Gluten Free Ladies

My boyfriend and I have been gluten free for about the past three months and I must say we feel much better.  We aren't necessairly gluten intolerant but our naturopath wanted us to clean up our guts and this was the best way to start.  We've completely detoxed at this time, but we have been reluctant to add wheat and grains or anything white back into our diet because we are feeling so good...no bloating after meals, less gas, regular movements, etc.  Our weight dropped down about 12-15 lbs each, and most of it was around our middle (the place I said I could never lose it).  Friends have been asking me if I had "work done"...he he...no, I got bc and cleaned up my diet and lifestyle:)

I love the gluten free pastas...couldn't really tell the difference...less starchy I guess.  There is also a good assortment of gluten free snacks like chips and such.  We use them sparingly.  My DGS who rarely eats anything unless it's french fries and chicken tenders likes the chips.  They contain flax and chia seeds and are certainly better than tortilla chips.

Thanks for starting the thread! 

Madrianna DH is allergic to wheat so we have been doing wheat free for about 2 years.  Not 100% but we watch it pretty close.  If I remember you are from Texas.  HEB brand gluten free rice pasta's are pretty good.  They cook well and do not fall apart.  I bought several cookbooks but have one that really like that I bought on Amazon that has great recipes.  I'll try to post the name of it later for you.

 Here is a gluten free recipe for those with a sweet tooth (Like me) I'am trying to go gluten free as well and have been looking for good recipes. I have a blank right now, but whats her name on the view has a book out with recipes all gluten free that i hear are pretty good.

Chex Mex buddies:

I am joining in as well. I have suffered from gigantic hives for several years which would pop up sporadically, or so I thought. I tried everything from changing soap to lotions. So a couple months ago, I decided to go gluten/wheat free. Mind you I do cheat occasionally like having pizza but for the most part eat no wheat. Voila..no hives, even after I cheat. Except once when I cheated for three days in a row so back to gluten/wheat free I went.

I am with you on the Udi's bread..very good. I love the corn pasta from Germany (can't remember the brand name) and I am eating almost entirely organic food now. I feel better and will continue this forever. That is not to say I will not have profiteroles at my favorite French restaurant though.

I am finally getting back to the Cookbook.   I have tried several and the one I like the best with the most recipes is "1,000 gluten-Free" Recipes by Carol Fenster.  This book using some different types of flours like Sorgum flour.  I buy most of mine from Authentic Foods.com.  If you are vegan the plus to sorgam flour is it is high in protein as well.  I love the buttermilk pancakes.  When you eat them for breakfast you are not hungry until lunch they really stick with you.  I bought my book on Amazon.  I use the bread recipes and make bread in my bread machine.  Very tasty when fresh but i have not found any that keep really well. Toast the next day or two is good but not sandwiches.

Sunflowers, that is so interesting about your side effects going away on the gluten free diet.  I generally eat sprouted grain products - I don't have a gluten intolerance, per se, but I always feel better on a low-carb diet.  

I love this topic!  My naturopathic doctor does kinestic muscle testing and I come up very weak for wheat in all my organs.  When I laid off it, I no longer got any heartburn, constipation or other issues; plus I lost weight.  I"ve been off wheat for a couple of years now and I really really do not miss it.  My 15 year old has terrible acne and I finally got her to agree to see my np also.  She has been off of wheat for two weeks - within two days her face cleared up.  Sadly, man has messed with wheat so much with hybridization that even organic wheat is messed up.    (see the three points by cp418!)

Happly, there are lots of options - while some oats are not technically "gluten free" because they may be processed in wheat plants, we do fine with oats and I have found that grinding organic oats in my blender make a great flour that can be used for quick breads and muffins and it is "moister" than rice flour.  

Breaking the Vicious Cycle has LOTS and lots of recipes for grain free living that can also be adapted to just gluten free living.  

 Unfortunately, we are also off sugar, so that makes things kinda hard, but we do a lot with stevia.  One of my favorite recipes (and it is NOT sugar free) is for flourless brownies!    I'm not positive this is the recipe we have used, but it's generally the same and it's fun to make with kids!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-brownies/ 

this is a really interesting thread as I was diagnosed gluten intolerant after I finished treatment. I also had a milk/dairy intolerance and had always had problems with my digestive system for a very long time and once I was told it was dairy and I stopped eating it, the difference in how I felt was incredible. The gluten intolerance seemed to come on quickly and I didn't recognise the symptoms. I went to see a nutritionist by chance who told me about the allergy as I was feeling really ill, sick, lethargic, achy and once I stopped the gluten, the symtoms went away. If I eat the problem food, I get a pretty bad reaction. Did anybody else get diagnosed after treatment?

sunflower. Coconut aminos is more like a soy sauce but soy free. it has somthing like 17 amino acids and is made from sap from a cocunt tree and aged sea salt. I have had it at my dads and its pretty good.

My son is wheat/gluten intolerant so I have been looking for recipes to make bread/cookies, etc for him. I found this blog http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/. She has lots of recipes for breads, etc. Made my son banana bread from her blog on Saturday and it was delicious and actually stayed pretty moist. You do have to test with a toothpick and might have to cook longer than a regular bread or even the time on the recipe.  I have bought mixes for bread (cannot remember the name) that were good. She has a recipe on her blog for a sandwich type bread that sounds similar to the mix that I used that I would like to try (Uses sorghum flour). Planning to get the whole family gluten free eventually. I will have to try the Chex Mix Buddies. My son is always looking for a snack!

I've never been much of a baker, so since going gluten free, we just avoid breads or anything with flour completely.  Hasn't been so bad, but sometimes you would just like a good sandwich.