JennyC

My son's poop was always sandy before going gluten free as well. Thankfully it's gone now. When he gets glutened he has the gross floaty loose stools. I don't think that's much better though.

Actually, DH said their homestyle frostings were okay, then not.....it's on again off again with them and I've taken products like that off my shopping list. Their frosting is full of crap anyway, gluten-free or not. I bought a can before I was careful about limiting my food additives and it clearly said barley malt on the label. That was a year ago. In early 2007 they told Clan Thomson that their frostings changed ingredients all the time so they felt they should state they are not gluten free because they don't know which batch will be and which won't.

The information that I posted was correct as of 5/14/2007.

Duncan Hines creamy style frostings are also gluten free except for the coconut pecan flavor!

This is where I'm confused. It calls for gluten free flour mix. Which is the best for this particular cake? Do you make your own?

Some of them use soy flour, which I think is icky. But perhaps when used in combo with others, it might be good. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Thanks!!

Soy flour is icky! It seems like it is a major component of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free Flour, so you may want to avoid that as well. The flour mix that I just posted works out well in cakes, but I think that I might try experimenting by adding a bit of a heavier flour in the mix sometimes.

I use this flour mix for pretty much everything: 3 parts white rice flour, 2 parts potato starch, 1 part tapioca starch/flour, and 1 tsp xanthan gum per 1.5 cup flour unless otherwise noted. I also use amaranth flour and almond meal quite a bit. Sweet rice flour has a higher starch content than regular white rice flour, so you may not want to use it in all dishes. I mainly convert regular recipes to gluten free. I have not tried converting regulat bread recipes, it just doesn't seem like it would work out very well. recipezaar also has gluten free recipes.

Here's a link to the best gluten-free bread on a previous discussion. To me it seems like there is too much liquid in the recipe because my bread keeps falling. Next time I will cut the milk in half.

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Last week I made this chocolate cake recipe and replaced the flour with the mix that I described above. It was very moist, but a bit spongy. Overall it was a great recipe, but I think I might tweak it a bit in the future.

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Here's a link to "Troll House" cookies.

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This is a link to the BEST brownies that I have ever had: (This weekend I used them in a chocolate trifle )

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Here's a recipe for a very popular gluten-free yellow cake:

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Happy Baking!

Many gastros consider the blood tests as a screening tool for those who need the biopsy. Many believe that the biopsy is the "gold standard" for diagnosis. In order to get an official diagnosis you usually need a positive biopsy. This is slowly changing, but unfortunately many doctors are stuck in their ways.

Here's a link to a Gluten-free Casein-free hot dog bun recipe made by the same lady who made the famous bread recipe. You should be able to turn it into hamburger buns. Let us know how it turns out if you try it!

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I'm not sure how long it usually takes adults to feel better, maybe others can chyme in. I would just be sure that you have been on the diet long enough to heal first. If the gluten-free diet is still not helping you then I would try the gluten challenge. If you do the gluten challenge you can always get retested at a later date if you do not find a cause of your symptoms. It may also help to get a second opinion. You know your body, I'm sure that you will make the right decision.

Keep us posted!

I'm just curious what others plan to do when the codex definition kicks in January 2008. Will the gluten free label be good enough or will you still continue to call those companies to get more information? I'm also curious how many gluten free labels (such as Wall Mart brand) will disappear in Jan. 2008.

Just curious of others' opinions.

I would get white rice flour, tapioca starch/flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, and flax or almond meal. I'm experimenting with amaranth flour right now and it's pretty good, try it if you're up for experimentation. I would also load up on Tinkyada pasta. Bell and Evans chicken nuggets and Dr. Preager's (sp?) fish products are really good. You may also want to pick up Pamela's pancake/waffle mix. I would also pick up some cereal. Some tasty cereals that are less sweet are: Nature' Path organic corn flakes, Erewhorn twice rice, and Health Valley corn or rice crunch-ems. I like the Blue Diamond Nut Thins, the 365 brand crackers, and Barbara's Cheese Puff Bakes. I don't buy cookies or baked goods anymore either, but the Whole Foods brand cream biscuits are fantastic!

I hope that your endoscopy goes well and happy shopping!

I too think that it is an addiction thing. As I mentioned in another one of my responses my son also lived on carbs before diagnosis. Now he is opening up a bit on what he will eat. Now he loves white meat and hot dogs. He also will try more fruits and veggies. He will now eat rice, but still no potatoes except french fries. We do eat a lot of gluten free pasta though. Mainly because it is the quickest dinner that I know right now.

That is absolutely horrible!!! They should pay for more than the second test! You should be able to request/demand that they give her gas (nitrous oxide?) before they insert the IV. She will be totally out and will not even feel the IV. Since she will be asleep an anesthesiologist will need to be present. They should have no problems accommodating your request. If I were you I would demand that she be asleep, even if she has to get the procedure done somewhere else. Poor little girl.

Here's a list that I got from Tylenol a couple of months ago:

In reference to your inquiry concerning the gluten content in our products, I have listed below the products which have been tested and do not contain detectable levels of gluten.

The following McNeil products have been tested and do not contain detectable levels of gluten:

Children's TYLENOL

Earlier this year I was in your exact situation!!! My son had very high numbers from his blood work also. His pediatrician called me and told me that he has celiac disease, start the gluten free diet, and gave me a referral to a pediatric gastro. I followed her advice and started him on the diet. I cleaned out our home before I picked up up from daycare and headed to a health food store and spent lots of money on gluten-free food. He responded fantastically to the diet. No more diarrhea, he had a huge appetite, and he gained 3 pounds in the first month!!! When we made it to the gastro one month later he insisted that we do the gluten challenge (1+ month with lots of gluten) and do a biopsy. I told him that I wanted to think about it. It was a difficult decision, but I decided against the biopsy. There are plenty of false negatives and regardless of what the test would say I would keep him on the gluten free diet. That was our family's experience and I think that many families have had similar experiences. My point is that if you want/need the "official" diagnosis, you should not remove gluten from his diet until after the biopsy. Many doctors are realizing that the biopsy as the "gold standard" for diagnosis fails many people with the disease, but there are many more doctors stuck in the old ideology. What you do about the biopsy is a personal decision.

In regards to the diet, you may be surprised that it will go easier than you may think. Really. My son was 3.5 years old when diagnosed. He was a carb junkie! His diet consisted of pasta, cereal, crackers, chips, chicken, bananas, and dairy. I would advise you to wait a little while before introducing some of the more "different" replacement items, such as bread and crackers. At first you should start with mostly naturally gluten-free foods. Frito-Lay has a gluten-free list on their website and Lays Stax are made on dedicated lines. Yoplait yogurt will list their gluten. Most cheeses are gluten free. Kraft Global and General Mills (both encompass many brands--check their websites) will list all gluten in their labels. Gluten free pasta, especially Tinkyada brand, is very good. He won't even know the difference. I make my son spaghetti often and also homemade alfredo. The food 4 life brown rice tortillas make good quesadillas, or you could also use corn tortillas. Post fruity, berry, and cocoa pebbles are gluten free, and so are Dora cinnamon stars and trix cereal. Popcorn is usually gluten free--and so are Cracker Jacks! There are many options and you get to know them all in time.

I will also give you a list of some of my son's favorite specialty foods. The food is expensive enough without wasting money on food that he won't eat! Kinnikinnick is a great brand. Many people like their bread. It's one of the best pre-made breads that they make. What we really like is their pizza crusts, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, bagels, and Oreo-like cookies. They also make hot dog and hamburger buns. The Glutino cracker that look like Ritz are good. My son also likes Blue Almond Nut Thins. Vans makes good gluten free waffles. Pamela's makes good pancake mix. Many love Bell & Evans gluten-free chicken nuggets. It is do-able!

It's a good thing that you like to cook and bake! I convert most of my old recipes to gluten free. It is tricky at first, but you will get the hang of it. You have to use a mix of flours and a dough enhancer. This is nearly a universal mix: 3 parts white rice flour, 2 parts potato starch, 1 part tapioca starch/flour, and 1 tsp xanthan gum per 1.5 cups flour.

When you feel up to it here's the best recipe for bread. (It may take you a while to feel up to it.)

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You may also want to search the board about cross contamination.

It will take time, but your family will adjust. Feel free to ask lots of questions. This is a great resource.

Here is the link for Wilton shaped pans, scroll down and you will find "Lightning McQueen from Cars Cake Pan"

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I have made tons of cakes with these pans. They give you all of the instructions of how to mix the icing and colours and how to decorate step by step. I have had no prefessional courses and I have made great cakes. The pan and icing tips will cost a bit...but it is worth it when you see your child's face. Plus, once you have bought the tips they are reusable.

Natalie

Thank you for the link! I hope that the instructions are E A S Y T O F O L L O W! I bought tips because I was going to try to make his cake last year, but I backed out last minute. Maybe I will start practicing now. I will definitely order one of those pans. I will do one of those cakes plus cupcakes since I tend to invite the entire state to his parties!

I live in Portland Oregon and the story was on our local news. It is horrible. It's sad that one's socioeconomic status has such an impact on how one is treated--especially in a life and death situation. I hope that there are severe consequences for those involved, and a massive training session in humanity.

You receipe sounds great. What wet ingredients did you use? I have found that adding buttermilk instead of milk makes a cake very moist.

I basically followed the directions. I used regular milk, but I bet buttermilk would be great! You could also use soy milk if it needs to be dairy free. You should be able to make soy buttermilk/sour milk by adding a little bit of vinegar to the soy milk before adding it to the batter. I did go with the 1 cup of boiling water, I added some instant coffee crystals, and I did not think that the batter was very runny. Next time I will add more cocoa powder or maybe chocolate chips, which melt due to the boiling water, and maybe use a little less oil and also use buttermilk. My son's birthday is coming up in early August and I am determined to have a wonderful recipe to use for his party! (Although the cake may not be very pretty. ) I wish that I could make the cake, and then have a professional bakery decorate it, cross contamination free of course! What wishful thinking.

I'm sorry that you had that experience. I understand where you are coming from though. It is heart breaking to see your child upset about not being able to have food. We have taken our 3 year old son to one B-day party so far and we brought a cupcake, but he still freaked because the cake was Disney's Cars theme and was beautiful and looked delicious. It made me so sad.

Maybe next time you can make a cake from scratch. It's much cheaper! I converted this recipe yesterday. For the flour I used my trusty mixture: 3 parts white rice flour, 2 parts potato starch, 1 part tapioca flour, and 1 tsp xanthan gum for every 1.5 cups flour. I would also add more chocolate to the recipe, but I'm a chocolate addict! This cake is super moist. It got fantastic reviews on the website. It's worth a try! Duncan Hines creamy home style frosting, except for the coconut pecan flavor, is gluten free and you can also make delicious homemade gluten free frosting as well.

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Hope this helps.

That sounds interesting! I made brownies with very little flour and used almond flour/meal, and they turned out great! In general, how are the recipes? I might buy that book too.

Thanks.

My son loves the cheese flavor!!! I'm not sure if he gets sick from them, as he gets bouts of occasional loose stools--not so much diarrhea. The way that I look at is that they are simply being honest when they disclose that they use a shared facility. Most mainstream food that many people consume is likely made in shared facilities, and these crackers are no different. It is a personal choice, but I allow my son to eat these crackers. (FYI Kettle chips are made in a nearly gluten-free facility--except that their cheddar beer flavor of chips that oddly enough does not even test positive for gluten. )

humans originally only ate fruits, vegetables (root vegetables), seeds, nuts, and meats. no dairy, no grains. you'll be fine. get weight bearing exercise (for bone health) and consider a calcium supplement, but you don't even need grains for carbohydrates - fruits and vegetables are mostly made of them.

Very true. If we ate this way I'm sure that we would all be much healthier. After reading so many labels, I find it concerning how much junk that we put in our bodies. I can't seem to live by such a healthy diet, but I am definitely interested in buying foods with the least amount of ingredients.

Sorry for getting off topic.

When they test for allergies using blood they look for large proteins called antibodies that will bind to the specific food proteins. Antibodies are too large to be filtered into the urine, so urine tests definitely won't work. Saliva does contain some antibodies, but not all types and not in large amounts. I did a quick google search on the subject and I found lots of saliva tests for viral diseases, but no food allergies. Sorry, but I think that the blood or skin prick tests are the best way to go. If you don't like needles, you should keep in mind that the blood test is one poke and they can test for lots of allergens.

If you were going to do dairy, I would recomend raw dairy products. Read up on this online. If you are only lactose intolerant you would be able to digest raw products, because the enzymes have not been killed by pasterization. Raw dairy is much much better for everyone.

I would exercise caution when using raw dairy products. Mainly I would consume them right away and purchase them directly from the farm. It is true that we never used to consume pasteurized dairy, but we also used to milk our cows morning and night and quickly used the milk. Pasteurization kills bacteria that could contaminate the milk. Any enzymes would also likely be denatured, but milk should have little if any lactase present anyway.

Just a thought...

This is a very good recipe--the best gluten free that I have had so far!

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I made this bread for the second time today. I used amaranth flour and a bit of white rice flour for the gluten free flour. I also used almond meal instead of flax. The bread did not poof up while baking, and it did not fall as much while cooling. Overall I'm happy with how it turned out. It's almost too moist! My son actually ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the first time since diagnosis!!! I think that once I get this recipe completely down I will make a mix of the flours and store them.