I know I can't be the only one here that's gluten free! Considering up to 1% of the population is celiac and more are gluten intolerant there's gotta be a couple more on the forum (although most people are not diagnosed).

Oh, and if you are in Raleigh want to share some of the crazy good deals Amazon has? Do want cheap pasta, but not 12 bags of it.

8/28/2008 9:26:12 AM

No, my parents did not swim in the shallow end of the gene pool.

8/28/2008 9:40:56 AM

Well in my case gluten intolerance is caused by lyme disease, and it's fairly common. Nothing to do with bad genes, just REALLY bad luck with doctors.

8/28/2008 9:49:31 AM

my best friend has Celiacs
it sucks

8/28/2008 10:03:17 AM

i'd give up all food for you.

I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

8/28/2008 10:08:47 AM

So far in this thread, I most agree with mootduff

8/28/2008 10:22:52 AM

^ I'm gonna laugh my ass off and tell you how stupid you are when you get cancer.

8/28/2008 10:32:50 AM

http://www.bobsredmill.com/home.php?cat=109

70+ products

8/28/2008 10:39:14 AM

^^haha, goodluck with that one

8/28/2008 10:39:17 AM

This thread is a good idea. I'm sure some people on TWW could make use of this thread. Keep it bumped for a while until you figure out who each other are.

That worked for the local diabetics.

And just ignore the trolls.

8/28/2008 10:42:21 AM

i try to stick to the gluten free stuff, but i cant and i pay for it!

8/28/2008 10:46:01 AM

^ Too expensive, not convenient enough, or something else?

8/28/2008 10:47:16 AM

I should mention finding simply asia rice noodle bowls for $1 each, free if you transfer a script to CVS and use the Rite-aid rx transfer coupon to get a $30 gift card.

CVS has 4 packs for $7 and until the end of the month you get $3 back in extra bucks, so it's a pretty good deal. I use the $2 off $10 CVS coupon to make it better, have close to 20 of the bowls right now.

8/28/2008 10:57:03 AM

ask mcfluffle

8/28/2008 11:42:11 AM

Half my family has celiac, but I don't. Are you relatively new to it? Most places now have separate gluten free menus you can ask for. Almost everything you can want now comes in gluten free varieties. I'm going down to see my aunt this weekend, I can ask her for information or advice if you'd like. There is a place in Greensboro that delivers gluten free cheesecakes (if you like cheesecake). They're incredible even for gluten free. It's Cheesecakes by Alex if you're interested, and like I said, they deliver.

8/28/2008 11:43:20 AM

I've been doing the GF thing since April '06.

I was mostly hoping I could find some people to share the massive quantities of crazy cheap stuff you can buy on Amazon. I like pasta but don't want to have to eat 9lbs of the same thing.

I was also going to post other GF stuff I find cheap, and hopefully others could do the same.

Found some great progresso broccoli potato chowder clearanced at Harris Teeter for 94 cents a can. Got 6 of them. Between those and the simply asia bowls I have lunch covered for a while.

8/28/2008 11:58:57 AM

Quote :

"I like pasta but don't want to have to eat 9lbs of the same thing."

you do realize that you can keep pasta pretty much forever right?

8/28/2008 12:25:27 PM

this may be a stupid question but how do you know if something has gluten in it or not? it is just simply in the ingredients list?

what do you do at restaurants?

8/28/2008 12:29:12 PM

a friend of mine recently went on a gluten-free diet(she has irritable bowel syndrome, or something similar...i didn't know that gluten was a problem for people with IBS) and it's helped her a lot, pretty much everything used to give her problems

8/28/2008 12:43:13 PM

^^gluten is a protein found in all wheat, rye and barley products

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 12:50 PM. Reason : so yes, read the ingrediants ]

8/28/2008 12:50:32 PM

Quote :

"this may be a stupid question but how do you know if something has gluten in it or not? it is just simply in the ingredients list?"

You know the sources of gluten, watch for them, and also know common culprits. I didn't know soy sauce has gluten in it til mcfluffle informed me of this. If it's fried, you have to check for breading. Beer? Bad idea. You also have to watch for derivatives in an ingredient list that might not scream GLUTEN the way that wheat and flour do, as well as wheat by other names - like spelt.

I dipped a cookie in milk once, and decided I didn't want the cookie or the milk. I gave the cookie to my bf, and offered the milk to her. She couldn't drink that milk

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/

When making bread, xanthan gum is used in lieu of vital gluten, and then one uses a combination of alternative flours, in the place of traditional flour. Making good gluten-free bread is on my list of things to try soon, as I <3 mcfluffle. I've made some from Bob's Red Mill before, and to me, it tasted very stale and old (of course, to her, that didn't matter ), and it was also a fucking beast to clean up. Slimy beyond all hell.

Quote :

"what do you do at restaurants?"

Eat carefully, and ask questions. Rice, and asian places, are your friends. Low-carb menu sections are, too, since they're actively taking away the bread.

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 1:02 PM. Reason : ljks]

8/28/2008 1:00:03 PM

trader joes has a gluten free shopping list available in the store, they are starting to put gluten free signs on their gluten free products. They have a ton of them.

also, there are gluten free beers.

Tylers taproom and the flying saucer have them

8/28/2008 2:21:11 PM

Quote :

"you do realize that you can keep pasta pretty much forever right?"

Yeah, but I don't want to be moving boxes of pasta when I graduate.

Also, the only rice pasta on sale is kid's shapes. I like a variety of shapes and doubt those would work well for home made baked macaroni.

I just bought 3 boxes of kraft mac and cheese. Will give the evil noodles to my roommates and use the GF cheesy packet with my noodles. Cheaper than the Annie's boxed GF mac and cheese.

Honestly I mostly eat rice and the pasta is just for a change once in a while and when I am visiting someone without a rice cooker.

8/28/2008 2:56:04 PM

On GF beers, Red bridge is nasty. I stick with cider. Total wine has K which is my favorite since I can't find strongbow around here. Woodchuck is good as well. Hornsby's is the only gluten containing cider I know of.

8/28/2008 2:57:55 PM

^ i still think you're batshit crazy, but i can't help but like a girl who likes strongbow

8/28/2008 3:09:52 PM

Just go on a paleo diet, and you won't have to worry about it.

8/28/2008 3:24:29 PM

strongbow is on tap at both hibernians

8/28/2008 5:48:12 PM

I never knew there were so many cavemen at NCSU.

8/28/2008 5:52:12 PM

Quote :

"Well in my case gluten intolerance is caused by lyme disease, and it's fairly common."

How does that work? Google didn't turn up anything relevant.

8/28/2008 5:58:06 PM

No one knows exactly how it works, but it's fairly common for patients with lyme to develop gluten sensitivity. Not the same as celiac, since the auto antibodies are not there. Just the gliadin antibodies. Which is not normal, usually the auto antibodies are first and then when the gut is pretty much falling apart you get gliadin coming through into the bloodstream and then those antibodies. My doctor thought my test results were odd, but if you look online many patients have the same thing happening. Lyme research is not very well funded in the US, and in other countries they are more concerned with the most effective treatment that trying to find out exactly how it can produce some of the odd symptoms it does.

8/28/2008 6:20:00 PM

Quote :

"this may be a stupid question but how do you know if something has gluten in it or not? it is just simply in the ingredients list?"

ambrosia's answer is good, but for people with severe intolerance, they just have to stick with products labeled "gluten-free". that's the only way to be sure.

8/28/2008 6:27:45 PM

Yup, some people are really sensitive and even the littlest bit of cross contamination is too much. I can usually get away with something that doesn't have any gluten ingredients unless there is the "processed in a facility that also processes wheat" disclaimer.

8/28/2008 6:34:22 PM

^My Aunt is like that. Can't use the same surface to cook her foods and her husband's. It can be a pain in the butt really trying to eat around her. She'll literally get sick the moment it touches her lips. Her's was triggered by her third pregnancy. Then they did the blood tests and found out she and all her daughters had celiac, it had just been quasi-dormant until then. After she took the tests, my other aunts and grandmother took it, turns out they had it too.

8/28/2008 6:40:21 PM

Well, I feed my pets gluten free...

8/28/2008 7:05:08 PM

what gluten intolerance symptoms did you have?

8/28/2008 7:57:48 PM

Quote :

"I've made some from Bob's Red Mill before, and to me, it tasted very stale and old (of course, to her, that didn't matter "

i'll bet that would land under "un-professional behavior"

8/28/2008 8:23:13 PM

so what does gluten do if someone that is gluten sensitive eats it? just cause diarrhea?

8/28/2008 8:26:43 PM

what are some "normal" foods that dont contain gluten?

im curious ab this

8/28/2008 8:27:15 PM

^^^

^^It depends on the person. I'll let ^^ convey her experience; I have read that it causes some people to ache all over, some people get rashes, some get sick to their stomach. Having done some more reading on this today, and seeing the myriad of symptoms, celiac disease would be a DAMN plausible explanation for what's wrong with my mother, and I am going to try my damndest to either get her to be tested, or to give up all week for two weeks, and see if things go away. Her problems? Constant generalized pain of ranging severity, lack of energy, nerve problems, stomach problems - doctors have thought she had lupus, MS, and fibromyalgia. The only thing celiac disease wouldn't completely explain away is the horrid insomnia.

^How do you mean normal? Rice, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy - none of these contain gluten, and are normal foods.

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 8:30 PM. Reason : lkjdf]

8/28/2008 8:30:09 PM

Quote :

"this may be a stupid question but how do you know if something has gluten in it or not? it is just simply in the ingredients list?"

ingredients generally do not list gluten specifically--you just need to know the common food additives/ingredients that have it. some things to watch out for: modified food starch (unless it is specifically listed as corn or potato, assume it is wheat), what, rye, barley, oats (oats do not actually contain gluten, but the vast majority are contaminated in growing/processing--for this reason, you should avoid the ground beef at taco bell), anything from Lindt or Godiva.

Quote :

"gluten is a protein found in all wheat, rye and barley products"

not exactly, the 'gluten' that makes people sick is a combination of gliadin and glutenin proteins found in certain cereal grains; gliadin is actually the aggravating protein. glutenin is found in corn (corn gluten), but doesn't irritate coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.

8/28/2008 8:31:52 PM

YOU FORGOT POTATOES

8/28/2008 8:32:18 PM

<3 potatoes

8/28/2008 8:37:18 PM

Quote :

"so what does gluten do if someone that is gluten sensitive eats it? just cause diarrhea?"

abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, sinus infections, hypoglycemia, anemias, frequent cavities, irritability, general weakness, poor muscle tone, lung pain and weakness, joint problems; usually rashes, hives and breathing problems are associated more with coeliac disease and gluten allergy than gluten intolerance.


the first time i had a beer after quitting gluten was the worst experience i have ever had--i passed out after one, got a sinus infection and had the worst stomach pain in my life for three days after the fact. ya, i didn't do that again. usually my blood sugar crashes pretty quickly after eating something with gluten, i'll be super irritable and have sinus problems and stomach aches for a few days.

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 8:38 PM. Reason : ^^step on off my potatoes, ho]

8/28/2008 8:37:59 PM

Quote :

"so what does gluten do if someone that is gluten sensitive eats it? just cause diarrhea?"

Imagine a bad hangover and food poisoning at the same time. Headache, feel like you are gonna crap out your intestines, fatigue, confusion, hot and cold flashes. The worst of it for me is about 24 hours after, but the symptoms take 2 weeks to go away. Before I went gluten free I had really dark circles under my eyes, worried some of the people in my dept. because they thought I looked like I was gonna fall over and die.

8/28/2008 9:36:55 PM

a lot of the kids i work with are on the gluten and/or casein free diet
good to see a lot of regular grocery stores are carrying the products now

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 10:24 PM. Reason : ]

8/28/2008 10:23:36 PM

I've self diagnosed myself as gluten sensitive awhile ago. My symptoms were always chronic constipation ( even though I eat enough fruit and vegetables), gas, and bloating.

So I decided to get rid of what I normally have during my meals- bread, pasta ( at moderate portions obviously). I got rid of this for about a week and a half and I felt like a completely new person. I would wake up in the morning feeling empty rather than feeling like there is a brick stuck in my colon. Before, throughout the day my constipation and bloating got so uncomfortable that it made my energy level low.

I can have the things I love, but only in very small portions. And it would only be at one meal/ day. Say, if I had a roll with my lunch that day, I would have anything for dinner, or breakfast.

I always found that I am lactose sensitive as well. Even a cup of yogurt would get bloated the next morning.

I take Beano. And that has helped quite a bit with my digestion.

8/28/2008 10:46:44 PM

Quote :

"I can have the things I love, but only in very small portions. And it would only be at one meal/ day. Say, if I had a roll with my lunch that day, I would have anything for dinner, or breakfast. I always found that I am lactose sensitive as well. Even a cup of yogurt would get bloated the next morning. I take Beano. And that has helped quite a bit with my digestion."

this can actually be bad for you; eating foods that have proteins you are sensitive to can still wreak havoc on your digestive tract (on the order of making tears in your intestines--which is very bad) even if eaten in small enough quantities that you don't notice effects--some people don't experience any of the obvious symptoms of food intolerances but still end up with a world of damage.

8/28/2008 10:50:35 PM

I haven't been back to the GI specialist since 2004 or 05. She diagnosed me with IBS, but that is such an oversimplified term that I really didn't pay attention to my diet after that. She shoved some pills that cost way too much, took a hydrogen breath test etc. She never mentioned a thing about my diet or holistic ways of dealing with this. SO that's why I haven't been back to my GI.

I think I will soon and talk to her about my own discovery and see what else she suggests.

8/28/2008 11:18:16 PM

Have you tried going completely gluten free?

No rolls, no soy sauce (except lachoy), nothing with even the smallest bit in it.

It's worth trying to see if you will improve more.

8/28/2008 11:27:51 PM

Oh my god. That is asking alot. LOVE LOVE bread. I can eat bread + olive oil+ cheese all day if I could. But I won't I'd be a cow right now. Now that ya'll got me scared with all this talk of holes in my stomach maybe it's worth a try!

I can't even imagine what gluten-free stuff tastes like

8/28/2008 11:46:45 PM