Low Fat Gluten-Free Cookbooks

[Celestial]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the gluten-free lifestyle, about 2 weeks in. I've done what I believe most people do when first going gluten-free--search for alternatives to the baked goods we love. I'm discovering however that this isn't always a good idea. I have a weight problem and although the gluten-free bagels are delicious, at 9 grams of fat each they aren't feasible.

So my question to you is this: can anyone recommend good Low Fat Gluten Free cookbooks? Please keep in mind that I'm not much of a cook nor do I feel like it (my rheumatic symptoms haven't subsided yet) most of the time.

Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I was NOT diagnosed with Celiac disease but have come to the conclusion, with the help of two of my doctors (my rheumatologist and chiropractor), that something I've been eating is causing weird, roaming rheumatic symptoms in joints that I do not have RA. So we're thinking gluten sensitivity. Also I have a few friends who have experienced the same symptoms and going gluten-free helped them tremendously. So here I am.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Again, I really have to watch my weight (these days I'm watching it go up and up even more!) so LF and gluten-free are the keys.

Thanks so much.

[GlutenGladi8or]

I'm discovering however that this isn't always a good idea. I have a weight problem and although the gluten-free bagels are delicious, at 9 grams of fat each they aren't feasible.

LF and gluten-free are the keys.

Thankfully, you figured this out early on. Right on! And you are correct, low fat is the key (in addition to gluten free)

I don't have a recommendation on a cookbook per se, but you just need to shop the golden horseshoe of the store first (produce, dairy, meat, fish, deli, and then frozen)

Start your meal planning with a VERY lean selection of animal protein (in case you didn't know, I am quite the carnivore even though I was an executive at a major vegetarian company for years). Some suggestions:

- Grilled seafood

- Boneless, skinless chicken breast

- Pork tenderloin

- Pork chops (trim all fat)

- Turkey breasts

- Extra lean burgers (95/5 or 90/10 is your best bet). Turkey, Lamb, Chicken or beef

Load up the rest of your plate with fresh vegetables.

Add a small side of gluten free carbs (rice, quinoa, slice of gluten-free bread, unbuttered potatoes, etc.)

Fresh fruit or DARK chocolate as a dessert.

It's the nature of our friends and families to shower us with gluten free desserts and packaged/processed goods when they hear of our diagnosis. But, put those aside and up the amount of perishables that you eat. You'll be thankful that you did.

[Celestial]

Thanks so much GlutenGladi8or for the tips! I honestly think I would lose my will to live if I couldn't have dark chocolate so that's pretty much a given dessert (or treat) for me.

Hopefully once I start feeling better I'll be up to cooking more. Right now though I'm hurting so bad in my hands, knees and foot that I'm leaning more towards quick stuff.

I do try to keep a good supply of fresh and dried fruit at home. If I'm lucky my husband's home and can peel/cut/etc fresh fruit for me.

[Skylark]

I completely disagree. (Rant incoming!!!)

There is a growing pile of studies showing that low fat is not the way to go about weight loss. Restricting any "food component" whether it's protein, carbs, or fat is unhealthy and will not keep the weight off long-term. All you do is create nutritional deficiencies and cravings. Limiting fat keeps you from feeling full and you will tend to want to overeat. Also, unsaturated fats and omega-3s are essential for maintaining healthy joints. You may be making your arthritis worse if you are eating extreme low fat. You have to stop thinking about food as fat, carbs, and protein.

Long-term weight loss is achieved by figuring out what foods your own body requires, dumping all the junk food and empty calories, and exercising portion control. The American diet is devastatingly unhealthy and people are starting to realize it's the root of our national epidemic of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. I have a friend who lost 150 lb by deciding to eat the foods her grandmother ate. Turns out the American diet was totally wrong for her and she needed flax meal, chick peas, and cabbage. Another friend feels awful in the states, and great when she goes home to Germany and eats the diet she grew up on. A third friend's mother was getting horribly ill and gaining weight in the US. She knew it was the food and finally gave up and went back to Ethiopia to regain her health. It worked.

Notice that GlutenGladi8or is recommending REAL FOOD. That's the key to weight loss, not low-fat, low-carb, the Zone, or whatever other impossible-to-follow diet the scam artists are selling this month. American dieting is all about depriving yourself until you cave, then overeating, then feeling guilty and depriving yourself again. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work.

OK... done ranting.

Eat real food! Fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, small portions of meats. Try to figure you what your grandparents or great-grandparents ate. Interestingly, I'm of Irish ancestry and Irish ate a lot of oats and not wheat. I tolerate gluten-free oats just fine and I'm starting to suspect I have trouble with corn. Corn is a "new world" food and western Europeans didn't eat it. My ancestors were coastal and would have eaten a lot of seafood and sure enough, I require a LOT of seafood or at least mercury-free fish oil to feel well.

For your joints, look for healthy sources of unsaturated fat, like olive oil, nuts, fish or shrimp for omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed, and consider a fish oil supplement. Skip the butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and other saturated fats because they tend to make inflammation worse. Fry in olive oil for low-temperature, peanut oil for high. (Skip the canola oil - the stuff is scary.) Dip bread in extra-virgin olive oil and nut oils are wonderful on salads. Go easy on cheese and red meat too. Lowfat dairy and lean meats are good, becasue then you can eat more of the vegetable and nut oils that will help your joints.

Drink a bare minimum of 8-8 oz glasses of water a day. Not soda or juice, but water. Flavor it with a slice of lemon or if you must, or make some unsweetened herbal tea. Simply drinking enough water causes many people to lose 5-10 lb in a week or two. It regulates your appetite, detoxes you, and fixes dehydration that causes you to paradoxically hold water.

One of the best ways to become aware of food is to take your iPhone or a camera and take a snapshot of everything you're planning to eat. It will make you think twice about the portion size, what's on the plate, and whether you are actually hungry or just eating because the food looks good.

Wow, this is a long post. Can you tell I feel strongly about food and diet?

[GlutenGladi8or]

Notice that GlutenGladi8or is recommending REAL FOOD. That's the key to weight loss, not low-fat, low-carb, the Zone, or whatever other impossible-to-follow diet the scam artists are selling this month. American dieting is all about depriving yourself until you cave, then overeating, then feeling guilty and depriving yourself again. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work.

I love it! REAL FOOD is the answer. And those REAL and GOOD fats are well needed. My weekly shopping habits actually required me to take a cabinet out of my kitchen (where packaged foods used to live) so that I could install an additional mini fridge for all of my lean meats, dairy, veggies, fruits, eggs, etc.

And being the carnivore that I am, there is ALWAYS some sort of meat being marinated.... walking distance to the gas grill.

Per Skylark, don't be afraid of those good fats! Extra virgin olive oil, avocado, almond butter, cashews, fish oil capsules, walnuts, etc.

Lastly, starving yourself of fat is like pulling the large switch at the start of Six Flags ride... your blood sugar is going to go on an absolute roller coaster ride! You'll get tired, your emotions will waver, and you don't even want to know wheat it does to your attention span.

From this point forth (with the exception of the grains that SkyLark mentions and the frozen food section) shop with a whole different mentality. Like a magnet, your cart should remain on the parameter of the store and REPEL all of the packaged goods in the center. That also goes for sugary drinks (High Fructose Corn Syrup) and chemically sweetened drinks (Yep, Slenda and NutraSweet are made in a lab)

[love2travel]

I love it! REAL FOOD is the answer. And those REAL and GOOD fats are well needed. My weekly shopping habits actually required me to take a cabinet out of my kitchen (where packaged foods used to live) so that I could install an additional mini fridge for all of my lean meats, dairy, veggies, fruits, eggs, etc.

And being the carnivore that I am, there is ALWAYS some sort of meat being marinated.... walking distance to the gas grill.

Per Skylark, don't be afraid of those good fats! Extra virgin olive oil, avocado, almond butter, cashews, fish oil capsules, walnuts, etc.

Lastly, starving yourself of fat is like pulling the large switch at the start of Six Flags ride... your blood sugar is going to go on an absolute roller coaster ride! You'll get tired, your emotions will waver, and you don't even want to know wheat it does to your attention span.

From this point forth (with the exception of the grains that SkyLark mentions and the frozen food section) shop with a whole different mentality. Like a magnet, your cart should remain on the parameter of the store and REPEL all of the packaged goods in the center. That also goes for sugary drinks (High Fructose Corn Syrup) and chemically sweetened drinks (Yep, Slenda and NutraSweet are made in a lab)

AMEN! I so agree with you and Skylark. Good fats are GOOD. I even have a cookbook called "Fat" and it is wonderful. Like Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" all you have to do is eat real food. None of this processed ilk. I like what he says on the cover..."Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

In fact, when I was trying to lose some weight several years ago and just couldn't my dietitian determined I was not eating enough fat. Once I discovered that my weight loss began and I was successful. I have very, very few processed foods. I even make my own ketchups, mustards, mayo, seasoning blends, healthy crackers, dressings, vinaigrettes...very simple to do.

Another thing I found works is no more aspartame. My chiro told me I must go aspartame free for my chronic pain but I also found that eliminating that has helped me lose a few pounds. Many of the so-called "low fat" products contain so much sugar and additives to make up for the loss of fat (same with lots of gluten-free snacks).

If you can, avoid margarine and use butter instead. Not only is margarine one molecule short of plastic it is also a known contributor to macular degeneration, a nasty eye disease (my Mom has it).

[Celestial]

You all are the reason I like to "lurk" and sometimes participate in forums like these. You give good, sound advice. A friend of mine suggested I try the paleo diet but that may be a bit much for me to take on right now.

Although I've been doing Weight Watchers off and on for a few years (with success when I'm "on") I guess I still haven't accepted the fact that I'm no longer 18 and able to eat whatever the heck I want. Oh how I miss those days.......

Processed foods are the devil, agreed. But dang they are so easy. And on those days when everything hurts, which lately has been more days than not, they are certainly calling my name. Luckily I do take several supplements, including fish and flax oils, and love seafood, meat and a fair amount of vegetables (do french fries count? ).

Now, if only I could afford a personal chef.

Again, I'll have to suck it up and get back to cooking.

Off topic slightly for a sec; I need to vent....and explain myself a bit. When this recent RA flare began back in February it threw me for a loop. For the first time in years I felt in control of my life and healthy. Weight Watchers was going great, I had quit smoking, walking on my treadmill most days of the week and participating in 5Ks. Not much for some people but for me, well, I felt great! This year I turn 40 and had decided that it was going to be MY year. Then WHAM! The RA kicked in. And spread. All out of the blue as I'd been in remission for 10 years. Most of which, I now realize, was wasted NOT doing the things that I now can't. Five months later it's still going.

And now this possible gluten sensitivity....Well, it's all a lot to take in. And here I am a couple of weeks into being gluten-free but not feeling any better. There is a possibility that gluten isn't the culprit but honestly, I hope it is because I need some answers before losing what little is left of my mind. Admittedly, despite having had RA for 25 years, I am a big ole baby when it comes to pain. Guess that's considered a low threshold for pain. Anyone that's had RA or similar symptoms knows what special hell it is. Today for instance one knee is swelling again, the foot of the same leg is swollen and hurts to walk on and both hands hurt like hell. Only the knees genuinely have RA though. The rest is what we are trying to figure out.

Maybe I want a magic pill. What am I saying, of course I do! But also realize that it doesn't exist.

And here I am with all of you hoping that the answers lie in the foods we eat, the items we consume. And I thank you all for your advice, support and assistance.

[GlutenGladi8or]

If you can, avoid margarine and use butter instead. Not only is margarine one molecule short of plastic it is also a known contributor to macular degeneration, a nasty eye disease (my Mom has it).

Butter! Moderation of all things. You are SO correct about butter over margarine. And, just a small amount helps deliver the flavor. I really wish I knew why people opted for chemically made ingredients (Splenda, margarine) over the real deal.

What a great thread this has turned out to be.

[Skylark]

And here I am with all of you hoping that the answers lie in the foods we eat, the items we consume. And I thank you all for your advice, support and assistance.

You're welcome. That RA flareup sounds just awful. I really hope gluten-free helps you out.

We can eat the foods we liked when we were 18. You just limit the portion and fill up on veggies now. Depriving yourself will only drive you crazy. It's much better to have a small serving of a favorite food and compensate with a salad at your next meal. You might like French Women Don't Get Fat. It's a wonderful read on balance and enjoying eating without overeating.

I cook when I'm in the mood in big batches and freeze single servings. That way when I'm tired there is something homemade and healthy to pull out of the freezer. I have chicken cacciatore, stewed chicken, and daal with rice frozen right now. A little rice in the cooker or a potato in the microwave, some veggies in the steamer (or just raw with dip), a little fresh fruit, and I have a healthy dinner with minimal effort.

[GlutenGladi8or]

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Again, I really have to watch my weight (these days I'm watching it go up and up even more!) so LF and gluten-free are the keys.

Thanks so much.

Hi Celestial:

How are we coming along on the gluten-free adaptation?