My daughter Nina has not felt well for months and after several visits and lots of tests, her dr. told her she is allergic to wheat.
So right now, we are reading all our labels and doing research to see what she should be eating.
I made this batch of granola for her, it contains oats, brown sugar, butter, coconut and pecans.
We are looking for wheat-free advice. She is mostly looking for ideas for what to eat for breakfast and lunch since her favorite doughnuts and sandwiches are now off-limits.
My husband was diagnosed with celiacs a few yr. ago. He likes rice chex which are gluten free as are rice krispies. Lunch has changed from sandwiches to soup or salad. After a while reading labels becomes second nature. You would be surprised at all the things that have wheat in them.
ReplyDeleteI have an uncle with gluten intolerance (celiac sprue disease) also. Most major grocery chains now have a section where they feature gluten-free breads and other foods. So do health food stores. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteCeliac disease is quite common these days. I have not tested positive for celiac but I am still symptomatic at times with wheat so I have to be careful. Allergy testing has failed me at times so I tend to go by how I personally react to things.
I have heard that in general regular oats are grown next to wheat so there can be cross-contamination. The only brand of oats that does not generally cause problems is called McCann's Irish Oats. You can find it at Whole Foods, Trader Joes and most health food stores.
You can read their FAQ's here:
http://www.mccanns.ie/faq.html
In general though oats cannot be 100% labeled gluten-free.
You can try celiac.com and celiac.org for starters. In general I personally don't like other grain products as a substitution for wheat, but each person has to try things out and see what they do or don't like. It is really a learning experience for each individual. I incorporate more rice products into my diet than anything else, and I do eat some corn items too - I try to keep it simple as I have several allergies and intolerances.
It is not easy to have food allergies in one's life - especially when most people can eat whatever they want and you have to watch them eat it. :) Social settings can be challenging but not impossible if one plans ahead to make sure they have something enjoyable to look forward to eat also.
I agree with Linda above also - it's important to educate one's self with all the types of gluten ingredients. It's a must to read every label to be sure to avoid anything that can be disguised with gluten.
It takes time to adapt to a different way of eating. I find it helpful to focus on what I can eat and to leave the rest behind.
For breakfast I usually have eggs or smoothies, but on occasion I have McCann's oatmeal, cream of rice cereal, puffed rice cereal with rice or soy milk (I'm allergic to dairy).
ReplyDeleteLunches are mostly leftovers from dinner but sometimes I will have tuna salad, chicken salad, turkey hot dogs. Corn tortillas are an option to wheat tortillas (just check the ingredients to be sure).
For pasta the best brand I think is Tinkyada - but like most processed non-gluten foods it can become very expensive at $3.00 a package. There are options for many prepared gluten-free foods, but again I find it easier to keep things as simple as possible, which makes living with food allergies more frugal too.
I am not GF, but the Crockpot Lady at crockpot365.blogspot.com has a daughter with celiac, so nearly all her recipes are GF.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog btw, I am also an Oklahoman :)
I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter's wheat intolerance! We haven't had to deal with that, so I'm no help with it, but it looks like some other ladies helped out. :)
ReplyDeletePoor Nina! I hope she can find that things to eat that will not make her feel so bad!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Susan
I am sorry to hear about your daughter. What about the cakes? oh what bad news! I don't have any advice but I wanted to suggest www.5dollardinners.com she has gluten free frugal recipes.
ReplyDeleteMercedes
Look up Celiac and you can find lots of recipe sites off of that lead. You can buy flour in the regular grocery store. I think it is Red Mill perhaps? It is by the flours. You can bake things yourself and most taste just as good.
ReplyDeleteJoyce
Oh bless her heart, that's hard. Hope you find some good replacements for those goodies she loves so much.
ReplyDelete