queenofhearts

I'm a big Claritin fan when it comes to my hay fever, but the doctor informed me that Claritin doesn't work so well against hives. (I had tried taking it immediately when I felt the oncoming symptoms but still ended up in the E.R.) Now I keep Benadryl & Tagamet on hand in case it happens again!

Leah

I haven't used it myself but I know there is an almond "milk".

Leah

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In my experience it helps to cut the rising time/height a little. I don't know if it's because I live in a hot, humid area or what, but if I let the gluten-free breads rise to the height spec'd in recipes, it's much more likely to fall.

Also, an old bread-baker's tip is to tap the bread when you think it is close to done & listen for a hollow sound. (Signalling no soggy stuff in the center.) HOWEVER, if you are going to keep the bread around for longer than a day, it tends to get really dry if you cook it as thoroughly as you would wheat, so I undercook it just a smidge compared to my old wheaty standards.

I'm still a newbie at the gluten-free stuff & bread is by far the greatest challenge, but I'm baking up a storm & every loaf gets a tiny bit better, so I'm hoping I'll eventually get the hang of it!

Leah

Tagamet? Really? I'm already taking prilosec so they probably interact. I know benadryl will help, I just hate taking it because I can only take it at night and I'm really groggy the next day

Thanks for the tagamet suggestion! I may just try that!

Hm, the interaction might be a problem. Maybe you could substitute? But better ask your doctor.

Yeah, I hate that Benadryl fog too, but when I had the hives I was itching so bad it was just making me insane, & a little fog was an improvement! Not good to drive on it though, that's for sure. Worse than DWI in my book!

Hope you feel better soon.

Leah

I had a ferocious case of hives about a year ago, & the doctor recommended Benadryl (expected) & Tagamet/Cimetidine (unexpected!)-- for some reason the latter seems to help stop the reaction. Probably wouldn't hurt for your GI symptoms either!

Good luck,

Leah

Last night I made her chocolate ricotta muffins for dessert. They were a little sweet for my taste (next time I'll probably substitute chopped bittersweet chocolate for the semisweet chips), but still yummy! They are obviously a cupcake type muffin as opposed to the bready sort. I served them with fresh cherries on the side which made a great combo. If it were a fancy meal I might make them into little cherry shortcakes with some whipped cream...

Leah

Edit Great minds think alike and I think Queen of Hearts can type faster.

You mean someone is slower than I am?! I'm glad you posted too because I wasn't 100% sure. (Hoping I was wrong actually....)

I've yet to eat there myself, but I hear so many raves about the GLUTEN FREE lettuce wraps that it is probably worth a try! (Make sure you order them gluten-free, I think there is more than one version.)

Leah

Have you talked with your doctor about this? It still sounds like it might be asthma to me (there's a lot of it in my family, & it manifests in some odd ways). You mention the panicky fast breathing, with asthma there is a sensation that you can't move the air in & out of your lungs properly. It can be very frightening, & lots of sufferers tend to pant during an attack. The way it works is that the bronchial tubes are constricted, which actually inhibits breathing OUT, this might lead to what you call sighing... it's a little hard to tell via e-mail. I would definitely ask your doctor about this-- there are inhalers that can give you immediate relief it it is asthma. And of course it would be good to figure out what is triggering it; an elimination diet might help that.

Leah

Not to mention the price of eating gluten free........wow......does everyone shop at the gluten free pantry? Is there any competition?

I highly recommend baking your own! You can get inexpensive rice, tapioca, bean & potato flours from Asian supermarkets, much cheaper than most other sources. Bette Hagman & Annalise Roberts have some great cookbooks. (Check some out of the library to see which you like best.) Gluten-free baking looks daunting at first, but it's really quite doable with a little trial & error.

Welcome to this forum-- it's such a fantastic resource-- the best information AND moral support.

Leah

I am very new too but have learned that starting January 06 the FDA requires manufacturers to list common allergen content clearly on the ingredient label. Apparently in the past there were many places it could be "hidden" such as Natural Flavoring and Modified Food Starch. Now it can't be.

After the ingredient list there should be this:

Contains: soy, milk, tree nuts.....or something like that. You can trust the big guys for sure on that. ConAgra Foods, Kraft, Sara Lee, General Mills and so on. If in doubt, call the manufacturer though.

Good luck!

One caution on this-- I'm pretty new too, but unless I am mistaken, only wheat is required listing-- there could still be barley, rye, oats, in the flavorings. Am I wrong about this? I think the safest thing is to contact the mfgr. or search for the product's gluten-free status online (starting here!)

Leah

Welcome to the board! I hope you find it as helpful as I have.

Your symptoms definitely sound suggestive of Celiac, so trying the diet sounds like a great idea. Have you had the blood tests? You wouldn't need sedation for that, & it might help narrow things down.

Nini has a Newbie kit that is really helpful starting out, as are the lists you can find on the site index here.

Leah

I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean-- are you having trouble catching your breath? Is the sighing more like gasping? That would hint at asthma, & could certainly be triggered by a food allergy, or even just the interruption of regular breathing that comes with swallowing your food.

I hope we can be of help to you somehow-- it sounds distressing.

Leah

Oh, poop. I didn't realize you couldn't eat corn. Sorry, Rachel.

I wonder if anybody's ever made millet tortillas....

Seems to me I read somewhere about gluten-free "flour" tortillas, but I don't know what grains they contain. (Not corn, though, I would presume?)

Leah

I think the idea is not to enable Celiacs to eat gluten-containing foods, but to help protect them against accidental cross-contamination. I sure hope the trials are successful, since that is the hardest part of the diet in my opinion.

Leah

I found a cookie recipe that I want to convert into a gluten free version (basically just gonna substitute the flour for Annalise Robert's flour mix). My question is does anyone know if I need to add xanthum gum? I tried making the Tollhouse Cookies from the recipe off the back of the bag once and although they tasted great they were completey deflated and flat. This was before I had discovered xanthum gum and I'm thinking that is what I needed to add. Any insight?

You'll find the xanthan gum is well worth the investment! In bread it is almost indispensible, but it helps almost everything. You don't need much, expecially in low-rising things like cookies, to make a big difference. (About 1/4-1/2 tsp. for an average batch.) I bake like a maniac & in 5 weeks I've barely dented my first package.

Leah

First of all, welcome to the board! It is a phenomenal resource.

To answer your question (sort of, anyway), there is a wide variety of household styles represented here, from 100% gluten-free, to one celiac living with several die-hard gluten-eaters. Obviously it is much harder to avoid the cross-contamination in the latter case. It depends somewhat on folks' sensitivity whether they can manage with so many risks. Problem is, as a newbie, one often doesn't have distinct glutening symptoms until fully healed. That makes it tough to gauge your sensitivity, so it's probably best to play it safe.

It's really complicated to live with gluteners (there are 3 in my household) & the more you can encourage them to go gluten-free too, the safer you will be. But that's often more expensive, & hard if you have real bread-lovers in your midst! (Though when I bake the gluten-free bread fresh, they'll eat it happily.) I've been on the diet for about 5 weeks & I'm still not sure if I have reached a safe level in my house, to tell the truth.

One absolute seems to be separate toasters, & it's best not to share cutting boards, wooden spoons, cast iron pans & so on. (Anything to which gluten might cling.) And it's safest, especially with children, to have separate, labeled containers of peanut butter, mayo, & anything else that might risk "double dipping." Don't prepare your food right on the counter or table, & look out for messy sponges, hand towels & other stealthy gluten hiders.

Do you have Nini's Newbie Kit yet? It has lots of suggestions as I recall.

Again, welcome! Eat well & be well!

Leah

Ursula, your story reminds me of a woman I used to know who had an absolutely photographic memory. I expressed envy, & she said it was as much curse as blessing, mainly because in any conflict with others that involved memory, she ALWAYS knew she was right, but if she expressed that certainty she was universally resented & disliked. Certainly made me see it in a different light.

Leah

Leah-

I'm moving in. I'll cook!! I absolutely HATE the clean up. I could cook all day as long as somebody else cleans up after me!! ha

-Jessica

I'm with you most of the time, but when I'm working like mad to make a deadline, or to get some gardening done before dark, it's great to come in to a delicious meal somebody else has prepared, instead of a hungry, cranky & resentful family! For that privilege I will gladly hit the dishes.

Leah

Too bad my sixteen-year-old nephew arrived from Germany today, who undoubtedly, like all teenaged boys (and some teenaged girls) eats like a horse, and I will have to make more of an effort for the next five weeks (I just hope I can survive).

Sixteen is an excellent age to learn to cook! I have nineteen year old twin boys & they are good & adventurous cooks. Sometimes they cook things I can't eat or won't make (I am very squeamish about red meat) but just as often they make something delicious that I can enjoy. The rule in our household is that whoever cooks is excused from cleaning up, which is an excellent incentive!

Leah

I love what you're saying, Ursula.

I have always been a loner. As a child I was painfully shy, but now I'm merely quiet and thoughtful. I am what I call a "serial obsessor" - I spend all my effort on some one thing for years at a time, then I've had enough, and move on to something else. I find it hard to identify with people who have never found anything to be interesting enough to obsess over. And they will tell me to get a life, when they appear to have none of their own, as though watching tv sitcoms and sports is the only life worth living.

Wow-- this sounds so familiar! I have always described myself as a "serial perfectionist"-- depending on when you catch me, I can be obsessing over almost anything-- including learning to bake gluten-free, my latest mania. My "fits", as some would call them, usually last anywhere from a week or two to months, then I suddenly switch to the next fascination. When I am in these moods I find it a huge effort to pay enough attention to other things. I can make myself do it, but it is NOT easy.

I tend to cycle between various recurring interests, with new ones scattered in from time to time. I find these periods of intense focus extremely pleasurable though they can be very demanding... I love a challenge so long as it is the challenge I have chosen.

The one thread that seems to connect most of my obsessions is that I absolutely NEED to make things. EVERY DAY, if at all possible! I get so restless & miserable if I have to be passive for long. I just returned from a short vacation & the one evening I cooked for my hosts was an absolute relief to me! My husband looked at me as I was bustling about in the kitchen & said with amusement, "You're having fun now, aren't you?" And it was true-- though I enjoyed being a tourist, chatting with the hosts, &c., I had been itching to get those hands busy! I'm really not sure why this is... any thoughts?

Leah

Thanks so much for this. I love Indian food & look forward to trying some of these.

Leah

I like this dressing I concocted:

some mineola juice (or other sweet orange)

some lemon juice

(balsamic vinegar - but I think it'll be fine w/o)

(dash o-mustard - but doesn't that usually have vinegar?)

dash of sugar

dash of salt & pepper

you wisk that together

THEN

you slowly wisk in the olive oil and it will get kindof creamy

It's good - the sweet orange juice gives it a nice change from regular vinegrette.

Mmmm, sounds delicious!

You can always use mustard powder instead of prepared mustard, that should be fine. And I might use a dab of molasses instead of sugar to get some of that balsamic richness.

Leah

Whoever suggested going to an asian supermarket for rice flours for dirt cheap is an angel!

Why thank you! I'm glad yours was as great a resource as mine. It certainly makes you wonder why the stuff is so pricey in Whole Foods, doesn't it?

Leah

Her answer or my question?

Her answer! Your question makes plenty of sense. We may be brainfogged, depressed, anxious, &c. when glutened, but I sometimes think we are a tiny spark of sanity in an insane world. Or at least a highly illogical world!

Leah

I can't tell you how many times in the past few years I have written in my journal "so exhausted" & had no idea why I seemed completely unable to pursue my ideas... the intense frustration of a mind still producing ideas that I simply couldn't bring myself to execute... (I'm talking mainly my artwork here, but other things too.) I have questioned whether I was clinically depressed, as I probably was in my teens (never diagnosed but a lot of cutting & other self-hating behaviour)-- but what I mainly felt lately is sheer physical & mental exhaustion. The thing is, it wasn't just being anemic, I don't think (though I'm sure it didn't help)--I could still exercise, so I had some physical strength & stamina... I would just feel this huge wave of exhaustion come over me at the thought of executing any project... I couldn't "feel" my work anymore.

I would get in self-hating moods just because I would make resolutions to DO all those projects in my sketchbooks... & then once my paying work (illustration) was over, I'd feel absolutely dead, & just couldn't go back to the studio. Now & then I would have a little spurt of energy & think "Oh-- this is how I'm supposed to feel!" ...& then it would vanish.

Those brief respites always remind me of what it is like to come out of a dank cave & get a breath of fresh air. When I'm in that stuffy place, no amount of "perfume" in the way of positive experiences-- physical pleasure, amusement, mental stimulation or whatever-- can take away the sensation of constant oppressive dankness. It's as if only part of my brain is functioning, & I'm sort of going through the motions of living.

I think now that a great deal of this was simply gluten. I wish I had been keeping track of my diet before my diagnosis. I really wonder whether the good spells came when I was eating less gluten. I've had more of the "breaths" since going gluten-free, though they remain evanescent. I'm really looking forward to a steady state of breathing!

Leah