2 Week Gluten Free Elimination Diet

I jsut found out 2 months ago I have celiac. I was misdiagnosed iwth IBS 20 years ago. I love the book Living Gluten Free for Dummies. Many companies have a list of gluten free foods on their website. Also Trader Joes and Meijers has a list on their site.If you live near a Wal-mart super store they are suppose to have a hugh selection. I never wa sa big fan of bread but the best bread I have found so far is Deerfields Bakery in Schaumburg. They take orders on their website I believe. you can get corn pasta almost any where now but Whole foods was the cheapest I found. Soft and hard corn taco shells works instead of bread. Watch out for the hidden gluten like soy sauces, soups, salad dressings. Celiac.com has a great list of what not to eat. For me it has not been too hard. I also avoid most dairy because I am lactose intolerence. Good Luck.

www.kidswithfoodallergies.org has a fantastic recipe database

Feel free to contact me. I am speaking at a local conference in Lisle called the Gluten Free Cooking Expo www.glutenfreeclasses.com on Money Matters-Special Diets on a Budget, but this expo will be great help to you. I forgot to mention, there are recipes on her blog and website.

I've included my link to my family health column, if you click on gluten-free you may find some answers to other health issues. I also have a few recipes, click on recipes and you can find some gfree recipes too.

I also do gfree consultations, dietary and digestive health.

Good Luck

J. W. MPH
Chicago Examiner Family Health Expert
http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...

There is a gluten free store in Northbrook on Waukegan @ Dundee. Sunset Foods, Whole Foods, and Garden Fresh Market have a fair selection of gluten free options as well. Make sure that gluten free products are also not manufactured on equipment that processes wheat or gluten prodcuts. There woule likely be traces of gluten in the food. Trader Joes is notorious for lableing thing gluten free but processing them on equipment that handles gluten.

A few gluten free ideas are:
Quinoa (good protein)
Corn pasta
Rice pasta
Quinoa pasta
Brown Rice
Wild Rice
Beans
Dr Prager California veggie burgers
Deans cottage cheese
most cheeses
Peter pan peanut butter (but has hydrogenated oils)

In preparation some things you can:
Smart Balance w/ Flax
Olive oil in prepartion
Heinz ketchup
Lawry's Seasoned salt
Honey
***do not use PAM

A few restaurants that have gluten free options:
PF Changs
Wildfire
Francesca's North
Chipotle
Marcellos Father & Son (thin crust pizza is pretty good)

For further info check out celiac.com or celiac.org

Good luck!

Hi H., I didn't read through all the responses so sorry if I repeat. I assume you will be doing this diet and not your little boy? Me and my son id gluten free/dairy free for 6 months when my son was 3. In addition to meats, veggies, and fruits Trader Joe's has rice pasta in angel hair & cork screw variety. TJ's also carries organic spelt bread which is an ancient grain with very minimal processing that has worked well for us on GF diet. Better texture than GF breads. TJ's also carries GF frozen pancakes & frozen banana waffles my son loves both. They carry a rice brand cereal called Puffins which we love. It's a nice change from puffed rice cereal. And you can never go wrong with TJ's version of Pirate Booty puffed corn. We are big fans.

Whole Foods carries a grain that is GF called Quinoa at the lowest cost per box than other stores that carry it. Whole Foods also carries spelt tortillas. Again the same type of grain that works for us. Great for wraps! Whole Foods also carries wheat free cereal bars and other items but you will learn what works best for you on your budget.

Also rice flour or corn meal are great for breading chicken if you eventually want a change from broiled, baked, or grilled chicken. I use either one to make chicken parmigiana. Good luck. Gluten free/Dairy free made a big difference for both of us. Judy

A gluten free diet sounds harder than it actually is. There is a wonderful store in westchester that sells only gluten free products and has the most variety. Whole foods and Trader Joes are very gluten free friendly. Trader Joes has more variety and labels all their gluten free products. If you ask for a grocery store list of gluten free products they have this too. It is getting easier and easier to find gluten free products. Basically any wheat or multigrain product has gluten in it. Read labels carefully and you should be good to go. It is also a good way to reduce the amount of carb. intake if you tend to overdo this food group.

quinoa! there is pasta and just the grain!!! It is so so yummmy

Hi H.,
I eat gluten free. For quick and easy sides I'll do baked or mashed potatoes, basmati rice or brown rice. I also pick up quick side dishes in boxes that are ready to make at the grocery store. I shop at Woodman's on Randall Rd. Or The Fruitful Yield (www.fruitfulyield.com) on Golf Rd. in Schaumburg. They have gluten free sections so you don't have to hunt for the products.

I also have a gluten free cookbook, but don't always have time to use it! I also keep on hand some gluten free flour so I can sub that into regular recipes that call for flour like gravies and sauces. You can buy various kinds of gluten free flours at the healthfood stores. The sales people are usually pretty knowledgeable. I think my favorite gluten free product though is the pancake mixes and cookie mixes. I'd really missed those!! There are a lot to choose from, but I prefer Bob's RedMill Gluten Free pancake mix, and the Cherrybrook Farms cake and cookie mixes. They're the easiest I've found. (course these will have sugar in it, so I guess you'd have to wait on them) Good luck!!

~T.

Never really followed a gluten free diet, but Trader Joe's have some frozen banana waffles that are gluten free! They are very tasty, quick to fix and help fill the "starch" crave.

There are a lot of GF foodies out there w/blogs online. Try the Gluten Free Girl and check out the links on her blog. Quinoa is a great grain to sub for wheat, and is very high in protein and basically is close to being one of the most perfect foods for nutritional needs. Get organic if you can.Fruitful Yield has a GREAT selection of GF alternatives, and all of the Whole Foods stores (I think all) have a once a month GF Friends meeting that helps if you are new to all this. THere is SO Much more out now that it's come more into the spotlight. 1 in 133 ppl have a gluten sensitivity, whether it's a digestive reaction, gluten ataxia (mental brain fog) or the skin rash form of celiac called Dermatitis Herpatiform (I think is the correct term)
There is a lot to learn and you can become overwhelmed. Just take it one day at a time, using online tools & forums/groups/ blogs to help you. Elizabeth Hasselbeck from the View just came out w/a book recently. Do a search on Amazon for great books to either buy or see if the library has them. Good luck. I hope you find your food trigger if it's not gluten.

H.,

YOu might check out the Foodlab Yahoo Group. Many in the group are gluten free and they share recipes and experiences. I think they have a recipe database too. I have a cookbook could be helpful, it is recipes w/o the seven most common allergies plus cane sugar, and adjustments for gluten free. "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook". There are others out there too.

My daughter is gluten sensitive. Check in the natural food isle of Jewel for GF products. Trader Joes is also a good source- GF pancakes and waffles in the frozen section. www.celiac.org has a TON of resources for GF living. There's a recipe for GF cream of mushroom soup (like you would use in recipes) at www.killthegluten.blogspot.com Also www.specialeats.com has a great GF cookbook and support group that meets at the Whole Foods in Wheaton. Hope that helps!

You can find tons of recipes online since many kids with autism are on are on the GF/CF diet. You should also avoid oat products other than Irish oatmeal because American oats may be contaminated with gluten.