Gluten And/or Dairy Free People, Please Advise

[Katybug]

Hi Folks,

My grandmother was just told she has to go gluten and dairy free. Can those of you that are on either of these types of diets please advise on the best resources and diet/recipe resources you've found?

Thanks Bunches,

Katie

[roxie]

Godairyfree.org

Is my favorite dairy free site

[puppylove]

Whole foods has a pretty good gluten free section. Also, if she likes icecream there is a lot of icecreams made from coconut milk that taste soooo good. And the flavored ones don't even taste like coconut.

[issie]

Trader Joes has some decent Rice Bread - their brand. A little dry, but add a little jam and it's pretty good.

Also, there are some pretty good crackers that have nuts in them and are also Rice flour by Blue Diamond. I like Pamela's Pancake Mix - that's also gluten free.

Read labels - most soups have wheat in them.

Coconut milk, isn't bad either as a sub. for regular dairy. The soy stuff isn't worth even trying as far as I'm concerned. But some like the nut milks.

Eating at restaurants is the hardest and you just have to have them prepare things for you. Tell them no butter and just forgo any thing related to breads or pastas.

Issie

[Dizzysillyak]

These processed foods are void of nutrients so I'm surprised so many doctors are still

recommending these. From what I'm seeing lately the trend is to recommend a diet rich in nutrients like the

Paleo or Wahls diet.

lt might be easier on her to transition to this diet via the gfcf junk food diet because of withdrawals tho.

Tc .. D

[issie]

Yes, I had to do it that way and that's why I recommeded some of the "less" nutritious things. Because, it doesn't feel like so much of a change. I'm actually almost "grain free" myself.

Issie

[Dizzysillyak]

Hi issie,

I was on the gfcfsf junk food diet from 2005 - 2007,8 because I didn't realize I was eating junk food.

I learned everything I could about cooking this way and was even shopping for bread machines. I know all

the terminology .. Lol .. l can see how people can get sucked into this tho. Gf foods are showing

up everywhere and this allows us to feel "normal".

All I was trying to do at the time was eliminate gluten, dairy, soy, etc and it never dawned on me

that because I'm chronicslly ill I need more nutrients not just calories.

I started on the paleo diet but got carried away with eating too much meat and not enough veggies.

Now I've settled on the wahls diet because she includes other dietary features like sea veggies,

fermented foods, etc.

But, I recently read that she's not anti grain and I've found that I can't

process it. It does a number to my blood glucose. Same goes for legumes and too much fruit.

I wish fruit didn't taste so good so I could stop nailing myself .. Duh ..

Tc .. D

[firewatcher]

Katie,

Does your Grandmother cook for herself? Is she "intolerant" or worse?

My son is anaphylactic to milk and all milk products and that one is really hard! Milk products are in just about everything. I have lots of recipes, but eating out is out for most foods...

Why is she being restricted?

[Katybug]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

firewatcher - She has been having yeast infections and skin rashes that they can't explain. Plus, she is asthmatic. She has to change docs for some reason and as soon as she told the new guy what has been going on, he sent her to an allergist/immunologist. He tested her first for some ingredient common in lotions/soaps/makeups and she was allergic. SHe found products that excluded this and it helped quite a bit but still had some minor issues. When they did further testing she turned up gluten and dairy intolerant. She does cook for herself but she also eats at my dad/stepmom's a few times a week and goes out a lot (she is 87, lives in The Villages in Florida, and has a way better social life than I do right now.) So, I'm hoping to find some good suggestions for cookbooks, etc. for both my grandmother and my stepmother so they both have some recipes to work from. My grandmother is a real meat and potatoes kind of lady, but she definitely likes her bread and sweets. I think the sweets are going to be the hardest part for her. She has always eaten a relatively well balanced diet, so at least she has that going for her.

[firewatcher]

Katy,

Kosher foods have been a lifesaver (quite literally) for me and my son. To be Kosher, you cannot mix milk with meat, so I look for the Kosher symbols (Pareve, (U) or a K in a star, etc.) on most of my son's pre-made foods to know if they are safe. Chinese and Japanese will be good too. They usually have no dairy and very little wheat. The gluten issue will be a pain though. She'll end up shopping on the outside of the grocery store: meat and veggie isles and very little or nothing pre-made. I have tons of recipes for dairy-free, but gluten is not our issue, so that won't help.

Has she tried to go completely sugar free for a while? It is really hard, but may break the yeast infection cycle. Depending on where she is in Florida, she may have some really good Kosher options. Publix usually has a pretty decent Kosher section...

[Dizzysillyak]

Wow. 87 and being told to change her diet. Sorry but it never dawned on me that when you said grandma, you

might be talking about a much older person and that she has a good social life. I could be a grandma.

Lol ..

I've met quite a few celiacs who didn't find out that they were gluten intolerant until they were older.

Some are just fine healthwise with the gf foods but others aren't. I'm not sure why tho.

The forum www.glutenfreeandbeyond.org has some great info esp in the gluten free 101 section.

They have a recipe section too.

Tc .. D

[Millerla]

I'm totally fine with gluten, but do try to avoid it when possible. (If I have a choice between regular or gluten free, I choose the gluten free.) But I am vegan, and lactose intolerant. Nowadays, they make a lot of alternative options for people with dietary issues. I drink almond milk, but there is all kinds of dairy free milk out nowadays.(Rice milk, almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, cashew milk...) They also make dairy-free cheese and butter, mainly made of vegetable oil and/or soy. Many people have a soy intolerance as well though, so be careful with that. You can still get all the calcium and such that regular dairy milk has to offer in the non dairy options, plus usually some more protein.

[kayjay]

I read Elizabeth Hasselbeck's book, Gluten Free for Dummies, and the Gluten Free Bible. All were helpful but the "Dummies" book is easy to navigate.

[klgpdx]

This is my favorite gluten-free cookbook:

http://www.elanaspantry.com/the-gluten-free-almond-flour-cookbook/

Other gluten-free cookbooks replace wheat with other grains, but they make me kind of nauseous. With almond flour, however, you can eat a seemingly unhealthy food and feel great after.

Paleo diet resources would also be something to look into.

[Katybug]

Thanks you guys! I knew you would all have great resources!

Dizzysillyak - I know...She plays cards four or five times a week, she goes dancing twice a week, she goes to the pool every morning to do water jogging with two lady friends. She told me if I want to reach her, I need to call before 7:30 am or after 9:30 pm! I have to say, she is running circles around me! It has to be hard to change your diet at that stage of life though. She told me last night she's going to meet with a nutritionist this week because right now she doesn't have a good grasp on what she can and can't have.

[Dizzysillyak]

Hi katy,

I'm jealous of your 87 year old Grandma. ; ) .. Fwiw, I understand that she's positive for gluten and dairy intolerance but her symptoms aren't what I've seen related to gluten

or dairy. I was thinking they could be from getting in the pool everyday. Staying in a wet suit is known

for causing yeast infections. She may also want to switch to all natural personal hygeine products.

Whole foods has these but publix has a chemical free toilet paper.

And if she wasn't told this already, she may want to take probiotics.

Dairy free supplements are available but so is dairy free yogurt. I love Amande coconut yogurt but the extra

ingredients didn't agree with me. A strong probiotic may be necessary tho.

I'm not exactly sure where the Villages are but she has 2 whole foods to chose from in orlando. They

have lists of their gf foods but I'm not sure if the list will also tell her which ones are dairy free. Publix

has a list too.

She shouldn't have a problem eating out still. Carrabas, chilis, uno's, outback and even olive garden have gfcf foods.

Also, sorry to be so wordy here, but it's been my experience that nutritionists really aren't helpful when it comes

to these kinds of diets. Most of the people I know wish they hadn't wasted their time or money.

Tc .. D