queenofhearts

The best book we could find was "The GLuten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread".

It is AWESOEME! They all work in a bread machine or from scratch.

I'll second this one, though I make my bread from scratch, she has lots of info for the machine. The four-flour sesame bread is so good!

Leah

p.s. I have A.R's book too & find it great for sweets, but I like B.H.'s diverse flour mixes for bread, especially 4-flour which contains sorghum.

Thanks, Leah--can't wait to try these! Do you think it would work if I left out the fruit glace and just added another cup of chopped almonds?

Yes! Funny you should say that as I was thinking the same thing. I like fruitcake at Xmas but otherwise not so crazy about glace, & I think in florentines it's gilding the lily! But I wouldn't add a whole cup of almonds, probably... because the fruit is moist but that many more almonds might make the mixture too dry-- you'll have to experiment a bit, I think-- if you've made florentines before in your wheaty days you will probably have a sense of what the texture of the dough should be.

Bon appetit! Let me know how they turn out!

Leah

Leah, I'd love a copy of the florentine recipe--that would be great! Thanks so much.

I just checked my grocery store--no Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour, but I did get the superfine rice flour. Do I just substitute it for the brown rice flour, or should I do half brown rice flour (I have Bob's Red Mill) and half superfine white rice flour? I was going to make either the yellow cake, the butter cake, or the coconut cake--tomorrow's my son's birthday!

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I think it would depend on how important texture is in the recipe, vs. flavor & nutrition. I think brown rice has more flavor, but if the only flour you can find is very course-ground, then it will change the texture & make things grainy. I think I would probably vote for fineness in the plain cake, whereas in a cake with textured ingredients (nuts & such) or in the cookies below, the brown rice would probably work fine.

Florentines, abridged from Bette Hagman's TGFG Makes Dessert

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. milk

1/4 c. sugar

I c. chopped almonds, toasted

3/4 c. fruit glace, chopped fine

1 tsp. orange zest

1/4 c. Featherlight Mix (or your fave flour blend)

2 oz. Almond Bark for frosting, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & rice-flour baking sheets.

Bring butter, milk & sugar to a rolling boil in saucepan, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Combine almonds, fruit, & zest with flour mix. Stir into liquids in saucepan. Drop by Tbs. at least 2" apart.

Spread dough into thin circles. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Remove while still warm & prepare sheet again before next batch. When cookies are cool, frost bottoms with Almond Bark or choc. if desired. Store in refrigerater if frosted.

Enjoy!

Leah

Hi,

Well, day 1 was pretty easy, in fact quite enjoyable! I felt I had a bit of time on my hands last night and thought about all the suggestions - cleaning my kitchen, knitting, yoga... all good ideas but I decided to take up shagging instead, lol. DH is quite pleased.

Susan, I'm having the same thoughts as you. I'm going on holiday in 2 weeks. Should I have waited until after that to stop? Will I not enjoy it without drinking? Should I have just 1 or 2 drinks? Really, I have to face the fact that just one doesn't do it for me at the moment. I think I'd feel more deprived having one than stopping. I'm hoping this will change in the future, I'd really like to be able to enjoy a glass of good wine. On the other hand it gives me D so maybe I should stop it in the same way I stopped good bread etc.

I thought about casein and sulphites in wine. I've tried casein free and low sulphite and don't think it made much difference. I really want to get the D under control. I've got a nasty case of cracked bottom at the moment. I've been putting off going back to a doctor, knowing I had an obvious cause which I needed to sort out. I was scared to have more blood tests actually. I had a raised MCV before I even started drinking more, and never had LFT's checked.

I think for me smoking and drinking are related problems. When I stop smoking I drink more, when I cave in I don't cut back on drinking again. I had my best success stopping smoking using Allen Carr's book, although it obviously wasn't a complee success! I think it's really interesting that smoking's protective against celiac disease. I went gluten-free 4 months in to a stop smoking effort. When I've stopped in the past I've felt lousy for months. I think now is the time to do it.

If anyone else is drinking more alcohol than they think they should be at the moment, another thing to consider is are you just thirsty? I think that might have been contributing to my problem. I was amazed at how much water I drank last night.

Susan, I hope you have a wonderful alcohol free day and don't get cravings.

Best wishes,

Matilda

Well done Matilda! Your activity of choice is a win-win! Keep up the good work!

Leah

i had same problem, started weightilifting and it helped , not little ones big ones to add muscle , low weights will only add tone. muscle weighs quite a bit..

It's not the size of the weight per se that adds mass, but the total exhaustion of the muscle. You are right that light weights & hi reps won't do much good. But look into Slow Burn for a safe way to use lower weights intensely to add muscle mass. It has really helped me avoid injury as I used to suffer now & then when handling the very heavy weights.

Leah

So weird that this too can be gluten. So many things that I just thought of as my personal unlucky flukes can be traced to gluten that sometimes I'm afraid this is all a dream. It just seems too bizarre that it all these diverse miseries could be coming from a sweet little loaf of bread!!

Curiouser & curiouser!

Leah

yes i do have really bad dark circles under eyes. mine are bad at mo so i wear my glasses mostly to cover them.

without being RUDE my hubby is a boob man so thts the only thin i can think of, but he isnt ruff with me, but it looks like i was man handled, for want of a better term. ive got the same prob as you sounds like tho, it worries me tho cos people talk and my mum was in n abusive relatonship so every time i have a briuse she is naturally suspoiusios but if you met my hubby you would laf at it. catch22

Oh, that is so funny-- I have the same sort of problem-- my DH likes to grab my arms sometimes (for leverage!?) & though he's really not rough, every time he leaves these big black & blue marks-- looks like we're into S&M! My mom was all concerned about it too! (I guess I'd ask too if it were my child, but it was a little embarrassing!)

Leah

It's been almost 2 months for me and mine is slowly improving. The other day I found my way back to the front desk of a new doctor's office all by myself! I never could have done that before. I had no navigational ability whatsoever. I was so excited I called my mom to tell her.

Wow... you mean my complete lack of sense of direction is gluten-related TOO? I got lost driving home from my mom's house last week... missed a turn & got hopelessly mixed up. Needless to say I've driven that route before! It sure would be nice to have a clue in the mental map department. Yet another thing to look forward to!

Leah

queenofhearts,

I really like my yoga as is too. I feel it is challenging enough without adding weights into the mix.

I basically do yoga about 10 days on and 1 day off and walk 3-4 times a week. I want to add in pilates and thought about maybe doing some weights a couple times a week as well. But we'll see, I'll start with the pilates and see how that goes.

That slow burn sounds interesting, is there a website, or something I can look up to learn more about it??

I got most of my info from the book, but here's the site:

Open Original Shared Link

It really does not take a great deal of time out of your schedule & makes a big difference in strength.

Give it a try!

Leah

Have you tried Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes?

I haven't actually eaten them yet as a hot cereal but they are delicious in breads & cookies. They look like a miniature oatmeal flake, & definitely add some of that yummy oatmeal texture in cooking, so if I were you I'd give them a try.

I do love hot oatmeal too but only in cool weather, & we haven't had much of that lately! (I'm in NC.)

Hope they do the trick!

Leah

This is what I was thinking too, that they need to be seperate, but the Core Power yoga folks here in my state hold a practice with weights often and it seems like a lot of other main stream gyms around here are incorporating weights into their yoga classes as well. So, I was just wondering if it's the "new" thing or what.

It probably is the new thing-- but as with diets the new fad isn't always an improvement! But I don't mean to discourage you from looking into it. Sometimes new is great. The Slow Burn weights are a fairly recent innovation, & for me they were a real revelation. I would just be concerned if the real value of yoga is diminished in the quest for "having it all". For me yoga is such a pure thing, just my mind & body & gravity, the closest I come to meditation. Weights have a very different vibe! For the record, I try to do yoga daily (notice I say try), elliptical trainer 2-3 times/week, & Slow Burn 1-2 times/week. If I'm doing it all I feel great. If I get too busy or lazy I start feeling it very quickly. (I'm 50 years old, so use it or lose it is true at an accellerated rate!)

Leah

I was diagnosed w/biopsy 3 years ago and have been on a gluten free diet since. Before I was diagnosed, I weighed 93 lbs and am 5' 8" tall. Initially gaining weight was difficult as there were other issues to deal with (i.e. anemia, etc.) I received iron injections to deal with anemia since oral iron was not absorbed. Today iron can be done by IV. Along with staying on a strict gluten-free diet, I drank Boost twice a day after checking with my GI's dietician. It took time, but I slowly gained weight. I now weigh 127 lbs. and actually have to be a bit careful about calorie intake or I continue to gain. Be patient and consistent. Even though you are tired, try to exercise (walk, etc.) since this stimulates appetite and also helps you to gain muscle weight (just have to find a balance so you aren't burning too many calories while getting exercise.) Instead of trying to consume 3 large meals, try eating 5 small meals throughout the day, if your schedule allows.

Your note about exercise reminded me to mention weight-lifting. Easiest way to add muscle mass without burning off tons of calories. I recommend the Slow Burn technique-- less chance of injury, very effective.

Leah

Anybody have any opinions on the yoga sessions that incorporate weights throughout???

Well, I am no expert, but my instinct would be to keep the yoga & weights separate. I do both, & the yoga for me is all about listening to my body & finding these subtle balance points, just the right degree of stretch &c. It seems to me weights would throw all that off.

If you want a gentle & safe form of weightlifting that will still really challenge you, try the Slow Burn technique. You won't believe how hard a workout you can get with fairly light weights, little chance of injury.

Leah

i do bikram yoga!

i love it!!

i seemed to always pull things and be sore when i did ashtanga classes, but bikram seems to be the match for me!

I started with Bikram yoga too-- when I had really painful arthritis the hot rooms were absolute heaven. (I'm also prone to chills & in the winter feel "cold in my bones"-- that's why my D,D,D,DH gave me a gift certificate for "hot yoga" classes.) I'd been into yoga in my youth but stopped practicing when my kids were young, & I never thought I'd do a full lotus again with my arthritic knees, but after a few years of practice, I have so much more mobility than before. I tell all my friends with arthritis to try it. (I actually practice at home now, but it was the Bikram that got me over the hump!)

Leah

Susan,

I'm really sorry you've been having similar problems, but I'm glad you joined in talking about it.

Taz,

I'm so sad about your dad. I watched mine make himself really sick and I know how heart-breaking that is.

Thanks for everyone's responses. I've been reading your posts but keeping quiet today. I woke up determined to stop drinking, but as I don't usually have a glass of wine first thing in the morning it was a bit of an anti-climax. It's now past the time of day when I might have my first drink, so I suppose I've given it up for about 30 minutes so far.

I've no idea if this is going to be hard or not. In the whole of my adult life I don't think I've ever gone more than a day at a time without alcohol. When I failed to stop drinking recently I told myself I'd just changed my mind about it.

I don't want to dodge the alcohol issue, but I think while I'm at it I may have to tackle what I think is my real underlying addiction problem, which is nicotine, but that's another story.

Hang in there, Matilda, you can do it! We're all rooting for you.

Leah

p.s. My son just quit smoking & it was just about the happiest news I'd ever had when he told me. That's a real tough one too but you will find it easier to quit if you aren't lowering your self-control with alcohol. Drinking just makes other temptations harder to resist.

Let me start out with the fact that we are not intolerant to dairy, although some forms of it bother my daughter. I have not had her go through allergy testing but I am mildly allergic. Milk is easy enough to replace. My problem is with butter. I do have a recipe for butter that uses coconut oil which is ok. We are doing away with everything but butter at this point. I also have a recipe for cashew cheese if anyone is interested. Yogurt would be another one that couldn't be replaced for us.

What do you all use for dairy replacement. It seems there are lots of recipes which call for butter, especially baking. Would coconut oil work or overpower everything.

1. Milk replacements?

2. Butter replacements?

3. Yogurt replacements?

4. Cheese replacements?

5. Ice Cream replacements?

6. Any other dairy product replacement?

Since it is slow on the weekeds, I'll post what I substitute later.

I have heard that some folks who cannot tolerate butter can eat ghee-- this is butterfat with the milk solids removed. It is available at Indian groceries, or you can make your own by heating butter & skimming off the milk solids that separate from the fat. This might work if you are not severely intolerant.

Leah

Leah,

Thanks for all of the information and advice. I haven't tried eating nuts or applesauce, so I will definitely give that a try. I have had rice and I have no trouble with it. I definitely need to add more calories, so this should help. I have lost 45 pounds since November. The only reason that I eat the yogurt is for the active bacteria cultures. It has always helped with the D. Otherwise though I hate eating it. I'm really new at all this. I just got my results back three days ago, although I've been gluten free for a couple weeks. It makes it twice as hard having to cut out dairy. The reason why I eat so little is because I get dehydrated really easily, especially if I eat a big meal, or even an average meal. The dehydration is the worst out of all symptoms for me. So in that respect I guess I tend to be overly cautious. Anyway thanks for the help and advice.

-Brian

One other thought, Brian-- doesn't yogurt contain lots of casein? I know that lactose-intolerant folks can handle it because the culture bacteria sort of pre-digest the lactose, but I suspect it doesn't fully break down the casein. Just a thought. I love yogurt myself, & it helps with my digestion as well, but I can tolerate all dairy except regular milk. I think you can get the live cultures in a non-dairy form, maybe try searching on this site.

Good luck,

Leah

The red dots are really quite tiny, and are called petichiai. They are tiny blood dots under the skin, because the blood is too thin to stay put. You would get these dots wherever pressure was applied - the tops of the feet from shoes, where your seatbelt hits you, where your pants are tight, where your bra band is tight (if you are lucky enough to need a bra), etc. There would be LOTS of them - so it is not like those little red spots I keep getting more of as I get older.

Your platelets should be at least 150,000. If you can access your blood work on l ine (my mom can, which I think is super cool), then you could check.

Other symptoms are: heavier than usual periods, extra periods, bleeding gums that won't stop...anything involving thin blood.

It is not common - so it is not likely that's what you're looking at. I just wanted to mention it since I went through an autoimmune disease with low platelet count - and it can be quite serioius. I ended up calling the hospital because my gums literally would not stop bleeding, and I mean really really bleeding. SHe told me to go see my PCP the next day which I did, and my platelets were at 12,000 or something. I ended up on prednisone which fixed the problem, but has itself a whole set of drama. I then went off that, but then got the low platelets again, which determined my problem was chronic instead of acute. I was put back on. Then eventually I went off and was fine, until I got another illness that really put my immune system into high gear. That time I ended up with 4,000 platelets and was put in the hospital to get IV's of immunoglobulin. Fun. I did get back off prednisone with the help of a naturopathic doc and seem to be perfectly fine now. Anyway, with low enough plaetelets, you can bleed into your spine or brain and die. Few people die this way, however...most figure out what's going on.

Take care. Hope I didn't scare you. As long as CBC's have been drawn on you, it's probably not this thing (called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura, by the way), though it can be an acute response to viral illness as well.

Hmmm, that actually sounds kind of like what they look like, I've had them under bra band too, & I do have unusually frequent periods.... I do think I'll check with my doctor to make sure this platelet count was among the many tests. I've lost track of what all they tested. Thanks for the heads-up.

I wish all my test results were easy to access like your mom's! I think it's crazy they don't even give us a printout, we have to ask specific questions to get any info. I think the least they could do for the bucks I've shelled out is to give me the specs!

Leah

The explanatory page for the cookbook: Open Original Shared Link

The discussion page for the cookbook: Open Original Shared Link

The category page: Open Original Shared Link

And the text for putting a recipe page in this category: [[category:Gluten-free recipes|]]

My personal discussion page: Open Original Shared Link

And to start a new recipe page you will have to type "Open Original Shared Link followed by the name of the recipe, and then take the option to edit it when it tells you that recipe doesn't exist yet. (Or you can click on a link on another page, if someone has mentioned it but not made a page for it.)

This site is run on the same software (MediaWiki) that runs Wikipedia (and so is edited the same way), is funded by the same group, etc.

I tried to put a word in for the gluten-free designation, but I really don't know what I'm doing so I'm not sure it showed up. When I went to the recipe index, there were only 31 Gluten-free recipes all starting with A or B-- am I missing something?

Leah

Lack of vitamin C can also cause easy bruising. Frankly, my whole family bruises easily, so maybe there's some genes to it too, who knows.

Good luck.

Also, if you have bleeding gums and bruises elsewhere, or little tiny red dots on your feet or where you seatbelt hits you or where your pants are tight - go get a CBC done - you could have low platelets. When I did, I didn't even notice I had bruised myself about three inches from my elbows on either side from resting my head on my hands at work. Anyway, just a precaution. Low platelets can be life threatening - so it's important to check if you think you might have this.

Yikes, I've had those red dots at the waistband-- but I've had such loads of bloodwork done this year, surely that would have turned up?

Leah

I had lots of brusing before my diagnosis. Often, I wouldn't know how I got them! Some were regular-looking (black and blue), and some were small and brownish. I was also severly anemic. I know that a lack of iron and/or a lack of vitamin K can cause bruising. After 6 months on the gluten-free diet, my iron levels returned to normal, and the bruising stopped. Have you had blood testing for anemia? This is a common symptom of Celiac.

Yeah, I'm definitely anemic. That was one of the factors in my diagnosis-- iron tablets made no improvement at all.

Leah

Oh dear, no, no, no! Wheat ALWAYS means gluten though gluten doesn't always mean wheat.

I'm not sure about UK labelling, but I'm 100% sure that wherever you are, if there is wheat in anything it cannot by definition be gluten-free.

In the US if it says gluten-free, it doesn't always say wheat-free, but it is by definition. Whereas if it only says wheat-free, it could still have barley, rye or oats, thus not be gluten-free.

Whoever gave you the info that wheat is okay is a very unreliable source; I'd steer clear in the future!

Leah

Wow, I thought tap beer was one of the "never again" treats. What a hope-inspiring story! I too would have been dancing for joy!

Leah

Yes I think there is a correlation-- I seem to remember my GI mentioning that. Probably from a deficiency, which nutrient I don't know.

I bruise easily & often don't remember what caused the bruise-- though that may be partly the brain fog!

Leah

p.s. Just curious-- do you have the dark undereye circles? I've always wondered if that & the bruising are related. My dark circles seem to be fading just a bit after a month on the diet. Sometimes when I'm short on sleep they get so dark I look quite ghoulish!

You could try dusting the troublesome area with cornstarch before bed-- that's good prevention for prickly heat so it might work for night sweats. It's somewhat soothing afterward too, but especially good for heading it off before it happens.

Leah

Thanks for posting such a volume of info! Very helpful.

Leah