Any gluten-free Oppos out there?

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 10/15/2019 at 11:30 • Filed to: None

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Mrs. Ttyymmnn is taking a stab at eating gluten-free . Are there any gluten-free Oppos who can share any eating tips or recipes? I find breakfast particularly challenging, since English muffins have been my go-to breakfast for years.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:34

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One of my favorite places in the world. 

Spaceball-Two > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:37

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My wife is allergic to wheat, barley and oats. It’s not so bad. There are a lot of substitutes out there. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have a good selection. It tends to be pricey though. You’re kind of forced to eat more meats, fruit and veggies which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Beer is out though. The gf beers are terrible.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:38

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My wife is gluten-free by necessity, but I am not. She will often do hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, along with fruit. Lately she uses gluten-free flour to make a sort of crepe/pancake. O ften in the past she has had left-over dinner for breakfast!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:40

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We are in my family (wife not me, but...you know, by association).

Grocery bill goes up, going out becomes harder to an extent. G/F beer is $$$$$$$$$$$$

but you know...happy wife.

ttyymmnn > Spaceball-Two 10/15/2019 at 11:42

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This makes me sad, though drinking less beer would not be a bad thing. At least health wise. 

Tripper > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:43

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Beware the side effects:

XJDano > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:44

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My wife and one child are because it’s better for their digestive tracks. In turn I am and the daughter.

There are GF options, it’s all expensive. You just have to keep an eye on the labels.

Cheerios, lucky charms, rice crispys, all are ok.

Some breakfast sausages are.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:47

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Don’t voluntarily go gluten free. I’ve heard some horror stories about not being able to go back. i.e. you CREATE a gluten intolerance . My dad tried to go gluten free when he had ALS thanks to his sisters belief that you can cure anything with diet. So freaking pissed at that. The number #1 rule with ALS is DON’T LOSE WEIGHT! He dropped pounds like Trump drops tweets. Probably killed him a year early.

Thats neither here nor there, but I will say that whatever is to be gained by gluten free isn’t worth it.  and im not sure there is anything to be gained either. 

jimz > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2019 at 11:49

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yeah. GF is just a silly fad if you don’t legitimately have Celiac or a diagnosed (by a doctor, not yourself) allergy.

Spaceball-Two > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:50

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She sticks to wine or potato vodka. I still eat wheat and most restaurants have options . You just have to get really good at reading labels.

facw > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:52

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My brother is, but that’s part of a much larger dietary restriction (he needs to be extremely low protein in general), so his experience may not translate.

Still though, you can do pretty well avoiding pastas (Asian sweet potato glass noodles can substitute) and breads is most of it. And of course there’s tons of gluten free stuff available at the grocery stores, even if it carries a small premium.

Textured Soy Protein > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 11:54

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Goddammit. No.

Unless you have celiac disease or some other medically confirmed gluten allergy or sensitivity, going gluten free is ENTIRELY FUCKING POINTLESS .

Feeling bloated after eating a bunch of carbs doesn’t happen because of gluten, it happens because eating a bunch of carbs makes you bloated. Try eating a nice big bowl of naturally gluten-free rice and watch what happens.

Most gluten-free versions of processed foods are nutritionally much worse than the original versions.

HammerheadFistpunch > Spaceball-Two 10/15/2019 at 11:56

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freaking sunny D has wheat.  wth?!

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2019 at 12:00

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Welcome to paying attention to what’s in your food. Fucking Dill Pickle and Salt and Vinegar chips have milk in them. Some (most)  cheese contains rennin, a meat (by?)product 

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 12:01

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Be on the lookout for hidden gluten. Soy sauce has a huge amount of gluten and so does everything cooked with soy sauce. McDonalds fires have gluten and dairy.

On the opposite side of the coin, most distilled spirits like rum and whisky are gluten free, even if they’re made with wheat. The distillation process get rid of the gluten. Beer still has it tho. Check online for specifics.

Gluten free bread is almost universally awful. You make it palatable by toasting it, even for something like peanut butter and jelly. Rice and potatoes will become your friends.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2019 at 12:03

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I support everyone’s freedom do with their body as they please, and that it is none of my godamned business, but I agree with others that this diet only helps Celiacs/those with allergies

Spaceball-Two > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2019 at 12:09

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Lots of stuff you wouldn’t think has it.

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2019 at 12:11

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Not really by choice. She has an immune response health issue that her doctor said might be helped by going GF. Nothing else has helped so far. 

HammerheadFistpunch > Spaceball-Two 10/15/2019 at 12:11

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I had a celiac roommate for a while. Learned to love imitation crab salad.

Textured Soy Protein > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 10/15/2019 at 12:12

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Rennet is used to curdle milk to make cheese. It comes from veal stomachs . If you want the gnarly details, wikipedia’s got you covered .

There are other ways to get enzymes to curdle milk that do not involve rennet. M any vegetarians who eat dairy will avoid cheese made with rennet.

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein 10/15/2019 at 12:13

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She’s dealing with an immune response issue, and her doctor said that (anecdotally) going GF might help. 

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 12:14

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That’ s certainly a different story. I feel like going gluten free is like buying crutches...you should only do it if you need to.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Textured Soy Protein 10/15/2019 at 12:18

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Thank you! Even after I corrected myself I knew I was spelling it wrong. Yeah you don’t have to tell me, floored me when I found out cheese wasn’t meat free (that was a ‘Who is on first’ type conversation) 

Textured Soy Protein > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 12:27

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Ok, well, I’m no doctor. But if it’s an immune response issue she may want to look into getting a celiac test, which provides more accurate results if you have been eating gluten. Even if she’s not full-on celiac, there may be markers that show up in the test. If it’s just a food sensitivity and not an immune issue then there’s no testing for that and instead comes down to trial & error.

liam > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 13:58

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Yeah, I am. Around here Walmarts have a gluten free section, and so do most supermarket chains. The GF English muffins aren’t too bad - you will find them in the freezer section. UDI, Glutino, Canyon , Scharr are some brands that do OK bread. Shoot me an email address and I’ll update the doc that my missus wrote up when we had to start to eat that diet.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 14:06

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Yeah. Among several others.

Not sure I can help as I have to avoid so many other things that basically #FoodHatesMe. 

ttyymmnn > liam 10/15/2019 at 15:19

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I’d like to see that. Thanks. You can reach me at my screen name at gee mail. 

MoCamino > ttyymmnn 10/15/2019 at 17:45

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My wife is allergic to barley, but fortunately is okay with gluten in general. The trouble is that once you learn what to look for, barley is in way more than you’d ever think. Basically anything that has flour in it, if it doesn’t say 100% whole wheat flour, probably has barley in it. So that rules out most breads. (Plus, s he’s of German descent. No beer??!???) Between that and all the other things with barley hiding in them, she pretty much has to stick to the gluten-free menu if we eat out. As I’m sure you’re learning, that minimizes your choices pretty severely. It can be emotionally draining, for her and (to a lesser extent) for you. For eating out, there is an app called “Find me gluten free”. It can help find restaurants that have a GF menu. You just have to be careful. S ometimes the GF menu is “you can order a steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  Just don’t order the salad because all our dressings have flour in them as a thickening agent.”

The good news is that since there are so many people out there going on the fad-driven gluten-free kick just because they’re convinced it’s healthier, there are a lot more gluten-free options out there than there used to be. Check out a cookbook called Weeknight Gluten Free by William-Sonoma. It has some pretty tasty stuff. As far as gluten free products, it’s hit and miss in my opinion. Some are pretty good. (Snyder’s makes a pretty good gluten free pretzel, believe it or not.) Some are depressingly bad, especially with breads and pastas.

For pasta, we’ve been pretty happy with a brand called Jovial. While other brands have been very mushy, Jovial (which is made from brown rice) is pretty good. If you’re a pizza lover (at least thin crust), look for pizza with a cauliflower crust. I know, it sounds wrong, but try it . While gluten free crusts made with alternative flours can be pasty and have a weird texture, cauliflower crust (if done right) is actually very good. And I don’t mean “pretty good for gluten free”. I just mean good, period. The pizza joint we frequent has a cauliflower crust that if you just gave it to me without telling me it wasn’t flour, I don’t think I’d have realized it.

Bottom line - prepare yourself for some failed experiments. Sadly some foods just need gluten to taste right. (You mentioned E nglish muffins. We haven’t found a gluten free one that is worth eating, and we’ve been at it for almost two years now.) But try not to let it get you down. There are some really good options out there, you just have to find the ones that work for you.

And on a personal note - as the spouse that is indirectly affected - wrap your head around being as supportive as you can. I know my wife struggled for a long time (still does, just to a lesser extent) with feeling down 1) because her health issues have impacted the food choices for the rest of the family and 2) there are things she loves that she can never eat again. I made the mistake (early on) of trying to be supportive by acting like it was no big deal and wasn’t affecting me. Unfortunately that came across as “m ocamino doesn’t care about my problem ”, which of course was far from the truth. I just didn’t want to make her feel bad about it. It’s like anything else - you have to find the right balance between support and commiseration, and it’s hard. Hang in there, treat it as a puzzle to be solved, and you’ll get through.

ttyymmnn > MoCamino 10/15/2019 at 18:01

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Thanks, I appreciate the lengthy reply. She is struggling with chronic hives, large red blotches that cover much of her body. They came out of nowhere a few months ago and all attempts at treatment have turned up bust. The next step would be monthly antibody injections (xolair) , but she doesn’t want to go that route, at least not yet. Her physician said that she had another patient with the same condition who went GF and the hives cleared up. In most people, the condition goes away as inexplicably as it comes after 1-5 years. Nobody knows why. So it’s possible that the other patient is a “correlation not causation” situation. Who knows? Still, we’re going to give it a shot. Thanks again.