Re: gluten-free cookbooks

[Guest guest]

heidi or anyone else, do you have a gluten-free cookbook you recommend?

Also, i'm seeing ads for wheat free stuff that is made from kamut or spelt,

but don't those have gluten? What is the difference between being wheat free

and gluten free? Isn't a sensitivity/allergy to wheat essentially a response

to the gluten? I originally wanted to avert rosacea which i'm assuming calls

for going gluten free, not wheat free, right?

Elaine

[Guest guest]

>heidi or anyone else, do you have a gluten-free cookbook you recommend?

>Also, i'm seeing ads for wheat free stuff that is made from kamut or spelt,

>but don't those have gluten? What is the difference between being wheat free

>and gluten free? Isn't a sensitivity/allergy to wheat essentially a response

>to the gluten? I originally wanted to avert rosacea which i'm assuming calls

>for going gluten free, not wheat free, right?

>Elaine

You can read a lot of the scientific explanation on www.celiac.com, but the

short version is: you have to avoid the WBR grains (Wheat, barley, rye, which

are all related). Kamut and spelt are, I think, wheat in an early form. Quinoa

and amaranth, sorghum, millet, and buckwheat are not related to wheat at all.

Corn and rice aren't related to wheat, but cause problems for some people

(separate allergy). Oats are usually contaminated by wheat, but they also cause

allergies in some people on their own. All the grains can be allergenic, but the

WBR grains are by far the worst and seem to cause 95% of the problems IMO.

The basic allergy is to a short peptide sequence in gliadin. Gliadin is the

protein found in wheat. A similar protein is found in barley, and another in rye

(but I forget their names).

The word " gluten " is a horridly misused, but no one has come up with a better

term. " gluten " means " the protein in a grain " (any grain, including corn). But

only the proteins in WBR grains have been shown to be really problematic.

(though corn and rice are iffy, and some folks might react to oats). Commonly

the word " gluten " is used to mean " the proteins in WBR grains " , but that isn't

accurate at all.

There are 3 different allergies that people usually talk about: IgE, IgG, and

IgA. Mostly when people say they are " allergic " they mean IgE and IgG. But the

more subtle allergies are IgA, which are really hard to pinpoint and show up

hours or days after ingestion. The one that seems to cause rosacea is IgA, which

also causes celiac and a lot of other diseases it seems. Most folks who go

" wheat free " have IgE allergies and got diagnosed via skin tests, or they really

do have an IgA allergy but just eating *less* gluten helps them enough that they

don't worry about it.

As for cookbooks -- I have some, I don't use them. There are a ton of recipies

on the web though. If you do a search on whatever you are looking for and add

" gluten " you'll get some good sites (like " brownie gluten " ). Some things are

tricky, like flour tortillas, but they are doable (I don't like flour tortillas

enough to bother, but I have made them, mainly using Chebe mixes and a tortilla

press).

I just buy sorghum flour, add a tsp of xanthan gum per cup or two, and use Joy

of Cooking or Home Desserts. If you like bread, Miss Roben's mixes and " Cause

your special " both work good (and tend to have no powdered milk, they are just

flour mixes). Using flour mixes is good for quick recipes and when you are

getting started, but buying bulk flour is a lot cheaper. www.twinvalleymills.com

has great sorghum. Bob's Red Mill has mixes at most stores, you can use the ones

that say " gluten free " on the front. He has a good gluten free hot cereal mix

too, if you like hot cereal.

-- Heidi

[Guest guest]

Thanks Heidi, I guess what i can't figure out is this: In an attempt to halt

and reverse rosacea by going wheat free, does that mean spelt and kamut are

ok, or should i avoid them too? Usually when i use them i grind my own and

ferment for pancakes or the yogurt dough. Maybe i should avoid them for a

month to three months and then add back in fermented kamut/spelt to see how

i react.

Also, i wanted to try some of the chebe bread that doesn't have powdered

milk. Can you make something besides sticky buns and pizza dough???(although

i love the idea of a pizza dough substitute!)

Elaine

[Guest guest]

Elaine,

You also might want to look into almond flour breads (muffins, crackers,

etc.). Good book for that is Lucy's Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook,

www.lucyskitchenshop.com

-

[Guest guest]

>Thanks Heidi, I guess what i can't figure out is this: In an attempt to halt

>and reverse rosacea by going wheat free, does that mean spelt and kamut are

>ok, or should i avoid them too? Usually when i use them i grind my own and

>ferment for pancakes or the yogurt dough. Maybe i should avoid them for a

>month to three months and then add back in fermented kamut/spelt to see how

>i react.

Exactly. Avoid them for now.

Personally, from my reading I'd avoid spelt and kamut

forever, or at least until they come up with better data.

Most if the IgA reactions are very subtle and often fatal in

the long run (things like MS, thyroid problems, nerve problems,

cancer). There is not enough good data say anything conclusively,

but there is enough that I can't recommend them. Plus I

react to TINY amounts of the offending proteins, so it's

not a question for me personally.

For my family I've made the decision to use the grains that

seem the most non-problematic, and since we really eat

just fine I can't see taking the risk.

If you REALLY want to test for allergies, it's best to go on a meat/veggie

diet for a week, at least. Just meat and vegies, no dairy, fruit, or

packaged foods. Then add foods back one by one. Drastic, but it

might be the fastest way to figure things out. Add foods back one

per week.

>Also, i wanted to try some of the chebe bread that doesn't have powdered

>milk. Can you make something besides sticky buns and pizza dough???(although

>i love the idea of a pizza dough substitute!)

They have all kinds of recipes. Breadsticks, tortillas, buns, pita bread.

Look at the recipe section of the chebe site.

BTW I found a place that has it not in bulk:

www.dietaryshoppe.com

-- Heidi

>Elaine

>