Newly Diagnosed & Vegetarian

[Lauren M]

That is a lie. Wild animals are a natural resource.

I live in a rural community and the cows here are free ranging. And darn tasty too!

Dont believe everything you see on Oprah!

I love animals too. They taste great!

PETA = People for the Eating of Tasty Animals!

Dont tell me Im stupid, and I wont tell you the same.

You are just like the first person who insulted me on this thread.

You dont like my way of life. And I dont like yours.

I have NO problem with your way of life, which I've stated previously. What I'm having a hard time understanding is why you have such a problem with my (and other vegetarians) way of life. Why do you care? And I don't ever recall saying you were stupid? I have no ill will to anyone on this board, and this is the first time in the years that I've posted here that I've been treated so rudely. I don't want to hijack this thread with more personal convos (and I suggest you follow the same lead) - I tried to send you a personal message but it said you aren't accepting. Oh well.

To the original poster again - definitely check out those cookbooks I recommended and I'm sorry to take up space on your thread with misc. chit chat!

- Lauren

[1965kid]

My mom is allergic to chicken. I've heard of people with beef allergies and of course there is the shellfish allergy. That's one of the top 8 allergens!

Shellfish yes. A very serious allergy. Can even be deadly.

When I said meat, I meant Mammals. Allergic to beef??? I dont believe it. Can you back up this with scientific data?

Some people are allergic to everything. They are also called Hypochondriacs in some circles!

You will find a lot of them right here on this site.

[Juliebove]

I just don't get some of the responses here. I was a vegetarian for many, many years with no problems. Now that I know of my egg and dairy allerigies I do eat a lot of vegan meals. I do eat some meat now, but mainly when we go out to eat. It's just easier for me to do that when we do, given my food allergies and additional medical problems that affect me.

When on a vegetarian diet, the bulk of my foods were beans, rice, and salad type items. I only had occasional eggs and cheese. Sometimes popcorn. Nuts and seeds. All of that stuff is gluten free. I would sometimes have pasta and beans with a bit of parmesan cheese and black pepper. That's doable as gluten free by using a rice or corn pasta.

There was very little wheat in my diet. I wasn't much of a bread eater. I did occasionally make muffins with fruit, nuts, oatmeal and whole wheat flour. These could probably be recreated by subbing in gluten-free oats and gluten-free flour. I did eat barley in soup. I could do without barley. And I do now because my daughter is on a gluten-free diet. We eat rice or quinoa. I've bought millet but have yet to try it.

I have recently discovered Seitan. I may have heard of it before but didn't know what it was. Apparently it is commonly used in vegetarian or vegan diets. Now I suppose if you ate a lot of Seitan based meals and cheese or peanut butter sandwiches, you might have a problem converting to a gluten-free diet. Yes, you can eat gluten-free bread. You may or may not like it. Or you may have trouble finding any you do like. I do not think it tastes the same as wheat bread. But since I didn't eat a lot of bread to begin with, I can easily do without it. Crackers can be another problem. I have a recipe for some good ones, but it's time consuming and makes only 10 at one time. I've bought some good ones but they are very expensive. As for the Seitan, I don't know offhand what you would sub in for that. But I've found it to be odd because it seems it is based on reproducing something that is like meat. I never personally liked anything that was meat-like. If I don't want to eat meat, then I don't want to eat anything *like* meat. I do eat Mesa Sunrise patties. They are good, but the inventor of these said they are not meant to be a substitute meat patty. I will say I used to eat the All American Bocca burgers. They did taste good. I guess they are sort of a meat replacement. Can no longer eat those because I can't do soy.

One thing I truly believe is that there is no one diet that will work for us all. I know people who love meat and can't stand to eat so much as one meal without it. That seems to work for them. That type of diet would never work for me. My digestion just couldn't take it. Both my daughter and I do best when we go easy on the meat. Most of our meals are vegan. We have had weeks where all of the meals were vegan. Our blood labs are all in range. Does not cause a problem for us.

[Lauren M]

I still wonder, or maybe believe, that I wouldn't have developed celiac disease if I hadn't eaten so much gluten, every day, every meal, every snack.

Spunky,

Wow do I relate! Sometimes I think the same of myself - I literally had gluten at every meal and snack, day in and day out prior to my bout with pancreatitis and subsequent Celiac diagnosis. I'm still unsure of my official trigger, but I've wondered if I "OD-ed" on gluten!

I'm sorry to hear that your friends have ostracized you. True friends would understand that your health comes first! One of the main reasons I haven't gone 100% vegan is because of my Celiac diagnosis (well that and my weakness for real ice cream ). I don't beat myself up about it though, so I hope you won't either.

Best of luck!

- Lauren M

[Juliebove]

Shellfish yes. A very serious allergy. Can even be deadly.

When I said meat, I meant Mammals. Allergic to beef??? I dont believe it. Can you back up this with scientific data?

Some people are allergic to everything. They are also called Hypochondriacs in some circles!

You will find a lot of them right here on this site.

Ever heard of the RAST test? It's a blood test that tests for food allergens. My mom, daughter and I all had it done. Prior to the test, you fill out some papers about your current diet so they know specifically what to test you for. For instance, none of us eat shellfish so no need to test us for that.

Check out the "other" section of this board. Plenty of people there with food allergies.

And why are you here? Are you a celiac?

[Juliebove]

Spunky,

Wow do I relate! Sometimes I think the same of myself - I literally had gluten at every meal and snack, day in and day out prior to my bout with pancreatitis and subsequent Celiac diagnosis. I'm still unsure of my official trigger, but I've wondered if I "OD-ed" on gluten!

I'm sorry to hear that your friends have ostracized you. True friends would understand that your health comes first! One of the main reasons I haven't gone 100% vegan is because of my Celiac diagnosis (well that and my weakness for real ice cream ). I don't beat myself up about it though, so I hope you won't either.

Best of luck!

- Lauren M

I am not a celiac, but I do have food allergies. I used to eat very little dairy and eggs until I was diagnosed with diabetes and then I had to cut back on the carbs. No more meals of beans and rice. I started eating cheese as a bedtime snack. Cottage cheese or eggs for breakfast. When we moved to NYC, I didn't like most of the cottage cheese I could find there because of the taste/texture of the modified food starch in it. So I ate boiled eggs every morning.

Daughter was in preschool then and I had to drive her to school. I couldn't figure out why every morning as I was headed for the door I would get the big D and have to rush back into the bathroom. Then I'd get her to school and have to rush back home again. I just thought I was nervous about the NY traffic.

Then a couple of years later, my daughter was diagnosed with food allergies. Dairy and eggs among them. I quit eating the eggs, but was still eating some dairy.

Then one day while she was in school, I got a salad from the salad bar at the local grocery store and it included some egg salad. The next day I got very sick. I didn't connect it to the eggs to the upset stomach. But I was foolish enough to try the egg salad the next day. This time the reaction was more immediate.

A month went by and I tried eggs again. This time it was egg salad that I made with eggs that were soon to expire. I made it for my husband but he didn't eat it. Same reaction. And foolishly I tried them a second time. Same reaction. *Ding, ding, ding!* This time I knew. So when the Dr. told me I was more allergic to one food than any person he had ever seen and asked me to guess what the food was, I knew. This would also explain the violent illness I got when I got a flu shot.

So in my case, it seems that when I was eating the allergens on a regular basis, I had a lesser reaction or didn't connect my reaction to the food. Now if I get so as a speck of the allergens, I get a violent and near immediate reaction. I think when we eat something day in and day out, we do not tend to connect our bad feelings to what we are eating. But when the reaction is more immediate, it's easier to see.

[BRUMI1968]

That is a lie. Wild animals are a natural resource.

I live in a rural community and the cows here are free ranging. And darn tasty too!

Dont believe everything you see on Oprah!

I love animals too. They taste great!

PETA = People for the Eating of Tasty Animals!

Dont tell me Im stupid, and I wont tell you the same.

You are just like the first person who insulted me on this thread.

You dont like my way of life. And I dont like yours.

Since I believe I am the "first person who insulted you on this thread", I'll reply. I certainly was not being 'insulting'. I believe the best diet for the human body is the paleo diet - meat, veggies, fruits, nuts. No grains, no beans, etc. Eating animals is 100% humanly natural - being a vegetarian or vegan is, in almost all instances (except where no animals exist to hunt), 100% unnatural. But so is living in a house covered in tyvec and driving a car. The point about vegetarianism is that people make choices for various reasons.

You sound like you're probably a relatively conservative person (based on your dislike of "liberal" media, etc.) - and as I understand conservatism, the idea is to respect and continue and CONSERVE the ideas of the American forefathers. I don't know if you are aware of this, but some of our founding fathers were vegetarian - Benjamin Franklin for example. Some Christian sects are vegetarian.

As to the renewablity of eating meat - certainly on the small scale, eating animals is entirely sustainable. Hunters are, for the most part, not depleting the animals on earth - environmental degredation and development are doing that. Most hunters, though not all, are more respectful of the environment and the circle of life than many other folks who never think about where their food comes from.

I certainly don't dislike your way of life (the ten seconds of it glimpsed here), and you have no idea what my way of life is, so you certainly couldn't dislike it. It is nicer for all of us posting here to feel like assumptions are not being made about us in seconds, and I'm afraid that is, although quite by accident no doubt, how your posts are coming across.

My point had nothing to do with whether or not you should eat meat or even if the previous poster should eat meat, or even that eating meat is environmentally unfriendly (since the original post was asking about celiac disease and vegetarianism, not the ethics or environmental ramifications thereof). My point was, that your post, had it been worded differently, would've seemed much more supportive. For example:

I am wondering why you don't eat meat? If it is for health reasons, are you sure you're feeling good? Also, if it is for health reasons, there is a lot of research about how grass-fed meat can be quite good for you. Of course, if your reasoning for not eating animals of ethical or religious, that is different. I just wanted to check. Thanks.

Had you posted that, I think the dialogue, which is what this board is all about, would not have strayed off topic and become volatile.

[ShayFL]

Very well said Bully.

[RiceGuy]

Wow, this thread is certainly "lively". I haven't read every word, and I for one have no intention of stepping into the middle of any debates which cannot be reasoned and settled, and conducted with logic and cool heads.

So I'm just adding my support for whomever might be asking if vegetarianism and Celiac is doable. In short, yes. I discovered that meat made me feel awful, gave me dark circles under my eyes, and made my skin literally stink. You can bet I stopped eating it, and I feel better as a result. I can say I was never a big fan of it anyway, and only used it here and there for a bit of flavoring. I've never figured out how or why someone could want a slab of meat as the centerpiece of any meal. Probably because of differences in upbringing I suppose. To each his/her own.

Nutritionally, there is no actual need to consume animal flesh - not for protein, fat, or anything else. However, many people seem to forget that not eating meat means that there needs to be other sources for the nutrients which would otherwise come from meat. Being vegetarian (or vegan) is just as much about what foods to include as it is about what to exclude. The important thing regarding protein is not so much to consume "complete" protein, or even protein in general, but to obtain all 9 essential amino acids. Doing this, the body can build the proteins it needs, which is what it always does no matter what kind of protein is consumed. Dietary proteins are broken down, and the amino acids are reassembled to produce what the body requires. That is why a widely varied diet works, as the building blocks for proteins (the amino acids) will all be there. When done properly, there should not be any fear of things like osteoporosis, low energy, muscle mass, etc. In fact, Americans consume more dairy today than in any other time in history, and yet osteoporosis is more prevalent than it used to be. There are probably many factors, but one is that animal proteins cause the body to use up more calcium in order to break them down - up to three times that used for plant proteins. Truth is, the human body doesn't have all the digestive enzymes necessary to fully digest animal proteins. A newborn calf has the enzymes to digest its mother's milk, but as it grows, it loses that ability. Cows are herbivores of course, along with elephants, horses, giraffes, and a lot of other very large, strong animals. Gorillas are herbivores as well. Never pick a fight with a gorilla!

Of course, vitamin B12 supplementation is necessary when animal based foods are limited or eliminated. Interestingly, there is not a single animal known to produce B12. So when considering this, one might wonder where all those herbivores get their B12. Factory farms supplement the B12, since the animals would otherwise become deficient. Since wild animals have no trouble getting B12, but we humans do, I figure it is because we use pesticides and such which kill the microbes that would normally be there. Yes, certain microbes are the only things known to actually produce B12.

Here are some places to get more info on this topic:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[spunky]

I've heard all the "science" on why humans should be vegetarians, and even used to "preach" that to people all the time, as I was suffering, myself, from bad and constantly worsening symptoms while setting off celiac disease by my "healthy" diet.

Vegans and vegetarians always point to large, strong mammals as examples of healthy vegans... however, we don't have multiple stomachs like they do and cannot digest and ferment, and then re-digest all of those grasses, hays, etc. As far as primates go, the most near-to-vegan, human-like primates are probably the bonobos of the Zaire forests and such... but they eat bugs along with their high consumption of fruits. Chimpanzees eat large amounts of insects on purpose, not just incidentally with fruits, and they also do some hunting for small mammals. Lowland Gorillas... I'm not sure about... they could be either totally vegan or near vegan... but the one thing the vegan doctors never mentioned was that all of these primates have fermentation sacs in their digestive tract, somewhere along the line. We don't... so it might seem plausible that our modern gut simply cannot handle all of that vegetation like they can.

I'm not arguing against vegetarianism or veganism... but I'm just saying in the midst of my own preaching all that stuff they used to tell about... I was suffering pretty badly. I got better off the gluten, and then had to quit lots of the other stuff, got hungry and began adding animal stuff back into my diet, and have been getting better and better.

It's true that some animal foods cause allergic responses... i.e., fish, shellfish, eggs, etc. But in my own experience, I can't actually call the vegan staples "allergenic," which was probably the wrong word, but let me just say some of them are harsh, cause intolerance or even immune reactions different than outright allergy (i.e., as in the case of gluten!!).

I honestly do not know what humankind should be eating... I got pretty confused when veganism let me down bigtime, and then the way they all ganged up on me like I did something wrong against veganism... so... it tends to be a hot topic, and it's always hard to get the facts straight when emotions run high.

I eat meat now... I don't do dairy.... well... I didn't. Actually... since I can't eat much of the old stuff, I have had a few bowls of REAL ice cream here and there on weekends... and LOVED it. Also... when I read on here that Snickers Bars are gluten-free, I ate a couple of those on some weekend days and thought I'd died and gone to heaven... the things are full of dairy, though. But I don't generally eat diary products because I don't believe they are good for us... however... that could be my old veganism coming through... I don't know if it's true or not.

Now I eat whatever i want (except for diary, and then just the dairy-laden treats just here and there on a weekend) and whatever does not hurt me or make me sick. That's what I think we all owe ourselves...we also need to fight animal cruelty whenever we can.

The biggest lesson I learned from all of my experience is to NOT be judgemental about what others choose/ or NEED to eat or avoid, for whatever reasons... and to just do the best I can from one day to the next.

[AndreaB]

Spunky,

My family is probably more like what you've experienced. We were vegan for 3 years and our health suffered terribly. In hindsight we probably would have been better of staying vegetarian instead of vegan. I would highly recommend that people listen to their own bodies. Vegan did us more harm due to metals, pesticides and such. The animal protein helps with toxins, so I recommend eggs at least if they can be tolerated by those seeking a closer to vegan diet.

My family is back on a meat diet, but again, that is just us. I have no qualms about vegan, vegetarianism or meat eating as long as someone is healthy. Every body is different and thrives on a different diet. As we get on top of our health again we may edge back towards a vegetarian diet, but time will tell.

[ShayFL]

It seems there are a fair number of us who tried vegan and did not do well. And are back on meat gain. It is not a moral "failing" to go back to meat. You eat what works for your body. Meatless did not work for MY body, so I eat meat now and feel better. I have no trouble digesting it. No pains after I eat it. No D. Do cramps. No gas. I cannot say that about a lot of grains, fruits and veggies.

I guess the sad thing is that this topic turned into a debate and the original poster has not returned. I am certain all of this has scared them off from the group. And that is truly sad.

[BRUMI1968]

I would not do well on a "standard" vegan diet, which is high in beans and grains - both of which are extremely difficult to digest, tend to cause weight gain, block minerals, etc. etc. I eat a raw vegan diet, which does not include any true grains, beans (including peanut, cashew, and soy), etc. Often, vegetarians use a high level of whole grains and beans, to make up for loss of protein from animal foods. I use nuts for protein, as well as amaranth and quinoa and avocado and other veggies. Almost all foods have some protein, except sugar.

Anyway, I would never expect to push my diet on anyone. It is very personal. It's taken me years to find a place that makes some sense to my digestive system. And also, I don't think it's healthy to be so rigid that it starts to seep into the rest of your life. We HAVE to be rigid on some things (Gluten, the most obvious), but should not impose utter rigidity on ourselves in other ways as well. We need to be able to respond to our environment, and if we are unwilling under any circumstances under the sun to eat a trout or a bean or some cooked food or some raw cheese or whatever, we are not really living as human beings. That said, we can certainly strive to avoid them as much as possible.

I think there are two important things coming out of this thread:

1. vegetarianism is viable for some, not for others. there are health issues that can arise from being veggie when it doesn't fit well with your body for whatever reason that may be. there are health reasons that arise from eating meat when it doesn't fit well with your body for whatever reason, or the meat you are choosing is grain fed and factory farmed.

2. vegetarianism/veganism can also be a choice that has nothing to do with health - and we need to respect folks' choice in that case. We can ask them to review their choice based on what we hear them saying about their health, but I don't think it's cool to disrespect the choice in the first place. Challenging people's views is important to do,and it's something we shy away from in American discourse I think. Instead of respectfully asking folks to review their ideas deeply, we tend to "other" them.

I did send the original poster a personal message saying this isn't normally the way posts go; and I hope they return, I really do. For my part, I felt I was defending that person; but I suppose in the end the discourse would not have been so back and forth and volatile had I just let it go. I just know that it is already socially stigmatizing to avoid gluten, and folks don't need to feel further ostracized for being veggie. For my part in the debate if it did indeed chase off our newbie, I apologize.

[KayKay]

To the OP, Sorry that your post became an excuse for people to tell you how much they love meat. Funny how often on message boards a vegan or vegetarian cannot post about anything without being told how we must eat meat. Yet we are the ones accused of pushing an agenda I agree with the suggestion to check out vegiac.com. There you can ask questions and actually get answers,not be told to stop being a vegetarian. Good luck!

[DLake]

Thanks to everyone who replied! I never thought I would get so much feedback. I have been a vegetarian since I was 17 and I am now 30. I never, at any time, felt as though my health was compromised due to my decision to not consume meat. I no longer drink milk or eat eggs and this has not changed anything about my health either. At 30, my skin is clean and healthy, I have great energy and have managed to ward off those extra pounds that people usually get in their late 20's. I attribute this to my eating habits. I'm not here to offend other people's sensibilities, I just wanted some advice. I appreciate the private messages that a few of you have sent me and I intend to respond to them shortly. This is a great way to communicate, but please don't send me any messages regarding eating meat, I never will..............

[AndreaB]

DLake,

Although I'm not vegan I do belong to a vegan and gluten free yahoo group.

The link is below.

Open Original Shared Link

That may be a good resource for you as well.

[Calicoe]

You certainly don't have to eat meat. But, you do have to eat fat and protein. My favorite source of fat and protein is AVOCADO...and guess what, it's also full of fiber and magnesium and B vitamins, etc. I also like nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, and those are relatively high calorie, high protein, and high fat. All these things are very high in minerals, which we are often deficient in.

Something you need to worry about, and this is true of all vegetarians, especially vegans (like I usually am), B12. I take sublingual drops of B12, some folks get shots of B12. But folks with celiac are notoriously short on this vitamin, as it is digested in a highly acidic tummy in a bunch of special circumstances that we can't always manifest. But it's not really in anything vegetarian, for the most part. Algae has some (spirulina, etc.). This is something we don't make inside our bodies, and which we need. We save stores of it so we won't know for a long time maybe that we are getting low. If you have low energy, this could be why.

A quick search of this site will tell you that many vegetarians begin to crave meat when they go gluten free. So hold on to your hat, it may be a wild ride. And keep an open mind.

In the meantime, Gardenburger makes a few gluten-free meat substitutes. Check their website to see which ones.

Sunshine burgers are yummy and sunflower seed based. Eaten cold or hot.

It is not easy to be vegan and stay healthy to begin with. B12 will need to be supplemented at some point. Most people have a 5 - 10 year reserve in their bodies, but if you stay vegan long enough it runs out. I didnt take veganism lightly. I went to school to study to make sure I knew what I was doing and could stay healthy. I ended up with a degree in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College.

I was vegan for about a year and just didnt have much energy and then went vegetarian for another couple of years. I did it because I thought it would be healthier. Not for ethical reasons as I understand that millions of birds, squirrels, rabbits, fox, mice etc. are killed by the tractors, plows and harvesting equipment to get my vegetarian food (and they dont die humanly either). Even the harvesting of sea weed kills fish, shrimp and other ocean animals. Animals must die in order for me to live is what I know to be true (veg or no). This is my truth. At any rate, after about 3 years, I started craving meat (and I wasnt gluten free). But I resisted for a long time. I went to an acupuncture doctor and when he did his exam he said, "You need to eat some red meat.". I didnt even mention I was vegetarian. So I did buy some steak and ate it and I felt sooo much better after putting meat back into my diet after a few months. I have never looked back.......

I still dont eat much meat. I am 90% vegan. I mostly eat fish and fowl. But some red meat once a week or every 2 weeks.

This is definitely a sensitive topic.

During all of this struggle, the other low-fat vegans were very inconsiderate with me, at my political incorrectness of publicly discussing the fact that even though I was folloiwoing this perfect diet, perfect in every way... healthwise, environmental, animal sensitivity, etc.... even though I was on this diet, things were wrong, and getting worse for me all the time. I discussed this publicly as I attempted to figure it out, and they began referring to me as a troll, even thoough I'd been active on that McDougall Board for almost a decade. I mentioned that I struggeld because soon after I got better off the gluten, soy began to bother me, then flax, then other beans we'd always eaten, and it just got to the point with me that there was nothing to eat. I started eating shrimp, then other seafood, poultry, and finally red meat... I felt better, then of course they were angry about that too.

So what I'm saying is that it seems when you go gluten free, all kinds of crazy things happen. This is your health... and you really need to eat whatever it is that makes you healthy. I think gluten free living is a kind of torture, as someone put it... and being able to eat something "normal" makes it much easier. It really does. Gluten free vegan is really, really difficult, and I'm not sure, or at least still confused as to whether it's a good idea or not, healthwise.

I think one of the dangers of veganism is that you are left with only highly allergenic-capable foods to fill up on...can lead some people into trouble. I still wonder, or maybe believe, that I wouldn't have developed celiac disease if I hadn't eaten so much gluten, every day, every meal, every snack. Now I'm stuck with this, and my former vegan friends won't have anything to do with me because of it.

Very good posts above, and all have been very helpful for me. I have always respected the values and tenets of vegetarianism and vegans, and have been a part of their communities, but I am now struggling with an illness in which I cannot eat wheat, corn and other grains including millet, dairy and most cheeses, and now eggs and soy. Heaven help me if I start reacting to rice and potatoes! I still respect the values of vegetarianism, but I truly believe vegan diets are not the healthiest because of the heavy dependence on grains. I now view grains just as suspiciously as others view meat and animal products. I need to eat fish and meat. I NEED it, and I'm not kidding - I see a fundamental difference when I eat fatty fish such as salmon. I can also control other symptoms with flaxseed and walnuts. What I'm say is that I respect everyone's choice for different reasons, but it is not inevitable that meat eating is unsustainable to the planet, or a bad socio-economic choice. It has just been bad in the way the industries have conducted themselves, not unlike the grain industries themselves. Ii respect other's opinions, but I do think that a celiac diet high in fish protein and controlled meat intake, especially grass fed met, can be just as respectful as a vegetarian diet. At any rate, I am struggling with this right now and I thank all of you for your insights.

[lizard00]

I agree with ShayFL and AndreaB... we must listen to our bodies. My body thrives on little to no meat and no dairy; but rather vegetables, grains and fruit. But that is just my body. I have no problem digesting meat, but I just overall feel better when I don't eat much of it. But I do eat fish, and my body works well with it.

The truth is we can't push one "diet" on another because we all are different. We also may be in different stages of healing, and what may work today may not work tomorrow. I do not call myself anything, I just eat what works for me. So to the OP, if veggie works for you and you feel great, then good for you for sticking to your guns. It's not easy to be veggie, or gluten-free, or df, or anything free. We expect people to respect all of us for not eating gluten, soy, dairy, corn, etc... so if someone chooses not to eat meat because they feel better, what does it matter to anyone else?

So, with my limited meat intake, it still doesn't really complicate things. There are a variety of grains out there that IMO, are waaay better than wheat, barley or rye. You can pretty much always find another grain to replace the wheat or other gluten grain. At first I wasn't sure what to do with no wheat, but I figured it out quickly. Tinkyada pasta is IMO, the best rice pasta. We actually prefer it to regular pasta, which is good!! I've discovered some interesting things to do with quinoa and teff. Overall, I eat much better now than I did before the gluten-free diet.

[BallardWA]

[ballardWA - do you live in Ballard? I live in Bellingham

Bully - Yes, I live in Ballard in Seattle. My sister-in-law lives in B-ham.

[fedora]

hi,

I LOVE Amy's Bistro Burgers. I also eat Amy's frozen gluten and dairy free meals sometimes, Amy's baked beans and chilli. Amy's lentil and split pea soups. Tofu Pup tofu dogs(must be tofu pups) by Lightlife are gluten free. I eat Glutino frozen corn pizza crusts. Tinkyada rice pasta.

I eat tofu, tempeh, peanut butter, almond butter, cashews and other nuts(but can only eat small amounts of nuts and chewed well), soymilk, almond milk, LOVE hazelnut milk, hummus, whole beans.

I eat rice bread, rice, corn, corn tortillas, corn chips, rice crackers,corn grits.

I take Floravital vit B and iron liquid supplement.

Vit B12 is only in animal products. Zinc and calcium and iron need to be watched.(I take supplements of these too)

good luck.

PS. beef and pork make me very very ill. I know others with a beef allergy too

[nutralady2001]

Have just posted this on another thread.....a vegtarian/gluten free blog with lots of recipes( with pics) ,eating out experiences and a vegan section as well.....enjoy!

Open Original Shared Link