Gluten free?

[Butterfly Dawn]

I have a gluten sensitivty and a child with a weak immune system that is a VERY picky and controlling eater. I am prtty sold on taking us down the gluten free path (would love to do GAPS but we'll start gluten free)
From those of you who do it, or part do it, is it as easy as replacing normal flour with gluten free or other types?
I have a bread maker so thats no worrys and happy to swap all flour (in my baking etc) for gluten free.
Does the gluten free bread taste the same? and does it act the same as normal flour- Im suspecting it may not.
Would you please share your experiences with me?

[Butterfly Dawn]

Bump for me

Come on ladies, I know there must be some who have gone done this road.
Perhaps Im clutching at straws to help DS2 be healthier and stronger but I'll try anything to help my kids.
My mum just rolls her eyes when I start talking about this kind of stuff and says- in my day ....

[meow]

Gluten free bread doesn't taste the same but it can be pretty fulfilling. We did GF for a few months prior to GAPS and in hindsight it was too easy to add lots of processed crap and "fake food" by trying to substitute wheat.

Have you read the GAPS book? You'll love it- will really help explain what is happening to you and your son. Best of all it treats the cause and will heal you, rather than just reducing some symptoms while you're eliminating foods.

[Bloom]

I'm not gluten free but my SIL and my best friend both are. Unfortunately it's not always as easy as just replacing normal flour with gluten free flour. Some stuff works, but some stuff tastes pretty awful! I can do gluten free anzacs and a gluten free chocolate cake, but sugar cookies and melting moments were gross! Generally, if it is in a sauce or similar GF flour will work fine. I haven't yet made a good GF pastry with GF flour. I think there needs to be a fair bit of fat and also flavouring to make GF flour recipes work.

Gluten free pasta tastes pretty close to normal pasta.

Bought gluten free bread is really expensive and not particularly nice, better if toasted.

I have heard of people buying gluten free bread mixes on the internet. But I don't know anyone who makes their own completely from scratch. I think it would be hard to get a good texture.

[meow]

I'll try anything to help my kids.

This. This is why you do it, no matter how much work it is. It was hard work getting us onto the diet. We were vegetarian so I took a couple of months learning how to shop, how to cook the food and adjusting to the taste. I learnt the basics I would need like making broth and yoghurt and prepared for how we would get our son on the diet (he was a resistant eater with severe food anxiety so it was a challenge). It's much easier these days as the basics are pretty sorted and I'm in a groove knowing what I need to buy each week, what I need to prepare etc etc. We're still working at it but it's only been a couple of months so I'm sure it'll get even easier.

It is working for our family. I feel great and my mood is becoming fantastic. My oldest son is autistic and the improvements he has made in the past two months are mind blowing. My H and I literally say "I can't believe he's doing that!" every. single. day. You don't have to commit but I strongly suggest reading the book. I would say you and your son fit the GAPS profile very well and you most certainly can heal your gluten sensitivity and his gut issues (I'm guessing food causing him pain) and immune system.

[Butterfly Dawn]

M- I have heard the GAPS diet is great, but like so many other I am put off by the amount of work needed to do it, has it really made a difference in your families life? and is it really hard to do? or is it something that once you start doing it becomes just routine.

[LionsandBears]

I'm in a bad reception area now but will be back later to answer more fully.

I'm GF. It was a nuisance learning to adjust but has made a big difference. In my case, having a thermomix has helped as I can make my own flour. However, I'm actually trying to reduce grains anyway, based on reading I've been doing. You dont need a thermomix to be GF but for a slack cook like me, it certainly helps.

[Amaunet]

I'm a relatively new Coeliac (since January) so have been gf since then. In my experience, the bread is all awful I have found the Schars brand ok and there is a breadmix that is ok, simplywise??? brand maybe??? I'll get back to you! I find the White Wings gf flours great and have made most substitutions no probs with them, eg pikelets, baking etc Being gf means I eat a lot more "whole" foods, and I feel awesome having made the change! It is expensive and many gf replacement foods are terrible cos they are "everything" free (including taste) but if you bake etc yourself its pretty goid. I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have

[SareBear]

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease about 18 months ago so have been completely gluten free ever since. I find the hardest thing is the cross contamination issues, especially whilst eating out, and I'm the only one gf in our house so we have separate toaster and spreads etc to avoid that.

I find the bread from Choices bakery by far the best, I order it from Sydney and get it sent. Schar isn't bad either, that's the back up bread. I haven't tried bread maker bread because dh uses it for regular bread and there is the risk of crumbs floating around. I have tried quite a few bread mixes though, the simply wise and well & good are my favourites.

The flour you get from the supermarket works well for making pancakes, muffins etc. I have heard though that if you make your own blend it can give better results. There are lots of blogs around with terrific recipes. Feel free to pm me if you want the names of some I find really helpful.

I found the rice pasta from the health food section in coles to be fabulous, and cheap. gf food can be really pricey so this was a good find, and dh didn't notice when I started giving it to him, that's a good sign.

Overall, it will take a while initially to do the shopping, reading all the labels can take time. But once you know the products that you like it gets easier. Eating at home doesn't take long at all to switch to being gluten free, eating out on the other hand can be really tricky. It might be different for me because I really have to be super strict about the contamination issue, as long as you plan ahead though, you can still have a nice night out.

Good luck!

[surprised]

DS is GF/DF. Rice pasta is fine as the others have said. GF flours do make things a different textures, and I find GF foods don't really keep (including freezing) well. Don't forget rice paper rolls - can be great to make for lunchboxes. Franklins have a nice range of chia breads, some of which are gluten free. But pretty exxy for a small loaf.

Sometimes I think you just need to find other foods to eat, rather than trying to recreate things you love with ingredients that just won't do a good job. Does that make sense?

xo

[Butterfly Dawn]

Yes, finding other foods to eat does make perfect sense.
Talking with H last night, we realised that short of keeping the kids home from school there is only so much we can change in their diets as school feeds the kids, for the most part its fresh food and nutritious but will include some foods they shouldn't be eating.
We will work with the GAPS diet and change the way we eat slowly and resonably and do what we can at home- every little bit helps I tell myself. We already feed the kids homemade yoghurt everyday.

Thanks for your replys ladies, muchly appreciated

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