Monday, 01 February 2010
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Diet Restrictions: Any Ideas?
Dearest Foodies,
I am on an epic quest. My mission is to find tasty gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free recipes. My motive is partially curiosity, partially because I have a friend with a few different health problems who has been recently restricted to just such a diet.
Fortunately, it's been working to control the health issues. Unfortunately, it means that she doesn't eat most of the time. As a result of a hectic school schedule, she hasn't had time to research what options lie open to her. After going on a grocery trip with her this afternoon and watching her spend an exorbitant amount of money on very little food, I decided to see if there was any cost-effective method of palatable nourishment.
It's come to my attention that as of yet there have not been any featured articles regarding recipes that work around eating restrictions. I was hoping that my friends here would band together to offer suggestions. And so I open the floor with the question, any ideas?
*Note: She was told by her doctor that she is allowed to have raw sugar, honey, but not Splenda. She's also trying to avoid soy products because she's been told that they lead to health problems in women.
Post from IRLF reader Esther P.
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Comments (15)
Karina's Kitchen is a great gluten-free vegan website with lots of great tasting recipes.
All I can think of is bean salads...
You should actually head over to the Austiable -ish site. They post lots of gluten-free, dairy-free recipes. As for sugar-free, that's easy. Just sub. Splenda. You can modify almost any recipe to be sugar-free.
fat free vegan (especially the blog) has a lot of gluten free recipes, most of which she uses natural sweetener like agave nectar for (are those okay?)
Do not worry about your friend's predicament. It is a doable diet. I'm allergic to a whole bunch of things and I'm gluten-free. There was a time I lowered/cut out sugar, though I've never cut out dairy. The key here is that your friend has to start cooking for herself. If you buy specialized, pre-packaged foods, being on a restricted diet can break your budget. Going to local farmer's markets or investing in getting small amounts of produce, frozen if she is afraid it will go bad, will help with sides. If she can't eat complex carbs (because of sugars) then rice and potatoes may be out, but quinoa and starchy roots like turnips, plantains, or yucca are probably in. Fresh clean proteins that are steamed, sauteed or broiled are hugely satisfying and can be made with yummy veggies and finished off with a dessert of low-sugar fruit or naturally sweetened products.
Cooking recipes that are now low in sugar, gluten-free, and dairy free are easy if you play with substitutions: agave or honey instead of sugar, GF flour mixes instead of regular flour, and coconut/hemp/almond/rice milk instead of regular milk. I've never had a dairy problem, but I know lots of people who use the milk subs with fantastic success. Check out my blog which has some recipes that might be able to get her started (some would need sugar/dairy substitutions) and the links to lots of great recipe blogs on the right-hand side of the page.
There's a huge network of support for allergics and gluten-free eaters on the internet. She'll be amazed at what she can find!
Good luck,
Suz
www.youcanteatwhat.blogspot.com
i'll second the fatfreevegan.com reference. a lot of vegan recipes can be altered. also, if rice isn't an issue, you can tell her about brown rice syrup as a sweetener.
Those restrictions are not hard at all, there are some many foods you and your friends can still enjoy. Use brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta for normal ones. You can still can food like lasagna with nuts and soy to replace the cheese. Stir fry with rice is also very easy same as food like curry.
Try Asian recipes. A lot of them involve mostly vegetables and I think it's easier to make substitutions for them.
raw food web sites have recipes that fit this bill. Most things with gluten in them (except for some grain sprouts) are not eaten raw. And since sugar isn't a raw food, things are sweetened with honey, dried fruits, etc.
There are thousands (not exagerating) of websites devoted to gluten free recipes. A large chain of grocery stores in my part of the USA now labels the items on their shelves that are gluten free.
Health food stores carry tons of gluten free alternatives.
I steer clear of refined sugar. I use prunes, dates and figs to sweeten things...I can make cakes, puddings, chocolate milk, etc with just these things that taste great.
I suggest that rather than thinking of these things as diet restrictions, to just think of it as her normal diet. Because that helps a person focus on all the great food they can eat (truly, most of the foods in the world don't contain gluten, dairy or sugar) and not be eating from a perceived sense of lack. always thinking about what one can't have is tiresome and depressing. People tend to feel sorry for me because of what I don't eat, but I don't feel like I am going without, because there is an endless variety of great foods I do eat.
I will admit that eating at a restaurant is trickier. I save a lot of money because i don't eat out nearly as much. Another plus is that many of the things I eat are easy to travel with. I can keep snacks on me so I don't feel the need to duck out to grab fast food etc.
Maybe look into the Paleo lifestyle. A good site is marksdailyapple.com.
check out www.glutenfree.com and get her to sign up for the weekly newsletter, it's great.
Get the book "Gluten Free for Dummies", it's a great resource.
Get the book "Against the Grain" by Jax Peters Lowell....tons of great info
And spend some time googling "gluten free" and/or dairy-free or casein-free, there are more resources and sites out there than you could imagine. Your friend will have to learn to cook .... I've been GF now for 3 years, and the best thing that came out of it for me (in addition to better health) is that I am now an awesome cook and would usually rather eat my own cooking than go out to a restaurant.
It's so easy to do that! I don't know what she buys, but if shes buying a lot of prepared gluten free things, then thats the problem. Everyone has covered good resources but I firmly believe a healthy restricted diet is cheaper than a normal diet that the average person follows!
I do not eat: wheat, dairy, gluten, sugar, soy or really anything except vegetables & lean high quality proteins... Here are some combos (foods) that may interest your taste buds:
- Brussels Sprouts, Garlic, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt, Pepper --> Roasted in a convection oven @ 350 for 35 minutes
- Steamed Leeks served with salmon (pour salmon drippings on leeks) [you can do this with steamed asparagus, cabbage, green beans, etc)
- Roasted Green Beans (salt, pepper & olive oil spray)
- Roasted Butternut Squash cubes with cinnamon, olive oil, salt, pepper & parsley
- Stevia & Cinnamon dusted pureed Pumpkin
- Spaghetti Squash mixed with Olive Oil, Garlic, Brussels Sprouts & steamed Spinach
- Turkey Burgers (breast meat) with basil, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, onion flakes & bell pepper flakes
- Spinach & Sugar-Free Ketchup (ha ha, sounds gross but is so good!)
- Grass-fed Burger mixed with olive tapenade & artichokes
- Mixed greens, green beans, olives, capers, seared tuna, hard boiled egg, tomatoes, anchovies & white wine & olive oil dressing
- Shrimp, Olive Oil & Garlic (seriously, it's that simple!)
- Clams, Clam Juice, Garlic, Parsley, White Wine, Olive Oil, Shallots
- Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Artichoke Hearts, Basil, Onion, Parsley, Salt, Thyme & Pepper
- Artichokes, Roasted Red Peppers, Capers, Olive Oil, Dijon Mustard, Basil, White Wine Vinegar
*This is just a few of the combos that I make for myself regularly!*
Avoid junk foods,oily and fried items,spicy food,high alorie food,red meat etc.....
consume green salads,vegetables ,(eggs and meat in controlled quantities)
lots of water.low caorie fruits, grains and cereals.
http://watch-entourage.org/
nice post,consuming fresh fruits is also good for health, exercise every day, at least 15 minutes a day, a healthy lifestyle:)
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