Anyone Here Grain-Free?

[precious831]

Anyone here grain-free? More and more I'm thinking I'm really having issues with grains. I found some information online and have been trying to be as grain-free as possible, it's so hard. I hope there's some people here who are also grain-free.

I went to this naturopath and he did some test that showed I'm actually intolerant to all grains, including barley, wheat, rye among others. The only thing that was on the "ok" list to eat was buckwheat and quinoa after being soaked overnight. Those aren't grains anyway and I have no issues with them.

Anyway, let me know if there's someone here please! I need ideas!

Have you cooked with almond flour? How about Chia flour?

[missy'smom]

Yup, I am grain-free to manage diabetes. Here are some links to provide inspiration. Try searches for low-carb or paleo diets. I found the low-carb almond meal baking to have good texture and easier than regular gluten-free baking. I was happy with the results. I recommend this supplier who's almond meal is processed in a gluten-free facility. Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[precious831]

Yup, I am grain-free to manage diabetes. Here are some links to provide inspiration. Try searches for low-carb or paleo diets. I found the low-carb almond meal baking to have good texture and easier than regular gluten-free baking. I was happy with the results. I recommend this supplier who's almond meal is processed in a gluten-free facility. Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks! I knew there's gotta be someone else here! I'll bookmark all those sites.

[rdunbar]

Hi! I'm on pretty much a paleo diet for @ 6 months, and it's going well, i'm feeling a lot better. I've been off of corn for probably another 6 months more.

I was eating some quinoa, and stopped that @4 months ago, even though as you said, it's a seed. I find i'm putting a bigger emphasis on meat in my diet than I used to, and sweet potatoes and acorn and butternut squash are now staples. I'm not shy with the olive oil, either! I was eating gluten-free bread over a year ago, and feel like i just don't have that much use for it, and I'm paranoid about CC,

[cassP]

the less carbs i eat the better i feel for sure!

i can get away with rice and quinoa... although it keeps me from getting on the skinnier side.

i try to stay away from Corn & Soy... sometimes i have no reaction.. sometimes i have an allergy attack.. and sometimes i get gassy... and my gas is always painful

i try to go easy on the gluten free treats but i gotta have something yummy from time to time. i had an awful allergy attack from a kinnickinnick mix- dont know if it was the Pea flour (is that chickpea???)...

and potatoes make me feel fat, and arthritic. i also got PAINFUL gas & bloating from a gluten free meal at Pei Wei- im suspecting the Potato Starch they coated the chicken with?

[Aphreal]

I have never heard of the paleo diet but looking it up... the longer I go gluten-free, the less grains I eat. I eat mostly ruffage, meat, eggs, beans. I will make gluten-free pizza and once in a blue moon I will have gluten-free pasta or a cookie but rarely. At first I went nuts with the gluten-free stuff but when I eat too many grains or carbs I start to feel *ick* again so I eat very carb light.

I can see me going paleo for the most part.

[precious831]

I'm not following the paleo diet, I've never heard of it. I'm just grain-free. So no corn, millet, sorghum, rice, teff, obviously no wheat, rye, barley, etc. No grains at all. This is a huge undertaking lol. Glad I can find support.

I'm also dairy and soy-free. I've been Gluten-free for nearly a year though I feel okay, I still have stomachaches and diarrhea every now and then eventhough I know I didn't have gluten/dairy/soy. I just feel like blah! Long story.

Anyway, I'll buy some almond flour, shocked at the price tag though! I could do coconut but my daughter is allergic.

So my diet lately has been quinoa and buckwheat( both soaked for 8-12 hrs per my naturopath). When I didn't soak them I had terrible gas from them. None of that now. I eat garbanzo and black beans(again soaked but for 12-24 hrs per my naturopath). I know someone's gonna say you don't have to but this is how I do it, just like how our ancestors did and anyway it works for me and for a lot of people. There's so much information online about soaking grains/legumes/seeds.

I've also ventured into eating game meat, pricey but since my DD can't have chicken/pork/beef, it's a necessity. So I buy rabbit, bison, Guinea fowl, etc. I'm grateful I can have eggs! I love eggs.

I'm trying hard not to cheat, because when I do, back to stomachaches,cramping and GI issues again.

Thanks!

[cassP]

i THINK the soaking helps get rid of some of the starch???

i wonder if that's why sometimes chickpeas dont bother me, and sometimes they do- maybe when preparers wash or soak more- i get less starch. ???

(the Paleo diet is the latest diet book out... its basically The Caveman diet.. a lot of people do well on it, cause a lot of us feel better off of starch and sugar)

[mushroom]

I believe the basic point of the Paleo diet is to eat what our ancestors ate, the foods that our genes have evolved on.

[precious831]

i THINK the soaking helps get rid of some of the starch???

i wonder if that's why sometimes chickpeas dont bother me, and sometimes they do- maybe when preparers wash or soak more- i get less starch. ???

(the Paleo diet is the latest diet book out... its basically The Caveman diet.. a lot of people do well on it, cause a lot of us feel better off of starch and sugar)

For grains, the soaking removes the phytic acid. For quinoa and buckwheat, it's to remove saponin, the bitter covering. Here's some good articles:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I'll have to look into the Paleo diet, the one I've been looking into is the Specific Carbohydrate diet, which also removes starches. I didn't think I have to go this extreme so I'm just grain-free for now.

[T.H.]

I'm right there with you! Holy crud, seriously, lots of similarities.

Corn, millet, sorghum, rice, teff, oats, and the big 3 gluten grains all do bad things to me at the moment. Maybe not forever, but right now, they kick my butt. No dairy or soy for me either. I have only successfully eaten bison meat for months now. But no eggs over here, sigh.

I have discovered that I am REALLY sensitive to gluten, as well, however, and even some oils and such, if they are processed in a facility that has wheat in it, have made me react. If you are still having trouble, could that be an issue?

Have you tried amaranth? That one is also not in the grass family, so it and quinoa have worked for me. I'll be honest, amaranth is NOT my favorite. Kind of porridge-like consistency when cooked. But the flour does as well as quinoa flour. Quinoa flour has done okay to roll a patty of ground bison in to make kind of a 'chicken-fried buffalo patty' deal. :-)

So...food ideas?

Skillet Bread - A skillet bread that requires water, salt, any flour you can use, like quinoa or amaranth flour, and an oil, if you can have one (I got an avocado oil that I have been able to have)

Open Original Shared Link

Meatloaf - I baked a red fleshed sweet potato (like a garnet yam type), pureed it, and then mixed it with ground bison and a little cooked amaranth, and baked it in the oven for a meatloaf.

Almond flour - I can't use it for myself, but I've used it for my kids, and we made a waffle that pretty much had half starch, half almond flour and few other bits. We got a cookbook that was called "gluten free without rice" ( http://www.(Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned)/Gluten-Free-Without-Rice-Cooking-Variety/dp/1887624155 ) which had some very plain recipes that use only one flour where we got the recipe from. It also has some quinoa and amaranth flour recipe. Had an amaranth cracker recipe that used only 4 ingredients, I think?

Chia seeds - I have them, but haven't done much with them yet. I've heard they do all right ground up, or if you soak them for a while until they get all gelatinous. Might go nice in the meatloaf thing, or the skillet bread?

Soup - I have used water, buffalo, quinoa, salt, and whatever veggies I could get. Boiled it down until broth gets a good flavor. I've added chopped up carrot tops (can use like parsley, if you don't have a skin reaction to touching them). tomatoes work well with this, or white sweet potatoes go well in it, too. I've eaten it with chopped avocado garnishing it, too.

kale! - if you can have kale. Chop it into 2 by 2 inch pieces (don't eat the stem part), rub with olive oil and salt, bake for 12-15 minutes at 350F and it makes chips! :-)

With such a limited diet, we've been working on homemade dressings, (okay, we've only got a couple we've liked so far, LOL) making things from scratch, etc.... Don't have a lot, yet, but we're trying. Feel free to leave me a message if you like, and I'd be happy to share what we've messed around with so far.

Honestly, one thing that has been oddly useful was to get in touch with the native edible plant resources so I could find foods I could eat form my yard. Found out there was a wild version of amaranth that grows like a weed in my yard, LOL. But it's been nice to know there are things I can eat here that don't get contaminated, ya know?

good luck!

[Aphreal]

Ostrich is very lean too. We can only get it from Fudruckers here and its expensive. Our local store sells Bison but Ive never had it. It's pretty lean too isn't it?

[precious831]

Ostrich is very lean too. We can only get it from Fudruckers here and its expensive. Our local store sells Bison but Ive never had it. It's pretty lean too isn't it?

Yes bison is lean, it's lower in fat than beef but has more protein. I make it into meatballs and I always add oil to it because it has a tendency to dry up.

I'm curious about ostrich, I can't find that here. How about Guinea fowl, cornish hen? We eat those.

[precious831]

I'm right there with you! Holy crud, seriously, lots of similarities.

Corn, millet, sorghum, rice, teff, oats, and the big 3 gluten grains all do bad things to me at the moment. Maybe not forever, but right now, they kick my butt. No dairy or soy for me either. I have only successfully eaten bison meat for months now. But no eggs over here, sigh.

I have discovered that I am REALLY sensitive to gluten, as well, however, and even some oils and such, if they are processed in a facility that has wheat in it, have made me react. If you are still having trouble, could that be an issue?

Have you tried amaranth? That one is also not in the grass family, so it and quinoa have worked for me. I'll be honest, amaranth is NOT my favorite. Kind of porridge-like consistency when cooked. But the flour does as well as quinoa flour. Quinoa flour has done okay to roll a patty of ground bison in to make kind of a 'chicken-fried buffalo patty' deal. :-)

So...food ideas?

Skillet Bread - A skillet bread that requires water, salt, any flour you can use, like quinoa or amaranth flour, and an oil, if you can have one (I got an avocado oil that I have been able to have)

Open Original Shared Link

Meatloaf - I baked a red fleshed sweet potato (like a garnet yam type), pureed it, and then mixed it with ground bison and a little cooked amaranth, and baked it in the oven for a meatloaf.

Almond flour - I can't use it for myself, but I've used it for my kids, and we made a waffle that pretty much had half starch, half almond flour and few other bits. We got a cookbook that was called "gluten free without rice" ( http://www.(Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned)/Gluten-Free-Without-Rice-Cooking-Variety/dp/1887624155 ) which had some very plain recipes that use only one flour where we got the recipe from. It also has some quinoa and amaranth flour recipe. Had an amaranth cracker recipe that used only 4 ingredients, I think?

Chia seeds - I have them, but haven't done much with them yet. I've heard they do all right ground up, or if you soak them for a while until they get all gelatinous. Might go nice in the meatloaf thing, or the skillet bread?

Soup - I have used water, buffalo, quinoa, salt, and whatever veggies I could get. Boiled it down until broth gets a good flavor. I've added chopped up carrot tops (can use like parsley, if you don't have a skin reaction to touching them). tomatoes work well with this, or white sweet potatoes go well in it, too. I've eaten it with chopped avocado garnishing it, too.

kale! - if you can have kale. Chop it into 2 by 2 inch pieces (don't eat the stem part), rub with olive oil and salt, bake for 12-15 minutes at 350F and it makes chips! :-)

With such a limited diet, we've been working on homemade dressings, (okay, we've only got a couple we've liked so far, LOL) making things from scratch, etc.... Don't have a lot, yet, but we're trying. Feel free to leave me a message if you like, and I'd be happy to share what we've messed around with so far.

Honestly, one thing that has been oddly useful was to get in touch with the native edible plant resources so I could find foods I could eat form my yard. Found out there was a wild version of amaranth that grows like a weed in my yard, LOL. But it's been nice to know there are things I can eat here that don't get contaminated, ya know?

good luck!

Thanks so much, I actually copied and pasted your reply into a document and saved it . Do you have any ideas for breakfast? My DD is in a rotation diet, hers is more challenging than mine.

I can have kale I'm just not a big fan but sure I'll try it again, maybe DD will like it.

I have amaranth flour and I really don't like it. I mix it w/ other grain-free flours, it comes out really gooey. I tried pancakes and same thing. I need help w/ amaranth! Any tips? I'd really love the amaranth cracker recipe please.

I like your meatloaf recipe, I use pumpkin puree with bison and do something similar. I also saute it with peas and spices and quinoa. My daughter likes that.

I'll try the skillet bread, I miss bread.

Thanks again, I'll keep in touch with you, I could always use food ideas. I forgot to mention that oats was on my no-no list too. It's ok, I've never liked oats. I remember my mom used to force feed me with oats, I hated it so much!

[lucia]

I never in a million years thought I'd be, but I'm grain free for the past month. I am eating more and smaller meals. I'm also eating more protein than I think I would otherwise (nuts, beans, chicken, fish).

Over the past month, I've found that my taste and my relationship with food has been changing. It's really not so hard to eat this way. I'm enjoying the taste of meat (fish & chicken) and simply-prepared vegetables more everyday.

[lucia]

Breakfast ideas:

-sliced apples with nut butter

-poached eggs, sauteed spinach

-hard boiled egg(s) & a piece of fruit (peach, nectarine, banana)

-citrus fruit (grapefruit, orange) & walnuts

I have heard people on the board say that it helps to stop thinking of breakfast as associated with certain foods. I'm not great at that though. I like tradition, I guess. Theoretically though, you could have carrot sticks & hummus, chicken & applesauce, etc.

[elk]

Great thread! I was just going to post something asking about grain tolerance, thinking I can't possibly have a problem with that AND gluten . Guess again, right? I just wanted to add that a really good source for eating traditionally is the Weston A. Price Foundation.

[T.H.]

Yeah - about as much fat as an equivalent amount of chicken, I understand. Higher in iron than beef. Taste is kind of like, hmmm, maybe beef with a little chicken liver added? Or a gamy beef, maybe.

[cassP]

that sweet potato/yam & bison mix sounds DELISH!!!

i actually like to make a big Shephard's Pie... but with sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. beef, peas, carrots, gluten free seasonings, and a little melted mozzarella on top

[precious831]

that sweet potato/yam & bison mix sounds DELISH!!!

i actually like to make a big Shephard's Pie... but with sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. beef, peas, carrots, gluten free seasonings, and a little melted mozzarella on top

You can have dairy??? I'm so jealous! I would love to just be able to eat some cheese. I can't have dairy.

[cassP]

You can have dairy??? I'm so jealous! I would love to just be able to eat some cheese. I can't have dairy.

oh boy... ok, sometimes dairy doesnt bother me, and sometimes it does... i do ok with some cheese, usually ok with mozzarella-> but this one brand i got- i did NOT absorb at all!! sorry tmi.

ricotta, cottage ch, butter are all fine for me.

other cheeses are sometimes ok

sometimes i can get away with milk/cream/ice cream-> but other times i get bloating and "D"

i SHOULD avoid MOST dairy, but its hard u know.

[anabananakins]

I'm not following the paleo diet, I've never heard of it. I'm just grain-free. So no corn, millet, sorghum, rice, teff, obviously no wheat, rye, barley, etc. No grains at all. This is a huge undertaking lol. Glad I can find support.

I'm also dairy and soy-free. I've been Gluten-free for nearly a year though I feel okay, I still have stomachaches and diarrhea every now and then eventhough I know I didn't have gluten/dairy/soy. I just feel like blah! Long story.

Anyway, I'll buy some almond flour, shocked at the price tag though! I could do coconut but my daughter is allergic.

So my diet lately has been quinoa and buckwheat( both soaked for 8-12 hrs per my naturopath). When I didn't soak them I had terrible gas from them. None of that now. I eat garbanzo and black beans(again soaked but for 12-24 hrs per my naturopath). I know someone's gonna say you don't have to but this is how I do it, just like how our ancestors did and anyway it works for me and for a lot of people. There's so much information online about soaking grains/legumes/seeds.

I've also ventured into eating game meat, pricey but since my DD can't have chicken/pork/beef, it's a necessity. So I buy rabbit, bison, Guinea fowl, etc. I'm grateful I can have eggs! I love eggs.

I'm trying hard not to cheat, because when I do, back to stomachaches,cramping and GI issues again.

Thanks!

[YoloGx]

For grains, the soaking removes the phytic acid. For quinoa and buckwheat, it's to remove saponin, the bitter covering. Here's some good articles:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I'll have to look into the Paleo diet, the one I've been looking into is the Specific Carbohydrate diet, which also removes starches. I didn't think I have to go this extreme so I'm just grain-free for now.

I am avoiding all grains of late in order to help kill of the yeast. I am also avoiding all fruit except lemons. I am allergic to all nuts but can make pancakes etc. using fresh ground up sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Sometimes I also add some flax seed. Am allergic to eggs, so I use xanthum gum as a kind of egg substitute. Of late I put in shredded zucchini as well.

I may or may not have to stay off grains. Once the candida is better controlled I will see. I meanwhile could not handle eating honey etc. on the specific carbohydrate diet. Overall I do better on the cave man like diet of yore... And I do eat 24 hour home made yogurt. Love the stuff! Don't do well with regular yogurt due to a lactose allergy.

As an added note: you don't have to buy expensive pre-ground almond meal etc. Just grind in an inexpensive coffee grinder. Believe me its easy! And by the way, sunnies are a lot cheaper...

[precious831]

I am avoiding all grains of late in order to help kill of the yeast. I am also avoiding all fruit except lemons. I am allergic to all nuts but can make pancakes etc. using fresh ground up sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Sometimes I also add some flax seed. Am allergic to eggs, so I use xanthum gum as a kind of egg substitute. Of late I put in shredded zucchini as well.

I may or may not have to stay off grains. Once the candida is better controlled I will see. I meanwhile could not handle eating honey etc. on the specific carbohydrate diet. Overall I do better on the cave man like diet of yore... And I do eat 24 hour home made yogurt. Love the stuff! Don't do well with regular yogurt due to a lactose allergy.

As an added note: you don't have to buy expensive pre-ground almond meal etc. Just grind in an inexpensive coffee grinder. Believe me its easy! And by the way, sunnies are a lot cheaper...

I can have sunflower but my DD is allergic. We do use eggs. How long have you been on SCD? Have you seen improvements? I can't tolerate any dairy.

Thanks for the tip on the almond meal, will take work as a flour too? I imagine the "meal" would have a rougher texture. What's a sunnies? Sorry!

[precious831]

oh boy... ok, sometimes dairy doesnt bother me, and sometimes it does... i do ok with some cheese, usually ok with mozzarella-> but this one brand i got- i did NOT absorb at all!! sorry tmi.

ricotta, cottage ch, butter are all fine for me.

other cheeses are sometimes ok

sometimes i can get away with milk/cream/ice cream-> but other times i get bloating and "D"

i SHOULD avoid MOST dairy, but its hard u know.

It's ok, I was just saying. Go ahead and enjoy your cheese!