Foods Eaten Most Often (gluten Free)

[Guest pear_fairy]

Hope this is right area to post this couldn't figure out what board would be best.

Just curious as to what food(s) you find (found) yourself eating the most when you were first going gluten free? I just picture myself being formally diagnosed within next couple of months (I refuse to give up my gluten until I am told by a doc stubborn as it may be!) and me trying this whole gluten-free thing and living on dang bananas and Motts applesauce

Thanks

~Steph

[jaimek]

I eat a lot of rice pudding. Think I am addicted to the stuff it is so good. I also bought Honey Frosted Flakes made by 365 degrees which taste like real frosted flakes and are very tasty. For lunch I find myself eating a lot of salads, tunafish, cheese wrapped in turkey, applesauce, fruit...... I also found out that TCBY (not sure if you have them near you) is okay to eat and I am a big fan so that covers my sweet tooth. Dinner I basically eat it all, chicken, beef, turkey, burgers, fries, tacos, shrimp, etc. When I am cooking at home it is really easy since I have all of the gluten-free sauces to cook with. Hope this helps!!!

[Aightball]

Hope this is right area to post this couldn't figure out what board would be best.

Just curious as to what food(s) you find (found) yourself eating the most when you were first going gluten free? I just picture myself being formally diagnosed within next couple of months (I refuse to give up my gluten until I am told by a doc stubborn as it may be!) and me trying this whole gluten-free thing and living on dang bananas and Motts applesauce

Thanks

~Steph

I eat a lot of rice cakes, pb and j, cereal, tacos, meat, fruit, yogurt, cookies (gluten-free, of course), sorbet and soy ice cream. I am also allergic to dairy, so that influences some of my choices, but there's a ton of stuff out there to eat. The trick is to look, try to get into speciality stores, ect, and talk talk talk to people!

-Kel

[plantime]

I eat a lot of beef, pork, potatoes, veggies, fruits. I just left out the grains, until I found the Gluten Free Mall! Now, I use the flours and pastas from there. I do not feel deprived: when my kids had Pizza Hut, I just made myself one of my pizzas. I know it costs more, and takes more work, but I feel so much better!

[tarnalberry]

I'm a self-admitted food snob, and avoid most prepackaged foods, so this list may or may not work for you...

All the same meats (turkey, beef, pork, chicken, fish) and fruits and vegetables (the list is endless!) I used to eat, pretty much cooked how I always have cooked them (grilled, stir-fried, baked, stewed, broiled).

Rice (brown, wild, white)

Nut butters (peanut/almond), Yogurt, cheese, kefir, orange juice, tea.

Often, I'll just make enough dinner (be it baked chicken, or a stir fry, or chili or whatever) so that I can take some for leftovers, with some raw fruits and veggies.

These days, breakfast is often something like rice cereal (the hot kind) or rice cakes with peanut butter, or if it's a weekend, amaranth pancakes or a veggie omlette.

For me, and partly this works because I like to cook - but I cook simply, just sticking to natural, unprocessed, whole foods makes the diet really not that hard. I know that's not necessarily true for everyone.

[Guest shar4]

As usual, I have to put in my 2 cents worth, anyway, I eat a lot of rice, in almost any form: cooked,(White, brown, wild), rice cereal, rice cakes, and even rice crackers. I eat much more fruit than I used to, I eat a lot of corn, tortillas, chips cereal. Breakfast on the weekend may be eggs or buckwheat pancakes similar to those I had as a kid.

Meats, I eat almost anything, but do read lables to make sure that its safe. Even with all the reading, I have had a couple of nasty accicdents.

I have been very lucky with no problems from dairy or anything other than the gluten. So I do eat cheese, yogurt, milk, all with no problems.

Thankfully, chocolate has not and never has been a problem. I think if they take chocolate away from me I will crawl under a rock.

I have been truly blessed to be able to bounce back, as I have. I try to expand my horizons, with ethnic stuff. My husband is Italian and loves his pasta, so I have been either having it over rice, or making do with Portabella mushrooms in place of the pasta in lasagna or something like that.

Wow, I love to talk about food don't I??

Blessings,

Sharon

[Lily]

I am doing the same thing as Tarnalberry. As soon as I added processed foods back into my diet, even though they were gluten free, my health took a downturn

Lily

[tarnalberry]

Yeah, I don't know what it is about putting food in a box, but ...

One of the things I'm thinking about doing, because avoiding preprocessed foods is certainly less convenient, is getting a good dehydrator. My yoga teacher loves having one, and it could make it easier to make some "homemade convenience foods".

[celiac3270]

Been gluten-free for not too long, but already used to the diet. I've only been gluten free for about 6 weeks, but I'm already used to it. Once you've called the companies and are accustomed to reading labels, it isn't too hard. At first there seems to be no variety, but you'll find more and more stuff. These message boards are a great help and once you find a good brand, there are often multiple options added to your diet.

Quaker buttered popcorn rice cakes -- I ate a ton of these upon first starting the diet. All of the quaker rice cakes (regular size, though, not the mini ones) are gluten free, so if you prefer cheddar or peanut butter, that's fine.

Yogurt -- I haven't started eating it yet, but will. Avoid dairy for the first 6 or 7 weeks. At first, your intestines can't process that stuff. I didn't realize this, upon first starting diet, so when I ate a lot of ice cream one night, I got sick.

Ice Cream -- Again, hold off at first. Haagen-Dazs is fine, but stick to normal flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. I've always had a lot of vanilla ice cream but the strawberry is pretty good.

gluten-free Bagels -- Don't remember the brand and I've run out of them, but they're mini, may not look too appealing, but taste quite good. You acquire a taste. Cream cheese is fine, but make sure you don't choose diet or light brands. With many products, the diet versions are bad (though diet sodas are fine). Butter, in the stick form, is fine. I am not sure about "I can't believe it's not butter" so I have avoided it.

gluten-free Raisin Bread -- Absolutely amazing raisin bread. It honestly tastes exactly the same as the real thing. Made by glutino: "Sans glutino raisin bread". Try toasting it; it's best that way.

Pamela's Shortbread Cookies -- Fabulous. My mother isn't a Celiac, but even she loves them. Lemon shortbread are my personal favorite, though some find that flavor a bit strong. The butter shortbread is a bit milder.

Fritolay's Chips -- The fritolays company is entirely gluten-free. That means Lay's Potato Chips, Cheetos, Fritos, etc. are all gluten-free. It says so on the site, but you can call the company if you want to triple check.

Candy -- I don't eat it all the time, but if you're interested, I've contacted the Hershey's company. They sent me a list of their gluten-free products. Hershey bars, kisses, and jolly ranchers are all gluten-free. I've heard that Snickers are gluten-free, but am not certain.

Canned fruits -- Mandarin oranges, canned peaches, etc. I typically avoid heavier syrups.

Fresh fruit -- apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, etc.

Fresh vegetables -- I don't doubt you already know what veggies you like so won't make any suggestions.

Fresh meat -- Pork, steak, chicken, etc.

French Fries -- Ore Ida fries are all gluten-free. I'd eaten them before I was diagnosed; they're good. McDonald's fries are also gluten-free, but I always ask them to make sure that they only cook the fries in the oil (if nuggets cook in the oil, then the fries are contaminated). The usual reply: the fries and hash browns cook in the same oil. That's fine.

gluten-free pasta -- Tinkiyada (spelling might be off) is phenominal. My brother has always been crazy about noodles, and he thinks that the gluten-free kind is better than the regular. They come in a variety of forms: spaghetti, noodles, and a broader noodle. Pretty much the same as the regular kind.

Potatoes -- I have always loved potatoes. They're gluten-free, as they are a vegetable (or a fruit, however you look at it)

Got to go