MNBeth

This is my question, too. I milled wheat for years before having to go gluten-free recently. I've packed up my old WhisperMill to give away, but the price of brown rice flour makes me want to replace it ASAP. I want to be sure the flour will be fine enough, though.

Wowwie! Can you taste the coconut?

... You should also get a bean flour. There are many to choose from and they seem interchangeable in recipes. I think sorghum is the best, ...

Sorghum isn't actually a bean, it's a seed/grain. Agreed that it's popular, though, and I like that it's a whole grain flour and not a refined starch.

I'm a newbie, too, cringing my way through the transition from milling my own whole flours to baking with, at least in part, bare white starches. And not having much success, so far, either. We'll see how today's attempt turns out.

There is another food forum I have belonged to for years (pre-gluten-free) and the people on there prefer the Whisper Mill. ...

I'm one of those types. I finally cleaned up my WhisperMill to get it ready to give away - and got major sick after, which I rather expected. At least it's done now.

I did mill a little bit of cheap brown rice first, though, and saved it (clearly marked "Contaminated") to compare with flours that I can buy, so I can decide whether to get a new mill. I miss milling, and don't like baking with all these bare starches. Plus, whole grains store safely at room temp, so it's easier to stock up.

Boy, I can relate. I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. My son and I just got our Enterolab results back a couple of weeks ago, and I'm feeling some of the same already. It's so hard to keep pressing on when I still feel crummy so much of the time, and the pressure to feed my family - especially my newly gluten-free 15 yo son - gets overwhelming.

It helps me to read and reread the comments of those who took a long time to feel better. I haven't been going nearly as long as you have, though. Still, I need to keep being reminded that not feeling better doesn't mean this is the wrong thing for us.

I'm right where you are on the soy, too. We reluctantly went off casein a week or so after the gluten, but soy? We depend more on Asian food than ever - seems like we'd be down to meat and potatoes w/o gluten-free soy sauce.

I wish I had some better advice, but anyway, hang in there and know you're doing the right thing for your body by going gluten free.

Actually, according to Annalise Roberts' "Gluten-Free Baking Classics," too much xanthan gum can be a problem. Here's what she says about it:

"If you use too little xanthan or guar gum, your baked goods will fall apart and turn out brittle and hard. If you use too much, your baked goods will condense and shrink after you bake them, growing ever tighter and smaller as the gum works its magic for days after."

She doesn't give a per-cup-of-flour recommendation, but most of her recipes seem to average about a teaspoon for each 1 1/2 cups of flour for breads and about half that for cookies and cakes.

I'm a longtime gluten baker, bread being my specialty, and having to learn a whole new set of rules has been frustrating. I appreciate Roberts' clear, detailed explanations.

My understanding is that you can sub gluten-free flour blends for any wheat flour recipe, just add 1 tsp xanthan gum to every 1 to 1 1/2 cups of flour (did I get that right guys?) However, if you're trying for more hold-together because of a heavy bread, I would use a little more egg and a little less liquid than it calls for. And remember, with heavy breads like that, the gluteny stuff falls apart too. But more xanthan gum couldnt hurt I don't think, I don't think it has a taste. I'm not as good a baker as a lot of people on here, my success rate is still kinda sad, so I'd check with everyone else.

I had a great Pad Thai at Big Bowl in Rosedale Mall. Our server said if she gets Pad Thai she always orders the gluten-free because she likes the sauce better. :-) I was encouraged that "gluten free" was familiar to her, and the manager came out to see me without my asking for him, so that was reassuring, too. They don't have too many options - I think it's basically the Pad Thais and the Kung Paos they can do gluten-free. But it was good and felt very safe.

There's also Chiang Mai Thai in Calhoun Square. I haven't eaten there since I was dx'd, but enjoyed it when I was there before, and our local support group says they're good for gluten-free.

Pei Wei is also supposed to have gluten-free things, but I haven't eaten anything gluten-free there, either. Didn't much care for the Pad Thai I had there before dx, but other things may be better. Someone around here raves about their Singapore noodles or some such.

I got sick after ribs at Chili's but I'm not sure I was glutened - I'm still trying to get my sensitivities straightened out. But my server clearly didn't have a clue what I was talking about, which was not encouraging. Still, the manager printed a current gluten-free menu w/ an expiration date, so it seems like they're trying to keep up tabs on formulation changes, at least.

Check out the newer post on Jimmy John's, too - that sounds promising, and not Asian, which a person might get tired of. (Not me, but some other person, maybe. )

We had a potluck at work today ... Someone brought fried chicken so I had a piece with the skin removed and it didn't seem to bother me.

Oh, please don't do this! Whether you noticed a reaction or not, you definitely put gluten into your system when you ate that chicken. Your food must not come in contact with gluten-containing foods. Ever. At all. Gluten cannot be removed from any food item. Once it's there, that food is not for you.

It's mightily inconvenient, but very important.

Hang in there!

Beth

Some people might think that I am going a little overboard, but when I take my lunch or a drink out of the fridge at work, I also wash my hands. I thought that if someone buttered some toast and then put the butter back in the fridge, their fingers full of crumbs would be touching the door handle.

The lab is keeping my son and I in suspenders, waiting to learn whether we are going to have to go gluten-free. I'm almost certain we will, though, and that comment above is deee-pressing! I don't go to work - I'm thinking about my own kitchen! Looks like hubby and 3 sisters may have to join the gluten-free party when they're at home, 'cause I just don't know that I can wash my hands every time I open the fridge... or a drawer... or a cabinet... or... Yikes! There's even less chance they're going to remember to wash their hands every time they touch their gluteny food! Hmmm...

As always, lots of good things to think about here!

Beth

Just a note about milling your own flour.

First, I agree with others that you'll want to have time to settle into some patterns of gluten-free eating so you can know whether you'd be likely to actually bake much in the long run.

In case you do, though, I just wanted to mention that I've been happily milling my own grain for several years, and there is no need to grind a pound at a time. I only ever mill exactly what I need for what I'm going to make. I use a kitchen scale and keep a chart of flour weights handy. Then I just weigh out how much grain I need, toss it in the mill, and know that what comes out is just what I need. If I'm doing a mix of grains, I just weigh them out and dump them in together. So the grain mill actually helps solve the shelf-life problem, because whole grains store for so much longer than milled flours, and if you mill just what you need, there's no need to store flour at all.

I'm not actually gluten-free at this point - I'm waiting for my test results. But if I do have to go gluten-free, I'll be very strongly considering replacing my mill with a new, pristine, gluten-free one. I think I'd miss fresh flours too much, and I've already seen how much money can be saved in the long run.

Still, again, it is definitely a decision to be made carefully, and I'm not trying to talk you into it - just want you to have accurate information. It's only cost effective if you're really going to use it, and not everyone would. Baking fascinates me, so I'm more inclined to do it. We'll see what happens when I dive into what Bette Hagman refers to as the "weird world of gluten-free baking!"

Beth

... I thought why not just buy for example"garbonzo beans" and grind them myself?? The result was I would have to shill out $200-$300 bucks just for the grinder and then the shelf life of the flour is so low that it would be a waste to grind a pound at a time. How do you guys deal with this issue???

look up the post "Abc 7 In Chicago Did A Segment On gluten-free And Celiac!" in the publicity section.

it's a start....

I think that's where I saw Da Luciano featured. It's in the West Suburbs, but the owners have 4 kids who have celiac, so they specialize in gluten-free - pastas, breads, the whole shebang. I'm a Minnesotan, too, but grew up in the Chicago area and hope to get there sometime when I'm down to visit.

The details:

Da Luciano

8343 W. Grand Ave., River Grove

708-453-1000

I am not a diagnosed celiac. I am hoping to *get* diagnosed, and am tired of wasting my time w/doctors who aren't up to date on celiac issues, so I was hoping someone could recommend a dermatologist who was clearly well-versed in DH.

I've since made an appointment with a dermatology office that seems informed about this condition. I don't know what the deal is with the celiac clinic at Mayo. It almost seems like it just depends on who answers the phone when you call. Or maybe you just need the right #. I called the appointment desk, not having access to Dr.Murray directly.

Anyway, I think I'll just go w/the local dermatologist and see if I can get my diagnosis that way. I'll be really, really surprised if that isn't what it is.

I was gluten-free for only three weeks; when the pathologist at the dermatology office didn't feel confident that being gluten-free wouldn't affect the outcome of my biopsy, I decided to go back to gluten for the remaining three weeks before the test. After that, I'm pretty sure I'm done with gluten for good. Even then, from what I've read, it may well take a long time for the rash to clear up.

I'm glad you got in at Mayo, though; it's so nice to be dealing with doctors who know this condition!

I don't get it. If you have Celiac Disease, I assume you are gluten-free. If you are truly gluten-free, I don't see why you would have a rash - if it is in fact DH. The treatment for DH is gluten-free diet.......

I had only the DH symptoms and read enough to know that if I had DH, I was Celiac. I contacted Dr. Joseph Murray at Mayo to see if he would see me and he did - his secretary was the one who set up my appt and biopsy with the dermatoligist (Dr. Dragge).

I would have the doctor run another celiac panel (blood test.) A lot can change in 5 years, and many people who initiallly tested negative will test positive later (because the condition has progressed, sadly.)

Of coure the blood test is often not conclusive, but it's a simpler, less invasive way to start. But that's just me. ;-)

Has anybody else tried Enjoy Life's Cinnamon Crunch Granola. I cannot believe how nasty that stuff is.

Mayo is a no-go for now. The appointment secretary said they'll only consider seeing you if you've already had a positive biopsy and can send them the information. Of course, if I had a positive biopsy, why would I need to go?!

Argh. Back to the drawing board.

I know it's a bit of a drive but I would consider just driving down to Mayo Clinic. ...

I won't mind the drive one bit if they'll take me! I actually decided yesterday that I should try to get in there, and I've been trying to screw up my courage to make the call. I hate making phone calls, and I've heard people say that they couldn't get in without sending in biopsy results, etc., which I don't have, so that makes me all nervous. I'm such a sissy.

But I'm gonna call! Might even try to talk them into seeing my son, too, while we're at it.

Thanks for the input,

Beth

p.s. We're up on the Coon Rapids/Andover border, fyi.

Hi all,

I'm new here, not yet diagnosed, and think I have DH. I'd like to have my rash biopsied, but really don't want to waste my time with a lab where they don't have much experience with DH. (I've spent enough time with doctors who don't have much experience with celiac!)

Anyone had DH diagnosed in the Twin Cities area? North side is ideal, but I'll take what I can get!

Thanks,

Beth