Gluten Free...but Not Much Of A Meat Eater!

[*charliesmum*]

My 2year old is going through testing for coelic but doesnt eat much meat and I myself am hoping to get tested (my dad is coeliac too) but I only really eat chicken and turkey. Is quorn or other meat substitute gluten free? I have no idea about what we will/wont be able to eat apart from the obvious ones like bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta. If quorn isnt gluten free I might get a little stuck

[domesticactivist]

Welcome to the world of checking product ingredients! Here are the steps I take to find out whether a product is safe:

1. Look at the ingredient label for obvious offenders. If the box isn't handy, look it up online. Most processed food manufacturers have their product ingredients online these days.
   
2. Look on the package for any disclosures that would indicate the product is processed in a factory with wheat or other gluten-containing ingredients.
   
3. Call the manufacturer and ask them about their practices.
   

In this case, I looked up the website: Open Original Shared Link If you are not in the United States, look at the correct country site, they have several. Ingredients are often different in each country.

Then I found the "Products" tab and chose a product. The first product I looked at is Classic Burger. Open Original Shared Link/products/Classic_Burger.aspx

As you can see, the second ingredient is: textured wheat protein (wheat protein, wheat starch) this is clearly gluten.

This manufacturer also disclosed a better allergy warning than most companies will (disclosing wheat is required, disclosing gluten is not): Allergic Consumers: This product contains egg, milk, gluten, and wheat ingredients.

On to the Southwestern Chik'n Wings.

The third ingredient is wheat flour, the sixth is wheat gluten.

The allergy statement states:

This product contains: egg, milk and wheat ingredients. We do not use any ingredients derived from genetically modified sources.

You get the idea.

• They do not have any products listed as "gluten-free." If they did, I would call the company and ask:
  
• Are your gluten free products processed on the same line as your other products?
  
• What precautions are taken to ensure there is not gluten-cross contamination?
  
• To what level do you test your gluten-free products for gluten contamination?
  

Unfortunately, most meat substitutes are heavy on gluten, and also are heavy on soy and milk products like whey, all of which are common problems for people who have celiac disease.

When healing many people find much better success when avoiding processed foods like these.

What is the reason that you avoid eating meat? You may find you are willing to eat more of it once you cut out processed foods.

There are other ways to get protein besides meat and processed foods. Quinoa, lentils, beans, nuts, and dairy are all good sources. However we have found these are not as easy to digest as meats and vegetables.

[*charliesmum*]

Thank you

From the UK btw, seems a lot of people on here are from US.

Sooooo many things seem to have gluten in its hard to know whats what lol. Think once the biopsy is done (on my son) we will get transfered to dietician so hopefully they will help. Theres just going to be so many hurdles eg children's parties, eating out etc. Will just have to take everything a step at a time. Thanks again

[kareng]

I have an 18 yr old boy who is 6"1' tall. He barely ate meat until he was about 11. He got that big on a lot of peanut butter, chocolate milk & cheese for protein.

[domesticactivist]

Thank you

From the UK btw, seems a lot of people on here are from US.

Sooooo many things seem to have gluten in its hard to know whats what lol. Think once the biopsy is done (on my son) we will get transfered to dietician so hopefully they will help. Theres just going to be so many hurdles eg children's parties, eating out etc. Will just have to take everything a step at a time. Thanks again

You're welcome. It truly is a big learning curve, but eventually you'll have a good handle on it. I have two kids, ages 11 and 12. They do all the things other kids do... sleepovers, weeks away at camp, birthday parties, classes, and our diet is more complicated than "just" gluten-free. We don't eat out at this point because the gluten-free restaurants use other ingredients we have issues with and it's just not worth it to us at this point. But there are ways to handle that situation, too.

I think being really successful with the gluten-free lifestyle has a few key points:

- establish a gluten-free zone in your kitchen (or whole home, as we did)

- come up with some foods you know are safe and tasty, and always have them on hand

- get in the habit of bringing safe food with you whenever you go anywhere

I have a bunch of posts on being gluten-free etc on the blog linked from my profile if you are interested.

[Kelleybean]

My son doesn't like meat either except the occasional hotdog. Here are some things that we do ...

1) Beans - I make bean patties. I mash a can of rinsed and drained northern beans, add some gluten-free bread crumbs, a bean egg, and some Italian seasoning. Then form patties and pan fry in some olive oil. We also do bean dip from the Spunky Coconut.

2) We do breakfast for dinner a lot. We do scrambled eggs for dinner more often than I should admit! Also egg casserole with eggs, cheese, and hash browns.

3) Amy's has a gluten-free frozen mac and cheese works well for a last minute dinner.

We also do PB&J on Udi's bread a lot. I alternate peanut butter, almond butter, and sunbutter.