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Meal suggestions? Cutting right back on dairy, gluten, eggs, citrus, corn, spelt

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
Do you have Trader Joe's where you live? They have GF frozen, cooked, pancakes and waffles, which are very tasty.

If you can't have corn at all you'll have to check the labels; I don't know if they have any. A lot of GF premade stuff contains corn :/.

Dont have a Trader Joe's.

I tried a nice pasta from Waitrose a while back that was glutten free - but its made entirely of corn. Pretty gutted when I found I couldnt even have that.
 

NilaJones

Senior Member
Messages
647
how close do they taste?

Fine for pizza or casseroles. Not like gourmet $30/lb cheeses. They come in flavors like cheddar, mozzerella, etc. I am fairly picky and I like them, including on toast.
 

NilaJones

Senior Member
Messages
647
i ordered some GF ravioli online last week. Pretty darn good! Kinda spendy, about $5 for a large serving. But it haz cheese... worth looking for one that doesn't, tho.

Rice pasta is a staple in Asian cuisines. Do you have a an Asian grocery you can get to and stock up? Also look for soba (buckwheat -- it's gluten free) noodles.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Are soy products ok for you? A lot of soy products out there are gluten free. I eat soy burgers with fake cheese melted on top.
 

WillowJ

คภภเє ɠรค๓թєl
Messages
4,940
Location
WA, USA
wheat-free, soy-free soy sauce substitute recipe:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Soy-Sauce-Substitute (my carer use homemade beef broth instead of water and boullion cubes, which are made mostly of MSG)

another one we haven't tried yet (again would use homemade chicken broth):
http://nikicooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/soy-sauce-substitute.html

but they also sell wheat-free soy sauce these days, if soy and MSG aren't problems.

for a non-wheat, non-corn thickener, one can use arrowroot starch/powder, or use whatever safe flour you have on hand.

If you can get a variety of specialty flours, check out Cooking for Isaiah, which contains a recipe for a flour mix; one would never know one was eating GF (no off taste or grittiness). Not sure how many of the recipes in it are spoonie-friendly. Oh here is her blog.
 

WillowJ

คภภเє ɠรค๓թєl
Messages
4,940
Location
WA, USA
Thanks Willow. I feel sorry for you too in that case! It's rough...

There's quite a lot of selection nowadays in the shops so I think I can get all that stuff. I'll try it all out.

I love rice, so that good if some is gluten free/low. Lots of rice selection including the sticky stuff. I'll try and see if any say on the packet that they are g-free. I can have that with a bunch of stuff, so that could be important.
Seeds are fine - I think. Dont generally eat a lot of them, but I'll have to start!
How does the shake taste?

I can eat all meat fine (which is a relief) so protein shouldn't be a problem for me. What I'm going to lose from my diet is mainly a bunch of carbs I think. Losing cheese is also quite a blow and I can't think of anything decent to replace it with.

I forgot about rice having gluten. sticky rice may have more. I like that because I can get it no enrichments (no folic acid, and no soy or whatever is in the vitamins that bothers me), and from my area grown in California which is relatively safe. plus I just like it. If gluten is a problem probably some other kind would be better for you.

the shake is not bad. I like it more now than I did the first couple times I had it.
 

PennyIA

Senior Member
Messages
728
Location
Iowa
Chicken Tortilla Soup ---psst this can be quite 'heated' so substitute Rotella tomatos or HOT Salsa very minimally if you want more heat until you've tried it first

1 container of Chicken Stock
1 sm can of Red Enchillada Sauce
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
Either two chicken breasts pre-cooked and shredded (or I use leftovers from roasted chicken or bought shredded chicken - mexican style or plain)
1 TBSP Medium Salsa

Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for about 30 minutes. I've been known to add more tomatoes, add drained black beans and/or corn (though - it sounds like corn is off your list).

Stuffed Green Pepper Soup -- might be more of a midwest USA kind of favorite. Not sure everyone likes stuffed green peppers... but it's SO MUCH easier than making stuffed peppers and taste just like it.

1 large can Tomato Juice
1 sm can tomato Sauce
1 lb of browned lean ground beef
3-4 chopped green peppers
1 sm can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup of Long Grain Brown Rice
2 TBSP Beef Bouillon

Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cover the pot and cook until the rice is done. It's not very spicy - more a comfort-food from bland mid-west. But it's really yummy and very filling. If you add salsa to it, you can add some heat - but then it doesn't taste like Stuffed Green Peppers anymore.

CHILI -- definitely an Iowa recipe (as opposed to Texan Chili)

1 large can Tomato Juice
1 can Tomato sauce
1 lb of browned lean ground beef
1 sm can of diced tomatoes
1 can of Dark Red Kidney beans (drained)
1 can of Black Beans (drained)
1 can of Chili Beans - with chili sauce
Chopped onion or Onion Flakes to taste
2 TBSP Chili Powder
2 TBSP Salsa (heat to taste)

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and leave on the stove/crock pot (without covering it) as long as possible, stirring occasionally. Within an hour, it's soup - about six hours later - it'll be chili.

I've always been a throw things together and heat them cook... but these are all things that my whole family enjoys. AND they all work great to make larger batches and freeze some.
 

leela

Senior Member
Messages
3,290
my 2¢ over here, is, if you are going to the trouble of doing a limited diet for health reasons:

-please stay away from the microwave, it messes with the molecular structure of the food and fucks with your system
-there are so many hidden forms of MSG (neurotoxin) in restaurant and processed food (esp, asian!), it's best to avoid them as well, despite the convenience for us exhausted people
-restaurant and prepared foods also use bad oils, which can wreak havoc on our systems as well
-if you dislike veggies (you can make them nice!) a good juicer will get TONS into you, and you can make many delicious combos [my fave at the moment: kale, spinach, celery, apple, fennel, lime, cilantro, carrots, golden beets, ginger, fresh turmeric]--the trick is to balance the bitter/earthy greens with the sweeter things like carrots/apple
and the pungent/sour of ginger and lime
-making a big batch of kitchari is easy, tasty, nourishing, simple to digest, and you can freeze individual servings for later. There are many recipes online and you can make it with rice or with quinoa for more protein
 
Messages
15,786
I have similar restrictions. We eat a lot of rice now mostly, and sometimes potatoes. Then either a stir-fry with pre-cut meats and veggies (avoid pre-seasoned), or a curry with pre-cut meats, veggies, creamy canned coconut milk, and a curry paste. Just be sure there's no citrus in the curry paste.

Basically I use coconut milk for all of my sauce bases. It even works well for an "italian" flavor with some tomato paste and italian herbs (and some nice olives) instead of curry paste.

I also make my own bread with a breadmaker, and that's very very nice :love:
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Yikes!! Haven't you folk read about the arsenic levels in rice especially brown rice? Google it. I have cut right back after using it as 60% of my new macrobiotic diet - dairy, gluten, citrus, corn nightshade (potatoes, peppers and tomatoes) sugar, bad oils, caffeine, animal protein (still reducing this one - one small amount a week ATM) egg, unfermented soy, anything at all processed, fruit and nut, spices and most herbs FREE.

For breakfast l will hav e oatmeal, lunch, quinoa with chickpeas, cauliflower and leeks, cucumber pickle, sesame and salt condiment, for tea, split pea soup with grated carrot and miso then later, chia seeds in water for example. Distilled water and a cup of dandelion or nettle tea.

I had decided that l did not just want to avoid the things that were upsetting me, but wanted to enable my body to heal. It is working and l am losing symptoms with increased energy.

Gluten free products are just junk food, usually with bad fats.
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
Though it pains me, I have to cut this lovely stuff out as much as possible, so I'm going to require a pretty radical change of diet. In addition nuts give me excema so I can't have them either.

Ideas?

I don't I'm afraid have any ideas that you might find useful but thought I would lend my own experience of this dilemma to the discussion if that's alright? Don't want to take over this discussion.

I still have this IBS issue - if that's what it is. Over the early years when the nausea was so very prevalent - various quacks and non-quack nutritionists were consulted and intolerance's were advanced as possibilities. Even tests 'proved' I had them e.g. wheat.

Diets were tried. Restrictive. Very restrictive. Nothing seemed to help and to be honest I got totally depressed and demoralised by it all - and it was bloody expensive to boot!

After 5 years I thought 'no more' and packed it in. In might actually have been less than 5 years - felt like 5 years - but it was several years. Anyway...

The nausea was resolved with Betahistine Hydrochloride in my case. Great. More than great. Although that didn't occur immediately - it took another 5 years of suffering with this symptom before an experienced ME clinician put me on that particular drug.

No. What I did was to decide that I have this problem with loose bowels, the diahorrea, the need for a toilet, the spasms in my bowel, and that nothing was likely to help me with it. There was no 'thing' that I could take or cut out from my diet that would help.

So I returned to eating what I liked, when I fancied it. I didn't observe set meal-times. I ate when I felt the need. I still do. And all the quack-remedies went in the bin.There were a hell of a lot of them.

Appetite is still 'out there' somewhere and I have no regular meal-times. Eat when I'm hungry and eat what I like. I am still a relatively 'big chap' I suppose but that is as much due to a inability to exercise as much as I would like as anything to do with my diet.

Bowels are still messy. Sorry. My lifestyle now is far more settled. I don't have quite the same degree of stress that I did - but I still have the symptoms - the problems - just less acutely I would venture.

It's a personal thing I reckon. I love bread. So I eat bread. Especially fresh-bread. I buy it part-baked and pop it in the oven and.... well you get the point. Nothing like that smell to stimulate my appetite.

Same with bacon... Ha! You're probably thinking 'You unhealthy buggar!' But I'm not. Not really. Pasta is my constant companion - wheat pasta of course and eggs are good. Natural binder after-all :)

The only thing - the absolute only thing - I steer clear of is apples (though I love apple juice and that's fine) and orange juice (though I eat oranges). These really go through me for some reason.

But in the main, my lifestyle change, my approach to food ('Sod it. I will eat what I want and tolerate the consequences.'), and my attempts to reduce stress - have I think helped considerably.

I hope that you are able to find alternatives to what you cannot tolerate. It's so important to enjoy - to gain some pleasure - from what you eat. Good luck :)
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
Vegetarian cheese is okay.
I basically eat salads, veg, and meat - kippers, mackerel.
Just watch out for eating too much rice - sorry to be the bearer of bad news - I have consumed loads over the past 4/5 yrs since doing the diet you are on - I had a hair test last year - I was so focused on my mercury levels I never gave a thought to the mega high arsenic levels - now I know about the link with rice:( :(
Fill up on potatoes/sweet potatoes/squash. Haven't found a good recipe for gluten free bread yet so just buy Genius - not so good. If you do find one let me know - I will buy a bread maker:)
Its so hard at first, you have to be determined - as people say - doesn't work by reducing things - all has to be cut out completely.
BTW - is it egg yolk/white? I can tolerate the occasional egg white but not the yolk.
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
I don't I'm afraid have any ideas that you might find useful but thought I would lend my own experience of this dilemma to the discussion if that's alright? Don't want to take over this discussion.

I still have this IBS issue - if that's what it is. Over the early years when the nausea was so very prevalent - various quacks and non-quack nutritionists were consulted and intolerance's were advanced as possibilities. Even tests 'proved' I had them e.g. wheat.

Diets were tried. Restrictive. Very restrictive. Nothing seemed to help and to be honest I got totally depressed and demoralised by it all - and it was bloody expensive to boot!

After 5 years I thought 'no more' and packed it in. In might actually have been less than 5 years - felt like 5 years - but it was several years. Anyway...

The nausea was resolved with Betahistine Hydrochloride in my case. Great. More than great. Although that didn't occur immediately - it took another 5 years of suffering with this symptom before an experienced ME clinician put me on that particular drug.

No. What I did was to decide that I have this problem with loose bowels, the diahorrea, the need for a toilet, the spasms in my bowel, and that nothing was likely to help me with it. There was no 'thing' that I could take or cut out from my diet that would help.

So I returned to eating what I liked, when I fancied it. I didn't observe set meal-times. I ate when I felt the need. I still do. And all the quack-remedies went in the bin.There were a hell of a lot of them.

Appetite is still 'out there' somewhere and I have no regular meal-times. Eat when I'm hungry and eat what I like. I am still a relatively 'big chap' I suppose but that is as much due to a inability to exercise as much as I would like as anything to do with my diet.

Bowels are still messy. Sorry. My lifestyle now is far more settled. I don't have quite the same degree of stress that I did - but I still have the symptoms - the problems - just less acutely I would venture.

It's a personal thing I reckon. I love bread. So I eat bread. Especially fresh-bread. I buy it part-baked and pop it in the oven and.... well you get the point. Nothing like that smell to stimulate my appetite.

Same with bacon... Ha! You're probably thinking 'You unhealthy buggar!' But I'm not. Not really. Pasta is my constant companion - wheat pasta of course and eggs are good. Natural binder after-all :)

The only thing - the absolute only thing - I steer clear of is apples (though I love apple juice and that's fine) and orange juice (though I eat oranges). These really go through me for some reason.

But in the main, my lifestyle change, my approach to food ('Sod it. I will eat what I want and tolerate the consequences.'), and my attempts to reduce stress - have I think helped considerably.

I hope that you are able to find alternatives to what you cannot tolerate. It's so important to enjoy - to gain some pleasure - from what you eat. Good luck :)

Its not about punishing yourself with restricted diets or IBS - its about feeling ill - dizzy, heavy legs and body- wanting to sleep - sometimes tingling lips, cough etc etc - signs of a food sensitivity/intolerance. I can have these symptoms back immediately if I eat the wrong foods - strawberry will make my left eyelid droop practically onto my cheek. Totally different issues.
I've never had IBS - that I know of....
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Firestorm

I'm keeping that option for the time when l give up and don't think l can get my body to heal. Sell up move into a hotel room and eat what the hell l want with a few bezo's handy for when the money runs out or when l can't get out of bed anymore.
 

Sea

Senior Member
Messages
1,286
Location
NSW Australia
I forgot about rice having gluten. sticky rice may have more.

Rice does not have any gluten. The confusion comes from "glutinous rice" which simply means sticky rice, nothing to do with gluten.

You do however have to be careful with rice mixes. Some "wild rice" mixes contain barley or oats which would have gluten.
 

Sea

Senior Member
Messages
1,286
Location
NSW Australia
I have similar restrictions. We eat a lot of rice now mostly, and sometimes potatoes. Then either a stir-fry with pre-cut meats and veggies (avoid pre-seasoned), or a curry with pre-cut meats, veggies, creamy canned coconut milk, and a curry paste. Just be sure there's no citrus in the curry paste.

Basically I use coconut milk for all of my sauce bases. It even works well for an "italian" flavor with some tomato paste and italian herbs (and some nice olives) instead of curry paste.

I also make my own bread with a breadmaker, and that's very very nice :love:

There's some good ideas there Valentijn. What flour do you do use for your bread? I'm still looking for a nice gluten free bread recipe
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
Its not about punishing yourself with restricted diets or IBS - its about feeling ill - dizzy, heavy legs and body- wanting to sleep - sometimes tingling lips, cough etc etc - signs of a food sensitivity/intolerance. I can have these symptoms back immediately if I eat the wrong foods - strawberry will make my left eyelid droop practically onto my cheek. Totally different issues.
I've never had IBS - that I know of....

Totally appreciate this Mary. Thing is that when I was on these diets or restricting/excluding the food that I had been told I was intolerant to - these symptoms remained and they still do. It's called for me, ME. At least I believe this is true in part if totally.

Mum has a lactose intolerance. She doesn't have ME. Although... Anyway, she doesn't have a diagnosis of ME she has Rheumatoid Arthritis; and when she by mistake or intentionally as a treat - eats something with cows milk in it then she gets a big reaction. Like the one you describe for strawberries. It is definite. She can put it down to the cows milk.

My trouble was that people - 'experts' - were telling me my symptoms were being caused by or exacerbated by food that I was intolerant to. Never happened to me before in my life. All this came about because of the event that led to my diagnosis of ME.

As I said. We are all different. If you can cut-out specific food or food-groups and see an definite improvement in symptoms - brilliant! I couldn't. It didn't work for me.

I think it's one of those avenues that we all must go down when our health condition in general does not resolve itself. I would also suggest that IBS and/or diahorrea is not only a commonly reported issue in people with ME it is also one associated closely with food intolerance (and a lot of other persistent health problems).

Was a time when exercise or exertion would lead me to the toilet. I think you can find a balance through various means whereby you can tolerate associated symptoms to a better degree.

One of those for some people is discovering the 'right' foods and excluding the 'wrong' ones. Anyway, I am pleased you have discovered a means of achieving some sense of balance also.

If only diet could resolve the ME we'd all be laughing :)
 

LisaGoddard

Senior Member
Messages
284
Hi Joel, I've cut out all of these (except corn) as well. In addition to Willow's suggestions, I recommend millet. There are some good tasting pastas made of rice. Also buckwheat pasta which is not so nice.
It is a trial trying to find things that you can eat.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
The problem with cutting out various foods, is that the ones remaining, are often not healing foods so further intolerances develop or at the least, there is a small improvement and some symptoms go but most remain. I believe that it is a mistake to think that diet will not cure ME. People have acutally healed themselves with a raw vegan diet. I did try that but could not tolerate it due to genetic problems with too much folate. Its not for everyone.

There are some important things that will prevent the body from getting into healing mode. Even something as small as the salt we use can disturb the healing. Here are some macrobiotic principles that heal any condition. Of course, supplements will probably be needed as well but diet is the mainstay of a healing program.

Salt must be untreated sea salt from clean sources.

The best healing diet is about 50-60% whole grains not split, organic and soaked rinsed and cooked properly, with beans, vegetables excluding nightshades, cooked in little water, and sea vegetables. I am working towards that but might not get there 100% and might still have some ground flours such as buckwheat.

No frying. Water fry then add a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Low oil for the liver to heal. Vegetable oils are very bad.

If needed small amounts of fish or meat are ok depending on condition so b12 is necessary.

Meals should fit into cupped hands and be chewed very thoroughly.

No drinking with meals.

No eating for 4 hours before sleep.

Because I have problems with certain foods that are very healing, like those containing salicylate, I use TriEnza digestive enzymes. They allow me to eat oatmeal for breakfast.

There are condiments and pickles which help with the flavour of meals. Gomashio is ground salt and sesame seeds and is very tasty. Picklescan be made just before lunch with ume vinegar. Miso is very strengthening.