Hellobee Boards

Just found this blog yesterday: http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/
Love it!

We're dairy, soy, egg, tree nut, peanut, wheat, and caffeine free so most of my current go to recipes are found on http://www.mspimama.com! I've had to modify a couple, like the Shepherd's Pie recipe (it calls for condensed tomato soup which has wheat in it so I make my own subsitute).

Staples in our home are:
(from her website)
Curry Chicken
Shepherd's Pies (yummy comfort food)
Chicken Lo Mein (which the recipe is also soy free)
Quick Glazed pork & rice skillet
Salsa Chicken
(things I already made on my own)
Spaghetti w/ a combo corn/rice pasta
Chili
Chicken Tacos on corn tortillas

Also "Choice Batter" has a GF fried chicken batter that I was able to find at my local grocer so YAY for fried chicken. Pamela's makes a GF bread mix & flour so you could make your own bread too!

At first it's hard but we eat better and more variety now than before. =)

@Mrs.VW: Unfortunately I have more than 10 lbs to go!

I still get sugar from "natural" sources, I'm just trying to avoid all the sneaky extra sugar ... which is easy to do when you avoid processed foods and stick to whole foods as much as possible. It's a lot of work though... my dishwasher has never been so busy. I do have a few foods that list evaporated cane juice as an ingredient which technically is added sugar, but I figure turkey sausage with less than 2% of cane juice is still a million times better than a Pillsbury's cinnamon roll (By better I mean healthier. Certainly not tastier).

Can I ask why you guys are going gluten free and dairy free? I'm trying to move in that direction myself-- I've know for a while that I'm somewhat lactose intolerant, and I suspect I have a gluten sensitivity so I'm experimenting with cutting that out. These website will be a great help! Oh, and I've also noticed soy gives me a stomach ache too. Actually, and I just cut way back on caffeine b/c we are TTC. Sheesh that sounds high maintenance.
Anyway I'm going to be checking all these blogs out. One GF blog I've been told about is glutenfreeonashoestring.com. I have only just started looking at it though.

@Foodnerd81: I started because I suspected I was developing a grain allergy... and I've always been mildly lactose intolerant but in denial about it. As I started to read more about it, I found a lot of information about this type of diet being helpful for those with fertility issues, especially those with PCOS. I haven't been diagnosed with PCOS but I do suspect that I have it, so I thought I would give it a try and see how it goes.

My results so far:
1. Weight loss (~10 lbs in 3 weeks)
2. Skin improvement - I've always had very dry skin. The first week my skin felt really greasy but it's evened out now. I no longer have the red/flaky dry patches that I was so used to having. My skin is super even and I don't feel the need to wear any concealer or tinted moisturizer.
3. Sugar cravings - basically gone. But not completely. York peppermint pattie commercials kill me for some reason. I can't watch one without wanting to eat like 10 of them.

I've cheated twice - both times I experienced the same symptoms that first led me to think I was developing a grain issue, and both times I experienced major stomach upset within the following 24 hours.

@runsyellowlights: I use mspimama too! We are soy free/dairy free

@alie: Thanks. Unfortunately (for both of us I guess) you sound a lot like me. It just seems like so much work, but at the same time, really bad stomachaches such worse. I just want to be able to eat normally like everyone else!
I'll definitely be following this thread and bookmarking.

@Mrs.VW: mspimama has a broccoli & "cheese" soup that uses nutritional yeast instead of cheese. I SOOOOO want to try it!

@Foodnerd81: I'm not going to lie, it really is a lot of work, especially if you're like me and used to eating out all the time. I do have a few restaurant options that I get now and then... they probably aren't 100% compliant but I seriously am just not someone who loves to cook and I need OUT of my kitchen every now and then! (Usually it's a salad with grilled chicken).

It's not fun at all but I just keep reminding myself why I'm doing it. And I spend a lot of time googling for success stories of those who overcame infertility via diet and/or a combo of diet and other methods. That helps, too

Hey there -- I've been gluten free for about 7 years now -- I have celiac disease so I have to be.... Honestly, it's not bad! It's gotten easier lately and I really don't feel like I am missing out too much.

If you want a great gluten free/dairy free/soy free bread try Udis... Tastes really normal - they have white/various grain breads and cinn raisin bread (and bagels).

Tinkyada is my fave brown rice pasta... But the pasta does take some getting used to.

I read a ton of gluten free blogs - if you want I can post some of my faves here or message you!

@Mrs.VW: @alie: @hellobeeboston:
hoping you ladies can help me out... DH just recently started a gluten free diet and I've been doing some research about coke products. He drinks a lot of pop and I've read several articles about whether it contains gluten or not. Does any one know? I can't seem to find an exact yes or no answer.

@Mrs.VW: Thanks! ok this is where I get confused.

According to the Coca-Cola Co., the following Coke-branded products are considered gluten-free to 20ppm in the U.S.:

Does 20ppm enough to make a difference? Sorry, I know nothing about gluten free diets and don't know anyone who does! I've been researching like crazy to find meals and such.

@lovelife: Is he going gluten free because of a celiac diagnosis, or for other reasons? I haven't been diagnosed with anything so I am definitely not an expert, but my understanding is that if you have celiac, you need to avoid gluten completely, even if it's only 20 ppm. (If anyone knows more than I do, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that!).

Any chance of convincing him to stop drinking it? When I started my grain-free, sugar-free, lotsofotherthings-free diet (I've recently started back in some non-gluten grains) I had been drinking coke on a daily basis. The first few days I had an annoying caffeine-withdrawal headache, but after that it was fine. When I'm craving something other than water, I have some lemon-flavored sparkling water.

@lovelife: oh wow - i never even thought twice about soda. i'm not a big soda/pop drinker anyway, but definitely have it once in a while...I think generally soda is gluten free. I just looked over the ingredients and do not see anything with gluten in it - caramel color IS gluten free. it's some kind of urban legend that it's not.

20ppm is considered gluten free... although, i may tend to avoid things that claim it. There is a gluten free beer called Estrella Dam Daura (i think that's how you spell it) that doesn't say it's 100% GF, but that it's below the 20 ppm, i tried it - thought it was good, didn't get sick, but figured i'd stick to Redbridge gluten free beer that I KNOW is gluten free, just for peace of mind.

speaking of which - if your husband likes beer, there are a few out there on the market, I like Redbridge by Anheuser Busch... And there are a few others.

A sneaky gluten: soy sauce! This one is brutal because it tends to be in a lot of marinades when eating out.

here is a list of blogs I read (I used to have a GF blog, but have been neglecting it for a while!):

FoodGawker - has a gluten free category:
http://foodgawker.com/post/category/gluten-free/

http://glutenfreegirl.com/
http://www.glutenhatesme.com/
http://www.heythattastesgood.com/
http://aglutenfreeguide.com/
http://jenncuisine.com/
http://www.roostblog.com/
http://withstyleandgraceblog.com/

FYI: these are mostly gluten-free only blogs, not necessarily DF or LF.

Also - I am not a big Bob's Red Mill fan for gluten free - something about bean flours taste like soap to me... So if you are looking for an all-purpose substitute flour, I like Cup4Cup (at Williams Sonoma) - sooo good, and soooo expensive. I also like Better Batter.
Pasta: best kind, i think, Tinkyada brown rice pasta, don't overcook - and rinse after cooking
Bread: UDI's - sooo good. they have good bread, bagels, etc

@hellobeeboston: I would totally sign a petition for that, too! It's so frustrating dealing with food allergies of any kind - I feel like the only way you know for certain if what you're eating is "safe" is if you make it yourself from scratch. It's so hard to trust that a restaurant's kitchen is really using the right ingredients (or handling things properly) or that a company is being 100% accurate with their labeling.

In happier thoughts, I tested out a super delicious gluten-free cookie mix today! They are definitely not healthy, but they're delicious! I will probably eat a few today and tomorrow and then make my husband take the rest to work. http://www.ginnybakes.com/collections/chocolate-chip-love-gluten-free/products/chocolate-chip-love-gf-bake-mix