Gluten free living

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I recently found out that I need to spend the rest of my life gluten free so I’m looking for some help. What is a good gluten-free cook/baking book? There are a lot out there but what’s a good one?

Also, how strict are you with how you run your house? I have bags of wheat bread in the same drawer with my gluten free cookies and snacks. Do you keep these things totally separate? I made gluten-free toast on our toaster but then I wondered if I need a separate toaster just for me.

Any recipes? Especially for cookies. 😃 Or sweet cornbread.

How do you eat out?

I think I’m doing things OK because in just 2 weeks I’ve felt much better. What a relief to have a diagnosis and know that all I have to do is change my diet. But then again not sure if it’s sunk in yet that this is for life.
 
I’m not gluten-free, but do you have a crockpot? This blog is run by a lady who’s gluten-free and the recipes are quite tasty:

crockpot365.blogspot.com/

It’s not just crockpot recipes though, she provides a lot of information about gluten-free living. For example, from her site I’ve learned that McCormick spices are gluten-free!

Sorry I can’t be more helpful, but hopefully this will give you some options to start with.

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I’ve got a friend who’s living a gluten-free lifestyle; I’ve emailed her. (I think she’s even the newsletter editor for the local gluten-free club–didn’t know there were such things!)

When I hear back, I’ll be happy to pass along whatever she provides.
 
I have a relative doing this! I feel bad the spouse. I have tasted the food with rice flour, corn flour, or semolina substitute, some of it is funky, I do not have any sources other than running an msn search with glutten-free recipes as a search phrase. I can say there is all the substitution you can make by using non gluten flours. You may have to spend more time in the kitchen preparing your own bread or noodles, but at least you can freeze for the week and use as necessary. Also, buy more rice noodles, especially bihon, if you have an asian/filipino store around you, they cook super fast, but they do not taste good with tomato sauce like semolina would, better with stir fry or dark sauces. FYI
 
👋

Yup, I started going gluten-free almost 2 years ago. (And I’ve felt much better!)

How strict you need to be depends on how sensitive you are to gluten. Me, I’m not super-sensitive, so I don’t go too crazy about “cross-contamination”. But other people do have separate toasters, separate condiment jars, etc. You might want to try it for a while and see if it helps. 🤷

There are lots of cookbooks out there, but I haven’t tried too many. I simply adapted most of my normal recipes. (It’s easier than you think, usually.)

I don’t know much about breads, since I never ate much bread anyway.

Check your grocery store, health-food store, or local co-op for gluten-free stuff. When I started, I had to shop at the health-food store a lot, but then my local grocery store expanded, and they added a gluten-free section. There are lots of gluten-free cake, cookie, and bread mixes. (Bob’s Red Mill has a yummy cornbread mix!)

How do I eat out? I’m still figuring that one out, lol. Honestly, most of the time, I don’t. I’ll pack myself a meal. But sometimes I’ll try to order something from the menu. I usually have pretty good luck with salads (no croutons, dressing, etc.), or some combo of meat/veggie/potato, or breakfast items can be good. (I like Denny’s, because they often serve their pancakes on a separate dish, so I can easily give them to my parents, lol.) 😃

But, again, I don’t generally worry about “cross-contamination”, so I don’t think about whether my eggs were cooked on a griddle that just cooked something with gluten, etc. Many people do need to worry about that; I have no idea how they eat out!!

I wish you luck! If you find some good tips, maybe you can share them! I’m still trying to figure this thing out myself. (I’m starting to wonder if I should get stricter; I had a really bad stomach after the last few masses I attended. I’ve been hoping that I could continue to tolerate receiving Eucharist in the usual way, but I suspect that I might have to switch to those low-gluten hosts.) 😦
 
RE: cookies -

While oats may be coated with trace amounts of gluten (a result of being handled in the same processing equipment as gluten-containing grains), they do not usually *contain *gluten. So if you can find a gluten-free oat, you’re free to make as many oatmeal cookes as you want 😃

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TraderTif said:
👋

(I’m starting to wonder if I should get stricter; I had a really bad stomach after the last few masses I attended. I’ve been hoping that I could continue to tolerate receiving Eucharist in the usual way, but I suspect that I might have to switch to those low-gluten hosts.) 😦
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Well, if you think it would make you feel better, ask your priest about the low-gluten hosts. I know the priest I work for always has them in the sacristy, but he won’t know to consecrate any unless you talk to him about it. You could also take only from the cup, instead, too.
 
Here’s some information I got from my gluten-free friend (some of this is specific to the North Dallas area, where she lives):
It is a big adjustment at first, but well worth it for most people!

This is a local group which meets monthly and has a pretty good website: northtexasgig.com/. (They also offer a good “Celiac 101” class each month for newly diagnosed folks.)

This is a great full-color glossy magazine that is packed full of good information (including a starter’s guide) and recipes, too: livingwithout.com/.

This site is full of good information in general: celiac.com/.

I haven’t spent much time at this blog myself but have read good reviews of it and the author: glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/.

Plus, there is a great GF restaurant in Plano called Laura’s Bistro (off 75 and Park.) We’re regulars! Here’s a link: delicious-n-fit.com/. They also have some killer cakes, cupcakes and cookies! They’ve recently started a Sunday brunch complete w/ GF pancakes and biscuits!

Here’s a great site for ordering GF goods: glutenfreemall.com/catalog/, but I will say that I can also get certain items directly from Amazon for cheaper (thanks to their super saver shipping) and even faster at times than directly from the other companies. Plus, I shop a lot at Whole Foods Market, Sprouts and Market Street; all three have GF sections and the staff can be very helpful, too. The Market Streets in the area also hold GF cooking classes on a regular basis. I would encourage your friend to stop in and talk to a concierge about scheduling a tour (they’ll do this for free and talk to you about GF foods) and to schedule a new-to-GF/GF basics cooking class! Both will help with preparing the pantry with the right products and purging of the old. Gluten is sneaky and is hidden in so many products that one must be very vigilant and careful. I will add that in my family, we all react to MSG, hydrogenated oils and aspartame much in the same way we respond to gluten…so it is often wise to cut those completely out at the same time.

For GF supplements, one must be careful b/c often fillers contain gluten. We love Kirkman’s brand for many supps here: kirkmanlabs.com/. Note: having a good supplement regimen is very important for Celiacs or the Gluten-Intolerant simply because most of us don’t process our foods as we should. Without supplements, deficiencies and issues like Osteoporosis are sure to crop up!
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mom2Grace said:
I recently found out that I need to spend the rest of my life gluten free so I’m looking for some help. What is a good gluten-free cook/baking book? There are a lot out there but what’s a good one?

Also, how strict are you with how you run your house? I have bags of wheat bread in the same drawer with my gluten free cookies and snacks. Do you keep these things totally separate? I made gluten-free toast on our toaster but then I wondered if I need a separate toaster just for me.

Any recipes? Especially for cookies. 😃 Or sweet cornbread.

How do you eat out?

I think I’m doing things OK because in just 2 weeks I’ve felt much better. What a relief to have a diagnosis and know that all I have to do is change my diet. But then again not sure if it’s sunk in yet that this is for life.
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Hi! I’ve been gluten-free for almost 6 years - welcome to the club! :)🙂 It’s actually not a bad club to be in. Another person here said gluten-free stuff tastes strange, but I beg to differ. If you know what products to buy and how to cook, it should taste good.

First off, in regards to how careful to be… do you have Celiac’s? Or just a gluten-sensitivity/allergy? I have Celiac’s, so I really need to be pretty careful - no Eucharistic Host!!! I only receive the Precious Blood, from a chalice where there hasn’t been any co-mingling. I don’t bother with gluten-free hosts or anything like that because Jesus is fully present in both species and it’s not always practical to get the gluten-free hosts.

In regards to cooking… some have given some great links already. I’d have to say when you first start baking gluten-free, use gluten-free mixes. Baking from scratch can be tricky and requires a lot of experimenting, but there are some great pre-mixed products out there for breads, cakes, pancakes, pie crusts, cookies, etc. My favorite mixes are from Gluten-Free Pantry: glutenfree.com/

Another favorite series of mixes for me are Pamela’s baking mixes: pamelasproducts.com/Products_frames.html

Others have mentioned Bob’s Red Mill here, and while many do like Bob’s, I’ve personally never cared as much for that brand. Everyone’s taste buds are a little different, I guess.

In regards to cooking, another person put it well… just start modifying the recipes you already have!!! But… read labels *very *carefully. If you cook with a lot of prepackaged products (canned soups, seasoning packets etc) you will probably have to find new products or adjust your recipes accordingly (like season with pure spices from your spice rack instead of relying on premixed seasonings, etc).

In regards to eating out… there are some great options here. Not sure what’s in your area, but restaurants like Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carabba’s, and Maggiano’s all have gluten free menus and chefs who know what to do. Also, Pizza Fusion has a great gluten-free pizza (kinda pricey though). And many local restaurants are becoming more sensitive to gluten issues, and printing up gluten free menus. We have a Thai place here that serves gluten-free food. Ask local gluten-free friends/contacts where they eat as they’ve probably identified some local gems.

Hope that helps. When people tell me they feel sorry for me, I reply “Hey, I can still eat steak, ice cream, and drink wine. Life ain’t bad. :)”
 
My youngest brother has celiac disease, and my mother has dealt with it by seeking out restarants with gluten-free menus and nearby gluten-free stores.

Also, it is possible to get gluten-free hosts (made with wheat, but with gluten removed). My mother bought a pyx (a container like those used by those bringing the Eucharist to the sick) and places it (gluten-free host inside) with the other hosts in the ciborium. The priest consecrates it with the other hosts, then has it ready when my brother goes up to receive. 🙂
 
Great thread. I wrote a post about this on my blog, PhitZone.

The bottom line is this; if you do not have a medical reason to eat gluten free, do not do it. There are too many tremendous benefits to consuming gluten. For one, it is a fantastic source of protein.

If you do have legitimate health reasons (Celiac Disease or allergic) for being gluten-free, then you really don’t have a choice in the matter. In this case, I would be super strict about storing and preparing foods. I, personally, would not deprive anybody in my home of the gluteny-goodness, but I would ask that they respect my needs as well.

As to the OP, If you have Celiac, I wouldn’t worry about the toaster, as the crumbs tend to fall away. If you are allergic, watch for symptoms. If you have a reaction, get your own toaster. If not, no worries.
 
mom2Grace said:
I recently found out that I need to spend the rest of my life gluten free so I’m looking for some help. What is a good gluten-free cook/baking book? There are a lot out there but what’s a good one?
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I recently received a copy of 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster and I love it. I’ve made several things from it and all were very good. Everyone liked them, especially the Sour Cream and Raisin pancakes. The book tells you how to mix up different “baking mixes” but I just used Whole Foods’ all-purpose gluten free baking mix instead. It worked out fine.
mom2Grace said:
Also, how strict are you with how you run your house? I have bags of wheat bread in the same drawer with my gluten free cookies and snacks. Do you keep these things totally separate? I made gluten-free toast on our toaster but then I wondered if I need a separate toaster just for me.
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I’m pretty strict although I do keep wrapped gluten-free goods in the same cabinet as the regular food. I wouldn’t store loose gluten free cookies in the same jar as regular cookies though. We share the condiment jars but the utensil used must not come in contact with regular bread/rolls/etc. If it does, take a new one. Same thing for the butter - no bread crumbs. If that’s a possibility, then the gluten eaters must use a separate piece of butter on a separate plate. The toaster oven isn’t an issue here because no one else usually uses it but if others do, I wipe off the rack first. If you have a regular toaster, I would get a separate one.
mom2Grace said:
Any recipes? Especially for cookies. 😃 Or sweet cornbread…
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Take a look at the book mentioned above. There are also a lot of mixes out there. I like most of Whole Foods stuff - especially their pancake mix. If you have a Whole Foods in your area, check it out. Their frozen muffins are pretty good too. There are also some good (but expensive) cookies on the market. I’m partial to Mi-Del’s Pecan cookies and Schar has some good vanilla wafers and lady fingers. Oh, and Betty Crocker (owned by General Mills who will soon convert most of their Chex cereals to gluten-free - Rice Chex is already out) is supposed to come out with gluten-free baking mixes sometime later this year or next. 👍
mom2Grace said:
How do you eat out?
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Eating out can be a bit nerve wracking and you sometimes wind up with a very plain looking meal but it’s better than getting sick. Since so many people are being diagnosed nowadays, a lot of restaurants - including high end ones - are more accomodating. Many have rice pasta in the kitchens now and use cornstarch instead of flour in the gravy, etc. Just mention it when you make a reservation and explain the situation if necessary. Someone’s mentioned Outback and others. Red Robin is a burger place around here that will make adjustments as well and they will fry up separate oil for your french fries too. On that subject, you have to be careful that any fried food that you eat is not fried in the same oil as breaded food.
mom2Grace said:
I think I’m doing things OK because in just 2 weeks I’ve felt much better. What a relief to have a diagnosis and know that all I have to do is change my diet. But then again not sure if it’s sunk in yet that this is for life.
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It’s really a good time to find out that you have this problem. A few years ago and you wouldn’t have had as many choices. But it’s really not bad. I’ve been thrilled to finally feel good. My doctor just told me that he can’t get over the change in me and he’s convinced that I’ve been suffering from malnutrition for years. I’m happy as a clam. It’s just a bit of a chore because you always have to check labels because ingredients change. Two sites you might find helpful:

[childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2166/ma(name removed by moderator)ageS2166P12sublevel50Flevel70.html](http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2166/ma(name removed by moderator)ageS2166P12sublevel50Flevel70.html) lists common ingredients and lets you know which require further questioning

celiac.com/gluten-free/ - this is the forum on celiac.com that was mentioned before. It’s great.

Good luck
 
Thank you for all of those links. I really love to bake, and I can make a 100% whole wheat bread loaf that rises so high and has a great texture. 🙂 I hope that I can learn to bake my own bread. Looks like I’ll need to search out some strange ingredients, but our grocery store does carry a lot of bob’s red mill so I just need to get a recipe together and go buy all those ingredients. I have a box of gluten free baking mix but the pre-mixed stuff is all pretty $$. I did make some lemon bars with the baking mix and they were pretty good.

As far as my sensitivity, my blood test was positive for the antibodies but I haven’t had an endoscopy or biopsy. Since I have/had almost every symptom of celiac, dr. suggests I try the diet for 3 months and then re-evaluate, instead of doing more invasive testing.

I’ve started just taking the precious blood at communion. I’m usually the first or one of the first people in line. But I’m not sure if I should go up to the person with the host and get a blessing, or just skip over to the precious blood?? What would you do? I talked to our priest to let him know my situation but he didn’t clarify what exactly I should do other than just recieve the wine.

About restaurants, I knew about the Outback, but not that Red Robin had a gluten free menu. I do know that Taco del Mar has a lot of gluten free (just not the pork or the wheat tortillas).

Shopping is a bit tricky. I’m standing there reading the long ingredient lists with baby in the front pack and toddler in the cart, and people coming up behind me wondering what’s taking so long. Soon I’ll know what to get so hopefully the shopping process can speed up. Why do they put food starch in almost everything? :rolleyes:
 
OK according to the children’s hospital.org website, modified food starch is safe if made in the US or Canada. If that is true, it opens up a lot more products that I can eat.
 
mom2Grace said:
Thank you for all of those links. I really love to bake, and I can make a 100% whole wheat bread loaf that rises so high and has a great texture. 🙂 I hope that I can learn to bake my own bread. Looks like I’ll need to search out some strange ingredients, but our grocery store does carry a lot of bob’s red mill so I just need to get a recipe together and go buy all those ingredients. I have a box of gluten free baking mix but the pre-mixed stuff is all pretty $$. I did make some lemon bars with the baking mix and they were pretty good.

As far as my sensitivity, my blood test was positive for the antibodies but I haven’t had an endoscopy or biopsy. Since I have/had almost every symptom of celiac, dr. suggests I try the diet for 3 months and then re-evaluate, instead of doing more invasive testing.

I’ve started just taking the precious blood at communion. I’m usually the first or one of the first people in line. But I’m not sure if I should go up to the person with the host and get a blessing, or just skip over to the precious blood?? What would you do? I talked to our priest to let him know my situation but he didn’t clarify what exactly I should do other than just recieve the wine.

About restaurants, I knew about the Outback, but not that Red Robin had a gluten free menu. I do know that Taco del Mar has a lot of gluten free (just not the pork or the wheat tortillas).

Shopping is a bit tricky. I’m standing there reading the long ingredient lists with baby in the front pack and toddler in the cart, and people coming up behind me wondering what’s taking so long. Soon I’ll know what to get so hopefully the shopping process can speed up. Why do they put food starch in almost everything? :rolleyes:
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I have to roll my eyes too at the food starch lol… good to hear it’s mostly safe, but yeah, could we put a little less confusing junk in our foods??? 🙂

In regards to Communion, in our parish it’s kind of disruptive (based on the set-up) to “skip ahead” to the Cup. People sort of wonder what’s going on. So, I notified our priest ahead of time (like you did), and I walk up to him first (not an EM or anyone else), and he blesses me (usually with a smile on his face because he knows!!). Then I step in line to receive the Precious Blood. It’s great… you get blessed and you receive the Lord. 🙂

When I travel, I try to notify the priest because some parishes do not offer the Precious Blood to parishioners and others co-mingle the Body and Blood in every single cup. If I can’t find someone to notify, I go up for a blessing.
 
zaramarie81 said:
I have to roll my eyes too at the food starch lol… good to hear it’s mostly safe, but yeah, could we put a little less confusing junk in our foods??? 🙂

In regards to Communion, in our parish it’s kind of disruptive (based on the set-up) to “skip ahead” to the Cup. People sort of wonder what’s going on. So, I notified our priest ahead of time (like you did), and I walk up to him first (not an EM or anyone else), and he blesses me (usually with a smile on his face because he knows!!). Then I step in line to receive the Precious Blood. It’s great… you get blessed and you receive the Lord. 🙂

When I travel, I try to notify the priest because some parishes do not offer the Precious Blood to parishioners and others co-mingle the Body and Blood in every single cup. If I can’t find someone to notify, I go up for a blessing.
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Oh one more thought on this… I used to go up to NY for Mass a lot (where the Precious Blood is usually not offered to all). I made arrangements with that priest (who was very happy to accommodate). In that case, he administered the Host to everyone, while I stood in the back. Then, as all the other parishioners cleared out, he went back to the altar to get the chalice. I would walk up and kneel at the altar rail to let him know I was there and ready, and he would offer the Precious Blood to me at the altar rail.
 
By the way, more from my gluten-free friend:
I was thinking after I sent this that there are several local (chain) restaurants that carry GF options and even have GF menus! One just has to be careful to make sure the server understands how to correctly put in the order and/or remind kitchen staff to be careful of cross-contamination issues:

PF Changs
Pei Wei
Outback Steakhouse
Boston’s
Uno’s
Carraba’s Italian Grill
Chipotle (everything but the flour tortillas is GF; we often do crispy [corn] tacos or a burrito bowl)
Abuelo’s
Rockfish Grill
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I just started being gluten-free about three months ago. I don’t have to be extremely strict about cross-contamination, because I am not very sensitive to the gluten, but have already noticed vast improvements from the modifications I made. First, I should note that I’m a 21 year-old student living in an apartment with 2 young men (I’m a young woman), so I don’t have to worry about cooking for a family or anything. At first, it was really hard for me because I tried to stick with packaged foods from the gluten-free section in the market, or from the co-op market we have in town. This was incredibly expensive and severely limited the foods I could eat. More recently, I’ve stopped buying the packaged items and have been cooking from scratch, using rice and garbanzo flours as a substitute for wheat flours and adding xanthan gum as necessary. This has been much better. I eat a lot more rice than I used to, and have tried some unusual (yet good) new grains, but I think my overall diet is much healthier. I’ve managed to pull together recipes for gluten-free white bread, soups, muffins, cakes, and cookies, among other things. My roommates still steal my food all the time, and keep thinking that I’m “cheating!”
 
I make black bean brownies - this recipe, minus the chocolate chips: allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-Brownies/Detail.aspx

I think they are very good though they do taste different than a store bought brownie…it took me awhile to get the cooking time just right and they taste better refrigerated, but they have fooled my family (my dad - a chocoholic - had no clue he was eating black beans).
 
My husband follows a gluten free diet…we use the same toaster…I find food for him in the health food store or health food section of our grocer…there’s alot of recipes on the internet and we buy gluten free flour and xanthum gum(in health food stores) to make bread…there is gf bread in the freezer section of health food store…it’s a pain when you eat out but he’s gotten used how to order…the longer you follow it, the easier it is…
 
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