Gluten sensitive folks...c'mon in!!!

[tracelin]

Hey there!

I've noticed that more than a few of the LC'ers here are gluten / wheat sensitive or are celiacs. I'm not, but my dh is. And I'm trying to incorporate meals and recipes to be both LC and Gluten Free, so that I don't have to do double duty cooking.

I was hoping we could all exchange ideas and suggestions on this thread.

My dh, by default, has always tended to lean toward a bread-less diet even before he was diagnosed as a celiac a few years ago. Now we know why! LC WOE is actually a great marriage of sorts w/ gluten free eating.

I struggle a bit b/c I realize I cannot use CArbQuick for him, yet I cannot use many of the flour blends I use for his cooking!

Any recipes or suggestions would be great!

[mammapo]

im gluten sensitive too!! as are my kids...lc is a sacrifice for me since I BAKE GF for a living...sigh...today I made sticky buns and oreos for a lady...THAT is hard.

I like nut flours and find teff is OK in very very small amounts (very high in fiber) I will do some research for ya...
naomi

[tracelin]

Hi Naomi,

thanx for your reply!!!

BBL...

[bird0705]

Great thread! It would really be nice to find some new ideas for lc and gf food. My mom made a great gf stuffing this thanksgiving using gf bread, it was so good but not lc. So please, if you have any recipes please share. I was just recently diaganosed so this is new to me.

[landis]

I only found out I was allergic to gluten last year after having several really bad allergy problems and then blood tests revealed it. I tried to go gluten free but couldn't (or didnt' want to bad enough). Only after starting Atkins have I realized that I could actually get off of wheat products. I feel SO great, my skin is clear, almost no more allergies! I think more people are sensitive to it than know it. That was one of the last things they tried on me. I can't use Carbquick either as I am afraid it will start up the problems again. I would love to know of some other ideas!!!

[tiva]

I'm gluten intolerant too (discovered when I started Atkins two years ago, and a host of other issues cleared up). I do a lot of baking with almond flour, and sometimes a little ground flax. You can make your own almond flour by grinding BLANCHED almonds in a coffee grinder or food processor. Regular almonds work, but it makes a much grainier treat, so I try to use blanched almonds. Seeing all those recent recipes with carb-quick is frustrating, but there are tons of great things you can make with almond flour.

Soy sauce is another source of wheat that you need to be careful about. In Asian markets, you can find wheat-free tamari (a kind of soy sauce), but read the labels carefully, and be careful ordering food at an Asian restaurant.

It's very easy to be gluten-free if you're already used to Atkins. I essentially eat lots of meat, fish, veggies, some fruits, nuts, and dairy, and avoid processed foods. In some ways, maintenance is much easier for gluten-intolerant folks, since we never have to deal with resisting the temptation of grain-based baked goods.

Some examples of great treats that work fine with almond flour: brownies, cheesecakes, souffles, custards, creme brulees, many cookies, pound cakes of all types, carrot cakes, lemon bars...Almond flour makes a very moist treat.

[el_capitan]

I'm senstive to gluten too. The thing I've noticed is the cross-contamination issue with other grains. If you are seriously sensitive like those with Crohn's and other auto-immune disorders then it really pays to avoid all processed foods, even those that claim they are gluten-free (GF).

Oats is probably the biggest offender. I posted about a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed that oats can not be trusted to be gluten-free.

There's a guy on celiac.com that is striving to keep his gluten intake as near to zero PPM as he can (otherwise he pays dearly) and avoids many flours and such that are labeled GF because their testing equipment only detects down to 5 ppm or more.

I try to eat only whole foods like meat, veggies, fruit, dairy, nuts, etc. I avoid processed foods from any source. Most LC products have gluten in them in one form or another, especially the flours which use a lot of gluten or wheat protein isolate.

My skin and heartburn/acid relux cleared up completely when I finally figured out the connection to gluten sensitivity.

[amaplay]

I was tested roughly 4 years ago for Celiac. Neg on all 3 tests, but have continued to be suspicious.

Now am pretty sure that I must just be sensitive to it. A month ago I had my first lovely case of acid reflux, scary feeling, and I get really bad gas when I eat wheat now. It SUCKS!

I'm thinking about trying NAET--the allergy/acupuncture thing that is supposed to clear your body of allergies.

[TVernon]

Both me and my son eat wheat, rye and oat free diets. I also eat no soy so all of my breads and treats are home made. Spongebob's Flaxmeal Bread in all its many variations has been a lifesaver for me. I have one or two pieces per day.

I make my son wheat free bread from Pamela's Wheat Free Baking Mix. It is not low carb but is an excellent baking mix. I have previously posted recipes for Pear Tatin, Pumpkin Cake, Rice Almond Raspberry Bread, and Swirled Cheesecake Brownies on this site. I have several more including a killer Carrot Cake recipe:

Carrot Cake

1 ½ cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup Pamela's wheat-free baking mix
1/4 cup flaxmeal
2 T. FiberFit
½ cup xylitol
1/4 tsp. white stevia powder
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. Celtic sea salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. mace
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
½ tsp. orange oil or 2 tsp. orange extract
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 T. butter, melted
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ cups grated carrots

Frosting:
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 T. DaVinci SF Vanilla syrup
2 T. xylitol

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a nine inch springform pan.

Mix almond flour, Pamela's bake mix, flaxmeal, stevia, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Cube the warm cream cheese into another bowl. Beat with electric mixer until cubes are gone. Add xylitol, vanilla and melted butter. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and beat on lowest speed just until egg is combined. Pour egg and cream cheese mixture into dry ingredients and mix well. Add pumpkin and mix. Pour batter into greased springform pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes. Cake will be firm and springy.

Remove cake from oven and cool for an hour. Loosen cake from pan with a butter knife and remove side piece of the springform pan. Refrigerate until completely cooled. Cube the 6 oz. warm cream cheese into a mixing bowl. Add sweeteners and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Spread over cake with a spatula in swirled pattern.

12 servings: Cal 326, Fat 26, Carbs 10.3, Fiber 4.1, Protein 7.8, Net Carbs 6.2

I just have this as a late afternoon snack or even for breakfast.

[tracelin]

Yay!

I'm so thrilled to see these replies!! I think most of us will be able to "commisserate" together....perhaps that's not the right word. Actually this WOE makes it much easier, for sure!


Amaplay,
were you biopsied? Or just blood work? The biopsy should be a 100% diagnosis.

TVernon,
I've noticed some of your posts w/ great looking recipes! I'll go back and peruse more! You seem like quite the LC GF cook! You just may need to make your own website!


My dh tends to lean toward whole foods mostly, too, but he gets frustrated as he travels alot, and can't seem to take a simple sandwich with him. Packing pot roast, etc...is just not that "travel-able". LOL

I made dottie's pumpkin pound cake today w/ all almond flour. I'm going to have to check out Pamela's mix, though!

Thx!

[amaplay]

I participated in a hospital research study. They were testing a sample of the US population, to see the rate of celiac statistically. (They were finding it to be higher than orig. suspected)

It was thru the Children's Hospital in LA, and their goal was to have testing for children be standard for all kids, like in Italy where all are supposedly tested by age 6.

I was given 3 blood tests that are more standard in Europe, and all were neg. There were rates of errors on all the tests, but with the 3, it's a pretty definitive diagnosis of yay or nay. So never did do the intestine biopsy (phew!)

ama