have been thinking about trying glute... - Hughes Syndrome A...
have been thinking about trying gluten free, but it does seem daunting. I often resort to a takeaway being delivered. Any tips for beginners
Yes... I had to build up to this.. thinking of all the things I could not have! I changed it to what I could have. I have just adapted, for instance if cooking pasta for my family, I drain my gluten free one first, before then straining their's, if I can'be bothered to cook pasta, I have rice noodles, I order gluten free oats on line and start with porridge in the morning. Most Indian restaurants avoid gluten apart from the bread as they tend to use gram flour. The hidden things you need to watch out for such as soy sauce, also often in chocolate powder so I even watch out for cappuccinos . I eat obviously potatoes and things like risotto. Eating out, Even Pizza Express does gluten free now.
I suppose find it fairly easy as I cook from scratch, you have to watch shop bought stuff like soup etc as it is in most things, including some makes of baked beans. Just get your head around what you can have and move on to what you can't have. I am really careful, but feel much better for it. Also even Genius bread which is not too awful is making their own pastry now. If I need to thicken sauces I use cornflour or even instant potato mix. Also in terms of buying cakes and biscuits, I don't I make my own, but there plenty of ranges out there. You have to become a good label reader. I do buy in the odd gluten free pizza base, but even a few good gluten free ones frozen now. I have all sorts of places where I pick up different bits and pieces so feel free to message me, for ideas.
I adapt my own meals to fit with the family. For instance it is easy to buy gluten free good quality sausages and things..my last attempt at gluten free yorkshire pudding was used as a frisbee across the garden, but the one prior to that was fine.
Also if I have a few bits of gluten free bread left, I crumb them, as I often make fresh home made fish cakes. and will roll them in the gluten free bread crumbs, they come out the same, and so some things I just do for the whole family and they have preferred them.
MaryF x
I was not aware of soy containing gluten or aware of pizza express doing a gluten free pizza........thanks for the info it will be a take out tonight 
I use the genius bread & find it one of the better ones it is lighter than other makes that are like house bricks that lay heavy in the tum.
I made a bread pudding with it ! Jillymo
Yes, I also agree with above, no half measures otherwise it will not work! I do at times glare at other people's croissants etc, but beyond that...no contest! MaryF
thank you,shall take all that on board,won,t be cooking separately,there are just two of us and when I am well I do enjoy cooking from scratch and if I am going to cook gluten free for me then my son will have the same.
I have always in the past, had lots of jars of cooking sauces as a quick stand by if in a hurry, so that will have to change,but it was mostly the takeaway thing that was worrying me as I do often feel to unwell to even throw anything quick together,am surprised about the indian food, but if that means that I could order a curry (if I forego my beloved nan) then that would be ok.
when reading labels, is it always listed as gluten? or are there other words I should look out for?
Gluten is contained in so many things that you would not expect so be on your guard & read all labels.
You do adapt but it takes time & as you say it is hard when you feel so unwell & your head cant cope.
Keep some gluten free meals in the freezer for those days......I am sure you will reap the benefit of going gluten free.
I bloat out terrible if I eat it & get a fuzzy head......see how you go with it there really are many alternatives.
People on here are always mentioning new products that have come on the market.......as a thickener for casseroles or gravy potato flour is a good substitute.
Give it a go & let us all know if it has helped you. jillymo X
It will be labelled in the main as gluten, wheat, barley extract etc etc MaryF
Thank,s jillymo, I havn,t eaten bread for years as it bloats me so bad and makes me lethargic, but its the things like soups and stews,for years I have been making them with organic veg thinking I am eating well but never considered things like stock cubes etc. Your thickening tip will be useful, at present I use thickening granules but once the tub is empty thats off the list!
Instant smash and cornflour work well! MaryF also I use gluten free flour that also works to some extent! MaryF
I love prezzo!
I shall enjoy my take out pizza there are no worries there........by the way the co-op do gluten free porridge oats. :-0
another good tip, as I have porridge most days for breakfast (again thinking I was being good)
One added note: oats do not contain gluten, but they do contain a protein similar to gluten. The suggestion I read on the Yank Celiac site was to avoid oats as well for a year, then try some gluten free oats to see how you do. At that first trial I reacted to the oats.
The advice contuinued-- if you do react to that first gluten free oat trials do not despair. Give it another year and try it again.
After 3years I had, and have, no reaction so I have once again resumed my winter oatmeal. But during that oat free interim I discovered buckwheat porridge. Nice.
I recently saw on a doctor show a piece wherein a chef makes a great GF pie crust using something called " teff flour.". Neverheard of it before, haven't found or tried it yet, but thought I'd mention it.
Good luck. You'll figure it out, and if your health and energy levels improve in the manner many if us on this site have noticed in our own well being, you!ll never look back. ( though may always look for good GF substitutions!)
"One added note: oats do not contain gluten, but they do contain a protein similar to gluten. The suggestion I read on the Yank Celiac site was to avoid oats as well for a year, then try some gluten free oats to see how you do. At that first trial I reacted to the oats. "
I have stopped eating breads since many, many years ago. Wheat isn't a problem as I don't eat breads, cakes etc. I stopped eating baked goods. I haven't had any coffee for so many years. I don't even have English tea since some time.. As you say, there are other proteins which our bodies seem to react from. I'm hugely allergic to tree nuts and other proteins hidden in ice cream etc. I wondered how many people visited allergists when you have autoimmune conditions? I am currently thinking of seeing one..
I know someone who was recently diagnosed with an egg allergy, which turned out to be a key piece of evidence in tracking down a recent acute GI condition. The diagnosis came from an allergist, not a gastroenterologist.
I see.
You can get gluten free oats, and as explained by a particular farming friend some varieties of oats naturally grow without containing the type of gluten which is a problem they are more expensive but that is what I have in the house. MaryF
I'm not certain and I guess the outcome is the same but wheat gluten is the real baddies then there is a sliding scale with spelt, rye, oats further down the chart. I think wheat is mostly used as it's relatively cheap is effectively processed and the public don't know. The Uk never ate breakfast cereals until we got so close to to the US. Preferring eggs, until the scandal and after the war. Those who know know.
thanks for that, I was confused re oats as I thought I had read that they dont contain gluten, but then noticed recommendations for alternative porridges, I do find that regular porridge makes me sleepy
Hi, I am planning to revert back to this way of life too, I did it a few years ago pre health problem. In hindsight I got too obsessive so it became a chore. I pretty much eat that way anyway now so will be a matter of double checking. It honestly isn't that tough. I currently eat mostly veg, meats, eggs, and occasionally potatoes or rice noodles.
Despite how society and so called nutritionists would have think all diet, low fat, low calorie foods are nigh on poisons.
If you couldn't eat it 100 years ago don't now. Is a great rule. There is an organic/healthy food supermarket near me and I'm sure most places will have similar. Sadly the world runs on greed and lies. If anyone is really interested research Dr Mercola and Dr Leonard Coldwell. Not for the feint hearted tho you may be frightened at first,. We are all lied to eating healthy is no more expensive than eating junk. ALL food is expensive so why eat crap? I'm fortunate as a close friend made me aware of this years ago. She is a nutritional therapist, very very different from a nutritionist or dietitian. Good luck.
It is interesting that food allergy appears to be one of the recurring themes over this forum. Do patients benefit from seeing an allergist or would that be a total waste of time? (I'm currently recovering from chemical reaction associated with a gastro procedure...) Does food allergy part of trio of autoimmune conditions? Knowing how much I am affected by (lifelong), it is odd/unhelpful labs always come back normal....
No harm in having allergy tests in my own opinion, however although gluten intolerance is now acknowledge, often people go for full Coeliac Disease testing which will show up the full extent if it is fully blown Coeliac Disease but gluten intolerance does not. It is a case of a strict test to see if things get better. With myself I felt better after three weeks, and vastly better for some things after 6 months. bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e7982
MaryF
Very useful article, MaryF.
I had a biopsy of late and am currently waiting for the results. Given the intense interest in food/chemical sensitivities amongst patients diagnosed with the trio of diseases (or at least, one of them)..I often wonder if allergies are aspects of numerous autoimmune diseases?
Probably, the first thing that happened to me when I went gluten free was I stop having prolonged sneezing episodes that put me in bed and almost blew my husband and children away, the second things was I lost my endless water retention! The stomach ache and upset tummy then dwindled to a more acceptable level. I had not realized how much it affected me until I stopped. MaryF!
Hi MaryF
I get that...water retention..so awful! (wondered if this is one of Lupus symptoms (or in triad of autoimmune diseases), I seem to have read about this, somewhere) I'm not too sure re. "Gluten" as I don't generally eat any wheat-based products over a number of years. But, still I am struggling..I do tend to react to many of the followings:
To be honest, I do get depressed, fatigued and swelled up e.g. face/eyes in particular..
Chocolate (I rarely eat these days)
Coffee/black tea
Soya
Citrus fruits and juices
Eggs
Grains (all except brown rice)
Milk and milk products (including plain yogurt)
Sugar
Tomatoes and tomato products
Another real bad one is sugar aka simple carbs. Even fruit sugars aren't good.
I just purchased jump start your gluten free diet from amazon on kindle FREE!
