Emily Elizabeth

Has anyone had the "celiac belly" and gotten rid of it? By celiac belly I mean the stomach that expands/distends more and more as the day goes on. So you have to by larger pants in order to fit into them by the end of the day. Anyway, I've been gluten free about 10 months and have still not gotten rid of this. My antibody levels are going down (ttg/iga 5 U/ml) so I know that I'm doing something right.

I would love to hear from someone who has had the celiac belly and gotten rid of it. Even if you tell me that time is the only thing that can fix it, I'd love to at least have hope that it will go away! Thanks in advance.

Emily

If you want a darker colored bread you can try adding some agave nectar in place of the honey, and maybe a small dollop of molasses.

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to try that. Thanks also for mentioning the cooking time adjustment for the different pan sizes. I wouldn't have thought of that. Happy baking!

Emily

And please, lay the pasta recipe on me!

Here's the pasta recipe!

~1 lb shrimp (tails off and de-veined)

(Crawfish are supposed to be added too, but I can never find them in VA)

1 stick butter

1.5 cups heavy cream

Being a celiac who loves bread, I think there is nothing worse than going to restaurant and not being able to eat the bread that they bring out at the beginning. After going to Outback the other day I became determined to satisfy my craving for their bread. This is what I came up with! (I also copied my favorite dish - Toowoomba Pasta - if anyone is interested).

Open Original Shared Link

Outback Steakhouse Copy Cat Bread (Gluten Free)

2

The thing with me is, I dont drink red wine at all.....so what would have bothered me?

Supposedly, tannins are in chocolate, red wine, some cheeses, some ice creams, "caffeine," beans, nuts, cinnamon, bananas, smoked foods, cigarette smoke, some sour creams, and fermented foods and some herbs.

Here is the website I found this at (it is for people w/migranes, but still discusses tannins) - Open Original Shared Link. The main ones were

Again, I am probably totally off base here. I'd love to find out the real reason!

I just called Ocean Spray and the woman assured me that craisens (even the big bags from costco) are produced in an entirely gluten free facility. So this got me thinking... maybe it has something to do with the cranberries themselves. I found out that cranberries have tannins in them and so does red wine (which I like to drink a lot of) and excessive intake of tannins can cause bowel iritation (wikipedia, see below)

"In sensitive individuals, large intakes of tannins may cause bowel irritation, kidney irritation, liver damage, irritation of the stomach and gastrointestinal pain. With the exception of tea, long-term and/or excessive use of herbs containing high concentrations of tannins is not recommended. A correlation has been made between esophogeal or nasal cancer in humans and regular consumption of certain herbs with high tannin concentrations."

Here's the link to the above quote - Open Original Shared Link

So maybe I'm looking into this too much, but I think I'm going to try and lay off the "tannins" for a while and see if that helps!

I hope others have some insight for us.

Me too! Thanks for posting, I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone on this one. Did you happen to buy a big bag of them from Costco?

I've been getting sicker and sicker for the last 3 weeks and I can't figure out what is causing it. The only thing I can think of is the craisins or the Diamond walnuts I have been putting in these muffins I have been baking for breakfast. Both appear to be gluten free based on previous posts and the company website, but I thought I would just find out if anyone else has had any problems. I could just have a stomach bug, but I of course think of celiac first. Thanks in advance for your help!

Emily

I have had a lot of luck with this recipe Open Original Shared Link. It is called Gluten-Free Flax Bread. It's not exactly a white bread, but it's definitely the best one that I've tried. I've made some white breads, but the texture is not as soft. I don't have a bread machine so I don't know how it would work with one. I would recommend making it by hand first.

Here's the review I posted about the recipe with my suggestions on making it:

The best gluten free bread yet! I love that it's more healthy than most! I found that it comes right out of the pan if I grease and dust the pan with sweet rice flour before adding the dough. The one time I didn't do that, it was very difficult to get out of the pan. I let it rise in an oven that I warm up a little bit (no more than 125 degrees) before I put the bread in to rise. I cover the bread loosely with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking once the bread rises. I also put a pan of hot water on the rack underneath it. The last few times I made it I used

Yes, I would say so. I don't have anything to compare it to since it's my first one, but I can say that when I pureed a cabbage/potato/broccoli soup it did very well. Blended it right up into a smooth creamy soup! There are multiple speed settings so I can use less power on easier jobs like smoothies and more power on the veggies and such. It seems to be very sturdy too. I hope this is helpful!

Is the immersion blender pretty powerful? I've never had good luck with those, lol. Don't think I've had KitchenAid though.

Okay, I wanted to report back on what I ended up getting. I got a Cuisinart Blender/Food Processor Duo and a KitchenAid Immersion Blender. I am VERY happy with both products. The Food processor is only about 2 cups, but I really don't need it for much more than that very often. If I do it's just something like shredded potatoes and I can empty it out once it's full and continue with another batch. They are all very easy to clean too - dishwasher safe - yay! Now I don't know what i ever did without them. Especially the food processor! I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has about them.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks everyone for your responses! I'll let you know what I end up getting and how they work!

My KitchenAid blender died after 5 years so I thought I would ask what blender you use for our type of cooking. I would like to be able to grind up almonds and make almond meal and flour (probably need something else for that?) and also do the regular icy/smoothie things with it.

I am also going to get an immersion blender for pureeing soups and pumpkin and such - so if any of you have one that you like, please let me know!

Lastly if you have any input on food processors I'd love to hear that as well. I keep seeing them used on the food network, so now I think I have to have one!

Don't you love it when you find something last minute and it turns out great! I'm going to go with your method the next time I make stuffing. I'll dry it out and then just toast it very slightly. Thanks for sharing!

I put mine in the toaster on the lowest setting over and over until it was just starting to get a little brown on it. Then, I cooled it on a paper towel to avoid moisture. My stuffing was probably the best I've ever had, I was impressed. I found the recipe online like 2 minutes before I started making it.

Yes! I love pumpkin! I still have some left from halloween (frozen of course) so we'll see what other things come out of it...

Hail to the pumpkin goddess!

Oh my gosh yes! It was incredibly easy and they loved it! It looked fancy too in the margarita glasses. I love it when I make something that is easy, inexpensive and looks like its gourmet! I also can't stand to see things go to waste so it's great when I can get them eaten up without having to force them on people!

Holy crap that looks easy!

but I am trying to look at it like an adventure now.

Me too! It has been an exciting challenge to learn to cook things that I used to eat (pizza, pancakes, pie crust, bread) gluten free. Of course if I was "glutened" right now, it wouldn't be an exciting challenge, but a horrible disaster. It's all about whether or not we are feeling well I think. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I discovered Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Gluten Free Hot Cereal (that's actually the name!) and it is really good in my opinion. My doctor says I can't try the gluten free oats until my antibody levels are back in the normal range so in the meantime, this acts as my oatmeal. I cook it up with raisins and bananas and it is wonderful. I tried quinoa flakes and they were not good at all. I think in Bob's Red Mill, the corn and buckwheat give it extra flavor. Good luck with your new challenge!

Emily

I just thought I would post this since it was a success in my household. We had leftover pumpkin pie and flan in the house from thanksgiving that just wasn't getting eaten so I decided to reinvent it for dessert tonight (inspired by the food network). I'm sure it would work with just pumpkin pie by itself too. My husband and his house guest ate this up very quickly!

I am guessing on the measurements below since I didn't actually measure anything. It was about 2 slices of pumpkin pie (no crust) and about a half a plate of 3/4 inch tall flan).

Pumpkin Mousse

1 cup leftover pumpkin pie and/or flan (estimated)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (estimated)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

In a small skillet heat up pie and flan with

That's good to know! I usually gravitate towards sugar and then that makes me feel worse of course (stomach bloating/gas). I normally don't drink energy drinks, but it sounds like it might do the trick if I'm glutened. Thanks for the tip!

Try Red Bull. Its a strong liquid burst of vitamins and caffeine. It can do wonders for a glutening, at least for me it does.

It sounds like the crockpot is the way to go with gluten free stuffing. I also think we probably don't need to toast the bread before hand? Maybe just dry it out for a few days. What do you do?

This year I made our stuffing in the crockpot. Last year my stuffing was very crunchy and then kind of gummy in the middle. This year it turned out amazing!!!

Yesterday I has some Tostitos with Tostitos Salsa Con Queso (nacho cheese) and I felt like I ate something with gluten.

I have reacted to both Tostitos Chips and Tostitos Salsa before. I stopped eating them and started making my own chips from corn tortillas and just eat homemade salsa.

I am so frustrated, if I was gonna eat something that would make me sick like this I would have had a slice of pizza and at least enjoyed it!

I totally know what you mean! If we're going to have to go through the pain, we should at least be able to enjoy the gluten!

I have definitely changed shape after going gluten free. After I eat, I almost always have the distended belly, unless I eat like a bird. The worst of it is that my bust is down a whole cup size and my waist and hips are actually larger than they used to be by an inch or two! SO frustrating! I almost want to go back to eating gluten just to get my body back , but I wouldn't ever do that since the consequences are way to serious.

After beginning the diet back in May, I gained about 10 lbs, then lost almost all of them by doing a low calorie diet (admittedly too low, 900-1100 calories a day while working out 6 times per week). Anyway, the only way I was able to get rid of my belly was by not eating enough food. As soon as I started eating again the distended belly came back. I thought this could have to do with the whole "starvation mode" thing so I started making sure I was at least getting about 1500 calories/day, working out 5-6 times/week and now I still have the belly and more fat on my hips so I don't know what to do. I want to be healthy, but I also want to be able to fit into my clothes comfortably again (and my bras!).

I believe I am eating healthy food, but I am open to any suggestions! (homemade buckwheat pancakes, yogurt, bananas, eggs and potatoes, tuna casserole w/broccoli or green beans, homemade bean and veggie soup with rice, unsweetened applesauce, raw carrots, cauliflower, celery, salad, homemade corn tortilla chips, popcorn, occasional gluten free pasta, homemade pizza/bread, wine occasionally in the evenings, coffee, tea and lots of water)

I had my thyroid checked and it was in the normal range. My lactose intolerance test came back negative. My antibody levels are still raised, but my doctor expected that would be the case after only 6 months of healing time (I also was tested only a few days after the absolute worst glutening of my life).

It would be so great if we could figure out what is causing this? For those of you who have been on the diet longer than a year or two, have you noticed that your body shape has gone back to normal? It sounds like even those of you who are on the all natural foods diet even have the same problem. I may try and cut back on dairy, but I don't think I really have that much on a daily basis anyway (yogurt and cottage cheese). I get so frustrated with my appearance sometimes. I started buying shirts that poof out at the stomach to hide my belly. Is there anyone out there that has a solution/ideas?

(sorry for the long post!)

Emily

I'm curious if you found out if the Tysons Polka Kielbasa Sausage was gluten free?

Perhaps this has been asked before but I cannot seem to find it but does this sausage contain hidden gluten to the knowledge of anybody here? We'd like to have this for dinner tonight.

Yum! Thanks for posting this! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. It sounds like a nice quick way to have something a little different. I just bought bacon the other day too! This is perfect! I wonder if adding stuffing to the mix would be any good? I have a lot of that leftover! I plan on putting it in a meatloaf, but I know I will still have plenty more left.

I was trying to make a breakfast casserole this morning and I didn't have any potato. Ugh... So, I decided to try something new and it turned out really well. Its not my favorite dish, but it would be a fantastic way to use up leftover mashed potato.

1 cup mashed potato

3 eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

4 slices precooked crumbled bacon

1/4 cup chopped onion

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs lightly with fork. Add all other ingredients and mix well by hand. Pour into greased pan (I used a glass loaf pan). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

I ate this with ketchup and it was really quite good for the amount of effort that went into it. I imagine this would also be good with veggies added or with sausage instead of bacon. You may wish to microwave your onion in a tablespoon of water first if you want softer onions. Make sure you drain them afterwards. You could also saute them in butter if you had extra time.

I haven't knowingly cheated yet, but I certainly let my guard down about cc especially when I am already feeling bad. I ate some questionably gluten free cookies that someone made for me when I wasn't feeling well. Of course, then I don't know if the cookies were contaminated or not since I was already feeling bad! I know what you mean about wanting to get home. I went on a cruise recently and didn't feel well pretty much the whole time. As much as I love cruises, I couldn't wait to get home. My stomach was so distended my clothes barely fit (of course it didn't help that I was eating a lot too ). I am certainly the most happy when I am in my own kitchen and in control of what I eat. I wish you luck on figuring out what exactly is causing you to be sick. It's difficult to follow such a stringent diet, but it's even worse when you feel like there still could be something that you are eating that is making you sick. I hope you feel better soon!

I cheated on the gluten-free part of my diet. I guess the temptation started to get to me the other day when my Internist decieded there was no other option but to run a full allergey panel. We know I'm allergic to wheat,corn,mold,grass,and dogs and there are so many other things I react strongly too. My doc is still convinced I have celiac disease as well. At first the thought of the allergey test was no big deal until I thought about the gluten. The only reason we're even doing this is that I've had a sinus infection that I can't get rid of. My doc won't even give me anymore meds until we get the full allergey panel. They aren't asking me to gluten load which I wouldn't but I can't take my allergy meds. I've been gluten-free for about six months now and doing great. I even made it through thanksgiving with out getting sick. I've been staying at my parents house for the last couple of days which is problem #1. I seem to do fine at resisting temptation when I can get back to my house where everything is safe. I've had corn bread and pumkin pie staring me in the face. Screw up one last night was eating icing from the edges of my nephews leftover birthday cake. Then I made it worse. I waited until the boys went to bed and then had a piece of cornbread with butter. and THEN I ate the last peice of pumpkin pie.

So now today I feel achy. Luckly no GI symptoms yet. My legs hurt really bad.

This is why I hate being away from my house for long periods of time. Even if I don't cheat which is most of the time I still get sick! I was already feeling crummy before I cheated because I was having to cook gluten filled food for the boys. This is the first time I have knowingly cheated. I can't wait to get home!