Going Gluten-free

[artisticlicense (imported)]

I don't know how many members of this community are gluten intolerant, but I would like to hear from any who are.

What are your experiences, trials, and frustrations?

I have been off wheat for 16 days, as of this writing.

I have not been 'confirmed' as Celiac or gluten intolerant (yet; tests results not in), but I feel so much better. He did the skin biopsy and antibody blood tests. Should get results this week. He wants to do the small bowel biopsy (Hospital; ehh).

My IBS is pretty-much GONE! The heartburn and gas problems too. Pot-belly is taking a little longer .

I still feel like I ate a football after small meals, but it goes away quickly.

I'm already tired of rice. I sure miss the Honey Wheat Bread! Sandwiches were my mainstay . . .

My cupboard is bare, now that all the items that have wheat are removed. Blew me away. I like to cook, but cooking from scratch every time? Shudder!

Good thing I also love salads!

Does anyone have a decent bread recipe? I've been trying. I have produced one edible-success out of several dog-food-versions (they didn't fight over those either!).

The costs for non-wheat flour(s) are 5-10x's normal flours, at my only local grocer that carry any (Ingle's; limited supply and choices).

It is going to be a challenge.

I have found a good source from nuts-on-line (http://www.nutsonline.com/). I've been ordering nuts from them for years. Didn't know they also produce a wide range of alternate flours. Prices are still high for some varieties, but most seem to be about half what a local purchase would be. This is also something I wish opinions on. Which alternate flour tastes like whole wheat (IF)?

Anyone not familiar with gluten intolerance, please visit celiac.org (http://www.celiac.org/).

The symptoms that gluten intolerance causes, amazes me.

Not hard to fathom that North America would have the most numbers of those with this ailment (1-133).

We have been altering wheat for generations through genetic manipulation and hybridization. It's bound to affect someone, eventually.

[tugon (imported)]

Many stores now have gluten free sections. My cousin has celiacs disease and at family gatherings we always have gluten free options for her. She is pleased with the growing selection of gluten free foods and the improvement in taste. When I was off the gluten, among other things, trying to better control my diabetes I also felt better. My mood began to suck but my body felt better.

Good luck and it sounds like you are on the right track.

[DeaconBlues (imported)]

I don't know how many members of this community are gluten intolerant, but I would like to hear from any who are.

The costs for non-wheat flour(s) are 5-10x's normal flours, at my only local grocer that carry any (Ingle's; limited supply and choices).

It is going to be a challenge.

We have been altering wheat for generations through genetic manipulation and hybridization. It's bound to affect someone, eventually.

I don't know much about gluten intollerance, but as for non-wheat flour and such.... I suggest that you get your own grain mill, they really don't cost all that much, just search the web for "Corona Mill" and you get a lot of hits. Amazon.com sells lots of mills, not just the Corona brand, and grains too. With your OWN grain mill, you make only as much flour out of ANY sort of grain that you want, but the point is that the flour is fresher, UNbleached, and UNprocessed. The stuff you buy in the store is OLD, has been milled for months before it ships to you and it loses flavor and nutrients in that time. When the grain, (wheat or any other grain) is in is seed form, the nutrients and taste is more stable, more protected.

The Amazon "Gluten Free Store online" is:

http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Foods ... e%20grains

And the grain mills, well, Amazon and many others sell them too, you can get a Corona mill cheap (about $30), it is hand cranked, and you can spend $500 for some trendy "Wolfgang" mill.

[artisticlicense (imported)]

I don't know much about gluten intollerance, but as for non-wheat flour and such.... I suggest that you get your own grain mill.

Thanks for the reply (& links).

I have looked into, or rather considered a mill of some sort. My brother is making me a stone mill where he works. Can't wait to try it out.

Trouble for me, where I live, 'alternate' grains are hard to come-by. The Nuts-on-line guys have a whole bunch, and I can get some grains from our family farm (millet and soy). Never heard of some of the 'alternates' some people are using; but, it is an interesting learning experience; and something to 'focus on' (anticipation of new experiences, cooking & baking), instead of maybe a 'woe is me' attitude. (Had that too :-\).

Since you (I assume) have a mill, have you made any alternate-flour breads? That's my biggest upset!

I have found a few recipes, but none have made anything like I'm used to.

[transward (imported)]

If you don't know about it, King Arthur Flour, (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/glutenfree/) one of the top quality baking supply companies has a large quantity of gluten free supplies, information and recipes. On their website you can sign up for their gluten free newsletter. They are fast and reliable when ordering over the net.

A recipe for Southern cornbread w/out flour:

Grease 10" cast iron skillet; heat well in 400 degree oven.

2 Cup cornmeal (In Georgia you should be able to get great cornmeal)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp table salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

mix well in bowl

beat 1 large egg w/ 1/4 cup melted butter (or bacon fat or oil) and 2 cups buttermilk. Mix w/ dry ingredients.

When skillet starts to smoke pour batter in and put back in oven. Bake about 18 minutes.

This is very popular w/ a gluten intolerant friend I occassionally cook for.

Transward.

[artisticlicense (imported)]

If you don't know about it, King Arthur Flour, (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/glutenfree/) one of the top quality baking supply companies has a large quantity of gluten free supplies, information and recipes. On their website you can sign up for their gluten free newsletter. They are fast and reliable when ordering over the net.

Hey! Thanks for the link. Look forward to the 'cruise'.

I actually have the old cornbread recipe, from Grandma (almost identical). I had gotten 'used to' the self-rising blend.

Add a generous 3/4-to-1 cup sugar; add a 1/2-to-1 can of pie filling (blueberry, yum) and maybe a little milk - produces a muffin-like treat. She used to put it in paper cups sometimes too.

No, corn isn't a 'hard find' here .

[graylayer02 (imported)]

If you're forcing yourself to eat rice, try skipping the rice; it means that your body doesn't really want it. Grains and potatoes are pretty useless from a nutritional standpoint, so you won't miss much if you skip them. It's also much less work when cooking, and you'll be amazed what kinds of real vegetables there are out there to have with your steak.

[KittenAB (imported)]

If you're forcing yourself to eat rice, try skipping the rice; it means that your body doesn't really want it. Grains and potatoes are pretty useless from a nutritional standpoint, so you won't miss much if you skip them. It's also much less work when cooking, and you'll be amazed what kinds of real vegetables there are out there to have with your steak.

Not always, each human will have different dietary needs.

[artisticlicense (imported)]

It has been 6 weeks. Doing a LOT better.

To answer some questions, and replies;

Tests came back. Positive for the anti-bodies, negative on the dermatitis.

I was taking probiotics that had wheat ingredients, and gluten (extra - for tablet stability). GOT to learn to read the find print! Kept feeling bad after eating, and ran down all the labels again. Surprised. Swelling has gone down again, after two weeks off those enzymes.

Eating a lot of yogurt. No ice cream, limit milk (baking - changes properties, like cheese). Soy milk OK. No sodas .

Black pepper and vinegar hurts. No more until gut heals.

I am eating meats, and lots of vegetables, just no more store-bought 'slice-bread' & home-made biscuits from wheat flours.

Never made a habit of potatoes, except for the occasional batch of fries and chips. Do OK with those in limited amounts.

This time of year, I eat from the yard most evening meal (salads).

Rice isn't a "pain", just boring. It's supposed to 'help' heal the gut of celiacs (I'm not confirmed a 'celiac', just glutenn sensitive). I do like chicken & rice with vegetables. A lot of the seasonings people put in rice dishes, for flavor and what-ever, has wheat starch. So, it's basic, or nothing.

One of my older brothers subscribes to the "Blood-type Diet" book by Peter D'Adamo. I read portions (for "O" blood group; me, I'm "O-"), a few years ago. I thought it was interesting, then, but it had no scientific backing. Re-reading it today, I see a lot of correlations (and logic) to the gluten intolerance I am experiencing now.

Oddly enough, according to Peter D'Adamo (Author of ‘The Blood-type Diet’), “...blood types influences digestion, and this is why different blood types have different strengths and weaknesses. Lectins in the diet often establish which foods are beneficial or harmful for a particular blood type. The blood type diet classifies certain foods as 'neutral, or 'avoid,' or 'beneficial' based on a person's blood type.”

D'Adamo’s book “...classifies blood group O as "the hunter" and the earliest human blood group, thought to be muscular and active. He suggests that type O's include an abundance of meat in their diet, and a low amount of carbohydrates. He suggests enriching this diet with fruits and vegetables, limiting wheat germ, whole wheat and corn, and avoiding dairy products and most nuts. He states that Type O's are commonly afflicted by hypothyroidism, high stomach acid, and thin blood.”

I don’t seem to have a problem with corn, cheese, or nuts. (They don’t cause sores in my gut, anyway.) Cheese-grits cause me constipation though.

Foods with high concentrations of lectins, such as beans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean), cereal grains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal_grain), seeds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed), and nuts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_(fruit)), may be harmful if consumed in excess in uncooked or improperly cooked form for the “O” blood group. Adverse effects may include nutritional deficiencies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_deficiencies), and immune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_reaction) (allergic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergic_reaction)) reactions. Possibly, most effects of lectins are due to gastrointestinal distress through interaction of the lectins with the gut epithelial cells. A recent in vitro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro) study has suggested that the mechanism of lectin damage may occur by interfering with the repair of already-damaged epithelial cells. British Journal of Nutrition (2000), 83: 207-217 Cambridge University Press (http://journals.cambridge.org/action/di ... 4500000271)

The epithelial cells are what gets damaged in the gluten intolerant people (celiacs).

Guess that means I should go more for the 'caveman' diet?

I have found a decent bread recipe using brown rice flour and oat flour.

Getting used to going back to 'scratch-baking'. Re-discovering my Betty-homemaker persona .

[georg_germany (imported)]

I got gluten intolerance too. There is a good book, very worth reading:

Dangerous Grains. Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health.

Celiac disease or at least gluten intolerance are much more common that most people and even physicians know. Often the symptoms are misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome.