My DH is Gluten intolerant and so I try to follow the same restrictions as he does to make it easier to cook in our house. However, the GF flours are so much higher in calories than regular wheat flour. Add into the equation, that I also have to make meals that 2 picky teenagers will eat. So we have a lot of tacos with corn chips and brown rice pasta. And if we travel, it's McDonald's french fries because it's a "safe" food.

I have been trying to buy more organic foods (less processing = no gluten usually) and cooking more chicken and veggies, but sometimes I'm just not into cooking.

Anyone else on here following a GF diet? Just looking for some tips or recipes to lower calorie content. I'm trying to NOT have to live on lettuce and carrot sticks.

The Gluten Free Goddess (google it for website) is a fantastic blog! She has so many wonderful recipes, ideas and food lists. It's the bestest!

i have 2 gluten free children....
i have tons of reciepts that are amzing i can send you. But i want give you a strong peice of advise...if you do not have to follow the gluten free diet, then you shouldnt. i know it sometimes can be hard to cook, for both, we are family of 6, and our suppers are allways gluten free. but breakfast and snacks are diffrent.

this can turn into a very long post for me, but here goes some suggestions.

first eating out...your not stuck with macdonalds anymore..there are many resturants that have gluten free items..here is some to start with

montanas
swiss chalet
tony romas
apple bees
wendys
tim hortons
jack asters

just ask the server for a list of gluten free items..or check the the resturants site online.

Gluten free bread:

If you go to winners, you can get reusable toastabags, and you can put the gluten free bread in one, and toast it, without it getting contamanated.

flour: here is a great mix;
6 cup white rice flour
2 cup potato starch flour
1 cup tapioca flour

can be used in any reciept but make sure you add half to 1 tsp of xanthan gum per cup used

cookie flour mix

2 parts sweet rice flour
1 part white rice flour

i also have reciepts for amazing cinniom buns, ect

if you would like any pm me and i can email them to you..

ang

Im confused, can somebody fill me in? Im diabetic......and Im not even sure what gluten free means. Does it mean it wont convert to sugar as quickly? If thats the case, then if my cereal is gluten free, do I really need to watch the carb content in it? Cause I want two bowls instead of one and I cant cause I watch my carbs for diabetic reasons....HELP!

Gluten is a protein in wheat and several other cereal grains. Gluten free diets are necessary for people who are allergic to that protein. It has nothing to do with the glycemic index, which is how quickly carbohydrate is digested to blood sugar.

Thanks all,

Yes gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Oats are generally off limits because they get cross contaminated. And even the littlest bit will make my DH sick.

I have been following a GF diet for the last 3 months with him, but I miss bread sooooooo much. Real bread. the GF stuff will just never be the same. I have made 5 or 6 different kinds, and they are ok, but not what I want and they are much higher in calories.

Dinners will have to remain GF, but I gave up on it for breakfast/lunch at work. I should stick with it because then I would be eating more fruits and veggies, but those darned WW frozen things can be so yummy when you are dieting.

I'll check out that website, I don't think I had come across that one yet.

Nella, there are many delicious veggie recipes and fruit recipes. I have to cook all of mine due to a stomache condition. One favorite is zucchini(in season right now) and onions browned in a little OO. In separate small pan roast some walnuts. Add to zuke with a little nutmeg (a pinch) after zuke is browned. Really good. For breakfast today I had an egg beater omelt with some peppers and onions and some spaghetti squash with diced tomatoes. Add a little Mrs. Dash and pepper. I cook the S squash and keep small bags in freezer. Our DD makes a shake in morning with soy milk, fruit and vanilla. Lots of recipes if you look online.

I am gluten free out of choice, not out of necessity. Does that count? I don't eat anything with white flour (or whole wheat) or sugar. This eliminates most food that is bad for dieters, cake, cookies, white bread etc. I do eat the other things like oats though.

I eat buckwheat products (pancakes, noodles) because buckwheat is actually good for you. I eat also rice noodles. I love Japanese soba noodles.

I'm new to the gluten-free world, as I'm experimenting to see if all my belly issues will go away by removing gluten from my diet (you know, read an article, had a lot of the symptoms, everything else had been checked out, yadayada, so just eliminating one thing to see what happens). Surprisingly, I'm feeling much better, so just going to continue gluten-free for a couple more weeks, then add some back to see what happens.

But, anyway, I'm wondering what manufacturers would be calling the gluten used as thickeners in products (like the ketchup and ice cream mentioned)? I have been watching for flours and wheat, barley, etc, but nothing like that's listed on our ketchup or ice cream (or the soy ice cream-like stuff I can eat).

Thanks for helping me out!

other names gluten may be hidden in:
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Modified food starch
• Dextrin
• Natural flavorings
• Artificial flavorings
• Anything labeled an extract
• Vanilla flavoring
• Malt flavoring

I'm gluten intolerant also. I don't trust any label that I can't identify everything and it's source. manufacturers can hide a lot of things under "natural flavorings" and such. gluten is natural. it could be in there. it's a protein that can make things thicker, tougher (ever over work bread dough? it's the gluten at work that makes it tough), more elastic. it is also used as a binder - look out for it in things like lunchmeat - even the "natural" ones, all dressings, gravies, sauces, and anything frozen.

I've stopped trying to replace gluten containing items with alternatives for the most part. part of it is that they are higher in calories (more nutrient dense in some cases), but also because it's just not the same. there's nothing worse to me than craving something I love and then eating a poor excuse for it and still craving it.

So, I eat no bread, crackers (rice is okay), cookies, cake, pie, pasta, anything fried, cereal (again, rice chex are fine); all the obvious sources. I avoid the majority of processed foods. Besides the gluten, there are so many other undesirables in there. Just don't bother with it. I work a full time corporate job, run my own business at home, have a husband, co-lead a girl scout troop, clean my own house, and a multitude of other activities my daughter is in and I make two meals a day - lunch and dinner. This is not hard. Actually, it seems easier. It costs less too - we spend about $50-75 a week on groceries on average, at the most $100 and we are an overweight family of 3. all those prepackaged, convenience foods cost a lot, and we don't buy all the stuff that has gluten in it anymore.

it wasnt always like this. our wallets and waistlines show it. we used to eat out and buy frozen pizza. now we just plan ahead. don't really have too much of an option. I get sick if I don't. its more than a desire for an outcome. it's a permanent lifestyle.