queenofhearts

I've definitely heard that carbonation can be a problem. I don't think it is dangerous in the way gluten is, more just temporarily irritating/bloating. But that's certainly no fun & it's great that you've discovered the problem!

Oh, & many flavored sodas can be highly acidic, so that might be an issue, or the corn syrup, or the sweetener in diet drinks. But even unflavored seltzer can bother some folks.

Leah

Grrrr, there really should be a law against that sort of misinformation! Mind you, I wish it were true... used to love sprouted wheat bread.

Leah

Hope that you feel better soon.

One thought...anyone else dipping into the peanut butter? (I put a green dot on mine, that reminds other family members not to "double dip")

Oh, GOOD thought-- I have to keep a separate container of PB because the rest of the gang double dip without thinking. (Even though I put a big label on the lid that begged them not too, it seemed spreading PB was just too much "autopilot" to keep from cc.) I have my own mayo, too, & we share a mustard dispenser that has a squirt top. Jam we serve with a spoon.

Leah

Well, a glass of milk would make me briefly ill, even though I can tolerate other dairy... just seems to be something about milk per se.

But I agree that flour from bins is VERY risky. I see other shoppers using one scoop to dip several flours... flour spilling from an upper bin into a lower, &c. The only kind of bin I feel relatively safe with is the dispensing kind where you hold the bag up to it... & even then I'm a little uneasy, because I don't fully trust the store employees to avoid cc.

I buy my white rice flour at an Asian grocery (in a bag) & it is very inexpensive, a much better deal than the health food store. They also carry tapioca & potato starch at a very low cost, & a whole spectrum of bean flours. Brown rice flour I order from Authentic Foods-- even though it costs a fortune, it's VERY good!

Hope you recover soon. You'll get the hang of it soon & know what you can tolerate.

By the way, I made peanut butter cookies last night, & my whole family loved them... I hope you can enjoy them again too once you pin down the culprit.

Leah

I received this message this morning & thought other grateful bakers might want to know.

Leah

The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) office has received the following notice.

=20

Bette Hagman aka The Gluten Free Gourmet cookbook author will be celebrating=

her 84th Birthday on Tuesday, August 10th at 2:00 p.m.

=20

Karol (Bette=E2=80=99s daughter) indicated birthdays are very special to her=

mother and celebrating them mean so very much to her. GIG offered to make t=

his post to the ListServ so that people across the US might send Bette a spe=

cial birthday wish.

=20

Bette has been so appreciative of all the previous cards, notes and letters=20=

sent to her and we know receiving birthday cards from all of her fans and fr=

iends would be a special treat for her.

=20

Please send your card to:

Bette Hagman

% GIG

31214 124th Ave SE

Auburn, WA 98092-3667

Thank you.

Nancy

WA

When I was debating about being tested or not, my biggest fear was that if I didn't do it no one would believe me or take it seriously that I needed to follow the diet. But happily this wasn't the case at all, they were all just thrilled I finally found a way to feel good again. Everyone has been really supportive, even without an "official" diagnosis. Those that love you should support whatever decision you make, and once your health starts improving, like nini says- then they can't really doubt the dx.

I think a lot of this depends on how visibly sick you were before diagnosis. I had symptoms but didn't talk much about them, so even WITH the diagnosis it's a little hard to convince my household that I must avoid even a speck of gluten. If I hadn't had the biopsy I'm sure it would be much harder to solicit their cooperation. I know my husband & sons don't wish me ill, but they are not very meticulous by nature, & none of them appreciate my "pickiness" in the kitchen. I think if you are living alone, or with others who are gluten free, it would be much easier, but if you need the daily cooperation of your household, you may need some reinforcement.

Leah

Im just thinking here... I thought P&G response also included that they get some of their raw materials from an outside source thats is why they cant guarantee them to be gluten-free (ie the fragrance) Same goes for the Pantene products they make.

Unless something has changed, which I will find out cause I emailed them again.

Ill let you know!!!!

I may be able to help with this one-- after an excruciating e-mail battle over CoverGirl-- if the product does not include "fragrance" (or such vague terminology) then you can go by the listed ingredients. It turned out my lipstick never contained "fragrance" to begin with so why it took them almost a month to give me a straight answer, I don't know. I was only asking about the one product. So I would look for unscented products, then you are probably okay.

Leah

I can't tell you personally, since I don't yet get clear reactions, but I've certainly read many posts that mention a delayed reaction. Your story definitely indicates Celiac or at the least gluten sensitivity.

Leah

CarlaB recommends coconut oil as a moisturizer... I've not tried it yet myself but am about to go shopping & FINALLY remembered to put it on my list! Thanks for the reminder!

Leah

This isn't really a gluten-free question, but over the years I have toyed with the idea of buying a fryer. Do any of you have them? I don't eat fried food all that often, but when I do, I get frustrated with the temperature regulation & the houseful of fried smell... if you have a fyer, does it help with the smell as well? Does it do a better job? Or is it just an expensive gimmick?

Leah

This is a good idea--I have always used honey and lemon juice stired together and warmed.

Oh, yes, how could I forget that! My husband used to make something for me when I had a bad cold that he called "Rheumatiz Medicine" (Beverly Hillbillies reference!??) that consisted of warmed honey, lemon juice & whiskey! Boy it made colds a lot more tolerable! I guess you'd have to be careful about the whiskey...

Leah

I use cornstarch to replace the tapioca starch in flour blends, and so far it works just fine

Annalise Roberts reccommended to use arrowroot starch in place of tapioca.

I knew I remembered seeing a substitute somewhere, but couldn't remember what it was! Thanks, Chelsea!

Leah

All you Olympians, do you have a favorite local eating spot that is gluten-free friendly? My son is a rising sophomore at Evergreen & we'll be coming out with him this Fall to help him set up an off-campus apartment. It would be great to be able to eat out somewhere safe!

Leah

Boy--that was the coolest growing up!

Yeah, I loved it when I was a kid, & my kids loved it when I did it with them!

It also occurs to me, OceanGirl, that you could make yourself a batch of simple syrup as a truly simple cough/throat syrup to take by the spoonful. Simple syrup is nothing more than equal parts sugar & boiling water, stirred until the sugar dissolves. We keep it on hand in a jar in the fridge, to sweeten iced tea & homemade lemonade-- & it is also the preferred food of hummingbirds, in case you have a feeder!

Leah

If you are in the mood to try a fun science experiment that results in a very pure rock candy, try this:

Open Original Shared Link

Leah

I looked at this recipe and it has tapioca flour in it. In fact ALL of Bette's recipes for bread do that I have ever seen. Does anyone know of a good replacement for tapioca?

Mia

Sorry, I'd forgotten that this thread was supposed to be tapioca-free too. I'm not sure about the tapioca substitute, but I did find this sorghum bread with no tapioca. Haven't tried it myself but you might want to give it a go. Meanwhile I'll do some research on the tapioca.

Open Original Shared Link

Leah

Not necessarily. In fact, often the steamed food isn't gluten free. Many chinese restaurants will add a variety of things to their "plain" food. This includes MSG, Wheat Flour, and Corn Starch. As far as the rice goes, I've heard some people tell me that it isn't always gluten free. I'm not sure what's in it, but I avoid it. I know that at Japanese restaurants they often put malt vinegar in the rice so that it is "sticky."

Traditionally prepared Japanese sushi rice has rice vinegar in it, not malt... & the stickiness comes from the rice variety, not the vinegar. But still, one never knows what an individual chef may be adding. Triumph cards might help, if the language barrier makes it tough to be sure what you're getting.

Leah

ive heard something like that is it like a cabbage or a lettuce? sorry to sound dumb but in the uk its not in any main stores here. ide love to give it a try.

It's really more like an herb in its growth habit-- several leaves on a stem once it gets past the baby green stage. It's quite easy to grow if you are so inclined, especially in a coolish dampish climate as in most of the UK (compared to North Carolina that is!)

I've actually eaten them without problems in the past. Do you have any other food allergies?

Not that I know of... it's weird... I bake using all sorts of different flours & haven't had problems. I'll have to scrutinize the ingredients & see if there's something unusual in these that I haven't used. I haven't noticed big problems with cc in other products with the "wheat in this facility" warning, either. I suppose it could just be a coincidence, since I haven't had them many times... just seems surprisingly predictable so far...

Leah

I don't have the okay direct from the makers (don't care for them myself), but I've read on this board that marshmallows are okay. Sorry don't know the recipes either, but at least you can get those marshmallows!

Leah

Welcome! THIS is the place to start! So much useful info AND moral support.

Nini's Newbie Kit is great, too-- you can get it on her site, Open Original Shared Link

Ask any question & somebody here is bound to know the answer.

Nice to have you with us!

Leah

me to leah, i eat sprouts ( yuk- forced) and love peas but not sure if they are any good on the iron score anyway. what is arugula? never heard of that one before.

Peas are a good source of iron. They're actually very nutritious, better for you than green beans for instance.

Arugula is a green leafy veggie, almost an herb really because it has a very intense flavor. It's a member of the mustard family. It's also known as rocket or roquette. I adore it but I do like strong flavors. I grow it in my garden, so I can pick my own Fall through Spring, but I buy it from Whole Foods in the Summer-- it likes cool weather, as does spinach, & our hot summers make it bolt.

Leah

I'm in the same boat, no red meat (I just can't stomach it) but anemic. I eat all sorts of dark greens; arugula is my favorite but you have to like strong flavors. Raisins are also supposed to be good, so I eat loads. Also beans. Problem is it is all hard to absorb if you still have damage to the villi. I'm hoping my eating habits will do me more good as I heal.

Leah

I was so happy to discover these in the gluten-free section of Whole Foods, since ginger snaps are my favorite cookie. I like their spicy flavor, but several times now I've felt not-so-great after eating them. I've passed them on to my gluten-eating family, but I'm curious if others have had this reaction? I've only been gluten-free for 2 months now & not really sure when (if) I get glutened-- no clear symptoms-- but there definitely seems to be a pattern here, snaps= upset. I know they are produced in a wheat facility, so I guess there could be cc. Any thoughts?

Leah

I found this over at Clan Thompson:

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks, I just found this on the other thread! Glad dh & I can both be right on this one. Now I just have to hover over him making sure the coals are fully gray... ummm... he'll love that!

Leah