds, sesame seeds, and almond milk, with a little brown sugar, and cinnamon. Next time I will leave out the brown sugar, didn't need it.

I made some hummus with chickpeas and olive oil and garlic and whatnot, and had carrots and celery with it. Didn't like this much. I've discovered some things about myself already. I dont like raw carrots. I dont like hummus on anything but a cracker, so I'll have to get me some gluten free ones.

Got really hungry and had no time to read any labels so I ate a tomato.

I made some homemade salsa, and had tortilla chips with it.

For dinner I had half a monstrous apple with skippy superchunk on it. Then I was full so I haven't had anything else.

For drinks I had hot tea with honey, sweet tea, and water.

and no I'm not a vegetarian but it is very time consuming figuring out what I can eat and what I can't, and I'm trying to homeschool my 3 children and feed my family at the same time. I guess I'll get better at it over time. I am thinking about some tuna salad on a rice cracker maybe. Hope I didn't make any mistakes today! Had to call lipton (she acted like I was an idiot to think there would be gluten in my tea bag), had to call circle foods to see if the beef tamales I get at costco are gluten free-they are but they make other things that aren't there, so I dont know if I should eat them.

[Roda]

All plain fruits, vegetables and meat are gluten free. Just make sure your condiments ie peanutbutter were not from pre celiac days and have a possibility of cross contamination. I am the only one gluten free in my house and for breakfast everyone has what they want. Lunch it depends sometimes one thing everyone eats and sometimes not. Supper is the one meal that we all sit down to and eat the same thing. Whether my husband is cooking or myself the meal is gluten free (exception spagetti but sausage/meatballs/sauce is gluten free). I just recently started following the southbeach diet so I have not been eating any grains, fruit or sugar. I will be reintroducing them on Sat. I had found that I went gung ho on baking gluten free goodies and eating gluten free substitutions for things I missed, that I put on weight. I am back to eating lean meat veggies, and soon some grains and fruit. I will not be going overboard on the baking and will still watch the sugar. I am feeling really good and have lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks. As for hummus, it is not any good unless you have tahani (sp) it is sesame paste. You can buy it or make your own. There are so many good hummus brands in the refridgerated section at the grocery store, that you wouldn't have to make it. Lots of different flavors too. Of course if you don't like the taste of chic peas it wouldn't matter. As for crackers alot of people like the glutino ones. I do not. I like the diamond nut thins and mary's gone crackers myself. Since gluten free I have discovered I like buckwheat, quinoa, and millet "grains". They are really good for you too. Lipton tea should be alright I occasionally drink it. A good hot breakfast cereal I like is creamy buckwheat cereal it's a good substitute for gluten free oatmeal(I can't tolerate it). I also buy pamelas bread mix and bake it and dry it for bread crumbs. They work great for meatballs, meatloaf, breading etc. There aren't any gluten free breads I like yet so I don't eat any. Cooking for your family will not be that much different once you have gluten free versions of things that you need. My family does not mind, and if they did I guess they would go hungry.

[beaniebabe]

I just wanted to add here something that you might not have known. Be careful when buying certain meats like plain chicken breasts or ground beef as sometimes they are sneaky and tend to add "natural flavors" in tiny lettering on the package. This can mean MSG which can contain gluten. I have found generally when I buy those types of things that the safest ones are organic and tend not to add ingredients like that. But don't worry, you're doing great for your first day! It can seem overwhelming at first, but soon you will find foods you will enjoy and know which to buy.

[Chattyaholic]

I am new to the gluten-free diet myself, starting day 11 today. It's going to take some time to really get used to it, but the results I've gotten from being on the diet are so good that it far outweighs my desire to go back to eating bread, pasta, etc. with gluten. I spend double the time in the grocery store than I used to, because I'm reading labels on everything. I think it will get easier as we go along though.

I usually have oatmel with a sprinkling of brown sugar and about a quarter cup 2% milk for breakfast. Last week I cooked a large beef roast with potatoes, carrots and onions and we lived off that for two days.

I went to our local health food store a couple of days ago and bought a few things. I tried the tapioca bread, made a bologna sandwich out of it and could only choke down half. The bread is nasty. Too bad I had to pay $5.19 to find that out. I bought cereal, breakfast bars, snacks, etc. Really like the Pamela's chocolate chip cookies, and the crispy veggie stix for snacking. The Tinkyada penne pasta was excellant, could not even tell it wasn't "regular" pasta.

The problem I'm going to have is that we like to eat out, and it's so hard to do that and stay true to the gluten-free diet.

But anyway, good luck to you and I hope it gets easier for you as time goes on.

[TrillumHunter]

But don't pitch the loaf of tapioca bread! Turn it into croutons or even breadcrumbs by cubing it up and toasting it. It's tasty that way and a lot cheaper than buying these things.

[psawyer]

Be careful when buying certain meats like plain chicken breasts or ground beef as sometimes they are sneaky and tend to add "natural flavors" in tiny lettering on the package. This can mean MSG which can contain gluten.

Despite recurring rumors, MSG is *NOT* a source of gluten.

In the US, if any grain (including all the gluten-containing grains) is added to a meat product, it must always be explicitly labeled.