Going gluten free, how? what? where? when?

so after VERY soft diapers for 7 months, parasite testings, celiac testing, allergy testing and no results and no improvement, we decided since my son was allergic to dairy and soy as an infant, to take my son off of dairy. no change aside for some solid diapers (yay!) over pesach, which changed right after we gave him soy milk (or we thought, coulda been matza), we decided soy was the culprit we took him off dairy and soy. no change a few weeks later so we decided gluten free is the next step. my store carries MANY gluten free products, but how the HECK do I change my whole cooking style? or do I cook separately for him? hes 2.5 btw.

any help, advice? please feel free to help out Smile

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Posted: Mon, May 09 2011, 11:47 am Post subject:

I am trying to also figure it out, for dh. so far no wheat, and trying to cook like the scd. basically only specific carbs.

so far we has eggs for breakfast, lunch chicken soup. supper chicken.

I guess its a lot like cooking for pesach. but with rice

also chex is gluten free

Gold Member Joined: Dec 10 2009 Posts: 1390

rice pancakes
gluten free noodles
rice milk
rice bread
quinoa
lots of fresh veggies, raw, steamed, baked, like squash or sweet potatoes
white potatoes
salmon, tune, lox
avocados
rice cakes and sunflower seed butter (YUM!)

Senior Member Joined: May 09 2010 Posts: 170

I use almond flour (basically ground blanched almonds) for baking some treats. see elanaspantry.com - she has great recipes. My kids are all off dairy and soy - they used to have cereal with rice milk (which is good for loose diapers) but it got way too expensive, so they have it with WATER or dry - can you imagine! sandwiches are a challenge - sometimes I make spelt bread/rolls and others they have rice cakes. Supper isnt much of a challenge - chicken/chicken cutlets with potatoes/rice/ rice pasta etc. Good luck!

Executive Member Joined: Jul 17 2006 Posts: 338

add to sarachanas list
buckwheat (kasha)
rice pasta
esikiel bread (sp?)
potatoe starch
corn
cornmeal
corn chips
corn flakes
rice crispies
chex
potatoe chips

If you really want to go gluten-free, you should avoid spelt. Also note that most brands of corn flakes and crisp rice contain barley malt, which also has gluten.

Silver Member Joined: Dec 30 2010 Posts: 737

Ok! WHOA! Back up.
Spelt = NOT gluten free!!!! (That was point #1)
2) Gluten free does not mean taste free. It doesn't mean flavor free. It doesn't have to mean more expensive.
3) Gluten = WHEAT. RYE. BARLEY. SPELT. (most commercial) OATS.

OP, you want to begin by taking a trip to your local library (or amazon. I <3 amazon) and picking up a copy of Danna Korn's "Raising our Celiac Kids." She does an EXCELLENT job of explaining many of the nuances of the diet. Although it is soooooo tempting, resist the urge to troll the internet until AFTER reading through Korn's book. It is easier to navigate the sticky web of the gluten free internet if you already are semi-comfortable with the vernacular for gluten free.

Personally, my mother changed over her whole cooking style, and when I got married and had my own home, I banned gluten from the premises. It is MUCH easier to make everyone ONE meal and not be sitting there making 2 separate meals. Why?
1) Takes extra time to make two meals. You have more pots to wash and time involved.
2) Cross contamination is probably the worst aspect of the gluten free diet. If you use the same spoon to stir the rice that was just used to stir the noodles, you've effectively ensured that your son can't eat the entire pot of rice.

That being said, buy your son his own toaster so that he can safely eat bread again (Rudi's brand although I'm not sure about other allergens is gf).
I would make all breakfasts and dinners gluten free, and make lunches seperate (regular bread for teh lunchboxes of the glutenoids, some gf bread for your 2.5 year old.)

It is SUPREMELY easy to cook most foods gluten free without an extreme price hike. You just have to avoid the heavily processed foods like gluten free mac and cheese mix, gluten free pizzas, etc. Rice and beans = cheap. It's also gluten free (check your bean brand for cross contamination).
Scrambled eggs wtih potatoes. Soups thickened with potatoes or rice. Stews in a crockpot with lentils. Mashed potatoes and gluten free tuna patties. All = budget friendly.

As for mainstream cereals = Post Cocoa/Fruity pebbles. Chex varieties (except the wheat chex) are gluten free. Have any other qs? Feel free to PM me.

dont know if this is allowed or not -- but I just wanted to plug my husbands company - Katz Gluten Free Bakery....

if you go to their website: www.KatzGlutenFree.com you can get a FREE sample pack with all their stuff (breads, cake, cookies) and see if you like any of their stuff.

Good luck !

Senior Member Joined: Dec 14 2010 Posts: 105

This is a great gluten free waffle that you can prepare/ freeze and then heat in toaster for breakfast:
http://www.cookkosher.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=798&Itemid=2

Executive Member Joined: Jul 17 2006 Posts: 338

and chickpeas

Senior Member Joined: Dec 14 2010 Posts: 105

There's a great hotline you can call in to:
718 506 9035