Want to go Gluten and Dairy free

[Bene]

I have a neurological problem and a skin problem. I've read several things online pointing to gluten as an aggravator or even cause of it. And even possibly dairy. I am gonna try out a gluten free and dairy free diet for 30-60 days and see how I feel.

I thought of going completely raw but then I don't want to miss out on the social scene by going raw and not being able to eat out. If I go gluten and dairy free and stick with it... I'll at least have a wider variety of options when eating out or for that matter even in everyday life.

Currently I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I am really serious about improving my diet and improving my health. Along with this neurological condition, I have anxiety and I really think a clean diet can help me with this. I really believe we are what we eat. Its time to clean up my act. (its long overdue!!!)

So now my questions:
Where can I get more information on Gluten-free food? Is basmati (white) rice gluten free?

What is the difference between organic food and whole foods?

Can we find processed food without Gluten in it? What are some examples?

What about sugar? What is the co-relation between that and Gluten? I've read on these forums that sugary foods tend to have gluten in them?

This'll probably be an ongoing thread with questions until I can get the hang of this. Thanks a ton guys and gals!

[Kaspian]

Originally Posted by Bene

What is the difference between organic food and whole foods?

An apple, tomato, pear, cucumber, etc can be a "whole food" no matter how it was grown. Whole means unprocessed.

A food is only "organic" if it was grown free of chemicals pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc. You can have a processed, packaged organic food if something like 98% of the ingredients were grown organically and it was processed in accordance with organic standards.

Ideally, you want to eat things that are both organically grown and whole.

[Bene]

ahh ok gotcha! On an average how much more expensive are organic foods than your normal supermarket food, anyone know? Cost could be one thing that *might* stop me from going organic... at least for now.

[Rose of Cairo]

Hey Bene,

Congratulations Great to see you motivated like that. I too think that a clean diet will help you a lot. It's incredible how body and mind are linked together.

If you have a skin problem, I think going without dairy is an excellent idea. Dairy is a cause of skin problems for many people without them knowing about it.

Originally Posted by Bene

Where can I get more information on Gluten-free food? Is basmati (white) rice gluten free?

Rice is gluten free. As is corn and a few other cereal-like things like quinoa (if you don't know quinoa, try it out, it's delicious), amarant and millet. Fruit, veggies, greens, nuts and seeds are gluten free too. Potatoes too. Basically, the only foods containing gluten are grains (wheat, rye, spelt, ...). Just avoid them.

What is the difference between organic food and whole foods?

like Kaspian said, whole means unprocessed. Organic means grown without chemicals. So brown rice is whole, white rice is not. Refined grains are not whole (but you don't want to eat grains anyway).

Can we find processed food without Gluten in it? What are some examples?

I don't know... Many processed foods contain wheat in some form, beware.

What about sugar? What is the co-relation between that and Gluten? I've read on these forums that sugary foods tend to have gluten in them?

Well, grains contain gluten, and they are carbs. There are sugary foods without gluten though, like fruit or rice.

If you have a neurological problem, I highly recommend to you to cut out sugar for a while too. At least the processed white sugar. (But don't cut out fruit).

I don't know how much more expensive organic is where you live. It depends on the location I guess, in Germany it was about 1:2 for fruit and veggies, here in France it's something like 1:1,5.

Good luck with your new diet!

[Bene]

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

If you have a neurological problem, I highly recommend to you to cut out sugar for a while too. At least the processed white sugar. (But don't cut out fruit).

will do, thanks Rose!

[Love]

Hi, Bene.

Whole foods is pretty good about having gluten-free foods. I recently found the company EnjoyLifeFoods and they make delicious cookies without the top leading allergens (like soy, lactose, gluten, etc.) I know they also make bagels, and probably other things as well.

As for sugar: Some products are sweetened with fruit juice, and they are gluten-free.

[Matthew Shea]

If you're looking to go gluten free, I ran across an article recently that describes all the different kinds of grains out there and which ones do and don't have gluten. I imagine it could be a real help if you're trying to go gluten-free.

Here's the article.

[Bene]

Originally Posted by Love

Whole foods is pretty good about having gluten-free foods.

You mean whole foods market, the store?

[Bene]

I'd also appreciate any links to good sites that contain gluten free recipes. Or a list of processed store food that is gluten free.

What do Gluten free and dairy free folks have for breakfast?

I didn't have dairy or wheat yesterday. And so it begins...