[redbandit]

I am wanting to start to eat gluten free. I have a lot of migraines and want to eat healthier in general. However I get TERRIBLE chocolate cravings and my neurologist told me not to eat chocolate. I'm guessing you're not supposed to eat bread on gluten free diets? Truth is I'm confused what I CAN eat
Lol any tips are very appreciated! Thanks

[yellowted]

rice flour works well to replace wheat flour in most recipes, xanthan gum powder is a good thickener, remember rice flour has no raising agents, but you can add g/f bicarbonate of soda or g/f baking powder to aid rising.

try mixing half a tsp of baking powder with rice flour and enough water to make a dough, heat a frying pan with a drizzle of oil, place the dough in the pan and flatten out with a spatula , once golden on the underside turn and cook the other side....quick simple flat bread

try making pancakes by replacing the wheat flour with the same amount of rice flour and baking powder

carob is an alternative to chocolate, but i prefer to kneed quite a bit of cocoa powder into fondant icing, it can be rolled out and cut into little squares or rolled into balls and rolled in cocoa or left plain. chocolate hit without the gunk! hot milk with cocoa and sugar also hits the mark

gluten is in all sorts of things as it is not just bread and wheat cerial that contain it. it is used to keep stuff like powders, ground up nuts, oats etc from clumping. it is also a bulking agent so things like sausages and burgers also contain gluten... try mixing ground pork with crushed rice cakes, egg and herbs/seasonings shape into burgers/patties, coat in rice flour anf shallow fry to seal before cooking like normal burgers.
it is a thickener used in gravy and white sauces - either make your own or buy a G/F version

cakes, biscuits also often contain gluten, even some sweets do too. look up a fatless sponge recipe and replace equal weight of wheat flour with rice flour, it works, i know! this mix can be made into a jam/jelly filled cake(victoria sandwich) swiss roll, sweet flan case, sponge fingers for trifle or tirimisu, fairy cakes, and much more.
things coated in breadcrumbs usually contain gluten, though i do buy free from fish fingers which are g/f and are yummy!
pastry egg noodles and pasta are made with wheat flour so contains gluten. but you can buy rice noodles and pastas in chinese supermarkets which are a good alternative if you have a decent sauce with them.
often frozen chips and roast potatoes have a coating to make them crispy, this contains gluten, the budget ones are less likely to be coated!

you may want to lower your cheese intake as well as your chocolate too as it is renowned for causing migranes

you can make dairy free cheese by grinding cashew nuts to a paste and mixing with a little marmite or vegimite.. great for flavouring kale crisps

eating out i tend to stick to steak and salad or roast dinner with gravy on the side
gluten is in barley too so many beers contain gluten. stick to wine!

I'm confused about why you want to go GF... It's not necessarily healthier.

Also, some more stuff: a lot of powdered shakes or puddings or sauces have gluten. The vast majority of Chinese food does because soy sauce usually does. Most corn tortillas, though not made with any gluten ingredients, are often packed in wheat flour or have wheat flour sifted over/on them. Most restaurants only have one large frialator, or if they have more than one they don't segregate them- so anything with a bread coating is still fried with things like fries, making them unsafe to eat for those with a gluten sensitivity.

A lot of sauces, some dressings, glazes, many barbecue sauces, gravies- gluten.
Pickles- might have gluten.
Canned soups and chowders- gluten.
Some soft cheeses [such as blue cheese]- gluten.
A lot of gummy candies, including some varieties of gummy bears, twizzlers and other licorice have gluten.
Malt extract or malt in anything- including those fruity alcoholic beverages that come in fourpacks an rot your teeth.
Maltodextrin, undefined "spices", as well as unspecified "food starch" all tend to be some kind of gluten.

And really, the list just goes on. Heh.

Many grocers have lists you can ask for now that specify all of their gluten free products, and many restaurants have GF menus. But keep in mind- in a lot of situations GF replacement foods, starches in particular, may actually have a higher caloric value than it's glutenated counterpart.

[yellowted]

thanks for the additions Josie, i ran out of steam listing things as like you say it is in most things!
i eat g/f because of allergy to gluten , soy, egg white, tomato, dairy and celary so tend to stick to foods that look like they did when they were growing or cuts of meat that look like they came from an animal not a machine! i make all my own foods from scratch so i know exactly what i put in it, i even grow ny own veg where possible so no chemicals are on them. that reminds me i better go pull up the potatoes (they grow in raised pots so i can reach them from my mobility scooter!)

[redbandit]

Originally Posted by JosieTheGirl

I'm confused about why you want to go GF... It's not necessarily healthier.

Also, some more stuff: a lot of powdered shakes or puddings or sauces have gluten. The vast majority of Chinese food does because soy sauce usually does. Most corn tortillas, though not made with any gluten ingredients, are often packed in wheat flour or have wheat flour sifted over/on them. Most restaurants only have one large frialator, or if they have more than one they don't segregate them- so anything with a bread coating is still fried with things like fries, making them unsafe to eat for those with a gluten sensitivity.

A lot of sauces, some dressings, glazes, many barbecue sauces, gravies- gluten.
Pickles- might have gluten.
Canned soups and chowders- gluten.
Some soft cheeses [such as blue cheese]- gluten.
A lot of gummy candies, including some varieties of gummy bears, twizzlers and other licorice have gluten.
Malt extract or malt in anything- including those fruity alcoholic beverages that come in fourpacks an rot your teeth.
Maltodextrin, undefined "spices", as well as unspecified "food starch" all tend to be some kind of gluten.

And really, the list just goes on. Heh.

Many grocers have lists you can ask for now that specify all of their gluten free products, and many restaurants have GF menus. But keep in mind- in a lot of situations GF replacement foods, starches in particular, may actually have a higher caloric value than it's glutenated counterpart.

Well my Dr told me to avoid MSG, which I thought was the same as gluten, maybe that's my confusion . MSG can cause migraines, and I figure it never hurts to eat healthy foods in general.

Ah. No it's monosodiumglutamate [er. Spelling may be a bit off haha]
Actually I have found that increased exposure to that does lead ton more migraines, personally. Though of course I wouldn't believe it for a long time haha so I kept stubbornly eating it anyway...

[yellowted]

MSG is found a lot in chinese cooking, so try to avoid chinese takeouts as they are often loaded with the stuff! I think msg is used as a flavour enhancer so as long as you cook from fresh/raw ingredients and avoid batch made breads you should be ok to continue eating wheat /gluten.

Just a question before I answer yours: do you actually NEED to be on a gluten free diet? Recent studies show that being on such a diet when its not necessary can do more harm than good.

Also, the problem with gluten free diets is that there is no wheat, yes, but a lot of the foods and the gluten free breads have higher levels of fat, so it's not really the best option if you're just looking to lose some weight.

As to what you can and can't eat on a gluten free diet: anything with gluten and wheat. So that includes most breads, yes, unless they specify gluten free, pasta, a lot of cereals, oats (though this is what's considered a grey area), a lot of sauces, a lot of frozen foods, pastry, some yoghurt, ice cream, most lollies and some types of chocolate bars.

If it's MSG you're avoiding, that's something altogether.