[Closed] Going gluten-free

[i]bread substitutes[/i]

CG.

I'm not sure if you've caught the flat bread thing that the diet threads have included.
IIRC there was a well liked recipe from maccruiskeen.

My personal strategy was to just go without.

I hope cutting out gluten provides some positive for you.
🙂

EDIT
[url] http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/idave-n-chips#post-3471228 [/url]

CG, no bread since 1st of march here.......and i dont miss it. 😀

Ton.

Did you make those Scotch Eggs ?, if so, what did you think ?.
🙂

rice pasta seems ok

i did mate.....perfect too. 8)

[i]i did mate.....perfect too.[/i]

Top bloke !.

Cheers.
🙂

Solo - thanks but couldn't really be bothered with that! Actually, eating bread is a habit and habits can be broken. I did try some g-f rolls which were reduced - toasted them and they were fine but no way would I pay full price for them!

ton - you don't miss it at all?

Edit: I don't eat potatoes or rice, rarely eat pasta but every morning I eat porridge, even in Summer. Time for some experimenting me thinks!

not at all love.
and in the past i would eat 4 to 6 slices with most meals.

c-g - can;t help specifically on your health front, but my experiences:

I have, through the diet-that-dare-not-speak-its-name effectively gone gluten free for 6 days out of every 7.

Like ton, I used to be a big bread eater. Especially the artisan stuff from the farm shop opposite my house mmmmm However, I now feel much better - in fact, though I eat bread on Sundays, I notice that I tend to feel worse as a result.

Worth a try for that alone, IMO. Good luck.

Gluten is just one of the proteins, although the most obvious and damaging, in grains.

Substituting wheat flour for maize, buckwheat, rice and tapioca flour will indeed remove the gluten, but.... it would mean you were still consuming lots of other pro-inflammatory proteins that you are clearly sensitive to.

My ex was gluten intolerant, she gave up gluten and it helped, but continued to eat genius bread another grain based gluten free stuff. She then went grain free totally and the difference was incredible. The reason people beat up on legumes is that they have similar pro-inflammatory effects.

Your gut is an organism in itself. It will heal but not overnight. Be super good for 30 days, notice the difference. It needs time for the bacteria in there to sort themselves out, a good [url= http://www.myprotein.com/uk/products/super_dophilus_plus ]probiotic [/url]
can be useful at this point.

Thanks for the most helpful replies. 🙂

My body has been a mess since 8 months ago, being hospitalised following a dark side accident thus needing mega-strong pain killers. Three months ago I had an op under general anaesthetic so more strong pain killers. Three weeks ago I had another general anesthetic for a procedure so even more pain killers. Added to that I'm taking anti-inflammatories and paracetomol daily.

Total current number of pills per day is 21 which I know won't be forever but am feeling pretty rubbish.

So will ditch the bread and avoid substitutes, I know my protein needs increasing so will focus on that.

I just realised I got a bit preachy and didn't answer your original question....!

Personally I'm 90% grain free and 99% gluten free out of choice for health reasons.

Things I do to manage my diet are:

- I eat starchy carbs at specific times. This is after I play sport or train. The rest of the time I don't avoid carbs, but get enough for my day to day through veg and fruits, etc.
- The starchy carbs I eat are white rice, potato/sweet potatoes, rice noodles, or even (gasp) glucose drinks/gels post heavy exercise.
- You just have to get out of the mindset that a meal is bit of protein, bit of carbs, bit of veg. Don't substitute stuff, just change!
- I've started to embrace frozen veg in the microwave despite being a food snob! cheap, quick, easy and arguably fresher than fresh produce. frozen broc/green beans/peas/cauli instead of a bloody great side of pasta/mashed potatoe/bread and you'll feel so much better.
- If you like things like chilli or spag bol, etc which don't really go with a side or brocolli, then change the dish for a one pot dish by adding loads more veg like squash, swede, cauli, peas or even a few evil legumes like kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas.
- go to the pub, order a burger, ask them to hold the bun but ask "can I be cheeky and you throw a few more bits of salad instead?". Feel like a total tool the first time, but they don't care, you'll feel loads better and don't think twice the next time.
- Embrace omelettes. 3-6 eggs, bacon, mushrooms, peppers, cheese. Quick, tasty, healthy, nom.
- simple thai curry: thai curry paste, coconut milk, meat of your choice, but then made into a one pot thing by adding aubergine, sweet pot, peas, courgette, green beans, coriander (loads, treat it like a veg), spinach. again, super nom.
- breakfast is harder because the world now exists on manufactured grain based foods. Options are either eggs, bacon, etc. I don't really want that/can't be bothered in the morning so my brekky is a smoothie of: milk, banana, frozen berries, whey protein powder (again gasp, but I consider it a legitimate basic food product made from milk), or maybe even substitute the banana for an apple and a small pinch of ground cinnamon.

That's a bit stream of consciousness, so not the most organised or structured of ideas, any questions ask.

Worth noting: I'm not in any way lactose intollerent. My breakfast would be a nightmare if you are. One of the grey areas of paleo/primal/evolutionary led thinking on diet is dairy, I am pro, fully understand if this doesn't suit.

I'm GF but I use a lot of substitutes- Glutafin Select white flour mix is basically my lynchpin, it's fab, handles and bakes almost like proper flour and though it tends to make bland and slightly bubbly doughs, it tastes pretty much like bread.

Genius bread- white seeded version is excellent. The brown one just got a "new improved recipe" which made it taste worse, as is always the case with new improved recipes.

Dove Farms, I think the name is, are the winners at pasta. There's other decent ones but they're head and shouders above, the only drawback is that it breaks up/dissolves if you leave it to sit once cooked but it's just like normal, quality pasta.

Senorita J is on a FODMAP diet which is gluten free.
It is quite restrictive ,no onions ,garlic and tomatoes for example,
as well as the bread.
Over the past 18 months or so ,more products seem to be available
in mainstream stores which makes life easier.
My advice is to be strict - something my missus isn't , she'll treat herself now and then and wonder why her symptoms have returned.

Best of luck to you.

My wife is GF - before I met her, I had no idea what it was - or more importantly, how hard it can be outside your own home!! Many resteraunts and pubs are [i]slowly[/i] offering GF alternatives on their menus (not just 'Rissotto' or 'Nachos'). Every place we eat, we make a polite suggestion to offer more choice for GF people - unless us GF people say, nothing will happen! My wife feels slightly embarrassed by it, but I certainly don't.

I'm semi-GF... all the meals we eat are GF, but I sometimes add things (like Naan bread for currys, etc) on my plate. And I couldn't live without beer...

Beware of one thing - GF food is extortionately expensive, unless you make everything yourself from scratch!!

We have Genius Bread, Doves Farm GF flour, and lots of spelt pasta (only recently discovered this, as an alternative to 'GF pasta')

Oh, and you can drink Budweiser (the american brown bottle/red label - NOT the Budweiser Budvar Czech beer!!).

Warburtons GF rolls are nice. Rice pasta's good, potato flour for pancakes works well, rice noodles oh and find yourself a decent place that does proper pakora that's not in wheat flour.

Dosa's are a favourite food just now....

I'd agree about cheating on gluten. Not worth it, it just knocks your gut back 10 steps if you're susceptible.

Other stuff fine, binge on ice cream then go for a 100k ride, whatever. Odd way to do things but no drama.

@xiphon - spelt is NOT gluten free, it's just another type of wheat.

I'd second pretty much all of what hmanchester has written, I am now very good friends with legumes since I went GF five years ago.

I still miss bread and god I would love a proper pizza, but it's just not worth the after-effects.

I feel better in a whole range of ways, I realise that some of the 'normal' was actually not normal for my body and seems to have been due to grains!

Matt

@ I_did_dab

My wife can eat it quite happily - and she's got quite a bad Gluten intolerance.

Somebody in the local health food shop mentioned it to her... and it works nicely.

We don't need to buy the special GF pasta any more.

Perhaps it [i]contains[/i] Gluten, but in such small amounts it doesn't effect people?

http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2012/05/31/gluten-free-diets-what-are-they-and-should-you-be-on-one/

Perhaps it contains Gluten, but in such small amounts it doesn't effect people?

Yep, much smaller amounts of gluten.

@xiphon - spelt is not suitable if you are on a gluten free diet for coeliac disease as it contains a moderate amount of gluten. According to wikipedia some wheat intolerant people can tolerate it, but the references look iffy to me.

Excellent link, although I would say that because I agree with it!

As to the amount of gluten needed to get a reaction, that can vary hugely. My ex reacted to a bowl of chips in a pub. Apparently frozen chips are dusted in some flour type substance that helps to stop them sticking together, with you've guessed it, gluten in....! Tiny amount, big reaction. Everyone is different.

There is a big difference also between coeliac disease which is an auto-immune reaction to gluten in the intestine which can be triggered by ~5 mg of gluten and wheat/gluten intolerances, not to mention IBS. Anyone who thinks they are gluten intolerant should have a blood test at the GPs to rule out coeliac (or to get diagnosed and get prescription GF food).

Substitute bought products are normally rubbish but there are plenty of GF bread recipes knocking about. This one is my [url= http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/7048/gluten-free-bread-for-bread-machines.aspx ]favourite[/url]
It makes great crunchy toast but you have to grill it rather than put it in the toaster.

M and S do ready made GF sandwiches if you need to grab something quick, but if you are in M and S you might as well go for the various salad options e.g. 3 bean, greek, green bean and soya.

The TigerTiger rice noodles are pretty good for a quick, tasty snack, 2 minutes in the microwave - sorted.

Information on beer [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_beer ]here[/url] and Estrella have just launched a GF beer called [url= http://www.estrelladamm.com/en/daura_gluten_free_beer/ ]Daura[/url] which they sell in La Tasca

Thank you again for such helpful information. Although I eat a small amount of bread every day, it tends to be Warburton's wholemeal. White bread is avoided, toasted is OK, but will result in stomach pains.

I gave up fruit some time ago, never thought I could do that as I ate masses, and my blood sugar levels are certainly a lot better for it.

Will be getting a load of blood tests done in the new few months anyway so will get that checked. Funily enough, my adult daughter has been diagnosed as gluten intolerant and am not surprised at all. Her diet was dreadful!

Many resteraunts and pubs are slowly offering GF alternatives on their menus

This requires a great deal of caution as a gluten-free menu doesn't often mean a kitchen free from cross-contamination. This doesn't matter if you're just trying to avoid wheat-based foods, but can be a right pain for people with coeliac disease (gluten is gluten, and just a trace will usually cause problems for them).

Coeliac UK are an excellent source for recipe ideas. They also hold local forum meetings to discuss good local restaurants, shops,bread recipes, etc.

IME cut all grains - Mrs F_J's symptoms are much worse with oats than with wheat (and best without either).
Don't go for substitutes, just eat real food. Cut the milk maybe too.

You may find (Mrs F_J did) that once you cut the grains, you are no longer intolerant to fruit. Which would be good as you can then have really nice breakfasts (e.g. frozen berries with Yoghurt)

I've been grain free since c. 2009 - except for white rice.

This is very true. Once your gut heals then it's more than possible that it will be able to cope with things that it had become intolerant to.

Also, and I think the discussion above backs this up..... Gluten intolerance/celiac is not a black and white issue. I think it's more worthwhile to think of where you are on the celiac spectrum. It's not all about gluten (flap_jack has just mentioned oats and avenin not gluten is the issue there), and different people have different symptoms at different times. It's not simple, hence the worthwhile discussion.

I'm on the celiac spectrum, most people are. For me it's minor but I get bloated when I have lots of processed white flour. This is mild, other people of course are different all the way up to being diagnosed with producing celiac antibodies. You can have a serious issue and still not be diagnosed. My ex who I mentioned above with the reaction from dusted chips took the celiac test and was given the all clear. Did I mention it's not simple?!

In my opinion the easy and obvious thing to do is just avoid grains altogether. Cake is nice though.

I have been celiac for about 15 years and avoid gluten totally but I do grains such as rice and another one not mentioned by anyone is quinoa. Check out Indian foods as they tend to use gramm flour and most indian resturants are gluten free by default. Chinese food tends to include nothing but - soy sauce is a nightmare. Nairn do a series of GF breakfast cereals which include GF oats which I find quite good. I find most of the GF breads, including Genious,to have other down sides - fat salt sugar etc. If you fancy a good ride snack I use '9' bars - check out Sainsbury. They have also started a line of GF burgers where the rusk is GF. Apart from that I focus on corn products, fresh meat and veg etc. Good luck

I was diagnosed Coeliac a couple of years back after years of suffering. Was tough at first but the improvement it made in my life was worth it without any doubt.
First things first.....beer, hambleton ales up near Ripon in North Yorkshire make a ale and a lager (soon to be another lower abv lager) and it suits me just fine. I drinking one now watching the match.
Food can cost a fair bit more than your used to, but all the supermarkets have made great improvements in the range they offer. I was diagnosed following a TtG blood test and a few cameras in places which gives me the chance to order via prescription. Some PCT's have clamped down in recent months on the selections available, which is fair enough.
You will miss a gorgeous crusty loaf and a pizza or nan bread but the bread from Genius and others is getting better all the time.
So much food is naturally gluten free but processed stuff is a no no, however that has made for a lot of healthier eating for us.
If you can get over the fact you cant have a pint down the pub, then everything else will be a breeze. Well you can have a pint but its cider, wine or a spirit! (pints of whisky are best suited only to stag and hen doo's!)
Good luck

FCOL no way can I go without my beer!!! 😯

FCOL no way can I go without my beer!!! 😯

OK, back on my perch ...

Just to emphasise that I haven't been diagnosed, possibly just a minor intolerance if exceeded. However, there's so much being said that gluten can affect hypothyroidism that it has to be worth a shot.

As mentioned previously Chinese is normally off limits because of soy sauce which is made with fermented wheat but Japanese soy sauce is ok and available in supermarkets. Thai restaurants are usually ok though.

I found out last week that starbucks do a gf chocolate brownie and it tasted pretty good.

I was also surprised at how much gf food was available in Spain, even the nestle ice cream posters at cafes marked up with gf info. And the equivalent of a tesco express in Spain also had a small gf section.

Sorry to bump and old post, but better than just creating another one on the topic.

[url= http://chriskresser.com/rhr-what-science-really-says-about-the-paleo-diet-with-mat-lalonde ]This is a good podcast and transcription on paleo eating looked at from a scientific point of view[/url]

Hi CG,
I was diagnosed with coeliacs disease when i was 11, so about 26 years ago. I found using g-free flour with a bread maker (obtain a cheapy one, they work just fine)a brilliant way to get lovely bread. i make it the way i like it and it is a much cheaper alternative to GF bread from the supermarket!

Where do you live? I am a member of the coeliac society and get regular mail thro the door - would happily send it on to you!

The diet is easy and well worth it - things can be as hard or easy as you want it.

Try google'ing GF ale/beers - you can but on-line for a cheap 'bulk buy'.

p.s. Chinese food? ...Tamari soy sauce is naturally GF and chinese cooking is easy once you get going 🙂

Plug for Costa Coffee who do a really great GF rich fruit cake - worth a visit

Also Co-op sausages are gluten free. What's encouraging is that they don't make a big thing of it (and a big margin) they just use gluten free breadcrumbs in them because they can.

hmanchester - thanks very much for that, shall have a good read and in particular the mention of gluten and coffee.

solarpowered - thanks very much for your offer but I don't have a confirmed diagnosis as such, just talk of a possible link between gluten and thyroid.

I did buy some Warburton's g-f bread rolls (reduced in Waitrose) and they were delicious but not filling presumably due to very light texture.

Cheers for all the info peeps. 8)

CG,

Beer: [This is not medical advice and any Coeliacs should decide it its worth the risk for themselves, but my wife and FIL who are both coeliac and get ill even with a single toast crumb in the butter have tested it]. Brahma beer is very low gluten content, such that they can drink 4 bottles in an evening once in a while without feeling any consequences. There is also a spanish beer available in Asda that is quite drinkable and is gluten free. I think it is called Duara (sp?) - its a bit more expensive than Brahma though.

Chinese: talk to your local restaurant - we found that roughly half the menu was OK, even some of the battered stuff (e.g. sweet n sour cantonese style) is made with potato starch not flour.

Any GF peeps on here shoudl have a look at this site - cracking GF grub!
http://littonlarder.com/

[img] [/img]

she has (and makes) cracking "puds"