wheat free/low carb diets.... (1 Viewer)

[theweeyin]

I've got IBS and I think it's about time for a change of diet. I'd be interested in anyones recipies for wheat free meals, particularly things I could put in packed lunches for work as I usually take sandwiches and they're out in the new diet. I'm gonna try some of that wheat free pasta and I've recently started eating more fresh fish but I'm at a bit of a loss as I usually still feel hungry after having a meal that has very few carbs in it..........!cheezy

 

[Buzzo]

by carbs do you mean all mad Atkins vibe carbs or rice/potato/ bread carbs?

I try to avoid wheat anyway so I eat ryvita instead of bread, use gram flour instead of regular flour and for meals- vegetable pasta/ quinoa/ millet etc instead of wheat pasta or rice.

Dunno if that helps...

 

[jane]

I can't eat wheat, either, and, as I've mentioned without being asked before, I have the digestive system of an aul wan, and there isn't much that doesn't make me feel yick.

I had IBS and gastritis when I was a teenager, and I've never really been able to eat normal food without feeling horrible. I gave up wheat about 2 1/2 years ago, when I went to the doctor because I couldn't stop puking. He told me to try cutting out/back on wheat and minimising starchy foods, and lo and I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed almost immediately. My skin cleared up, too.

I eat a lot of fresh vegetables and loads of fruit, and while wheat is a no-no, I find oats don't bother me at all, and end up eating a lot of porridge and flapjacks. Risottos are good, and they keep fairly well, and I love cooking with coarse polenta, mixing yummy things into it and having it with roasted veg. Fish and sushi-related stuff is always easy on the belly, and tofu is good, too. I think wheat-free pasta is yick, but there are a few recipes for gnocchi that don't involve flour (some call for it, some are just potato), so when I really want pasta, I go for that. I eat oatcakes or rice cakes instead of bread, and while I frequently pine for a big loaf of sliced white pan, it's not that hard once you get used to it.

I've recently picked up a pretty good cookbook from the "Gluten-free gourmet" series. It's meant for coeliacs, but because a lot of coeliacs have other food intolerances, it gives a whole bunch of variations for each recipe. The best thing about it, though, is that it explains the properties of ingredients (various flours, gum-based binding stuff, etc) so that you can figure out for yourself how to do substitutions in regular recipes.

Whenever I post recipes, they're usually pretty much wheat-free, and I'll try to think of some and post more soon.

 

[minka]

by carbs do you mean all mad Atkins vibe carbs or rice/potato/ bread carbs?

I try to avoid wheat anyway so I eat ryvita instead of bread, use gram flour instead of regular flour and for meals- vegetable pasta/ quinoa/ millet etc instead of wheat pasta or rice.

Dunno if that helps...

quinoa is brilliant, i only discovered it quite recently. it's super nutritious and has a nice nutty taste and bobbly texture. you can use it like rice, or i've made a great salad with it - cooked, then dressed with lime juice, olive oil, and parsley. might be good for a packed lunch, especially if you added more veggies or whatever.

damn, now i'm hungry.

 

[theweeyin]

crackin'! Thanks ladies. I can't wait to see if I start feeling a bit better on the new diet cos I'm sluggish as fuck at the minute, constantly tired, constant headaches

Roll on the new food!

 

[theweeyin]

I can't eat wheat, either, and, as I've mentioned without being asked before, I have the digestive system of an aul wan, and there isn't much that doesn't make me feel yick.

I had IBS and gastritis when I was a teenager, and I've never really been able to eat normal food without feeling horrible. I gave up wheat about 2 1/2 years ago, when I went to the doctor because I couldn't stop puking. He told me to try cutting out/back on wheat and minimising starchy foods, and lo and I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed almost immediately. My skin cleared up, too.

I eat a lot of fresh vegetables and loads of fruit, and while wheat is a no-no, I find oats don't bother me at all, and end up eating a lot of porridge and flapjacks. Risottos are good, and they keep fairly well, and I love cooking with coarse polenta, mixing yummy things into it and having it with roasted veg. Fish and sushi-related stuff is always easy on the belly, and tofu is good, too. I think wheat-free pasta is yick, but there are a few recipes for gnocchi that don't involve flour (some call for it, some are just potato), so when I really want pasta, I go for that. I eat oatcakes or rice cakes instead of bread, and while I frequently pine for a big loaf of sliced white pan, it's not that hard once you get used to it.

I've recently picked up a pretty good cookbook from the "Gluten-free gourmet" series. It's meant for coeliacs, but because a lot of coeliacs have other food intolerances, it gives a whole bunch of variations for each recipe. The best thing about it, though, is that it explains the properties of ingredients (various flours, gum-based binding stuff, etc) so that you can figure out for yourself how to do substitutions in regular recipes.

Whenever I post recipes, they're usually pretty much wheat-free, and I'll try to think of some and post more soon.

How do you cope with that when you're on holiday? It must make eating out nearly impossible?

 

[jane]

How do you cope with that when you're on holiday? It must make eating out nearly impossible?

It's challenging, for sure, especially being mostly veggie. I just have my staple foods that seem to be okay, and miraculously, I don't have a problem with cheese or ice cream, which means there's usually something that I absolutely love. I also started eating fish so that I wouldn't end up being one of those people that can't eat anywhere.

I haven't had too much problem, as apart from my hatred of mushrooms, I like a lot of stuff, I'm more than happy with non-fungus vegetables, and I'm not that bothered about creatively pairing up starters and sides to make a meal. Dublin isn't actually that hard, and the west of Ireland, which has a huge proportion of coeliacs (I think it's the highest proportion in Europe), is pretty easy, too. When I was in Killarney last month, they were not only accommodating, they didn't make a big deal out of it, so I didn't feel all funny and obnoxious asking for stuff that wasn't on the set menu they were offering. I do end up eating a hell of a lot of salmon, though, which is my least favourite kind of fish. On one trip, I ended up with salmon four nights in a row, which was three nights too many. And if there's something that has some wheat in it, and I really can't live without it, I'm just very careful about everything else I eat. I'm not averse to having a cannoli for lunch if it means it won't bother my tummy too much and I still get my fix. I haven't had to cut it out entirely because only coeliacs really have to do that, but I do avoid it as much as possible.

I ate brilliantly in both Paris and Rome last year, which was a bit of a surprise, considering that wheat products are big staples of the French and Italian diets. I never, ever went anything like hungry, and had some of the yummiest fish ever prepared by human kind, and generally ate so much that if I told you how much, you'd be ashamed even to know such a glutton on the internet. I always think that lunch in Dublin is tough, what with the predominance of the sandwich joint, but it's not actually that hard, especially if you like salads.

I also almost always bring food with me when I travel, and I usually go to a shop and pick up a few things, and I'll bring something with me during the day, in case there's no way to find enough lunch options to satisfy. I feel so much better physically that I don't often mind the extra effort, and when I do break down and eat a big slab of bread, I always regret it, a sometimes necessary reminder about why making the effort is worth it.

What it's actually made me do is become more creative in my cooking, and try new kinds of foods. I get a sense of accomplishment if I cook a huge veggie and wheat-free feast and realise that even those who live on hang sangitches don't seem to miss anything. Last weekend, I did a wheat-free moussaka (bechamel sauce calls for plain flour, but cornflour works totally fine), beetroot, spinach and sesame salad, chocolate chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, and I put out cheese, oatcakes, and garlic-stuffed olives for nibbles. The feast before that was nachos, black bean chili, cornbread, and brownies with lemon cheesecake icecream (which I tried to make homemade, but it doesn't come out quite right without an ice-cream maker).

I reckon there are a lot more people out there who are suffering from intolerance to wheat, but haven't ever realised it. I still don't know what the deal is, but I do know that cutting it out has made a huge difference. It also may be related to anxiety, I think, or at least being less sluggish all the time has helped a bit. At least it stopped me from retching all the damn time.

 

[Catwoman]

I've been making bread with spelt flour and it's very nice. Same texture as wheat but a slightly nutty flavour.

 

[theweeyin]

I've been making bread with spelt flour and it's very nice. Same texture as wheat but a slightly nutty flavour.

Sounds good. Any recipes? Do i need a special bread maker ?

 

[Catwoman]

You can use any bread recipe but if you're making yeast bread bear in mind it proves and rises quicker than wheat bread. Makes nice soda bread...

 

[Lili Marlene]

right, has anyone tried this one yet?

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100510/tod-starving-yogi-astounds-indian-scient-451ab4f.html

 

[Squiggle]

right, has anyone tried this one yet?

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100510/tod-starving-yogi-astounds-indian-scient-451ab4f.html

Wow! Was wondering what the outcome of that study would be. But, as I haven't been blessed by a goddess I'm back to to wheat and processed-carb-free eating.

Mad a really yummy chocolate cake last night using almond flour, ground flaxseed, eggs, butter, xylitol and cocoa powder.