2024, Family, Food, Uncategorized

New Diet

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A member of our extended family has developed gluten and lactose intolerance due to an autoimmune disorder. I am helping with diet ideas and foods to help her find some yummy new things to eat. I ordered a bunch of gluten free baking products for her from King Arthur Baking Company, as well as 9 pounds of lentils and quinoa from other sources. . She likes Asian and Indian food, so that helps a lot.

I would have a really hard time giving up wheat and dairy products. I suppose there is a grieving process when something like this happens. I was surprised, though, at how many of the foods we like to eat are actually gluten free. Beans, corn, lentils, rice, quinoa, all gluten free. Ice cream, half and half in my coffee, those would be hard to go without. I love dairy products. It is comforting that butter is relatively lactose free. It is a good thing our relative doesn’t drink beer, which is full of gluten. I am hopeful she will feel better with her new diet.

What foods would be hard for you to give up? Any tips or recipes for someone venturing into a gluten and lactose free life?

62 thoughts on “New Diet”

  1. Over the past year I’ve re-discovered my liking for pickled herring pieces in wine. I recall these from when I was a kid, but decades came between when I had them then, and later at my mother in law’s house. Now, it’s a lunchtime treat almost every day. I’d hate to lose those again.

    The other things I’d really miss are hot sauces.

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        2. When I was a child, my mother became extremely anxious whenever my dad cooked walleye or other fish he caught. She was afraid I would choke on the bones. That anxiety has stayed with me, irrational as it may be.

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        1. As a vegetarian, sushi was never even something I thought about. And then, about 10 years ago, on a site inspection in Cancun the sushi restaurant at the hotel. When the waiter found out I was a vegetarian, he went to the chef, and the chef made a whole platter of vegetarian sushi for me. It was wonderful.

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        2. Living as long as I did in Taiwan, (which had been a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945( I learned to distinguish Sushi from Sashimi (which is the raw fish), and learned to enjoy consuming both. 

          One of my regrets now that I’m in the MidWest is the high price of either of these delicacies locally.

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    3. Pickled herring in wine, in mustard sauce, in cream sauce, in dill marinade, and in curry sauce, bring it on. Served as a first course of “det store kolde bord” (the large kold table), a Danish feast of smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches)along with ice cold Akvavit and beer. Skål!

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  2. I love dairy products, especially ice cream, cheese, and butter. I would have a hard time going without cheese. I don’t drink a lot of milk – I have replaced it with oat milk, but I do use it in cooking. I think dairy products would be harder for me to give up than wheat products.

    I’ve noticed some digestive problems with wheat products. I have cut back a little and it seems to help. I like pasta but rice or quinoa are excellent substitutes.

    Our HOA sent out a message yesterday that they are making rule revisions to comply with City ordinances, and propane tanks will not be allowed anywhere on the HOA property. Gas grills are banned completely. Does anyone want a half-full propane tank? How about a Weber Q portable gas grill on a stand, with a cover? I will have to do without grilling. It makes me very, very sad.

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      1. This has been coming since last fall. It’s been illegal for quite awhile. The City is just now cracking down on the Association. The problem is the fire wall in this type of R2 structure. If a fire starts in my garage or my deck, it could quickly spread to a neighboring unit. If that happened, the person with the propane tank would be liable for all damages to the property. I think it’s pretty common to have this kind of ordinance in condominium associations like this. I’m not surprised. I was expecting it. It doesn’t make me any happier. Love my grilled salmon.

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      2. In my apartment building we are not allowed to even own a grill of any type and keep it on site much less use it. They provide a simply terrible charcoal grill. Now they have banned all candles even artifical candles.

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  3. 15 (ca.) years ago a rheumatologist suggested I try a gluten free diet. There were reports it reduced fibromyalgia and psoriatic arthritis pain. It did not, but oddly it cleared up my very mild psoriasis. I stayed on it for about 8 months, but with Sandy’s very restrictive diet, it got too difficult to manage it all. I found a half dozen recipe that we preferred over normal recipes, the best of which was a meatloaf recipe. I gave those two cookbooks away or I would send them to you.

    Clyde

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    1. That’s nice of you! I have been doing well with cutting back on bread and pasta, but I still have an occasional cookie, and I won’t say no to PIE!

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      1. I’ve heard that gluten is neutralized when it comes in contact with preserved fruit. Another little known fact is that the calories leach out of cookies when they are broken.

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  4. A nutritionist once said I have a gluten intolerance, and I tried a gluten free diet for a while, but didn’t notice any difference when I strayed, so I’m back to breads, etc. in moderation. It was hard, though – wheat gluten shows up lots of places you don’t suspect.

    Almond flour combined with rice flour in baking is one thing I remember. I got used to not having much pasta, but there are some decent non-gluten pastas.

    Several of my friends need to eat gluten free, so it’s still on my radar… at least it’s easier than it used to be to find gluten free offerings at the food stores, at pot lucks, etc.

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    1. It is just about impossible to buy anything canned or any prepared meal on a fully gluten free diet. And you have to learn the vocabulary, although that I think has changed. I have a niece with celiac disease who says she can get away with those sorts of products.

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  6. I am waiting for my car. It is getting serviced and having a minor repair. Auto dealership ps smell of tires, one of my smell issues. My migraine is requesting an exit soon.

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  7. My wife has been gluten free for many years now. Overall, she’s not impressed with gluten free bread unless it’s toasted. Don’t bother with GF spaghetti. We’ve tried most of them and they’re poor substitutes for the real thing. HOWEVER, Ronzoni makes a very decent rotini. We can only find it at Cub, but Walmart used to sell it.

    We’ve gotten into eating more beans, rice, some quinoa, and veggies. GF flour makes an acceptable thickener for gravy, but we tend to use cornstarch more to thicken gravy, stews, sauces, stews, etc.

    There are some good GF cornbread recipes and mixes as a substitute for flour based breads, muffins, etc. Look to a good GF bakery for sweet treats. There used to be one in Eagan that was excellent. Not sure it’s still there.

    The good news is more and more restaurants are featuring and highlight their GF options. We always search for GF options in restaurants, but it’s much easier when they mark items on their menu.

    One caution: when buying canned or prepackaged foods in the grocery store, read the labels! Sometimes wheat is listed far down the ingredients list.

    *

    As for me, giving up bread, sweets, wine, and animal protein would be tough. We’re weaning ourselves away from beef, but need to work on getting more fish into our diets. Making some progress on vegetarian meals. Usually have one per week with zero or very little meat (ex: my spaghetti sauce uses 1/2 lb. ground beef in a recipe that makes about 20 servings on average. Just enough meat in there to give the sauce some texture.

    Chris in Owatonna

    *BSP warning* Stay tuned for some announcements about events in the coming weeks starting next Saturday with the Rosemount Writers Festival and Book Fair. Always a good time for the authors and lots of options for readers (usually more than 30 authors selling their books). *END BSP*

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    1. From Jacque. Food producers often label MSG as “Yeast Extract” all of which I am allergic to–really anything fermented, too. There is yeast in the air we breathe, so I cannot ever be allergy symptom free.  However, I am angry about the manipulation of terms used by the industry. I get into a batch of “yeast extract” then I have hives for a day. GRRRRR.

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      2. I’m pretty sure MSG or monosodium glutamate and yeast extract are two different things. I’m sensitive to MSG but not to yeast extract.

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      2. Jacque, I love it too, but it is so pure I freeze all of it when storing it unpackaged. Without preservatives it can be mealy worm-prone. Ick.

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  9. I dont remember how many years ago it was daughter was diagnosed with celiacs. And back then, there was one store that sold GF foods. And one pizza place with a GF crust. It’s kinda nice it’s all over now.

    I agree the gf pasta isn’t very good… but beyond that, daughter hasn’t had any issues with not finding something to eat. Only once in a while does she fuss that she wishes something was GF.

    I like my dairy too; i drink a 20 oz tumber of milk ever night. Cheese, ice cream. And boy, don’t make me give up chocolate or peanuts!

    advice? Keep trying things.

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  10. I can’t say that I couldn’t give up any particular food since obviously over 50 years ago I gave up meat and fish and chicken, but I do think it would be really really hard for me to make a change that involved getting rid of dairy. Eggs, cheese, milk, butter – they’re in my top four.

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  11. I have a former students who is a nurse/diatician. She says about 75% of the people who say they have a gluten intolerence do not. They just decided that on their own. When she proves to them they do not, they go to a naturalist who tells them how science gets everything wrong. She says people, almost always women, are coming in with the latest fad intolerence that some friend told them about and they are sure they have it. She asks them why they come to her then, what they want from her if they already know all about it. What upsets her is how this masks how real food issues are growing especially in kids. My former daughter-in-law is one of those. She is alwasy chasing down the latest fad food or cure or disease.

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    2. People who do not have celiac disease, but believe they have a gluten intolerance, may in fact be sensitive to folic acid. Folic acid is added to many grain and cereal products in the U.S. by law. It is a synthetic variation of folate, but many people have a genetic mutation that makes them unable to process it properly. If people go on a gluten free diet, and say they feel better, it may actually be because folic acid is so often present in breads and cereal products, right alongside the gluten.

      If you buy organic products, they are not required to add folic acid, and usually do not. Organic flour has lots of gluten, but not folic acid. So try bread made with organic flour.

      European countries don’t mandate folic acid. Many people who think they are gluten intolerant find they don’t have a problem with breads and pastas while traveling in Europe.

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      1. No. The staff took the photos of all the women who were willing for international womens day. Her appearance has changed so much in the time she has been in there. But she is usually upbeat.

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  14. Did you hear about the Worcester MA library doing March Meows. If you have a lost or damaged book, you are forgiven if you bring in a photo or a drawing or whatever of a cat.

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        1. I’m not finding a cat video. There’s something that says Today’s Mini, but no video with it. Some kind of FB flub?

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  16. OT and sort of not. Has anyone read “Awakenings” by Dr. Oliver Sacks? The book was the inspiration for the movie which starred Robin Williams. It’s a truly astonishing book. I’m listening to it on Audible, and it’s truly sobering what the human mind is capable of.

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