Gluten Free Diet - Boise,ID

A friend told me about a book called GF/CF diet for autism by Luke Jackson. She even gave me the call # of 618.928jac. I haven't looked at this book but you may want to see if it will help you. I have a book a friend gave me with gluten free recipes. There is also a store in Salt Lake area that sells gluten free foods. Good luck with this. P.

My mother-in-law is ciliac also and she subscribes to a magazine called "Living without" It has great recipes that are gluten free.

I have two recommendations. One is to get a grain mill. This is a must in my opinion! The best are nutrimill, wondermill, and vitalmill. Right now the vital mill is getting discontinued (from the makers of nutrimill, very same inner workings, great deal!). This allows you to grind your own flour at the push of a button. Rice, beans, corn, spelt, amaranth, barley and the list goes on and on. Fresh ground flour is so much cheaper and nutritious than buying these flours.
Second, I love www.chefbrad.com
He is a grain guru with wonderful recipes that my family and I love. He uses a blend of equal parts spelt, barley and brown rice to make flour to substitute in any recipe for white flour. It's great. You'll discover grains you never knew existed that are delicious and easy to use! We now LOVE quinoa in everything. Red, black and white. I make gluten free baked goods all the time.
Although spelt & barley have a LITTLE gluten in them most people who are gluten intolerant can tolerate them! It depends on your particular sensitivity. I can't have wheat but I can have spelt & barley.

I would highly recommend first Googling Celiac Disease to find a variety of resources and also look into joining group(s) on Yahoo & Google associated with celiac disease. Celiac Disease is very common with children who have autism and I have been a health resource for two groups in Colorado. Being part of these types of groups is so helpful in getting advice and recommendations from families dealing with similar issues. Look for food labeled gluten free and/or products approved by the Celiac Association.

Hi M.!

www.elanaspantry.com is loaded with recipes and information about celiacs disease. Elana also has a new cookbook, http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Almond-Flour-Cookbook/d...

On her website, she lists her common ingredients and where to find them. Vitamin Cottage is the best place for me to get many of my gluten-free ingredients.

Fiona's Natural foods carries gluten free cereal and cereal bars. Both delish! Whole Foods and Vit. Cottage carry them. Their made from Quinoa.

We really like the Food for Life rice bread. It's a dense texture, but much better than any other GF bread I've tried. Other GF brands that are good are Pamela's, Namaste and Enjoy Life. I've never had much luck with Bob's Red Mill stuff tasting all that great.

Chex cereals are GF (be sure to look for the label on the box though because they were transitioning, so for a while some boxes were GF and some weren't!)

My friend has a great blog for people with food allergies here (I particularly like her sausage loaf recipe as breakfast can be a challenge): http://blog.easyaspierecipes.com/

I also posted my recipe for GF chicken breading on her message board here (almost as good as chicken nuggets!): http://easyaspie.websitetoolbox.com/

I've found that I can at least make quick breads (zucchini, apple, muffins, etc) and cookies substituting regular flour with a mixture of about 1/2 brown rice flour (has more protein than white rice flour) 1/2 tapioca flour, and a few tablespoons of potato starch (acts to bind things together--like what gluten does in regular flour).

It's overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it. Fortunately GF is a big fad now so even major grocery chains are labeling everything that is GF.

The best advice I've had is to focus on the foods you can eat and enjoy them!

Hi M.:

We've been gluten free (and dairy free) at our house for over a year. I've discovered that mixing my own gluten free flours is cheaper than buying already prepared ones. I buy rice flour and tapioca flour in bulk 25 lb. bags at my local health food store. I pay about $20 (more than wheat flour would be, but less than if I bought an already packaged flour mix).

Wal-Mart is getting more and more gluten free foods and offering them for cheaper prices than if you go to a health food store (my kids love the gluten free pantry muffin mix--it's so versatile that I use it as the base of pancakes, waffles, and muffins; Betty Crocker makes a yellow cake mix, and a brownie mix; the best pie crust mix is gluten free pantry). If your WalMart doesn't have these items yet, go to your customer service manager and request them.

Eating gluten free is more expensive than not eating gluten free. Of course, naturally gluten free items like fruits, vegetables, rice, and meats are a great way to save money. This won't help you as winter approaches, but we had a garden the past two summers and that made a huge difference in our grocery budget.

There are lots of great blogs and websites out there to help you know what things are and are not gluten free. I simply type my question like "is swanson broth gluten free?" into google and get helpful feedback.

Here's a little blog that I really like:
http://bakingforjohn.blogspot.com

You'll be amazed at how much easier gluten free cooking and eating can be with a little practice.

E.

I watch "The View" all the time and I know Elizabeth Hasselbeck wrote a book...the G free diet, because she has celiac disease. I am sure that book is pretty easy to find. Good luck!!

M.,

I found that the easiest way to transition was to accept that there was going to be a lifestyle change. When I tried to eat the way I was eating but gluten free I just found it expensive & frustrating because it tasted different & took much more work in the kitchen. So I found that I just don't eat bread or wheat-substitute products anymore. I eat rice almost daily in some form & lots of different potatoes/squashes for my starches. I know it can be difficult, especially when birthday time rolls around or that special holiday where you really want the memories of this-or-that gluten food. In those cases, there are good substitutes.
Specificially, Larkburger (has both veggie & meat burgers) will wrap their burgers in lettuce if you ask. Many restaurants are sensitive now & will direct you to items.
Tinkinyada pasta is a rice pasta found at whole foods (& probably other stores too). It is the best substitute I can find. It gets mushy quickly though so don't overcook it & it cools quickly too so when it's hot, dig in. I found the corn & quinoa pastas mushy from the get go but your tastebuds might be different.
I did have good luck with Bob's red mill brand bread mix when I wanted bread. The mix that calls for lots of eggs is fabulous & light, unlike other denser gf breads I have tried.
You will find what suits your tastebuds & you will find your tastebuds change as you go through this process. It is a journey but it is an easier time to be going through this. There is a lot of support out there & especially here in Boulder, so many gf food vendors.
Good luck & taste on.
K.
p.s. I must say that in response to Aimee C, spelt & barley do contain gluten, but you'll find all these basics in any of the books suggested by the other posters.

I was on the land o lakes web site they have some recipies for that. Good luck and have fun

I noticed that most posters didn't mention that Celiac is different from just living gluten-free. We live gluten-free and I have found a good flour combination for replacing wheat flour one for one on allrecipes.com but when you are using a Celiac diet you also need to go casein-free as well. I read this blog frequently because I think this woman is amazing and she offers great recipes http://allrecipes.com/Cook/eatingwithautism/Profile.aspx. She is also very funny. So far the transition at our house has not been difficult or expensive but we also didn't eat a lot of gluten in the first places and we can still eat dairy.

Hi,
My family is Gluten-Free also. My husband went through every test you can think of to figure out what was wrong with him, except an allergy test. One day talking with our chiropractor he gave me a book on how to cure one of my husband's conditions and one of the things was to take wheat out of the diet. Not only did it cure the one condition, it cured all of his issues. So we decided to do an allergy test and it came back that he was allergic to wheat, eggs, and milk. I have been able to handle the wheat okay, we've been doing that for almost 2 months now, but the other two I haven't gotten quite down yet.

Anyway, the best place to buy basic GF foods is at Fred Meyer in their health food section. They have an isle and a freezer section. The foods are much more expensive than you would normally pay for, but all GF food is. Things you wouldn't think has Gluten does. For example all soups have gluten in them, anything made with White vinegar has gluten in it so if you are buying things like mayonnaise and salad dressing etc, you must read the label, it has to say cider vinegar or red wine vinegar or it is made with the regular white vinegar that is gluten. For cereal you can use Chex. They have made their corn and rice chex gluten free. If the label says modified food starch, it is usually gluten, if it is from out of the country it definitely has gluten in it. Soy sauce has gluten in it.

I haven't yet found a book or a great recipe for bread products yet. What you want to do is if you shop at stores like Walmart, then you need to go on the outside of the store isles, milk, meat, fruits and veggies. When you go out to eat you need to ask for an allergen paper for their menu. If you live in the Boise area there is a store called Jake's gluten free store. They are open Tuesday-Saturday. They are expensive, but you can get stuff like flour in bulk. And I get daily recipes from www.glutenfreeclub.com which helps out in the gluten area, but not the milk or eggs. Today's recipe was gf macaroni and cheese. Good luck and you will find that if you eat this way also you will become healthy too. Unfortunately Gluten is a product they add to food, but it's expensive to take it out...imagine...

I work with a GF frozen pizza company here in Boulder. Here's a list of all major blogs & some good websites. Good luck & remember, you're not alone!

Gluten-Free/Celiac Blogs
• A Gluten-Free Guide
• A Gluten-Free Journey [UK]
• Aprovechar
• Baking Love
• Biogourmand the blog [FR]
• Book of Yum
• Celiac Chicks
• Cook & Taste [FR]
• Fragole & Cioccolato (IT)
• Free From... [UK]
• GF Baker's Blog
• GF by 101 Cookbooks
• GF by La Tartine Gourmande
• Ginger Lemon Girl
• Gluten Free Cooking School
• Gluten Free Day
• Gluten Free Food Reviews
• Gluten free for good
• Gluten Free Gobsmacked
• Gluten Free in Georgia (and Florida)
• Gluten Free Living
• gluten free Mommy
• Gluten Free South Africa [SA]
• Gluten-Free By The Bay
• Gluten-free Girl
• Gluten-free Goddess
• Gluten-free Steve
• Go Dairy Free
• Gourmand sans gluten (FR)
• Il ricettario di Anna (IT)
• It's Just Not Dinner...
• La Belle au Ble Dormant [FR]
• Lea's Gluten Free
• Les Carnets de Miss Diane (CA)
• Les recettes de Claire
• Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne [UK]
• ma cuisine sans gluten [FR]
• Make Life Sweet (NL)
• Mrs. G.F.
• On Mange! [FR]
• Papilles et Pupilles Allergies [FR]
• Pig In The Kitchen [UK]
• Please Don't Pass The Nuts
• Simply Gluten-Free
• Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried (UK)
• Suiksuik Cuisine [FR]
• the art of gluten free cooking
• Triumph Dining Blog
• Wheatless Bay
• Zoom To More Gluten Free Blogs

Other Blogs & Relevant Websites
• http://www.livingwithout.com/images/LivingWithout_Mkit_09...
• http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/glutcure/glucur1.htm (2005)
• http://www.quantcast.com/celiac.org
• http://technorati.com/tag/celiac
• http://surefoodsliving.com/
• www.glutenfreeregistry.com
• http://surefoodsliving.com/2009/04/27/the-g-free-diet-by-...
• http://www.foodallergymama.com/
• http://www.glutenfree.com/
• http://gluten-free-blog.blogspot.com/
• http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/
• http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/

I am also celiac sn I have found a lot of GF foods at vitamin cottage that are inexpensive. Also try Amazon marketplace, you can get some things cheaper in bulk. My son loves my GF foods and he is 3 (but not celiac as of yet). Avoid malt, maltodextrin that is not labeled what kind (corn, wheat) and food starch if its not labeled what kind. Also, no MSG, soy sauce or carmel color--just found that one out--no more coffee syrup for me--or coke, gingerale or rootbeer! There is a preservative in black olives that contains gluten, so make sure those are labeled GF. READ LABELS ON EVERYTHING, even medicines.

Hi M.. I was diagnosed with Celiac about 6 years ago. At first it was a MAJOR adjustment because I was eating bread every day. Plus, I have a ton of other foods I am allergic to so the thought of eliminating yet another food was daunting. I would start with a book called "Wheat Free, Worry Free". It goes over all of the nuts and bolts and has lists of ingredients to be avoided that may contain gluten, that are not obvious. The main thing I do is stick to the outskirts of grocery stores. Eat whole, gluten free grains, fruits, vegies, legumes, chicken and meat (if you aren't a vegetarian) and you are set. The other positive is that your daughter is diagnosed and will feel really well on a gluten free diet! Once you get over the shock of how to eat, I've realized that, as far as diseases go, its a good one to have- the treatment is easy and you aren't on meds with side effects for the rest of your life! Good luck and I would be happy to talk to you more if you want.

I am not sure where you live, but there is a great store in Taylorsville called "Against the Grain" that specializes in gluten free foods. The owner, Diane and her daughter both have celiac so she is very knowledgable and can give you good advice. Good luck.

So sorry you're having to deal with this! It is overwhelming at first (all 3 of my sons were diagnosed within the last 2 years). The good news is its doable once you get things in place and that there are more products available and more restaurants tuned in all the time.The best book that I have found that explains everything (and with humor!) is Living Gluten-Free for Dummies by Danna Korn. The public library had tons of books on celiac and recipe books. I checked out the different recipe books and then bought my favorites.To help get you started: think simply at first-any fruit, vegetable,fresh meat is ok. Yoplait yogurts, Honey Kix, corn and rice Chex, Hebrew National hot dogs are all GF. Good luck!

I know a woman, Suzanne Bowland, who wrote a book and teaches seminars on Gluten-free living. She has Celiac Disease and has some great suggestions and recipes. It might be very helpful to you. She also has a website: http://www.theglutenfreelifestyle.com/

Good luck!

There are so many more gluten-free options now than even a year ago. There is a great magazine, Living Without. It may have some great tips for you. Many meals can be done for the whole family, not just making you a short order chef for you little one.

Gluten, as you may already know, is in SO many things! I am with a great company called Arbonne, which offers many gluten-free products for your hair and skin. I highly recommend considering these, too. Feel free to contact me thru www.feelpure.myarbonne.com. Click Contact Us (at the bottom of the home page). I can then email you a list of the products and help you find ways to save/get free product.

Hope this helps!