No Processed Foods

[GFreeMO]

After reacting to tons of "gluten free" processed foods, I have been considering eating nothing processed. Does anyone eat this way and if so, is it really hard to do?

I have been eating a lot of gluten free bisquick, betty crocker cookies and potato chips and I keep getting sick by CC. If I eat nothing processed at all, I wont get sick by cc. I have a gluten free home.

Does anyone else eat only meat, veg, eggs, cheese, fruit..etc and nothing processed at all?

The only processed food that I am planning on keeping is Caffeine free Coke Classic on occasion with homemade popcorn and Maxwell House Coffee.

[SaraKat]

I don't eat any gluten-free labeled desserts or cookies. I eat the Glutino pretzels and gluten-free cold cereal. Other than that I don't eat many of the gluten-free processed foods- mainly because they are high in calories/fat. I do eat Tostitos chips and salsa, that is my downfall!

I think eating no processed foods would be difficult, but you'd probably feel better and it is healthier! Good Luck!

[cahill]

After reacting to tons of "gluten free" processed foods, I have been considering eating nothing processed. Does anyone eat this way and if so, is it really hard to do?

I have been eating a lot of gluten free bisquick, betty crocker cookies and potato chips and I keep getting sick by CC. If I eat nothing processed at all, I wont get sick by cc. I have a gluten free home.

Does anyone else eat only meat, veg, eggs, cheese, fruit..etc and nothing processed at all?

The only processed food that I am planning on keeping is Caffeine free Coke Classic on occasion with homemade popcorn and Maxwell House Coffee.

I eat very basic unprocessed meals, my foods includes olive oil, sea salt ( in limited amounts ) plain rice, meats,fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits ( no sauces or sugars).I have added black tea back into my diet but no coffee or soda,juice ect...just unsweetened black tea or water.

I eat this way because it is what my body needs to heal. Is it hard to do?? The hardest part for me was wrapping my head around a new way of thinking when it comes to food,realizing I dont need those processed foods in my diet was a painful awha moment ,I think shopping is easier, no complicated labels to read,

The hardest part is the non acceptance of my way of eating ,, I even get " ok mom, what ever" from my gluten free daughters

[T.H.]

I'd say I eat that way, yeah.

Are you thinking of just dropping the special gluten-free processed foods, or are you thinking all the way to dropping mustard, ketchup, spices, that sort of thing?

I'd say we're at the far end of the 'no processed food' spectrum at the moment. No pre-made foods, essentially. No sugar, no gluten-free flours, no spices, no baking powder or baking soda, no sauces or salad dressings. I am trying to grow my own herbs and making my own vinegar with no added sugar or yeast, just the natural yeast around us.

We do have an oil, a grain, and a salt that we use, though. Otherwise, we're making everything from scratch at the moment...although we're not processing our own meat.

And is the way we're doing things really hard? Oh my freaking god, yes it is. It is, it SO is. I would not do it this way if I didn't have to, I'll be flat out honest about that. I would have hours more time to do things without having to do this, and I miss that like you wouldn't believe. Making your own sauces and vinegars and all that is a LOT of work.

However...if you're just talking about not using mixes and gluten free crackers and such? That's not so bad. We started off doing that, and it was a little extra work - you had to think ahead a bit - but overall, not too bad at all.

If I eat nothing processed at all, I wont get sick by cc. I have a gluten free home.

I feel obliged to say that this isn't necessarily true. I mean, it's much, MUCH harder to get glutened doing it all yourself, but I wouldn't be surprised if you still get a little hit, every once in a while, ya know? I've been glutened by meat from the butcher, because they cut up my steaks too near the flour coated meats when they were making meat in the morning. And my beans and nuts have been glutened during their processing, which has made finding them a bear.

But overall...it's okay cutting out most of the gluten-free processed stuff.

[jenngolightly]

After reacting to tons of "gluten free" processed foods, I have been considering eating nothing processed. Does anyone eat this way and if so, is it really hard to do?

I have been eating a lot of gluten free bisquick, betty crocker cookies and potato chips and I keep getting sick by CC. If I eat nothing processed at all, I wont get sick by cc. I have a gluten free home.

Does anyone else eat only meat, veg, eggs, cheese, fruit..etc and nothing processed at all?

The only processed food that I am planning on keeping is Caffeine free Coke Classic on occasion with homemade popcorn and Maxwell House Coffee.

I follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet which helped me eliminate all processed foods. I found it easier to eliminate processed food by following a prescribed diet than by just deciding one day to stop eating certain foods - I'm not that self controlled! It wasn't easy, but because I used the SCD diet, I found a lot of help from online forums, web sites, and recipes. You can find info about SCD in my profile.

[GFinDC]

After reacting to tons of "gluten free" processed foods, I have been considering eating nothing processed. Does anyone eat this way and if so, is it really hard to do?

I have been eating a lot of gluten free bisquick, betty crocker cookies and potato chips and I keep getting sick by CC. If I eat nothing processed at all, I wont get sick by cc. I have a gluten free home.

Does anyone else eat only meat, veg, eggs, cheese, fruit..etc and nothing processed at all?

The only processed food that I am planning on keeping is Caffeine free Coke Classic on occasion with homemade popcorn and Maxwell House Coffee.

Have you considered nightshades and soy as possible problems? Many, or I should say most, gluten-free processed foods have both or one. So you could be reacting to nightshades or soy or both.

[Jestgar]

Today I ate:

fish that I cooked in oil with some added salt

chicken-veggie stew that I made

almonds

pot roast (that I made) wrapped in lettuce leaves

cute little oranges

wine

My daily menu is pretty much always some variation of this. I do use mustard, but no ketchup. I also eat packaged salsa and snyder's pretzels once a month or so.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I did this for an entire month and couldn't do it 100% anymore because it was too difficult and expensive to maintain. I ate no grains, no sugar, no processed foods whatsoever. Now, I eat this way 80-90 percent of time but I keep some processed safe foods around. Tonight, for example, I made a whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker with carrots and onions, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice from fresh lemons, sea salt and pepper. Tommorrow I will make my own broth from the chicken bones, freeze some of it and make soup with some of it and fresh veggies and rice. Most of my meals are really simple things like that. However, I really struggle with snacks away from home and what to eat when I'm traveling. I pack a cooler with food if possible, but that only goes so far and is not practical if flying or driving really long distance. Fruit does not keep well in hot climates in the summer. I also have hypoglycemia and will pass out if I don't have food every few hours. Living in a city where every driving trip to the store is 20-30 minutes one way, I cannot just go out the door with nothing to eat with me. So I have a variety of processed foods I have come to (loosely) trust. I try to only try one new gluten-free processed food per month and if I feel at all iffy when I eat it I either won't eat it ever again or I will retest it later. This is an extemely slow process finding reliably safe processed foods, but it works best for my lifestyle to have somethign easy and portable. It also gets really tedious to have to plan all my meals and making everything from scratch takes SO MUCH TIME! It is worth it and I have the time, but if I were working full time outside the home and/or had several kids I would not be able to do as much cooking from scratch as I do. People often ask me what I do with my time at home and when I try to explain how much of a chunk of time I spend planning meals and cooking they don't really understand. Not to mention that eating mostly fresh food means more trips to the grocery store per week. Sometimes I feel like all I do is shop for food, cook, and clean up and I'm not doing the 100% processed food free diet.

[dilettantesteph]

I don't eat any processed foods by the usual definition. I do eat some foods that processed somewhat, a certain olive oil, salt, sparkling water, honey and dairy, chicken and eggs from a certain farmer.

The extra time I spend on food preparation is more than made up by the less time I spend with no energy sleeping or lying around feeling sick and also by the increased efficiency gained by the increased cognitive ability. I even prepare food for two super sensitives as my son has the same issues.

[glutenfreesavvy]

I completely understand where you're coming from. I am very sensitive & have been cc by "gluten-free" food more times than I can remember. So, I eat very little processed food. There are a few packaged foods that I never react to, but those on my few exceptions. I regularly buy Xochitl Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips, Kettle Brand potato chips, Tinkyada pasta, Thai Kitchen curries & coconut milk and canned tomatoes. Our meals are simple in ingredients, but not in flavor. :-) We love traditional foods & ethnic foods, so our menu stays varied - we esp. love to make sushi hand rolls, tamales, stir fry anything, curries & lots more. We just love to eat, period. However, grilled steaks or chicken with a side of fresh green beans with baked potatoes is one of our very favorite meals. Pretty basic, but oh, so yummy. Personally, I believe eating primarily foods grown locally and prepared fresh is best for everyone - celiac or not. :-) So, I think your decision is both the safest & most healthy. I wish you all the best.

Warmly,

Faydra

After reacting to tons of "gluten free" processed foods, I have been considering eating nothing processed. Does anyone eat this way and if so, is it really hard to do?

I have been eating a lot of gluten free bisquick, betty crocker cookies and potato chips and I keep getting sick by CC. If I eat nothing processed at all, I wont get sick by cc. I have a gluten free home.

Does anyone else eat only meat, veg, eggs, cheese, fruit..etc and nothing processed at all?

The only processed food that I am planning on keeping is Caffeine free Coke Classic on occasion with homemade popcorn and Maxwell House Coffee.

[txplowgirl]

I've been eating this way for 1 and a half years. I can't do soy or dairy so really can't find any cheeses that don't affect me either. I just eat plain meats, chicken, brown rice, some veggies and some fruits because there a few of those I react to too.

I eat plain peanut butter, some rice cakes not many, can't stand the texture. Eggs, microwave popcorn, snickers or Hershey's cocoa for my sugar fix. I can eat Lara bars and Kind bars thank goodness but not many of those, maybe 1 every couple of weeks without a reaction.

The good thing is i've lost nearly 50 lbs. I've gone down from a size 28 to an 18. Yippie, so it's all good.

[paige350z]

I've been eating this way for 1 and a half years. I can't do soy or dairy so really can't find any cheeses that don't affect me either. I just eat plain meats, chicken, brown rice, some veggies and some fruits because there a few of those I react to too.

I eat plain peanut butter, some rice cakes not many, can't stand the texture. Eggs, microwave popcorn, snickers or Hershey's cocoa for my sugar fix. I can eat Lara bars and Kind bars thank goodness but not many of those, maybe 1 every couple of weeks without a reaction.

The good thing is i've lost nearly 50 lbs. I've gone down from a size 28 to an 18. Yippie, so it's all good.

I myself am now starting no processed food diet. This is useful to have an example of what my diet will seem like. Where do you buy your peanut butter?

[ciavyn]

It depends upon what you mean by giving up processed foods. I eat very little, and I don't find it difficult. I recently went off almost all sugar, and all simple carbs. I eat meat and vegetables, essentially. I also eat tofu. So assuming that aren't going to start squeezing your own olive oil... It should be easy. I buy very, very few gluten free processed foods anyway, because they are so pricey. There just isn't that much I need. And I'm much more satisfied with higher protein and vegetables. I do use butter, ketchup, mayo, and mustard, buying organic when I can afford. I eat frozen vegetables, or fresh when they are on sale. I make my own soups and sauces. Cheese very, very rarely, as I have lactose problems. I seem to manage on greek yogurt okay, but again, occasionally. And it doesn't take much to cook a burger, piece of chicken, bacon, etc. Steam some vegetables, or cut up some fruit. So in my book, this is super easy. You only have to worry about it if you are doing some serious cuisine art! Otherwise, super easy and fast. I cook for about an hour on Sunday to prep stuff for the week, and voila -- I'm done.

[txplowgirl]

I myself am now starting no processed food diet. This is useful to have an example of what my diet will seem like. Where do you buy your peanut butter?

Wally world

[love2travel]

I've never eaten much processed food on principle - I've never really liked much of it. Of course I do use olive oils and such but bring it back from Croatia where our neighbours make it. Scratch cooking/baking is more satisfying to me and I know precisely what goes into everything. There are very few gluten-free snacks I like, anyway, including mixes. I've always grown my own vegetables and herbs, too. Not much need for processed food (other than some baking/cooking staples) for me!

[dilettantesteph]

I don't eat peanut butter. It is processed. I can find very few processed foods which I can tolerate. I haven't found a pb yet.

[love2travel]

I don't eat peanut butter. It is processed. I can find very few processed foods which I can tolerate. I haven't found a pb yet.

Have you tried making your own? So simple and tasty.

Open Original Shared Link

[T.H.]

Have you tried making your own? So simple and tasty.

Open Original Shared Link

I'm hoping I might be able to do that soon, too. We haven't been able to find any shelled peanuts that didn't make us a little sick, so I have some unshelled, unroasted ones I ordered that might work - I'm hoping, anyway!

A little more effort, needing to shell, and then roast, and then process - but I do miss peanut butter a lot! Think it might be worth it.

[love2travel]

I'm hoping I might be able to do that soon, too. We haven't been able to find any shelled peanuts that didn't make us a little sick, so I have some unshelled, unroasted ones I ordered that might work - I'm hoping, anyway!

A little more effort, needing to shell, and then roast, and then process - but I do miss peanut butter a lot! Think it might be worth it.

Oh, I'm sorry that you get sick from peanuts. Good luck with your new batch - hopefully you'll find something that works for you!!

[jackay]

I've been eating this way for 1 and a half years. I can't do soy or dairy so really can't find any cheeses that don't affect me either. I just eat plain meats, chicken, brown rice, some veggies and some fruits because there a few of those I react to too.

I eat plain peanut butter, some rice cakes not many, can't stand the texture. Eggs, microwave popcorn, snickers or Hershey's cocoa for my sugar fix. I can eat Lara bars and Kind bars thank goodness but not many of those, maybe 1 every couple of weeks without a reaction.

The good thing is i've lost nearly 50 lbs. I've gone down from a size 28 to an 18. Yippie, so it's all good.

What brand of microwave popcorn is safe?

[jackay]

I am mainly eating chicken, olive oil, coconut oil, brown rice, almonds, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and peas. Whenever I try expanding to more foods, I run into problems.

I've tried giving up rice a few times and it hasn't seemed to make a difference. I really don't know how I'd stay full without it. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and dried beans didn't seem to sit too well with me.

I avoid or really limit fruit. I love fruit and it is so hard to pass it up. Dairy, eggs and beef are problems, too.

I did buy some teff but am scared to try it.

It would be so easy if we only had to give up gluten.

[Jestgar]

At the grocery store I was behind a woman with a handful of coupons. It took forever to determine that she got two of these and 5 of those and this was the flavor mentioned in the coupon and so on. At the end the clerk announced that she had saved $44 on her $210 purchase. It looked to be about 6 bags of groceries and I wondered just how much more food she would have had if she had bought real food, without coupons.

Pre-packaged applesauce cups are way too expensive, even on sale, with a coupon. How about feeding your kid an apple instead?

[T.H.]

It would be so easy if we only had to give up gluten.

Ain't that the truth, phew!

[cahill]

It would be so easy if we only had to give up gluten.

you bet ya !!

[dilettantesteph]

I wondered just how much more food she would have had if she had bought real food, without coupons.

Pre-packaged applesauce cups are way too expensive, even on sale, with a coupon. How about feeding your kid an apple instead?

So true. The extra expense of eating gluten free is non existent if you eat whole foods.

I haven't found safe peanuts yet either to make my own p.b. I think I'd rather just eat the peanuts anyway, if I can find some.