Both Gluten AND Sulfite Free Recipes?

[foodvaccuum]

So...I'm a little new to this food allergy business. This has been a sudden and very annoying, new situation for me and I admit to pathetic cooking skills.

Any help out there? Even brand-name substance food items that wont make me keel over? Recipes? Suggestions?

My only local food store is Safeway which does not exactly cater to digestively challenged individuals such as myself.

Any knowledge is greatly appreciated!

 

[bankai]

I'm not 100% sure what sufite is ( honestly, i just googled it and i still don't get it :S ) but the gluten free thing is quite challenging.

There are several food ranges, which i'm sure you know about, who sell gluten free products and unfortunately you just need read the labels of EVERYTHING. I have IBS and have to stay away from a lot of wheat products. Not quite gluten intolerant but close enough for it to be annoying and frustrating.

I'd suggest you talk to your friends about your gluten intolerance - it's quite common these days for some strange reason and surely they can put you into contact with someone going through the same thing. It's also nice for your friends to know so they can be aware of what you can and can't eat in case they invite you over for dinner.

In AU we have a few brands that are gluten free and they have ranges of bread, cereal, snack foods etc. i can't remember the brand and i doubt it'd be in the US but i'm sure someone here knows.

After my first chat to the gastro about IBS, i drove around to all the health food shops in the city and found a lot of those stores carry a lot of gluten free/wheat free/dairy free/you name it free products. The staff are generally very well trained and quite helpful too.

What i would suggest is take a few recipes you like and try some substitution. Let's take lasagne for example - you obviously can't have pasta so use something like eggplant instead.

On the note of substitution - be very careful with flours. I have found most of the wheat free/gluten free flours are mostly corn flour. This stuff has limited uses and makes for a very soft dough, so don't think of making pasta or anything with it.

 

[foodvaccuum]

I'm not 100% sure what sufite is ( honestly, i just googled it and i still don't get it :S ) but the gluten free thing is quite challenging.

Sulfites are a sulfur derivatives that are grown naturally within certain plants and vegetables but mostly have a wide commercial use as a preservative. Substances that contain especially high amounts of sulfites are:
cornstarch
glucose
corn syrup
wine
vinegar
dehydrated and frozen potatoes
potato flour
gelatin
molasses
chocolate
dried fruit


haha yes i agree. this will take quite a bit of trial and error. i suppose i have to start somewhere...

 

[bankai]

I know it's a bit off topic but what does it do to you ?
Irritates bowels or something a bit worse?

 

[foodvaccuum]

Its quite severe actually. My gluten/dairy reactions include severe stomach cramping, hives from head to toes, rashes, numbness on the face, itching, fluid accumulation in the lungs and asthma.

Sulfite reactions include fevers, rashes, stomach cramping, hallucination, nausea, and my neck and jaw seize up. Even one little slice of processed ham will do it.

so yes....very annoying, if not quite dangerous! I hope you understand my desperation and urgency. As of yesterday, I seem to be reacting to soy milk as well (aaaaugh!!!) so im feeling just a bit frustrated.

My friends think i'm off the wall haha and i don't blame them! I wasn't even AWARE of all these allergies until a matter of months ago until i got a little first-hand experience!

 

[kitchenelf]

Surely your doctor has directed you to a dietitian/nutritionist for help?

 

[CeliacFamilyCook]

I'm not sure if I can help with the sulfite bit, but I can help with the GF bit. There is a lot of info out there, you just have to dig it up. A good site with a ton of info is Celiac.com. They have forums there and often people will post recipes. There are numerous people there with additional allergies so there is bound to be someone to with some knowledge about sulfites.

I find personally that after going GF I don't really want bread, pasta, etc., that often. When I do want those things I've found a handful of products I like. For pasta I really like Tinkyada brand, it's made from rice flour. I also really like Mrs. Leepers (corn based) and Bionaturae pastas (potato and soy based). Tinkyada is really good and can be found at most health food stores and some mainstream grocery stores. On a recent vacation to So Cal I found it in a Vons store (affiliated with Safeway).

There are also sites online that you can order GF products from. I have never ordered any myself so I don't have any recommend.

 

[CeliacFamilyCook]

Its quite severe actually. My gluten/dairy reactions include severe stomach cramping, hives from head to toes, rashes, numbness on the face, itching, fluid accumulation in the lungs and asthma.

Sulfite reactions include fevers, rashes, stomach cramping, hallucination, nausea, and my neck and jaw seize up. Even one little slice of processed ham will do it.

so yes....very annoying, if not quite dangerous! I hope you understand my desperation and urgency. As of yesterday, I seem to be reacting to soy milk as well (aaaaugh!!!) so im feeling just a bit frustrated.

My friends think i'm off the wall haha and i don't blame them! I wasn't even AWARE of all these allergies until a matter of months ago until i got a little first-hand experience!

I also have skin reactions when I ingest gluten. Make sure your soaps, shampoos, and lotions do not have gluten and that will help too. If you need brand suggestions I can get a list together for you.

Instead of soy milk have you tried almond milk? IMO it tastes a lot better and is easier to digest.

 

[foodvaccuum]

not yet actually. i was scheduled for an appointment with the closest allergy clinic within 300 miles on the 29th, but we have so much snow where I live that the doctor had do cancel because of closed roads.

Lately, I have been doing the best I can with online research! My next scheduled appointment is on the 12th of january so i'm just living through trial and error (with benadry as a rescue team) until then.

 

[foodvaccuum]

A food list?? oh that would be WONDERFUL!!
and i have not tried almond milk yet but it sounds delicious!

I recently replaced all my cosmetics, shampoos, toothpaste etc. with gluten/sulfite free all-natural ones and its true...my skin is thanking me haha

 

[bankai]

we have a manufacturer here that has released a milk called 'zymil' which is lactose free - i have a slight intolerance to lactose and i can't have soy milk either :S. Is there a company in the US who has a similar product ?

 

[foodvaccuum]

Yes, actually. There is a brand called Lactaid, and two other companies, Horizon Organic and Organic Valley which all produce some version of lactose free milk.

Unfortunately, I am also allergic to these as well because, being a dairy product, they contain a protein called casein. casein is very similar in structure to the gluten molecule and my immune system attacks it in the same way.

I've been doing a little research though and apparently there are dairy free, casein free milk and butter substitutes available in some stores. Im not sure if these are also sulfite free, but I will certainly keep my eyes open!

 

[bankai]

Oh - i thought most celiacs were lactose intolerant because the gluten makes their intestines very sensitive and that the lactose intolerance was only temporary. Learnt a lot from you today lol

 

[foodvaccuum]

lol I couldnt tell you. I am no doctor...I just read the papers my allergist mails me haha so that is the extent of my knowledge. I was intolerant to dairy 3 years before i was intolerant to gluten so maybe im just backwards lol. I don't know if i have celiec disease though. It certainly sounds like it, but who knows these days. With all the rediculous health problems out there its easy to get diagnosed incorrectly!

 

[bankai]

very sensitive person, aren't ya hehe

 

[GotGarlic]

So...I'm a little new to this food allergy business. This has been a sudden and very annoying, new situation for me and I admit to pathetic cooking skills.

Any help out there? Even brand-name substance food items that wont make me keel over? Recipes? Suggestions?

My only local food store is Safeway which does not exactly cater to digestively challenged individuals such as myself.

Any knowledge is greatly appreciated!

This site has lots of good info: Karina's Kitchen- Recipes from a Gluten-Free Goddess

In particular, check out this: Karina's Kitchen- Recipes from a Gluten-Free Goddess: The Morning After (diagnosis, that is)

and this: Karina's Kitchen- Recipes from a Gluten-Free Goddess: FAQ's on Karina's Kitchen

HTH.

 

[foodvaccuum]

ugh no kidding. But...it could be worse! After doing a few searches through "google images" on various disorders i am suddenly much more content with my problems hahaha

 

[foodvaccuum]

Oh lovely!! I will see what I can find!

Thanks for the help!

 

[B'sgirl]

Hey, pass that food list to me too!

Foodvaccuum, my son can't have gluten or dairy either, and also corn. I shop for him in the organic section of Smith's and at health food stores. You can order some foods online too. You can try the Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread . I actually haven't tried the bread but it makes good graham crackers. Just make sure you use a dairy-free margarine like Nucoa, Blue Bonnet light, or Earth Balance. My son used to drink almond milk and he loved it. We give him soy milk now because it has fewer calories. You could also try rice milk but don't get Rice Dream because it is not gluten-free. (We've been doing this for about a year now).

How long have you known of your food allergies?

 

[B'sgirl]

Oh, and by the way, if you aren't having success with doctors I would recommend testing through Enterolab. We had my son tested through them. They do gene testing and also test for specific intolerances using a stool sample. You don't have to go anywhere, just mail in your samples. Insurance usually doesn't cover it though so it can be expensive. We found it was more accurate than an allergist because gluten-sensitivity is not necessarily an allergy, and it was better than a biopsy because it actually tells you what he can't tolerate. We had him tested for gluten and casein (extremely sensitive to both), and we are still waiting for results on soy, egg, and yeast sensitivities. My son also can't have corn but we just learned that from experience.