*Gluten Free Hints and Tips*. I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread that has hints and tips for people who are glut

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herika, Jul 29, 8:26pm
I thought it might be a good idea to have a thread that has hints and tips for people who are gluten intolerant. A lot of gluten intolerant people are also lactose or casein intolerant. There are lactose free milks on the market now and I use Nanny Lane Goat milk, it makes my morning coffee (freeze dried is GF)lovely and creamy. Adding a tsp of arrowroot to each cup of flour used to any baking recipe can help improve it. Melrose Worcestershire sauce is brilliant, its adds flavour to sauces and meat meals as does Braggs All Purpose seasoning. Check out my Banana Goldies recipe on the Hubbards website, these keep really well in an airtight container :)
herika, Jul 29, 8:30pm
I have a lot of stir fry meals and I love using Braggs All Purpose Seasoning to flavour them. I also love Rice Stick Noodles served up with the stir fry. They are so quick and easy and are a nice change from rice and GF pastas :)
herika, Jul 29, 8:36pm
There is so much "hidden gluten" in pre prepared and packaged foods we need to make sure we check the ingredients list on the item carefully. The manufacturers often change the ingredients but dont change labels unfortunately. I find I have a few basic products in the pantry but everything else I eat is fresh or frozen. If I make a sauce I make extra and freeze some. I also do this withthe liquid when cooking corned silverside etc :)
herika, Jul 29, 9:09pm
My local bakery makes an excellent GF loaf They toast slice it for me, I buy it in bulk and freeze it when I get it home. I then use it straight from frozen, make up as sandwiches and cook in my sandwich press. They are yummy! Just like bought ones. I use numerous fillings such as cheese (aged)tomato, lettuce, my home made pickle, Food by Chefs Natural Chicken Pate, chives, onions, pineapple, left over home cooked casseroles, mince etc. :)
herika, Jul 30, 8:00am
Im hoping this thread will help other gluten intolerant people as it can be quite difficult at times, especially when a person is new to the gluten free diet :)
briz12, Jul 30, 8:55am
New Im new to a gluten free diet and am relying on cooking books and reading many food labels! ! Am finding it really hard as I am a 1st year uni student, so of course money is sparse, gluten free food is expensive... and I havent yet managed to find a money tree! ! So any tips would be useful!
shadow1, Jul 30, 9:46am
What a great idea Herika, I always look forward to reading your posts as you have a great knowledge of this subject. Being gf is not really difficult (only when eating out or attending functions, like I have today), eating at home becomes easy, enjoyable (no pain) and generally nutritious. Thanks again Herika as we all strive for a much healthier lifestyle.
shadow1, Jul 30, 9:54am
briz12, a great cookbook that has been my 'bible' for the past 12 months is 'Nosh' by Julie Leeper - a Cantabrian. A great cookbook for a healthy lifestyle and tells you how to modify to yummy gf recipes.
herika, Jul 30, 6:39pm
hi shadow, thanks for your comments I find because Im not buying a lot of the pre packaged gluten free foods its not so expensive for me. If I havent had time to bake something for my morning tea for the days Im at work I do buy GF biscuits but apart from Braggs Seasoning and Melrose Worstershire sauce, and perhaps the odd packet of GF sausages I only buy rice and maize corn flour which arent expensive. I found a lot of GF recipes have ingredients in that some gluten intolerant people cant have, such as vege gums, soy or starches. Often a gluten intolerant person also has other food intolerances and its this that complicates matters. Also I found a lot of recipes in GF books did have suspect ingredients in, one being Vanilla Essence. Hansells say theirs is GF when you ring but if you talk to the Lab. Technician and question her at length she admits that because the alcohol base used is imported they cant guarantee its 100% GF! So we do have to check these ingredients out with care :)
herika, Jul 30, 6:50pm
Hi briz I see by your profile you are in Rotorua. Try The Healthshop, Countdown and Woolworths for GF foods. Hubbards ThankGoodness cereal is GF, and I have one of my recipes on their website www.hubbards.co.nz if youd like to check it out. I have found that I dont eat a lot of packaged foods now and that helps with the cost of the weekly grocery shop :)
waimo3, Jul 31, 2:43am
Gone GF told to my DR but find it hard to get enough fibre into my diet and also find lunch hard tend not to eat lunch maybe have a piece of fruit. Is there any ideas out there.
herika, Jul 31, 3:33am
hi waimo3 These things have fibre:nuts, dried fruit (wash first in case it has been dusted with a gluten containing flour), potatoes cooked with the skin on, brown rice, beans, lentils, and peas and fruit and veges :)
bedazzledjewels, Jul 31, 5:12am
Waimo you might be able to tolerate rolled oats as they are considered a marginal gf food. Then you can have porridge.
herika, Jul 31, 5:26am
thank you for your input but rolled oats have a protein (avenin) that is similar to gluten andmost rolled oats are contaminated with gluten unfortunately so arent gluten free. Harroways of Dunedin are very careful to reduce the contamination problem but never claim theirs are gluten free :)
macd9, Jul 31, 9:06am
HELP! Hoping someone can help, last year I managed to buy some sprinkles/cake decorations for my daughter for her birthday that were GF, can't find them anywhere now - does anyone know if you can still get them, brand and where from would be extremely helpful. Thanks.
waimo3, Jul 31, 9:17am
Thanks for the ideas will ty some dried fruit and nuts not a fan on rice/tin fish get a bit sick of rice crackers or corn thins.
zanolin, Jul 31, 9:34am
Hi There, Thanks for this thread! ! ! My son just had tests, which are positive for ceoliacs disease... ... . just seen specialist, more bloods for him, ours, Mum and Dad, will also be tested, awaiting results! Luke has to have a endoscopy, so we get children's disability allowance, and will get our flour cheaper too, once we have definite "proof", we will go GF, which will benefit all of us! Hubby got rheumatoid arthritis... apparently autoimmune diseases and ceoliacs, often go hand in hand! Long story short, I'm a newbie, and need all the help I can get!
zanolin, Jul 31, 9:37am
So please, post lots of child friendly GF recipes! !
herika, Jul 31, 6:47pm
hi zanolin going gluten free doesnt necessarily mean you have to go out and buy lots of GF foods. Most of it is full of additives and preservatives anyway, which are good or some people react to as well. Check all the above posts for hints and tips which will give you a very good start. The main problem with being a Coeliac is staying off ALL gluten as there is so much hidden gluten in packaged food, such as MSG, "natural flavour", modified starches etc even in some foods labelled GF (often manufacturers dont realise or hide it by using other words to describe ingredients). Your evening meal wont need to be changed much, just use maize corn flour or arrowroot powder as thickener when making sauces or stews etc. :)
herika, Jul 31, 6:48pm
ooops should read: additives and preservatives anyway, which arent good...
cathnjim, Jul 31, 7:02pm
Thanks for starting this thread Herika I think you mentioned corned beef or silverside earlier. I know it doesn't state gluten on the labelling, but I have always thought we had to be careful of corned beef, bacon and hams, and to be sure of their gluten free status. I know I ate corned beef at the start, and it always seemed to upset me. Has anybody else got anything on this, and what in corn beef could be the problem.
bedazzledjewels, Jul 31, 7:05pm
How do you all feel about labelling? Wouldn't it be so helpful if every product had to state clearly if gf or not? I agree with Herika about how you don't need to eat processed gf stuff.
cathnjim, Jul 31, 7:10pm
I take leftovers To work if there are any. I try to make sure I have extras at work, such as muesli bars etc, and I even have some frozen muffins for the times when there is a morning tea shout. I eat Talley's frozen chips, they are just potato, salt and oil. I know they are not as good as the real thing, but get pretty close to it. Rice thins, corn thins and rice cakes are handy to eat with spreads etc. Yes things cost more, and if you have time I recommend cooking most things from scratch. That way you know what is going in.
cathnjim, Jul 31, 7:14pm
bedazzled I so agree with your statement, label everything either or. As it is there is no set way that things have to be labelled, apart from having to list gluten, so it can be confusing reading them. some will hightlight the allergen item in the ingredients list, others will state it at the bottom of the list, and some don't even highlight gluten content, so nothing catches your eye, but you might find it on closer inspection in the list. We need conformity, and bigger writing as it is pretty hard to read as they are!
herika, Aug 1, 6:57am
Hi cathy I only eat meat I have cooked myself to be on the safe side. Corned beef is generally cooked with malt vinegar so that could be why it upsets you. I buy GF bacon which I dont seem to have any probs with. Labelling is such a pain. But if a manufacturer labels something GF then puts "natural flavour" as one of the ingredients the natural flavour could contain gluten! Im okay with that because I react so definately to anything with gluten in it, but for anyone who doesnt have obvious symptoms - how would they know? Thats why I suggest to Coeliacs they stick to fresh and home made foods as far as poss. How are you doing with your water situation? :)