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Post Info TOPIC: Special Diet Needs


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Special Diet Needs


Diabetic needs are fairly easy to find.  What about some of the other diet issues like celiac disease etc?  Can they be found easily on the road?  I know there are other special diet needs how does every one handle finding the special things they may need?   Anna



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Gale & Anna

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My wife has foods that cause her problems and by taking our own kitchen with us she has control over what she gets.  Going to restaurants is optional with an RV, you can check the menu and walk back out since you can fix your own meal in the RV if you can't find what you want.  The problem is with rallies and such where they provide the food since very few are sensitive.  Many of the attendies at rallies are eating foods their doctors told them not to, but they do because they are cheating.  Many do not understand true restrictions.

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If you are full timing I would suggest that you stock up on what you will need for the time down the road and try to be in some area where it would be possible for you to restock at times. Although I do not have this disease I have been diabetic for 42 yrs now and am coping well in our 4 months of traveling in full timing.


There are many health food stores in many places and more are growing all the time.


Again use the internet for places it gives us a world of info out there.


southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs



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Thanks for the info.  Celiac (as we are learning now) is an allergy to gluten (from wheat, oats and rye mainly) I was curious because my other half was just diagnosed with it.  By the time we can full time we should hopefully have a good idea of where we can find the special flours and things made from flour.   Anna

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Gale & Anna

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galeanna wrote:


Thanks for the info.  Celiac (as we are learning now) is an allergy to gluten (from wheat, oats and rye mainly) I was curious because my other half was just diagnosed with it.  By the time we can full time we should hopefully have a good idea of where we can find the special flours and things made from flour.   Anna



Well, I'm another Celiac case!  I found out 7 years ago and have been trying to avoid wheat, barley and rye ever since!  I had never heard of the disorder until I was diagnosed.  When I learned I would have to give up beer, pizza, cakes, cookies and donuts I thought I would die of starvation! 


To be specific, Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease, it's not an allergic reaction to gluten.  The only cure is to avoid gluten which is the protein in wheat, barley, rye and other grains.  Fortunately, rice and corn are safe.  It's amazing what they put wheat into so read the labels as even some vitamin pills have gluten in them!


We aren't fulltiming yet, but hopefully we will be able to find a Trader Joe's or a Wild Oats Natural Marketplace frequently in our travels.  Most any good health food store (not GNC) also has many gluten free products like cookies, crackers, cereals, etc.  More and more gluten free items are now being carried in regular supermarkets as more people are being diagnosed with Celiac. 


I make my own gluten free bread in a bread machine using white and brown rice flour along with corn meal flour and other safe ingrediants.  We're looking for a fifthwheel to replace our motorhome so there will be enough space for the bread machine, mixing bowls, etc.  


Good luck to your other half who was just diagnosed with Celiac.  It's a pain, but certainly something that you can learn to live with through education and trial and error.


Now if I could just find a gluten free beer life would be good again!


 


 


 


 



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Bill and Linda


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Look for Whole Foods Markets, Clark's Nutrition, Wild Oats Markets and Trader Joes where you are going.  Most are on the web.  Also look for Co-ops, like the Puget Sound Consumer Co-op in Seattle area.  These are places that have special foods or are likely to have them.

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Thanks for the info on bread making...I have a recipe (Family) that says flour, yeast (sugar  to feed yeast) olive oil and warm water...any suggestion on a substitute for the flour?  He loves the rolls from it and we use it for pizza dough.  I don't use a bread machine and don't know if it needs to be used or not.  I have been reading labels and am surprised at what I see.  Most of the flours have recipes for bread machines and I am not sure how to translate to the old fashioned way.  Do you know of a site on line that would give you that type of information also which of the flours are best for cakes etc?  I have been looking but evidently not in the right spots yet!   Thanks again.  Anna

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Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause, er, rather, yes Wmalefyt there are gluten free beers! I have a very dear friend with Celiac and she has been able to support her well developed taste for malt and barley with some rather tasty brews available locally thru specialty abc stores. You might try http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30583.asp and http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/gf/ both sites have a brew listing and I'll ask my friend for more scoop. Celiac is a long educational journey but in the end once you learn where gluten hides (just about everywhere) things really do become rather simple - but you'll always be visiting friends carrying a bag full of supplies and having deep conversations with the chef at every restaurant!



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Thanks RVDude, I'll be checking out those links for the gluten-free beer!


To galeanna, there is a good book you should probably buy:  "The Gluten-free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy" by Bette Hagman.  It has lots of bread, cake, cookie and other recipes in it.  You might also try this link:  www.celiac.com.


Rice flour is the basic gluten-free flour, but it's much better when combined with other flours like potato starch, tapioca, millet, cornmeal.  You also have to use other ingrediants like xanthan gum to help improve the taste.  I prefer brown rice to white rice, but usually use a mixture of both along with one or more of the others mentioned.  I don't think you can substitute the gluten-free flours in the same amounts that a recipe calls for wheat flour, but this requires some study, that's why I follow a simple Bette Hagman recipe from her book. 


 


 



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Bill and Linda


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Thanks for the info.  I ordered some beer for him - maybe it will be here by Christmas (didn't tell him for that reason).  And found that book and otheres as well on Amazon...they will be here Friday.  I really appreciate the help in this area because when you live the style you know where to help a 'newbie' look for answers.   And in case I don't get another chance between now and next weekend...still working everyday and chasing one of the kids around Everyone have a Merry Christmas.    Anna

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My husband and I have been fulltiming since August 2004. He has Celiac Disease. His main problem especially in some spots where we stop in the U.S. with snack foods. When we're home in Ottawa, rice crackers are his staple and they sell them at all grocery stores. Loblaws in Ontario also sell rice and corn pastas and some gluten free things. I haven't found rice crackers yet in the U.S. so he eats Ruffles (which aren't good for him). I don't bake much so flour isn't a problem and you can get some flours in grocery stores. We don't really seek out specialty stores as he can eat meat, potatoes and rice and his staple for breakfast is grits which he loves. That's something we have to stock up on before going back home. No instant grits to be found in Canada!

Sandra

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Sandra


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Hi Anna,


Let me know how your husband likes the beer!  Glad you found the book, I think you'll like it.


Hey, maybe we need a "RVing for Celiacs" forum!


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


 


 



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Bill and Linda


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Sandra,


I can usually find rice crackers in most supermarkets now.  Look in the dietary section or wherever the diabetic foods are located.  There is a brand of rice crackers, I think called Savory that are pretty good.  They are small round rice crackers. Another one is Blue Diamond Natural Nut and Rice Crackers.


In Florida, Publix and Sweetbay carry many gluten-free crackers, cookies and cereals.



-- Edited by wmalefyt at 20:56, 2006-12-18

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Bill and Linda


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Thanks for the information. I've tried SuperWalMarts and HEB here in Texas. I wasn't able to find them in supermarkets in the west last year but maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. I asked in HEB here and they looked at me like I had two heads and referred me to one aisle where they had one package of cookies for diabetics. I'll keep looking!

Sandra

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Sandra,


See if you can find a health food store (not GNC), but one that carries organic food.  They should have many gluten-free procucts on the shelves.  Trader Joe's or Wild Oats are good too.  We had success with Fry's in Arizona, but don't know if they're in Texas.


 



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Today we were at Ethel M Chocolates in Henderson, NV (Las Vegas) and a woman and employee were going through the ingredients list on a box of chocolates.  Turns out the woman was worried about gluten and wanted to make sure there was no barley, rye, oats, or wheat in the selection.  She said Hershey's adds wheat to their chocolate to stretch it and wanted to make sure there was none in these. 


Another tip for stores is to go to grocers around colleges and universities, they seem to attract more healthy and alternative foods.  Just because one store in a chain like HEB doesn't have gluten-free products doesn't mean another doesn't, they stock what the local customers buy.  Whole Foods (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/ ) is in the major cities in Texas (Houston, DFW, San Antonio), but be warned that they have a nickname, "Whole Paycheck" due to some of their prices.  Wild Oats (www.wildoats.com ) is a direct competitor but has no stores in Texas according to their website.  Trader Joes locations are in a PDF - http://www.traderjoes.com/Attachments/all_locations.pdf , but none in Texas.


 



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Thanks, Bill. Yes, I've checked for Trader Joe's and Wild Oats in this area. I have checked at all SuperWalMarts I've been at as that's where I tend to shop but I'll give HEB another chance. There have to be people in this area that have Celiac disease. I expect a lot of them do their shopping on the internet.

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Sandra


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Sandra,


I have never found any gluten-free stuff at Wal-Mart.


I just read that Anheuser-Busch is coming out with a gluten-free beer!!  It's called Redbridge with sorghum as the primary ingrediant and is safe for celiacs.  It will be sold nationally in stores carrying organic products and in restaurants.



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Bill and Linda


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Don't know if he likes the beer yet...it never got here.. turns out Michigan won't let other states ship alcoholic beverage in.  Any way I went back to the site (now more complete than it was) and found out that Toledo OH (store called Andersons) has the one I ordered..  little upset though.. my mother in law and I were at the Olive Garden which is right beside the store the night before I went back on line looking.  Oh well...next week or so I will make a special trip and get a six pack for him to try.    We are finding more gluten free things in the local stores and my parents found some in Texas (they are full timers and are in Corpus Christi till May) and have shipped some of the things to us.  We now own a bread machine and a pasta machine and are trying new thing.  Anna & Gale

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Galeanna, do you know the name of the store in Corpus Christi and where it's located? We're in that area right now.

Sandra

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The name of the store is Sun Harvest and it is on Airline beside a shopping mall across from a Sears stroe and near Jason's Deli.  My dad said there is a Wells Fargo on the corner.  He also said that any one in the Corpus could tell you where to find it..


Where are you at in the area?   You may be in the same park they are ..


Anna



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Up until today we were in the Marina Beach RV Park in Port Aransas but today we moved to Goose Island State Park just north of Rockport.


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Sandra


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My folks are in "something" Del Ray in Corpus Christi   I can't remember the first part of the parks name.  Hope you find the store ok.  Anna

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A couple of things..  The TV show the View will have a segment sometime this next week about celiac disease and Busch has a beer  called redbridge http://www.redbridgebeer.com/?s_kwcid=18140027500000000493&clicksource=standard which is gluten free courtesy of the same tv show and my sister who happened to be watching it while taking her chemo in Ann Arbor MI and caught the info.  Anna

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galeanna wrote:
A couple of things..  The TV show the View will have a segment sometime this next week about celiac disease and Busch has a beer  called redbridge http://www.redbridgebeer.com/?s_kwcid=18140027500000000493&clicksource=standard which is gluten free courtesy of the same tv show and my sister who happened to be watching it while taking her chemo in Ann Arbor MI and caught the info.  Anna
A Wild Oats Natural Marketplace opened last week here in Naples, FL.  We checked it out yesterday and I bought a 6 pack of Redbridge.  We had dinner at a friend's house last night so I took the 6 pack along and tried one (nobody else would join me!).  It's been over 7 years since I had a beer and while the Redbridge was OK, I was somewhat disappointed in the taste.  It seemed rather tame, but maybe it will grow on me!  At $7.99 for a 6 pack I may buy it now and then, but will probably stick with  a decent white wine which has been my main adult beverage since being diagnosed with Celiac in 1999. 

Overall I was disappointed in Wild Oats as they had few gluten-free items (mostly organic), well at least they had the Redbridge so that was a pleasant surprise.  In addition the aisles in the store were narrow and filled with displays which made it hard to navigate a shopping cart.

Thanks for the tip on the TV show

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Was the Redbridge in cans or bottles...trying to figure out how to do beer but chicken with beer - onion-garlic in can etc???

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galeanna wrote:

Was the Redbridge in cans or bottles...trying to figure out how to do beer but chicken with beer - onion-garlic in can etc???

12 oz. bottles.


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Thanks..will have to empty some type of can and use it with that beer then

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I'd just like to chime in here and say I have celiac disease as well and I was a bit disappointed when I learned I'd have to give up some of my favorite foods including beer. tears.gif On a recent trip to New York State I found Bard's Tale Dragon's Gold beer and Lakefront Brewery's New Grist beer which are both made from sorghum. The Bard's set me back $15 for a six-pack of bottles while the New Grist was $10 also for a six-pack of bottles. I found them both to be quite good with no weird aftertaste or flavors, and it was quite satisfying to be sipping a nice cold brew after going about 2 years without. Now I'm no beer aficionado but I can say both beers were a bit on the sweet side and the Bard's did not produce as much of a head as the New Grist. I found the New Grist a bit more robust in flavor and I seem to prefer it over the Bard's. I have also sampled Anheuser Busch's latest sorghum brew, Redbridge, which is the least expensive of the three at $8.50 for a six-pack of bottles. I obtained it locally and thought it to be a nice, crisp, clean tasting beer which reminded me of your typical mainstream American brew. (You'd think that since it's brewed only about 30 miles from where we live it would be easy for me to get. But due to its popularity, merchants are having a hard time keeping it on the shelf!) As mentioned above, it is a little tame, especially for someone who likes craft brewed or full flavored lagers or ales or the occasional stout. I used to really enjoy Guinness draught and Bass ale prior to my celiac diagnosis. It is nice now to be able to sip a beer in the evening while cooking dinner or be able to enjoy a "cold one" out at the campfire. beer.gif

I, too, use Bette Hagman's cookbooks. reading.gif And I've had very good luck finding gluten-free ingredients and products in our local grocery stores.

Having celiac disease is a bit of a challenge when attending the wonderful potluck dinners that are typically arranged at RV rallies. hungry.gif We always make sure to bring something gluten-free that everyone can enjoy. At one rally the theme was pasta (I used to eat a lot of that!). So we added the gluten-free lasagna that Linda had made to the buffet table. While we were allowing the others to go through the line since my choices were fairly limited, Linda jumped up when she realized if we wait, there may be no lasagna left for me to eat! So she ran up and cut the line, explaining, "I have to get some lasagna! It's the only thing my husband can eat!" I bet they were thinking, "yeah, right". She did manage to get me a nice big helping. biggrin.gif


I’m very thankful that this disease is manageable with just a diet change.  Things could be a lot worse and I was very fortunate to have had a doctor who diagnosed the problem early. smile.gif

Jim


-- Edited by Jim and Linda at 18:11, 2008-01-06

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Do you make your own lasagna noodles? Or what brand do you like?  We have seen the rice noodles in our area and I was wondering what else is out there.  It is hard for Gale in changing over most of the time he does really well but cheated a few times on vacation..he loves biscuits and we were in the area with out the makings for any for him...little by little....a day at a time to make the total change for him.   He does know now when he has something that he shouldn't have.  Anna

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Sorry it took so long to get back to you… worry.gif When it comes to lasagna noodles, Linda just buys whatever brand she can find – there’s not much available. However, for other pastas (spaghetti, elbows, etc.) I’ve found I prefer the corn pasta (vs. the rice pasta) made by Mrs. Leeper’s.  Fortunately, at least one of the three local grocery stores will usually have something in stock (they’re inconsistent). We may not be so fortunate once we’re on the road. smile Not including pastas, we have found that many mainstream food products are okay by carefully reading labels. And the manufacturers are slowly coming around to labeling foods “gluten free”.



-- Edited by Jim and Linda at 18:23, 2008-01-06

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Jim and Linda wrote:

Sorry it took so long to get back to you… worry.gif When it comes to lasagna noodles, Linda just buys whatever brand she can find – there’s not much available. However, for other pastas (spaghetti, elbows, etc.) I’ve found I prefer the corn pasta (vs. the rice pasta) made by Mrs. Leeper’s.  Fortunately, at least one of the three local grocery stores will usually have something in stock (they’re inconsistent). We may not be so fortunate once we’re on the road. smile Not including pastas, we have found that many mainstream food products are okay by carefully reading labels. And the manufacturers are slowly coming around to labeling foods “gluten free”.


We buy DeBoles brand rice spaghetti style pasta and can usually find it in the regular grocery stores now.  It's not the same as real pasta but with lots of Newman's Own Marinara sauce it's not so bad!  Otherwise most health food stores or Wild Oats or Whole Foods Markets carry lots of gluten-free products.

-- Edited by Jim and Linda at 18:23, 2008-01-06





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Thanks for the info...It is hard on my hubby ... we have homemade spaghetti sauce recipe from my aunt who is italian and I haven't met anyone who didn't like it...in July some of my cousins found out about the celiac and all of them said no pasta....oh no.....  so we are working of all alternatives for the regular.  Anna

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Anna, we use mostly corn spaghetti or noodles for Gordon. I just adapt any recipe that has pasta and use that. There is also quinoa spaghetti and rice spaghetti. I like the rice one the least. I was in Bashas here at Mesa today and they had all sorts of different gluten free stuff.

Gordon doesn't find it difficult to eat regular meals. It's snacking that sends him to Ruffles potato chips and tostitos since the rice crackers we buy quite cheaply back home can only be found down here and a greater dollar value and then only rarely.

I put a spaghetti bake recipe on the site where Linda is collecting recipes. When I make it for Gordon, I just use gluten free spaghetti as above.

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Sandra


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Here is the Fulltimers Blog of the Gluten Free Grandma, she has recipes, too:
http://fabgrandma.blogspot.com/      I hope that this is of some help to you.   Happy Trails, Penny, TX

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Thanks .. I'll check her site out..we agree on the rice noodles haven't tried the rest yet have to find them first.  Our local Meijers store has gotten a lot better at gluten free and other allergy type foods even to the freezer section.    Again thanks.  Anna

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