# The Gluten-Free Thread



## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Since I'm always whining about having to be gluten free which sucks, I thought I might as well start a thread on it. I was only recently diagnosed so I'm still adjusting -- reluctantly, let me tell you.

Anyone have favorite recipes or know products that are good?

Has anyone tried the Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake? I want chocolate cake SO bad!

http://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Gluten-Free-Chocolate/dp/B000ED9LSU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Edit: The one comfort in life. Coffee has no gluten.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Ohhh This is a thread I will need to follow.. DH just got diagnosed with celiac's. and he loves his breads.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

I hope this becomes a VERY long thread. DH was just diagnosed, and it really sucks. I've stocked up on some GF flours so I can convert my recipes, but it's so hard to find lots of good stuff to eat - especially bread.

JR - I don't know about cake, but there is a lot of chocolate stuff you can eat - like M&M's, Hershey chocolate (Kisses, etc.) and Tootsie Rolls! Even Snicker bars, which really surprised me.

Pamela's makes a chocolate chip cookie that DH said is really good. He said it's one of the few things he's tried that doesn't seem like he's eating a substitute food.

BTackitt - We've tried the Schar's GF bread mix, and it wasn't bad. But I'm trying a homemade recipe that uses four different kinds of flour (that I had to order online) - it's supposed to taste like a good regular bread. Gonna try that tomorrow. Bread is so hard - no bagels, hamburger buns, etc. (We'd just switched to eating only whole-grain bread, and we make a really good bread with wheat flour.)


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## Joyce DeBacco (Apr 24, 2010)

I have celiac too and I still can't make a decent loaf of bread. I must have six different kinds of GF flour and the bread looks terrific in the oven. But the minute I take it out it collapses. I finally gave up on it when I found Udi's bread in my local supermarket's freezer case. It tastes the most like regular sandwich bread than any other I tried. But it costs $4.99 for a small loaf. I still miss a nice, cristy chunk of Italian bread though. And pizza. Ooh, and pie crust. Yes, lots of things I won't ever enjoy again. 

As for cake, Betty Crocker has a GF cake mix on the market, but it only makes one layer and it costs over $3.00.

So, I will be following this thread as well to see if there's anything new to add to my GF meals.

Joyce


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

DH recently had Udi's pizza crust, and he said was pretty good - we bought it online.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I have yet to find a local grocery that carries gluten-free bread locally. No sandwiches or toast is horrible. So is no oatmeal--I'm a SCOT for heaven's sake.  

That chocolate cake gets pretty high marks on the Amazon reviews so I think I'll try it. I'll post whether it's any good or not. I know chocolate candy (most of them) work but it's not the same as cake. *sniffle*

I think part of the trick has to be finding replacement products--but good ones may not be that easy. I'll look for that pizza crust online. Pizza would be nice, too!

Edit: I'll tell you what surprised me. Cheetos have no wheat in them and I didn't react at all when I ate some. I was a bit nervous but no problem at all. And I love Cheetos.


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## Casse (Oct 16, 2009)

I am gluten, dairy, and fructose free so finding food I like that I can eat can be interesting.....

I've also found a bread that makes great toast (I'm out so I'll post the brand later) - though I've yet to find anything that tastes like real bread....

I have yet to find a pizza crust I like as most contain sugar and the others... yuck!

I can also recommend a brand called allergy free chicken tenders / nuggets - these are great with organic potato wedges. Glutino makes crackers that are actually very good and often my quick go to breakfast. My favorite product so far.... Van's waffles - yum


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Casse said:


> I am gluten, dairy, and fructose free so finding food I like that I can eat can be interesting.....
> 
> I've also found a bread that makes great toast (I'm out so I'll post the brand later) - though I've yet to find anything that tastes like real bread....
> 
> ...


*make note of the crackers*

I so miss crackers and cheese.

Gluten, dairy, and fructose free must leave like--fruit and nuts. Poor you! 

Edit: Wait, no fruit probably. So you live on nuts! Ouch!!!


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

> I am gluten, dairy, and fructose free


I can't even imagine!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I suppose many of you are acquainted with Bob's Red Mill. They do a pretty good job with gluten-free products and Safeway carries some of them which makes them pretty easy to find unlike a lot of gluten-free products. I mean ordering online is great but sometimes you want it NOW. But they also do online through Amazon and their own website. (no I don't get a cut, but I've bought from them for years for other stuff) http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free/

So last night I went to the grocery and picked up the gluten-free chocolate cake mix they make. When I mixed it up I found the odor/scent rather off-putting. It didn't really smell at all like chocolate cake. However the odd smell disappeared as it baked. It came out quite moist and rich. It was very chocolatey. If I have a criticism, it's that it was a bit too much like a brownie for my own taste in cakes, but that's not terrible either. Most people like brownies--so I'd say it's not a bad cake choice.

It was easy and quick. I followed the directions very carefully because I saw some comments on Amazon reviews that you get bad results if you don't. I have a birthday in a few days and I think this will probably be my birthday cake. However, I may (if I can get permission) post a carrot cake recipe that someone gave me that came out really good too.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

> I followed the directions very carefully because I saw some comments on Amazon reviews that you get bad results if you don't.


I think that's true for all gluten-free baking.

Happy (early) birthday!


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

Check out this website for gluenfree items

http://lastcrumbbakery.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UYnJXRub14


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Great! Thanks for the links.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I have never been tested, but I seem to feel better when I cut back on gluten and also on lactose. So I just try to eat less gluten for now. 

I love the Pamela's mix to make the brownies. Those things are just good, gluten free or not. Yum yum. Can make them different ways. I also love making pancakes with the baking and pancake mix. Again, just tastes good period. Better than a lot of regular kind of mixes. 

I did try the bread mix from Pamela's and I like the results, but it doesn't taste like bread. Since I was raised on german/bavarian  type breads it would be difficult to find anything remotely like that in gluten free. I never bought anything that was already baked or such, just the mixes to make my own.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I suppose in a way I'm lucky (although I haven't felt that way lately) because although I'm celiac diagnosed, I don't have any other sensitivities. But I can't tolerate any gluten at all. 

Having to give up fructose of lactose would make it so much worse! I love finding some product to try. Thanks everyone for your contributions.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

resurrecting an old thread because I just found this website today and had to share:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives.html#Gluten%20Free%20Recipes


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

A better link to that site would be: 
http://www.101cookbooks.com/gluten_free_recipes/

I followed the link in the previous post and was on a page with links to regular recipes but it did have a link on that page to the 129 gluten free recipes.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

My own experience:

Don't try to replicate gluten baked goods. IME it just makes you want "the real thing" more. We don't eat GF bread and very rarely eat GF cookies, muffins, cake etc. They're generally speaking not terribly good and that makes me feel sad and deprived. When I just avoid the whole thing I'm happier.


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## Joyce DeBacco (Apr 24, 2010)

Thanks for the link. I had to click again to get to the GF recipes and bookmarked it to pore over later.

I agree that GF baked goods are inferior to the real thing. I gave up on making bread when I found a fairly good GF bread in the store. It's expensive though and it's not as good as the real thing, but it'll do when I want a sandwich or toast. As for other baked goods, once I found something that's passable, I just make those. I have a good recipe for brownies and oatmeal-applesauce muffins if anyone wants them. 

Joyce


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

I don't have gluten problem but wants to replace wheat with some other healthier grains.

While talking on such topics: Is there anyone who is cutting down on salt due to BP, water retention or for no reason? Please share if you are using anything for salt (NaCl) replacement.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I do not know if this works for everyone but I learned a long time ago that if I ate less salt, after a while food tasted salty again. I think I had read something back in the 70s that the more salt we ate then we would crave it more. If we ate less, we would stop missing it. It worked for DH and me. (I used to use lots of salt when I was young.) Cutting out all salt is dangerous. A family member went overboard in cutting out all salt in his diet and ended up in the hospital. 

To cut down on salt, I stopped using salt while cooking, avoided very salty foods, and used a little sea salt after tasting food and deciding that it really needed it. (Real Salt is my current favorite.) I also use seasonings such as freshly ground pepper when I see others using salt. I use a salt shaker with one or two small holes.


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## Victoria J (Jul 5, 2011)

I've been gluten free for four years now and I've found a GF flour mix that works perfectly for cakes, cookies, brownies, etc. IMO: white rice flour (2 parts), tapioca flour (1/3 part) and millet flour (or oat flour if you don't have issues with oats -2/3 part). I use it the same way you would use wheat flour and just add xantham gum (1 teaspoon per cup of flour). No strange, funky taste (Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix  ) and it rises well and tastes like "normal" baked treats.

I've also found that if you take wheat flour and soak it over night in an acid medium (like yogurt or buttermilk or whey) and then use it, it won't give you problems. Or at least I've found that I can still bake bread with wheat flour using this soaking method and I don't get sick. And it tastes like the real thing


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## Amera (May 22, 2011)

Ugh, my fiance was told to cut back on Gluten and it is brutal. I'll point her here to look at some of these links.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I got double-whammied back in 2001.  I discovered I was gluten sensitive and completely lactose intolerant.  So, I have double the trouble.  I have found a lot of food, however, that is pretty good and gluten free.  It seems that I was a trend setter because more and more things are gluten free and the stores are carrying more and more gluten free goods.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Instead of flour, have you tried using arrowroot or cornstarch Tabitha?


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Cornstarch works great for gravy. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water or stock so that it is smooth and pourable but thick. Stir the hot,  but not simmering, juices/drippings while slowly adding the cornstarch mixture. After it is added,  bring to a simmer while continuing to stir. Cook until the cornstarch is cooked (gravy clears), remove from heat and serve. It is how my mom taught us; she has celiac. I think her gravy is the best! 

Edited to add: I also saw Julia Child thicken gravy this way on one of her early shows.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> ...
> J.R. Tomlin, (who might not see this since you're on hiatus, dang it!) we just got back from Sam's Club where they were demo-ing a great certified GF cracker. I couldn't believe it was GF.
> ...


Was it Mary's Gone Crackers, Nut Thins, or another brand?


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Annalog, they were Crunchmaster Multi-Grain. Got a huge box of them for something like $8.


I was at Sprouts today with my mom and sister. There was a dollar off coupon for a 4.5 oz bag of these and I bought a bag of the original flavor. I tried one after reading your post and ended up eating 5. They are very good!


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

T.L. - Udi bread (found in the frozen foods section at Meijer's) is darn close to tasting like real white bread. Their cinnamon raisin bread is also really good. 

Our son was diagnosed with a wheat allergy about a year and a half ago, so we're a GF house. The amazing thing is that my son's asthma has virtually disappeared. While we've adjusted our menu at home and his college cafeteria is great about catering to dietary needs, the hardest part is eating out. We end up going back to the same few restaurants - Appleby's, Red Lobster, and Spinoza's for pizza.

I'll be back with more specifics tomorrow when I'm on my desktop and not the iPad, but I'll have a list of GF flours and baking products. With many of them, you wouldn't know they're GF unless someone told you.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

After much testing, here's what's on our shelf:

King Arthur Gluten Free Cookie Mix (plus cake, brownie and bread mix) - http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/gluten-free-cookie-mix

Bread mix: Namaste, Chebe's and Pamela's

Pizza dough mix - Namaste

Pasta - Past Joy Brown Rice Pasta and Sam Mills Pasta d'oro (corn pasta)

And in our freezer or bread box - Udi sandwich bread and cinnamon raisin bread

With all the above, we don't miss having wheat in the house and since we can't use so many boxed or frozen dinners, we cook from scratch more and eat healthier. Soups are another thing you find you often can't eat, since wheat flour is used as a thickener, but Pacific makes some yummy organic soups that are wheat-free.

We could tell you some funny stories about walking into restaurants and requesting allergen menus. One time the hostess obviously had no clue what we were talking about. When my son said, "I can't eat wheat", the hostess said, "Oh, you don't have to eat wheat. You can have the white bread instead." My son and I glanced at each other, thanked her, hurried out the door and then burst out laughing.

Here's a blog post I wrote on our quest to conquer my son's health problems: http://ngeminisasson.blogspot.com/2012/04/conquering-chronic-condition.html


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## Icemaiden (Nov 14, 2012)

I'm gluten, lactose, casein, nut and meat free. Bit of a problem when you don't cook!

I am slowly learning to, but the instruction on a box to "wash rice" once had me confused.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

My mom often fills half a red bell pepper with tuna salad or other sandwich filling or uses a corn  tortilla instead of a GF bread. Sometimes she has used a GF pancake or waffle. She uses a black rice bread but I don't remember the name. She gets it at Trader Joe's and it has a pink label. She usually toasts it first.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I have been gluten free since 2001 - and I got double-whammied.  I was diagnosed as lactose intolerant and gluten sensitive.  And, honestly, it's not so bad.  You find alternatives and some of them are pretty awesome.  Go to places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> I've been visiting a homesteading forum lately, and someone on there mentioned that ethnic grocery stores are supposedly better to find good produce and dry goods for cheap. I've not been able to find GF corn tortillas in the mainstream grocery stores. I may end up finding out where our good Mexican grocery stores are, and visiting them..... I love wraps.


I should have said that my mom buys her corn tortillas from one of the local tortilla shops. I forget that these are not common outside the southwest US. We are lucky to be able to buy tortillas the day they are made from basic ingredients with no gluten, stabilizers, or preservatives.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Do good corn tortillas hold together well? Because the ones we buy in the chain grocery stores here are like wet paper towels. We've tried using them as bread sandwich substitutes, but everything falls through. There is a small Mexican grocery store on the other side of town. Maybe I should check it out.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

N. Gemini Sasson said:


> Do good corn tortillas hold together well? Because the ones we buy in the chain grocery stores here are like wet paper towels. We've tried using them as bread sandwich substitutes, but everything falls through. There is a small Mexican grocery store on the other side of town. Maybe I should check it out.


Good fresh corn tortillas hold together well if rolled, not creased. Fresh corn tortillas can be frozen with wax paper between each tortilla and then defrosted covered in a microwave but they will not hold up as well. Dry or old corn tortillas will crack or crumble.

Just as with breads, there are differences between bakeries or "tortilla factories". Next week when doing the shopping for the Thanksgiving family visits, my mom will go to one local tortilla factory for flour tortillas and a different one for corn tortillas even though both places make both types. We will go early to each place and get warm, freshly made and packaged tortillas.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

N. Gemini Sasson said:


> T.L. - Udi bread (found in the frozen foods section at Meijer's) is darn close to tasting like real white bread. Their cinnamon raisin bread is also really good.
> 
> Our son was diagnosed with a wheat allergy about a year and a half ago, so we're a GF house. The amazing thing is that my son's asthma has virtually disappeared. While we've adjusted our menu at home and his college cafeteria is great about catering to dietary needs, the hardest part is eating out. We end up going back to the same few restaurants - Appleby's, Red Lobster, and Spinoza's for pizza.
> 
> I'll be back with more specifics tomorrow when I'm on my desktop and not the iPad, but I'll have a list of GF flours and baking products. With many of them, you wouldn't know they're GF unless someone told you.


Udi's is the bread I use although it still isn't as good as I'd like, it's the best I've found so far. Making bread at home after trying dozens of recipes is still so far a lost cause for me although Pamela's mix isn't bad.

Corn tortilla's are great but it can be a problem finding them that are made in gluten free factories. Bob's Red Mill has a pretty good line of gluten free products although I avoid the ones with bean flour (which tastes nasty in my opinion) and their rice flour which is too coarsely ground. Part of the trick to be truly gluten free (which is necessary if you have celiac disease) is to find products that do not contain cross contamination from being made in the same factory as gluten containing products. Bakeries that use flour simply cannot contain the flour particles and the entire factory is almost always contaminated.

The Appleby's here serve absolutely NO gluten free dishes. I recently simply walked out of an Appleby's having made the mistake of checking online instead of calling the local restaurant. You have to check every single restaurant you go to. Eating out can be a real pain in the arse. However, it is improving. I now know of a couple of local restaurants with good GF menus and a very good local bakery.

ETA: I do a lot of cooking and baking myself and never cared much for mixes anyway. At home I use a combination of sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and cornstarch for most of my cooking. You tend to get better results from using a combination of non-wheat flours instead of just one although cornstarch makes a pretty decent flour substitute for making most gravies and sauces. For cakes, I frequently use an almond flour and tapioca flour combination.

Pacific, as Gemi mentioned, makes some good soups. There are some good rice pastas available. I use the ones from Trader Joe's. It is partly a matter of trying different products to find out which you like. I don't like the ones made from quinoa, for example and absolutely hate any bean flour which have a strong flavor. But you don't know your own reaction until you try them.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

DH was diagnosed with Celiac almost two years ago. It's been quite an odyssey finding good stuff for him to eat. We've done pretty well - he's found good GF beer, crackers, etc., but still no good sandwich bread. I've tried tons of recipes, and everything has a bad texture and an aftertaste. After the Grain has a baguette that's very good. 

Many restaurants have GF items now, which is a big plus: Olive Garden (they even have GF pasta dishes), Pei Wei (most dishes can be made GF), Ghengis Grill (you make your own bowl, and most things are GF - and labeled!), and Domino's now has GF pizza - and DH says it's as good as any regular pizza he's ever had.

The odyssey continues, though, for a good sandwich bread.


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## Kim Sheard (Nov 13, 2011)

I have been searching for corn tortillas since I was diagnosed and can't find them anywhere! (But that may also have to do with being in the UK...)

It is funny because I look at all these recommendations and am a little sad that they don't apply to me. So, my opinions, for any lurking UK GF people out there:

Best Pizza Mix: Isabel's
Best Pizza Delivery: Hell Pizza in London.... soooooo good!
Best GF Bread: Genius

Cool things I never thought I would try but which have been really good:

Spring Rolls using rice paper rather than the traditional wheat based wraps - yumm
Completely flour free lemon drizzle cake with a secret ingredient NO ONE will guess

Restaurants that can cater to GF foods are actually more prevalent than I thought. There are a lot of them that will have options if you ask - it just limits the menu somewhat... but I have come to expect that when eating out.


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Great site for radical gluten-free recipes and Specific Carb Diet/Paleo recipes.
http://www.againstallgrain.com


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Domino's GF pizza is not bad. Not bad at all. The crust is a little different in texture, but not enough that it stands out like some GF pizza crusts.
> 
> J.R., oooh. A GF bakery? Oooooh.... Craig Hansen is in Portland, and they have a great one there. The owner apparently was a winner on one of the Food Network baking shows. They also have tons of GF restaurants out there on the west coast. Talk about tempting. I think it would be so much easier to manage my gluten addiction if I had healthier fast food options.
> 
> ...


The Crave Bake Shop could make you WANT to be gluten free. Absolutely fantastic and did win the Cupcake Wars, I believe. It's were we order holiday desserts. Fast food is a problem. Except for Chapotle Mexican Grill where I go pretty regularly. They have lots of gluten free options.

I haven't tried the Domino GF pizza yet, but I'll put it on my list to try.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

T.L. Haddix said:


> According to Dominos, their kitchen isn't certified GF, so cross contamination can still be a problem. Just an FYI.
> 
> Chipotle... *sobs.* We had that less than a mile from our house in Ohio. Here in the breadbasket, we don't. Closest we have is Qdoba. Pretty close, but not quite the same.


Chipotle also is not guaranteed which is a worry but I've never had a problem there. There are darn few restaurants that will guarantee gluten free which is why I don't eat out much. Eating out is better than it used to be but still a problem.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Domino's GF pizza also gets my vote. The crust is okay, nothing great, nothing bad. But once you load it up with toppings, it's wonderful.

Interesting that Appleby's in different regions don't always have the allergen/GF menus available. We were returning from a track meet in Toronto with our son this summer and stopped at an Appleby's in southern Ontario, thinking that was a safe bet, only to have them tell us they did not have an allergen/GF menu. We were crestfallen - and starving. We still had six hours to drive to get home. My son ended up ordering a steak, fries and applesauce and hoped for the best. 

As far as fast foods go, if there's one upside to them not having GF options, it's that stopping at a drive-thru is usually not very appealing. Since he's not a fan of salads, our son's fast food menu - when we're on the road - consists of fries and a milkshake.  

It's definitely getting easier to find GF foods in the grocery stores. I've noticed a difference in the 18 months since we had to go GF. Imagine just ten years ago when many, many people went undiagnosed and suffered with the symptoms. Hopefully the chain restaurants will get better and better at addressing this. I still don't understand why, if grocery store items must list their ingredients, restaurants can't do the same.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

JRTomlin said:


> Chipotle also is not guaranteed which is a worry but I've never had a problem there. There are darn few restaurants that will guarantee gluten free which is why I don't eat out much. Eating out is better than it used to be but still a problem.


DH has no trouble eating there, either.


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## Joyce DeBacco (Apr 24, 2010)

For gravy I use the blended GF flours I use for baking. I tried straight cornstarch and it seemed to turn gravy into jelly.

I also buy the Crunchmasters crackers too, but not the roasted garlic. Eww, terrible.

Because I like baked goods, I managed to develop a great recipe for brownies and oatmeal cookies, both of which I love. Haven't mastered the chocolate chip cookies yet. They just spread all over the pan into one weirdly shaped mess. They taste good, but it's a pain scraping them off the cookie sheet. Have to work on that some more.

Glad to hear that Domino's now offers GF pizza. That and a crispy Italian bread are what I miss most.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Joyce DeBacco said:


> Glad to hear that Domino's now offers GF pizza. That and a crispy Italian bread are what I miss most.


We usually order from Domino's online. After I ordered our GF pizzas recently, I got a pop-up box that said, "Would you like to add BREADSTICKS to your order?" Oh, the irony!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Udi bread!  Look it up and go find it.  They have white, something that resembles "wheat" (without being wheat, of course) and cinnamon raisin bread.  They also make muffins (chocolate, blueberry, etc.) pizza crusts and bagels. All of them are fantastic.  I highly recommend Udi's over Rudi's.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

N. Gemini Sasson said:


> Domino's GF pizza also gets my vote. The crust is okay, nothing great, nothing bad. But once you load it up with toppings, it's wonderful.
> 
> Interesting that Appleby's in different regions don't always have the allergen/GF menus available. We were returning from a track meet in Toronto with our son this summer and stopped at an Appleby's in southern Ontario, thinking that was a safe bet, only to have them tell us they did not have an allergen/GF menu. We were crestfallen - and starving. We still had six hours to drive to get home. My son ended up ordering a steak, fries and applesauce and hoped for the best.
> 
> ...


As I am sure you're aware, although it's much less a problem than it used to be there are still a few fast food places that use gluten containing additives on their french fries, so I am very careful which I buy or order. French fries shouldn't have gluten, but like many things, that doesn't mean they don't. I was pretty shocked the first time a fast food place told me their french fries contained gluten!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

balaspa said:


> Udi bread! Look it up and go find it. They have white, something that resembles "wheat" (without being wheat, of course) and cinnamon raisin bread. They also make muffins (chocolate, blueberry, etc.) pizza crusts and bagels. All of them are fantastic. I highly recommend Udi's over Rudi's.


I was recently in a restaurant ordering breakfast from their GF menu when the waitress asked me if I wanted pancakes! LOL

Yeah, sometimes all you can do is laugh.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

JRTomlin said:


> As I am sure you're away, although it's much less a problem than it used to be there are still a few fast food places that use gluten containing additives on their french fries, so I am very careful which I buy or order. French fries shouldn't have gluten, but like many things, that doesn't mean they don't. I was pretty shocked the first time a fast food place told me their french fries contained gluten!


Poor kid is allergic to soy, too. A lot of places fry foods in vegetable oils containing soy. And soy lecithin is in so many things. I feel for those of you who have multiple food sensitivities. It's tough.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

A local place here now has GF pancakes, but I have yet to try them - I am betting they have dairy in them.  Trader Joe's has some great stuff - like a great gluten free brownie mix.


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## Jackal Lantern Books (Aug 30, 2011)

I wish they had a rehabilitation clinic for going Gluten Free! My doc has been telling me to go on a gluten free/low carb diet and stick to it for at least 90 days so I can _hopefully_ clear up my many adult onset food allergy and candida yeast issues.... needless to say I have failed in every attempt!

I am making changes and I have been learning how to bake with coconut and almond flour. The hardest issue is that I'm just not that good a cook! As my hubby says, I just cannot follow a recipe to save my life...

And we LOVE to eat out. We are a middle aged couple with no kids and we are both self-employed and work all the time. We don't go out and eat fast food (as proof my hubby has lost over 100 pounds in the last 2 years), and we are lucky to live in an area where there is just about any sort of food you want. Our favorites are Thai and Vietnamese and Sushi (vegetarian for me).

But I have my favs and I just refuse to give them up! Plus, I LOVE my carbs. I am an addict, no doubt! If my hubby splurges, it's typically my fault!

I have been trying to go on, and maintain, the diet for at least three years now, but I never make it more than two weeks. Somewhere in my addled brain I keep thinking I'm going to wake up one day with all kinds of time on my hands to focus entirely on my health! I suppose the realization that this will just NEVER happen needs to sink in, and preferably before my health takes a turn for the worse!

Things have gotten a little easier with more stores and restaurants offering gluten free options, and they don't entirely suck... but if I stick to the low carb part, UGH!


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

My daughter has Gluten, so we have been dealing with it for quite some time.

For sandwiches, try UDI's
for Pasta, try noodles made from Quinona seeds
If you want to go out for some nice Italian, try Maggianos, they have an outstanding Gluten free pasta
Lots of Pizza places are offering up Gluten free options now

Beware of sauces.  We reach each and every label at the store.  Some of them might surprise you.

Also , if you are extremely sensitive(which my daughter is not thankfully) you can also pick up wheat from strange sources.  As an example, some french fries use flour to keep them from sticking together.

Beware of restaurants that fry all sort of stuff in the same deep fryer.  So as an example if they deep fry fish with breading in the same fryer as the french fries, you can pick up wheat from that.

Hope this helps you


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Gonna have some gluten-free stuffing with the turkey and gluten-free chocolate cake for dessert.  I'm tellin' ya, it's not so bad.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Where did you find GF stuffing? I'm jealous.


I'd love to know too. DH is seriously missing his stuffing.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I just used Bob's Red Mill's GF cornbread mix (which is pretty decent) to make cornbread for a stuffing. The GF cornbread is crumblier than regular cornbread though, so I'm not sure how it will turn out. We'll see.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

The gluten free stuffing was a hit.  I am so full!


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Ohhh, I really need to print out these GF stuffing recipes. We had to skip the stuffing at the in-laws' today, although MIL did make GF gravy and pumpkin pie with a GF crust. 

We were asked to bring green bean casserole, but... it's not GF because the cream of mushroom soup has wheat flour and so do the french fried onion rings. So instead, we made smothered green beans, which is basically green beans cooked in bacon drippings with garlic, bacon, onions, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bacon and a little water to soften up the green beans. Oh yeah, and did I mention BACON? It was better than green bean casserole.

How did everyone else fare for Thanksgiving? Aside from the stuffing, which sounds great, any new dishes?


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

N. Gemini Sasson said:


> Ohhh, I really need to print out these GF stuffing recipes. We had to skip the stuffing at the in-laws' today, although MIL did make GF gravy and pumpkin pie with a GF crust.
> 
> We were asked to bring green bean casserole, but... it's not GF because the cream of mushroom soup has wheat flour and so do the french fried onion rings. So instead, we made smothered green beans, which is basically green beans cooked in bacon drippings with garlic, bacon, onions, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bacon and a little water to soften up the green beans. Oh yeah, and did I mention BACON? It was better than green bean casserole.
> 
> How did everyone else fare for Thanksgiving? Aside from the stuffing, which sounds great, any new dishes?


We had Thanksgiving at my son's, and DH didn't fare so well. My DIL had a very elaborate hors d'ouevres table, and nine of the 10 items were baked in a flaky crust or involved crackers. The only thing on the whole table he could eat was corn chips. Same thing for dinner - all he could eat was turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Even the veggies had some kind of topping (bread crumbs, non-GF sauces, etc.) he couldn't eat. Needless to say, he also didn't get to eat the lasagna, mac & cheese or dinner rolls. Or dessert. We were actually very surprised, because she's baked him GF sweets for him a few times - like the other day when he went to their house to wait for a repair man and she'd left him some GF brownies. Not so for the Thanksgiving meal.

And guess what leftovers she sent us home with - stuffing and dinner rolls.

So yesterday I made him a complete Thanksgiving dinner, all GF. I made stuffing croutons from Against-the-Grain rolls, and he said the stuffing 'tasted just like regular stuffing.'


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Here is a favorite of ours, Gluten Free Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients
2 Lb's Chicken Breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Garlic clove crushed
1/4 Teaspoon ginger
1/4 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (you can go up to 3/4 teaspoon but we like it milder)
1/4 apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup gluten free soy sauce

Directions
1)heat oil in skillet
2)add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned
3)remove chicken
4)add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved
5)add chicken and bring to a hard boil

Serve over rice


We love it, hope you do to
Cheers


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

T.L. Haddix said:


> I made some good stuffing here. I was very happy with the way it turned out. Here's the recipe. Note on the measurements - I just guessed on most of them.
> 
> 6-7 slices Udi's White Sandwich Genius bread, toasted and dry.
> One package Bob's Red Mill GF cornbread mix, made according to directions. After that's baked, you only use half. Put the other half up for another day.
> ...


I made a very similar stuffing and it turned out very well.

Difference was I used 1/3 a package of Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Sage Sausage cooked and crumbled. (It is gluten free) And I prefer a slightly different mix of seasoning. 2 tsp sage, 1 tsp marjoram, 1 tsp thyme, 1 Tbsp of parsley. And only 2 eggs so that the stuffing doesn't get too dense since I don't like it pudding like. Whisk the eggs with the broth. 

Mix all the ingredients very lightly and try not to break the bread and cornbread up too much and bake at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour uncovered.

It turned out really good. Desert was Pamela's brownies, not very traditional but I used a pan with a thanksgiving pattern to give them a thanksgiving theme.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Most of the dinner at my mom's house was GF except for the brown-n-heat potato rolls, two pies, my butterscotch brownies, and my sister's  mac-n-cheese. Much of the dinner was vegan as well as one adult grandchild has been vegan for a few years. Mom made her brown rice stuffing with vegetable broth instead of chicken.

Today I ate the last of her wonderful GF vegan waffles (her own recipe) that she had made for her grandson (and everyone else). She avoids the "white" GF flours so it had brown rice flour, garbanzo bean flour, and some others. She used freshly ground flax seeds soaked in water in place of eggs.


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## Casse (Oct 16, 2009)

I was glutened on Thanksgiving - was so sick on the 2 hr drive home   Finally feeling better today - I thought I was very careful at SIL's house but apparently it snuck in somehow - I'm thinking cross contamination as I'm the only one GF.

Thankfully Xmas Eve with the ILs is out at a restaurant and Xmas is at my mom's where I know I'll be safe


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Anna, any chance you could get hands on that brown rice stuffing recipe?
> 
> Jeanne, I'll try your herb mix next time. Ditto the sausage. As weird as it probably sounds, I didn't want to invest too much into this stuffing, as the last time I tried to make GF stuffing, it didn't turn out so well. Incidentally, I'm still eating on Thanksgiving food - I don't think Glendon has even touched the leftovers. Pity for him, lol!


I know exactly what you mean. A new GF recipe is always a toss up. I've had more than a few things turn out crap.

ETA: Sorry to hear that, Casse. It can happen no matter how careful you are.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Anna, any chance you could get hands on that brown rice stuffing recipe?
> ...


See What kind of stuff goes in your turkey?.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Thank you!


You are welcome. It is important to use short grain brown rice as the rice grains tend to stick together and the flavor is different. Long grain rice won't have the right texture for stuffing.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I ordered a bunch of health food from Amazon, things like yeast flakes, hemo seeds, and chia seeds. I would imagine that they might have the raw ingredients that are hard to find for folks living in the boonies. The other benefit is that a fair number of the products are on the subscribe and save list so you can save 5% and have them mailed to you once a month. Just a thought for folks who are struggling to find the stuff that they like or mixes that have been mentioned here.


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Not trying to sell Disney world, but it's fabulous for people with Gluten allergies.  They do a wonderful wonderful job.  We take my daughter(s) there every year, obviously because they love the parks, but the Gluten aspect of it plays a part.  At each restaurant, we tell them we have an allergy, and the chef comes out of the kitchen and personally explains to my one daughter that has the allergy, every item she can and can't have.  So, if your in to that sort of thing two thumbs up for Disney for the Gluten aspects of it.

If anybody has a family member with Gluten problems, I don't have to explain how difficult and worrisome it is to go on vacation somewhere if you can't control the food intake.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

tkkenyon said:


> I second this. Disney is great for folks of all allergy stripes. I'm dreading the day that The Kid decides he's too grown up for Disney parks!
> 
> TK Kenyon


Is it possible to be "too old" for the Disney parks?


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Annalog said:


> Is it possible to be "too old" for the Disney parks?


Nope. I'm already plotting on how I can take my future Grandchildren. Taking them will be my excuse to go!


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I have always enjoyed Disney. It is so insanely expensive that I have not gone in about 10 years. I used to go everytime I went to visit the folks in California, so twice a year.


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Here is another favorite recipe that our daughter (who has Celiac disease) loves.

I'm too lazy to type it up so here's the link
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/chicken-noodle-soup-910-recipe-091.html

It's chicken soup and it's very good. I usually throw some salt in at the end, and she loves it.


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

T.L. Haddix said:


> GL, that's almost exactly how I make my chicken soup. Eerie.
> 
> One question, though - what do you do for noodles?


I use Thai Kitchen, Stir-Fry Rice Noodles. real thin Linguini Style. You can get them at any grocery store, nothing special but we all love em.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I've used that recipe before and it's quite good. I use Trader Joe's Brown Rice Fuselli in it.


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## Casse (Oct 16, 2009)

gljones said:


> Here is another favorite recipe that our daughter (who has Celiac disease) loves.
> 
> I'm too lazy to type it up so here's the link
> http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/chicken-noodle-soup-910-recipe-091.html
> ...


Thank you for this - I'll definitely be giving it a try as I love chicken noodle soup - normally buy the frozen gluten free individual servings that are pretty expensive at $4 a pop - this would make great lunches!


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Casse said:


> Thank you for this - I'll definitely be giving it a try as I love chicken noodle soup - normally buy the frozen gluten free individual servings that are pretty expensive at $4 a pop - this would make great lunches!


I also double the recipe, then freeze the leftovers for lunches and stuff. You may need to throw some salt in at the end as it's kind of bland w/o it. When I doubled the recipe, I threw in 3 Tablespoons of salt, but maybe start slower to get it to where you want it. You don't want to overdo it on the salt as that can ruin it if your not careful.

Hope you enjoy, my daughter absolutely loves it.


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Another idea for everybody, if you like Ravioli, I highly recommend
Conte's Gluten Free, Wheat Free Cheese Ravioli
It comes in a 12 oz brown bag and it is outstanding.  Throw some red sauce on it and your good to go
Around where I live they have it at Meijers, but give it a try it's really good


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis yesterday; it is hypothyroidism due to an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks its own thyroid. Apparently my thyroid antibodies were off the chart. So I now have a prescription for a thyroid replacement medication.

Some research shows a link to problems with gluten. Since my mom has Celiac, I figure it is definitely worth going GF if it slows down the thyroid destruction process. I might also have to cut out other foods (dairy, soy, legumes, nuts, etc.) but I will see how cutting out gluten works first.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Did your Doctor recommend any diet changes? Just curious.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

He did not recommend diet changes specifically but when I mentioned reading that there might a connection between Hashimoto's and gluten problems, he said that he had seen that also. With my mom diagnosed with Celiac, it seemed like a good thing to try. I will know if it changes the antibody level in six months or so.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I should have added that he was very happy with my 30+ pound weight loss and my best EKG test to date.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Good news on the weight loss! Way to go

I hope that the gluten free diet helps you.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Annalog said:


> I should have added that he was very happy with my 30+ pound weight loss and my best EKG test to date.


That IS good news - congratulations! Is that all just due to going gluten-free? How long ago did you make the change?


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

N. Gemini Sasson said:


> That IS good news - congratulations! Is that all just due to going gluten-free? How long ago did you make the change?


NONE of the weight loss is due to going gluten-free since I only started that yesterday.  Instead the weight loss is due to getting laid off at the end of May from the job I have had for the last 25 years that involved 40+ hours a week sitting at a computer. I became much more active and tracked everything that I ate. I now have a part-time job at a big box store which involves a lot of walking, standing, and lifting.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Anna, dang it. I'm sorry. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Congrats on the weight loss and good EKG, though.
> 
> The good news about going GF these days is that the products that are available now are head and shoulders above where they were even a couple of years ago.
> 
> You might want to check out the Elimination Diet Support Thread (also here in NQK) if you're cutting stuff other than gluten.


Thanks, T.L. I am not too worried about the Hashimoto's as I think my doctor caught it fairly soon and thyroid replacement meds are available. I glad it was diagnosed instead of missed. I have been following the other thread as well.


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## Joyce DeBacco (Apr 24, 2010)

Hmm, that link between the thyroid and Celiac is very interesting. My mom had a life-long thyroid problem, I have Celiac disease, and my daughter has both. Time to investigate further. Thanks for the heads up.

Joyce


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I have decided that I want the panel of blood tests to verify how I react to gluten. Since these tests are most accurate when gluten is still being consumed, I am back to eating limited gluten until I can arrange to have the tests done. My week and a half not eating gluten has convinced me that I am at least gluten sensitive even if I do not show the main signs of celiac. I primarily want the test results to know how strongly I should encourage my daughter to get tested. It will also let me use up the cereal and pasta in the cupboard.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

LOL how very practical of you.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I saw this chart on Pinterest today and thought of you all.. the site it is from is:
http://www.gygi.com/blog/2012/07/20/gluten-free-baking-the-conversion-chart/

The chart is:


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I let my doctor's office know that I want the gluten panel of tests. I will hear when That will be on Monday when the doctor is back in the office.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I received the Gluten panel test results yesterday and I test negative for Celiac on all 5 tests (4 antibody tests and total IgA). The results on the antibody tests were values 1/4 to 1/2 of the top of the normal range. While I may gluten sensitive, at least my villi aren't being destroyed.  

I suspect that one of the proteins associated with gluten may be triggering the thyroid antibodies my system is making to attack my thyroid. (According to some sources on the Web this is not uncommon for people with Hashimoto's.) Therefore, I am now starting an elimination/challenge test for gluten/grains, milk, and sugars using the diet plan from Blood Sugar Solution. (I bought the books when they were on the Daily Deal. )


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Yesterday my mom gave me a freshly baked loaf of her Gluten-free Garbanzo Bean Bread which she adapted from a GlutenFreeGoddess recipe (http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/05/whole-grain-gluten-free-bread_17.html). It looked very similar to the one in the photos on the blog page.

I sliced it into 12 slices, separated the slices with wax paper, put it in freezer bags, and froze it (just as my mom does). I had two slices for lunch, each topped with Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese and toasted in my toaster oven, along with a Claussen kosher dill pickle. Yum!

In a few weeks, I plan to start baking my own.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

If you live in Colorado, my daughter has just had her gluten free pie crust, flour, and muffin mix put on shelves at King Soopers. If you go to her website http://www.lastcrumbbakery.com/ you will find the stores who stock them. She also has recipes on this site as well as answering questions. If you have specific questions, she will answer them. She tells me that living gluten free is not so difficult as one thinks. And, she has so much energy; I believe her.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Thursday and Friday I ate frozen dinners that had small amounts of gluten (soy sauce/gravy). Saturday morning my joints were aching again.  Today is not so bad.


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

The sauces are the big ones you have to watch out for.  Many standard soy sauces have wheat in them.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Sunday I accidentally bought an Amy's bean and cheese burrito that someone had put in the GF box. By the time I noticed, I had opened it and I did not have time to get something else for lunch. Two more days of achy joints. Next time I will give it away and go hungry. (No, next time I will check the label before purchasing.   )


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