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Jill Miles, Assistant to 100 Days of Real Food
Have you noticed lately that everyone seems to be avoiding certain foods for one reason or another? Maybe it’s a food allergy or intolerance or perhaps just a dietary preference. Whatever the reason, avoiding certain foods can present challenges for both eating and cooking, but, as I have found, you can overcome them.
My Story
I am Jill (assistant to 100 Days of Real Food) and a little over 2 years ago, my husband started suffering from digestive problems following back surgery. After countless visits to doctors, including specialists, numerous medical tests and a weight loss of 40 pounds, we still had no answers. While his most severe symptoms had subsided, he was still not feeling well and was continuing to lose weight. Frustrated, we decided he should eliminate both gluten (despite him testing negative for celiac disease) and dairy (for which he had tested positive for a slight allergy although the doctors did not recommend avoiding it). It has been about 9 months now and his weight has stabilized and he is feeling pretty well overall. Even better news though is that his change in diet, although forced upon him, was really a gift. His diet of highly processed foods was finally catching up with him, even placing him at risk for elevated cholesterol (combined with a family history of high cholesterol and heart disease). Having to eliminate so much from his diet forced him to add in more whole foods, including fruits and vegetables. So, at the end of the day, while the initial change in diet was both difficult and frustrating at times, the long-term health benefits have been immeasurable.
We still do not have a definitive answer as to whether gluten or dairy was the cause of his illness, and the only way to tell for certain would be to add it back to his diet and see what happens. Right now we are not willing to do that as we are enjoying his improved health for this period of time, but we may eventually consider it just to know for sure.
Where Do I Start?
This was my biggest question and the one that caused me the most angst. Once I got started though, it became easier and almost second nature to cook within the parameters of these new food omissions. So, for starters, let’s focus on gluten first. Over the next few months, I plan to post more on food allergies and intolerances, specifically gluten and dairy, so please stay tuned.
Naturally Gluten Free Foods
So the big question I get from family and friends is “what can he eat?”. Here is a list of some more common naturally occurring gluten free foods.
- Fresh fruit – all kinds
- Fresh vegetables – all kinds
- Potatoes
- Eggs
- Meat
- Fish
- Beans
- Dairy
- Oils
- Whole Grains
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Millet
- Oats (use certified gluten free to avoid cross-contamination)
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Sorghum
- Teff
- Wild Rice
The bigger issue is with the food preparation. For example, many marinades, dressings, sauces and other condiments contain wheat. For this reason, I now make all of my own marinades, dressings and sauces, not to mention that making them myself ensures that they are free of added sugar and preservatives. Additionally, there is the issue of cross contamination during food preparation with foods containing gluten.
What About the Rest of Your Family?
I am often asked if the rest of my family suffers from gluten sensitivity or intolerance and the answer is no. The obvious next question I usually get is “do you cook separate meals then or do you just have your whole family follow a gluten free diet?” Again, the answer is no. I do not (personally) believe that my children or I should avoid gluten without a medical reason to do so. I believe a diet rich in whole grains is important. A New York Times FAQ published last year quoted Michael Pollan as saying that “People who eat lots of whole grains are generally healthier and live longer than those who don’t.” In the same article Pollan also addressed gluten-free diets saying, “They are very important if you have celiac disease or can’t tolerate gluten. But it’s hard to believe that the number of people suffering from these conditions has grown as fast as this product category. Gluten has become the bad nutrient of the moment, the evil twin of Omega 3 fatty acids. Could it really be that bread, a staple of Western civilization for 6,000 years, is suddenly making millions of us sick? I’m dubious.”
So, how do I accommodate my husband’s gluten free diet while allowing the rest of my family to eat wheat? For dinner, I most often cook a meal that is naturally gluten free. If I make something containing gluten, like whole-wheat biscuits (which my kids love), he just doesn’t eat it. On the occasion I serve a pasta dish, I make a gluten free sauce and prepare a separate gluten free pasta for him (like brown rice pasta) while the kids and I have whole-wheat pasta (although they are happy to eat the brown rice pasta too). Breakfast is probably our biggest challenge when it comes to making pancakes and waffles because I do often find myself making a whole grain version as well as a gluten free one. We all love oats too, so as long as I use certified gluten free oats, everyone can eat them and feel good. And, finally, lunch…this is my easiest meal since my husband only eats this meal at home on the weekends…PHEW!
A Final Word About a Gluten Free Diet
A gluten free diet can present a challenge in regards to whole grain intake since it eliminates some of the most common sources of whole grain, including wheat, rye and barley. Fortunately, it can also provide an opportunity to eat a more whole food diet as is evidenced by the list above. While there are many refined gluten-free grain replacements such as cornstarch, potato starch, tapioca starch and white rice flour, the variety of nutritious gluten free whole grains is plentiful. So, rather than having the gluten free diet be a challenge, look at is as an opportunity to increase both variety and nutrient content through the incorporation of the above mentioned gluten free foods, including whole grains.
I’d like to leave you with two gluten free recipes to try that will help incorporate the whole grains listed above.
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Two of our Favorite Gluten Free Recipes-
- ⅓ cup millet
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup whole milk or unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- Optional – ½ whole apple, peeled and diced, or 2 tablespoons raisins
- Optional – walnuts or almonds, about 1 tablespoon
- Combine millet, water, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and apples or raisins (optional). Bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer 25 minutes or until liquid is fully absorbed. Stir in maple syrup or honey and nuts (optional).
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 tomatoes (or equivalent amount of cherry tomatoes), chopped with juice
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let cool.
- Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and salt and pepper to make dressing.
- Pour over quinoa and mix. Add all chopped vegetables and mix.
- Chill for a few hours before eating. Feel free to add whatever other vegetables you like.
I have been gluten-free for 1 1/2 years, and have never felt better. A doctor at OSU believes that many of the problems with wheat today stems from the prevalence of genetically altered wheat, which is causing the intolerance…hence the number of people who suffer from gluten today.
I agree! The wheat we eat today is NOT the same as the one people had thousands of years ago. Also, most bread you buy in the store has tons of sugar and preservatives. I am gluten sensitive and allergic to dairy among many other things. Recently, I had my family “doctor” tell me to not give up gluten or dairy because I would not get enough vitamins and nutrition! Are you kidding me? What about fruits and vegetables? Later in the day, I went to my cardiologist, who said that dairy and meat were not necessary to have a so-called “healthy” diet. He did encourage Omega 3 from fish, but I am still on the fence about that because of all the chemicals that are in our water due to pollution! It seems like talking about diets in general is more controversial than discussing politics or religion!
Jill (and Lisa) Thank you for diving into the world of gluten free. I am a new follower of the 100 Days of Real Food plan but find it challenging with my six year old having a gluten allergy. She doesn’t have celiac but has a sensitivity to it, is lactose intolerant and has a tree nut allergy. It was a challenge in the beginning but over the past year we have adapted and she is doing so much better. Thank you for the recipes and all the information you provide not only in regards to gluten but also being aware, informed and changing the way we eat. I appreciate it so much and will be looking forward to more posts/recipes about gluten free. Blessings on your work and how you help so many.
Well done Jill. Regardless of who has what intolerance, it’s always useful to read about healthier ways of preparing meals, so thanks for the recipes and descriptive tips. I plan to continue following this site for more!
Like most of those that commented I loved this post too. We are moving gluten-free for my son because our doctor suggested it to remedy some behavior issues we were having. It has made a dramatic improvement!
But like Karen above- I too love Michael Pollan but I don’t know if I completely buy his opinion that this “outbreak” of gluten senstivities is only attributable to gluten being the “bad nutrient” of the moment. Today’s wheat plants are absolutely nothing like ancestral wheat. There is a “franken-gluten” in today’s wheat that responds very differently in our bodies. You come across this wheat even if you are eating true whole wheat– not just the typical “wheat” bread from the grocery store. There is a fabulous episode on the People’s Pharmacy with Guest Dr. Mark Hyman. He is an MD and talks a lot about grains and how our bodies respond to them. In the show he is concentrating on discussing sugar and our bodies but his aside on the wheat of today was very convincing to me. The link is below if it is of interest to anyone: People’s Pharmacy:Dr. Mark Hyman
You can listen to the show for free by clicking the play button icon.
Hi Jennifer. Yes, I am familiar with Dr. Hyman and have read some of his books. I have not seen this particular episode, but thanks for sharing it and the theory you state about today’s wheat plants. Jill
Could you post your flour? I just moved and the new town we are in doesn’t have the Mama’s Almond flour we love! But I know it is a combination of gluten free flours! Could you post what you use and the ratios? That is what I am at a loss for… And I can’t afford to experiment! Thanks!
Hi Rebecca. I don’t have a set ratio of flours, it usually depends on the recipe. I have been ordering my flour online as it is much cheaper. I usually just go through Amazon but I am planning to look around some more to see if I can find an even better price. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Good luck. Jill
loved the article! great read, thank you.
Your quinoa salad looks very similar to one I just posted using bulgur – you could totally replicate it with quinoa for a slightly different taste! http://behealthybehappywellness.com/blog/2012/06/another-quick-and-easy-travel-meal
My journey to real foods is similar to your husband’s, only mine wasn’t gluten-intolerance. I’ve had increasingly bad migraines since my early 20′s. Various doctors kept putting me on more and more meds to try to regulate the migraines, but I still had many headaches plus the side effects of all the drugs. I finally got in to see a migraine specialist who put me on an elimination diet to try to discover what types of food triggers I had. It was hard because the list of possible migraine triggers is long and expansive–it includes a lot of seemingly unrelated food items. I’m also a vegetarian, so the first few months were difficult because I had to work very hard to find enough protein to eat. But it revolutionized the way my husband and I approach food. I started reading labels and making more food from scratch (I always cooked, just not the same way I do today). I have been able to reintroduce several food items and it has become second nature to substitue acceptable foods for trigger foods. I feel like a new person. I didn’t realize how much pain I was in until I stopped being in so much pain. Sure, it takes some additional planning and prep time to be sure I have diet-friendly things to eat, but it is SO WORTH IT to feel better. Plus, I am much more aware of what I put into my body and how that food effects the way I feel. I am much healthier now because of my diet and I’m grateful for it. Thanks for sharing this post!
Just like everything else in the food industry, wheat is being hybrid to contain more and more gluten. It can be used in everything! Its in shampoos, conditioners, make-up, face lotions, the list goes on. Not to mention its a cheapo additive to food. Contrary to Mr. Pollan (who I adore), I beleive that the food industry is responsible for the spike in gluten issues. I noticed lots of people said that “after surgery” they developed problems. In my celiac research I found that a person can be predisposed to gluten intolerance, allergy or even celiac but not have issues until a stressful life event or the stress of surgery (even minor)provoke it. I have family history of celiac. I had stomach issues and had my gallbladder removed which is when all hell broke loose. I develop the celiac rash and it is nasty. the more I learn and the more I change my ways however, the better I feel! Best of luck to everyone who cant tolerate gluten for one reason or another.
My household is a semi-gluten free home due to my husband’s Celiac Disease. The irony is that I was gluten free when he and I started dating (my slight intolerance to gluten acted like a severe allergy due to constantly high levels of stress for a long period of time). So, when we found out he had the condition (and I didn’t) we were already prepared. My children and I eat gluten, though we waited on introducing the children to gluten (which their pediatricians recommended).
Our breakfasts are gluten free for the most part (including the pancakes!), our pastas are also gluten free. I think I’d lose my mind if I had to cook separate dishes for us every time I made a meal. Gluten is consumed when we eat out, the rare sandwich for the kids, or on pizza night. We also rarely buy the gluten free overly-processed versions of other overly processed foods.
We eat mostly healthy and I’m working to improve what I can (hence reading this blog), but I do think that our semi-gluten free lifestyle really helps with this!
I’m very glad to have seen this entry. It will definitely be an interesting to see where it leads.
Jill (and Lisa), instead of blindly following an article quoting Pollan’s opinion on grains, read the science behind grains and what it does to the body. I hate how folks will just take for word some popular author’s opinion without doing their own research about it and then posting it on their blogs as truth, thereby causing uneducated readers to think as such.. “Wheat Belly” and “The Paleo Diet” both by doctors.
Hi Lisa. Thanks for your feedback. Michael Pollan is one of many credible resources in the area of food and nutrition, with his highly praised books being based on research. It is one of many opinions on the rise in gluten sensitivity/intolerance and celiac disease as are the opinions shared in the books you refer to. Jill
I would love to find a really tasty gluten free bread. Everything we’ve tried has been kinda tasteless.
Gluten free bakery or bake it yourself … most of the gluten free bread in stores is miserable, and the ones that are tasty are not using whole grains, rather they are super processed and contain white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca flour. Bob’s Red Mill has an okay mix (not crazy about the texture) that has a main ingredient of chickpea flour if you are not ready to start experimenting with mixing your own flours.
Wheat as we know it today is much different than the wheat of even 50-60 years ago due to hybridization. I’d suggest the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis if you’re interested in more info on this. I’m fairly new to the gluten-free lifestyle myself (also with only a slight dairy allergy by testing, but with severe autoimmune issues for almost 20 years) but find it easy to do at home. It’s eating out and social gatherings that prove difficult for me. Oh, and going as a camp sponsor with one of my children next week…having to pack all my food for that adventure. But, I FEEL so much better. I’m not gassy anymore and that used to cause a lot of pain at times. Definitely glad I gave it a shot.
Jill ,
Great article. My husband has been gf for about 6 months. The biggest problem is he has such a huge sweet tooth. The gf baked goods either taste gritty or leave him feeling sick. I have been experimenting but so far haven’t found anything that he really likes.
I am excited to read more of your experiences in the kitchen!
Jill -
My husband isn’t even GF (I am) and he LOVES this recipe I made up:
pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
1.5c almond flour
1 egg
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1. combine almond flour, baking soda, and salt in medium sized bowl
2. combine egg, honey, and butter in a small bowl with electric beater
3. mix the wet into the dry with a fork
4. Add about 48 ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate chips. Form into round balls on a cookie sheet and then flatten. Cook 8-10 minutes.
They do not come out gritty at all. These cookies are also low in sugar and high in fat and protein – a good ratio. The cookies end up having like 5 grams of sugar each – pretty awesome. I’ve had people who are pretty into gluten and skeptic of gluten free food just loove these. I also have some killer cupcake/muffin recipes if you’re interested. I have a chocolate banana chocolate chip cupcake recipe with whipped cream frosting that is amaaasing – it tastes like a sundae in a cupcake! If you’re looking for some fantastic GF desserts, you should google Elana Amsterdam.
Thank you for this post. I am teetering on the edge of trying to go gluten free and see if that resolves some of my health issues as well. Looking forward to more of these posts.
Thank you for sharing! I am considering going gluten-free for a while – not for me, but for the BF, who tends to suffer from really bad gastrointestinal problems. He says there is nothing wrong with his food, so if I want him to try it, I will have to do it for both of us, at least in the beginning. (He also did not believe me that licorice would ease his stomach cramps, or that sleeping is a great substitute for caffeine. Guys… )
Ginger tea will also help with stomach issues.
Great information, Jill! And so wonderful that Rob is feeling better!
http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html
This is a link to a critique of the book Wheat Belly. Why anybody would glorify a book written about weight loss is beyond me, and it totally flies in the face of what 100 Days of Real Food is about. Anyway, I just wanted to back up Michael Pollan and his extremely logical and reasonable way of approaching food and what we should eat. This kind of rational thinking does not require one, doctor or not, to rearrange facts to suit one’s agenda. It sounds like Wheat Belly does a lot of this, as well as using correlations to represent fact and thus draw incorrect conclusions.
I look forward to the blog post about tree nut allergies. Keep up the good work!
R
Thanks for this link – I especially liked that the facts presented were on a GF blog. It is too bad that gluten-free diets are being proposed for weight loss. As the blogger noted, if your food absorption issues are resolved, you are likely to gain weight – and that is a good thing for people who’ve lost weight due to malnutrition! I also believe that if you have a typical Western processed-food diet and you switch to gluten-free, you are going to feel better because of all the junk food you have eliminated. In the absence of identified allergies, it might work to try a Real Food diet first,THEN try gluten-free.
That’s what I did and still felt a lot better. Almost all my grains were whole wheat and I made my own bread and avoid almost all processed snacks but after I switched I stopped over eating because I didn’t feel the urge to snack or eat more then I needed. Now if I have wheat I go from being not really hungry to need food now hungry. Just by dropping wheat I lost 5 pounds in a week because wheat was making me over eat..
Jill,
How fun to see your picture and read your post. I had no idea you were a part of 100 days blog. I LOVE it. Great post!!!!!
Haley
“Could it really be that bread, a staple of Western civilization for 6,000 years, is suddenly making millions of us sick? I’m dubious.”
Wow. Can’t believe a “health expert” said this! The bread we eat today is NOT the same bread we ate 6,000 years ago…. so yeah, I can believe that it’s “suddenly” making millions of us sick. Gluten has been modified, altered, and processed so many times since its origin. He is misleading people by saying that gluten isn’t so bad. It’s just not true – many times people do not know they suffer from a sensitivity.
I’ve been gluten free for a year now and it has alleviated so many of my health issues.
Hi Molly. It may be that the wheat crop is different than it was 6,000 years ago as you state, but, I would imagine that it is not the only crop that has changed and that many crops are different than what our ancestors ate years ago. I don’t know that you can blame only the change in our wheat. I’m glad to hear though that going gluten free has helped to alleviate so many health issues for you. Jill
Jill,
Maybe someone already mentioned this, but a lot of people after getting surgery due to being on antibiotics have digestive problems. My husband had the same issues. We put him on a really good probiotic (ther-a-lac) and has been fine ever since. I think a lot of people decide to go gluten free, dairy or soy and all they had to do was take a really good probiotic and that cleans out the gut.
Hi LIz. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Unfortunately the probiotic did not work for my husband, but, a great suggestion for others if they encounter a similar issue. Jill
[...] Pondering a 100 day Pledge while on budget and managing food allergies; my inner skeptic kept thinking that this is not possible. Alas, the Gods of the internet came down again and presented me with a 100 Days of Real Food blog about homemade Larabars (including a nut free version) as I scoured 100 Days of Real Food’s website, plus a blog about Gluten Free living–also including food allergy recipes! [...]
Our family has been gluten free for nearly four months now and I can’t believe the changes. We went off of gluten to see if it would help my 5 y/o son, who had extreme ADHD symptoms and signs of deficiencies like Omega 3 deficiencies despite a healthy diet. He was very underweight, his skin was dry and bumpy, his face looked sallow, he had constipation a lot, etc. None of the rest of us *thought* we had issues but we went along with him and to see what would happen.
I was floored at how much all of our health improved over the next few months. The changes were slow so a brief GF period wouldn’t have done any good. I was about 20 pounds overweight and since turning 40 I couldn’t lose those pounds. The weight just dropped off of me and I am thinner than I’ve been since my early thirties. I’ve had daily migraines for over a decade and neurologists were unable to find a reason for them but they’ve virtually disappeared. My chronic neck pain is much improved (unless I “cheat” and have wheat). My husband has also lost so much weight that he reluctantly admitted “there must be something to this wheat belly thing.”
The person who said anybody would develop a gluten intolerance after a month didn’t quote any sources, and I’ve never heard that. Scientifically, it doesn’t make any sense. If a food isn’t harmful for you to begin with, your body is not so dumb that it can’t handle it after a month without it. That said, I think it’s highly likely that many people THINK they’re not gluten intolerant because they are so used to the fatigue, bloating, aches, pains, etc. that they live with that it’s normal to them and a month off of gluten is the minimum to see how it really makes you feel when you eat it again!
I also recommend “Wheat Belly” — if for no other reason than to know what others are talking about. I’m reading it now and find it fascinating. The history of the changes in wheat are especially interesting. For instance, modern wheat has been bred to be very short because the heads have been bred to be so giant that the traditional wheat stalks bent over and broke. The yields are now ten times per acre what they were even 100 years ago. The gluten content is through the roof compared to original wheat. The author of Wheat Belly (a cardiologist) did an experiment where he tested his blood sugar after ingesting bread made from organic whole wheat floor and bread made from an heirloom wheat grain close to the real wheat we ate for thousands of years. He had a very small spike in blood sugar after the traditional (nearly extinct) wheat, and a huge blood sugar spike after the modern whole wheat bread. Our modern wheat is virtually a new plant compared to the genetic makeup of the wheat our ancestors ate.
My son is healthy now and his behavior is dramatically improved. My other kids are still eating healthy, whole foods without gluten, and I’m confident that it’s a good change for all of us. I’m also so pleased with how much better I feel and the way my body looks now (after five kids and an 8 month old baby!) that I’ll happily stay gluten free from now on.
About 3 weeks ago what I thought was a sratched eyeball turned out to be iritus, an auto immune disorder hat scarres the irus to the lenses of the eye. I was a day away from going blind! The eye doctor told me this is directly linked to 8 different auto immune disorder and a gene called HLB-A27. So far I have tested positive for the gene put myself on a GF free diet and anti inflammory diet. I have already noticed a decrease in my chronic migraines. The inflammation always starts in my neck.
I think things would have been worse years ago if I didn’t find this web site. I started reading and changing our family diet. I could possible have anklosing spondylitis or Crohn’s because of family history. It just has not presented because of healthy eating and exercise.
I share most posts with friends trying to educated them. Please if you have a red eye that is pain and watery go to the eye doctor! I got lucky.
At the risk of restating something, when you have celiac (which I have) the villi in your small intestine is flattened which causes you to not absorb nutrients. It also makes digestion of dairy products impossible. So while your intestine heals, you will present as lactose intolerant. Once it is healed, which takes about 4 months, you can safely eat dairy.
And I just wanted to mention that celiac disease is a genetic predisposition. So it is highly likely that if you or your spouse have celiac, your children will have it also. Plus the blood tests while accurate can be misleading. Since if you miss even having even one marker in the blood test, you can still have celiac.
I like this website and as with everything, I am happy to modify it to fit my family and our diets. The ideas are good.
Lisa