Gluten free and potato free - Advice please

[Anthea55]

I've followed the Thyroid community for ages as I have Hashi's, but this is my first time here - recommended by a friend.

A long time ago I was tested for intolerances and the main ones were oats and wheat. I had to discover the potato problem for myself much later. Then with my thyroid / Hashi's gluten free is recommended, so I do GF and potato free, but I also avoid gf oats.

It's this potato free thing that is such a nuisance - I'm forever reading ingredients labels. It's not on the standard list of allergens, but there must be plenty of others who are sensitive to potatoes.

Do any of you know of any gf flour mixes which don't contain potato? I've not found any so far, but could combine some individual ones.

For gf breads the only ones I've found are by Schar, but they contain soya which is not supposed to be good for us. Any others you know of?

Alternatively I'd appreciate a recipe for bread (or something bread like) which is free of potato. I can get out my bread machine again.

Hope you can help. Thanks.

[The_will_of_Jill]

draxe.com/gluten-free-flours/

[The_will_of_Jill in reply to The_will_of_Jill]

Couple of these I wouldn’t want to do, but there are some good ones in there including cassava flour-heard a lot of good things about it but haven’t tried it yet. I like almond flour a lot, coconut flour as well.

Hope this helps a bit 🌝

[Anthea55 in reply to The_will_of_Jill]

Thanks, Dr Axe's site looks useful.

I find that I buy flours but then don't use them much, so I need to experiment a bit.

I forgot to say that I'm in the UK so US ready mixes not easy to get.

[The_will_of_Jill in reply to Anthea55]

Yeah sorry I realized that after you had actually asked for a mix, not just a flour. we do have several of those as well here and I’m pretty sure many of them don’t have potato but yeah like you say too far away unless you want to order from Amazon.

oh yes and I was wanting to ask you I’m pretty on well and not up to doing much reading these days but I am gluten-free also but love potatoes and I’m curious to know how you found out potatoes are bad or did you have a food allergy testing done?

i’ve actually seen at least one or two posts on here saying that potatoes are beneficial to the gut flora and I think that they were hypothyroid people but I’m not for sure it’s been a while.

sorry severe brain fog today but anyway good luck 🦋

[Anthea55 in reply to The_will_of_Jill]

If I go back to when I was first tested for food intolerances - that was because I was getting arthritic. I knew that my daughter had food sensitivities and thought I would see if it would help me, rather than getting onto drugs. Vega test showed up oats and wheat as my main problems (ah yes, all that porridge I'd been making that winter). Potatoes not something they tested.

Gave up wheat and oats etc and felt much better. After a few months realised that I hadn't had indigestion for ages - bonus!

Over the years occasionally getting swollen mouth which I can remember having when at school. Had a pub lunch with yummy saute potatoes, so had more than I would usually and later unwell with swollen inside mouth. Began to think this couldn't be due to wheat or oats - maybe it could be potato. I then tested this out at home with mashed potato and same result - at home I could be sure of what else I was eating. So I don't eat potato now and I can tell if it turns up in something gluten free - (you know, friends who say they've bought something gluten free especially for you). I'm afraid my gut flora will have to feed on something else.

Potatoes are part of the nightshade family. So far I've not had problems with others such as tomatoes etc. but some people do.

Sorry, rather long winded, but hope that helps.

[The_will_of_Jill in reply to Anthea55]

Thank you Anthea55 Very interesting and helpful information and I am still learning (slowly but surely) all the time. I myself have been wondering about potatoes because as you say they are in the nightshade family and many including Izabella Wentz seem to feel that they are not a good thing for people with thyroid problems. I gave up many things last year and did feel some improvement but there are other things happening that are causing me to be unwell also. I have decided this month to give stopping eggs a try for a while was going to quit dairy but already messed that up probably try again soon...but also have been looking at stopping potatoes too.

Anyway, thank you. that was a bit of a long response from me but just waking up here and the brain fog is pretty severe and I don’t drink coffee anymore either Lol!

(it had gotten to the point where it didn’t help lift the brain fog at all anymore quite sometime ago anyway)

Best of luck to you 🦋

[Hattie007]

I make a bread type substance with 1 cup ground flax seed, 1 cup ground almond flour, egg, 1 TSP baking powder, salt and then when I was having dairy half cup crème friache. To be honest it was more like a cake than a bread but it did the trick and was yummy with peanut butter or with some scrambled egg. 😀

[patricia1040]

A lady I spoke to yesterday that has numerous allergies makes bread from plantains. If you google plantain sandwich rounds there is a recipie that looks interesting!

[patricia1040]

Anthea Namaste flour blend mix contains Sweet Brown Rice, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, arrowroot powder, sorghum flour and x gum the website for they’re flour is namastefoods.com

[Anthea55 in reply to patricia1040]

Thanks for that, Patricia,

I'm sorry I forgot to say that I'm in the UK, so packaged mixes from overseas are not easy to get. But they still give me ideas to work on and try to make my own blends.

[patricia1040 in reply to Anthea55]

Anthea if your mixing your own I do believe that you can substitute arrowroot flour for potstoe starch. Jerry is the master of bread making I have heard so he could probably give some tips. I usually mix my own flours we have a place here called Bulk Barn and you can pretty much buy any type of gf flour to mix your own concoction. Hopefully you have similar type places in the U. K

[Rmichelle]

Hi Anthea i too am i regular at tuk, i am also celiac but also like you avoid soya. I am not a massive fan of bread but my mother-in-law is and has a massive intolerance to potatoes for years now- she buys and also makes her breads from Holland &Barratts, they have quite a few gluten free made without potatoes and soya etc, she has had both of these -Biona organic bread loaf and to make a loaf amisa bread mix but if you go on holland &barratts website you can view all the breads and ingredients. Good luck 😊.x

[Anthea55 in reply to Rmichelle]

Thanks, Rmichelle, I've looked in the nearest H&B shop, but not found those. I'll check their website.

[Rmichelle in reply to Anthea55]

Yes they have more choice online. X

[Aghu]

How can one be tested for sensitivities? Is it allergy tests? What’s the connection between potato sensitivity and thyroid?

[Anthea55 in reply to Aghu]

Hi Aghu

Allergies and food sensitivities/intolerances are different. Don't quote me but I think one of the differences is how soon the reaction happens. Allergies cause quick reactions. Look it up on google.

Intolerances are much slower and it may be days before you notice the problem which makes it difficult to identify. This is particularly difficult if you are intolerant to something you eat every day, such as wheat or potatoes. I think they can also build up, so the reaction may not be noticeable for a small amount occasionally. Also with something you eat occasionally you may be able to think back and guess what caused your reaction - this would work for something like seafood.

I can't help you with finding tests, but the tests are different. Maybe a reliable nutritionist could help. I had the Vega test many years ago, but I understand that this can be misleading if not done correctly. If you have an idea of what you react to then you can give up for a while and see if you feel better, but it can take time to clear your system of the problem food. Then introduce it again carefully. A good nutritionist may be able to help here. If you are in the UK then you can find nutritionists near you on the BANT website.

Please note that coeliac which is gluten sensitivity can be identified medically. It isn't the same as wheat or oats intolerance; I think I have wheat and oats intolerance, but I'm not coeliac. The food manufacturers these days have come up with 'gf' oats etc, so I have to check food labels even if they say they are gluten free. I've given up saying that I'm gluten free.

I don't know of any connection between thyroid and potato sensitivity. It just happens that I have both these days but probably had the food intolerances ever since I was a child. It now explains how unwell I was in my teens when at boarding school where so much of the food was based on filling foods such as wheat and potatoes.

I hope this is helpful.

All the best.