problems with wheat

my boyfriend cant have anything with wheat in. he has celic diease and can only eat glution free food. this has been really hard on all of us. we have been together for 3 years and just founded out that he cant eat wheat and that was what was causeing problems with his stomach. my problem is what can i make for him that doesnt have wheat in it or processed through wheat.. supper has been meat and pototeos for a long time now and im so sick of eating that all the time. i like pasta  but he cant have that because of the noodles and alot of food that is glution free is nastey any advice on this would be great. thanks for reading.
ksanden

[gracefromHHP]

Lots of options out there nowadays!!! Wheat allergies are actually quite common now that more folks are being tested for it - I think it's 1 out of 10 people have it if I recall.   As the GI doc at a conference I was recently at says - wheat is for cows, not people :)

Do you have a "natural " market near you? If so look for gluten free products there. Also you can order many online. They really don't taste nasty if you prepare them properly!! Also many, many gluten free websites out there with food ideas on them too and recommendations.  You don't have to stick to meat and potatoes!!  Also many yummy vegetarian options out there too :)

grace

[swampcritter]

Rice noodles are excellent and wheat free. That is a partial substitute for pasta.

[TrudieC]

My husband is testing a gluten free diet right now.  Swampy is right - the Thai rice noodles are good but they also make pasta out of brown rice which tastes pretty good and looks like regular pasta.  There are gluten free breads but he hasn't found one he likes so is choosing to go without.  You can use some of the gluten free flours for thickening or dredging.  I did find gluten free wraps that he has yet to try.  If you are looking for a starch other than potatoes try rice, quinoa (some great recipes on here for that), polenta is awesome with different tomato sauces on top (any corn product is good), kholrabi (looks like a green turnip) - peel and cook and mash like a potato - very good or else try roasting some root vegetables.  You don't have to eat boring.

[TrudieC]

Oops, I forgot that beans and legumes are excellent side dishes.  Chickpeas are awesome and there are lots of recipes for using them (sometimes called Garbanzo beans).  Some simple but delicious bean recipes I do are:

1.  Saute one or two cloves of diced garlic (I like lots) in a small amount of olive oil.  Add 1/2 tsp. of rosemary and one can (15 oz.) of drained and rinsed white kidney beans.  Mash them and cook until warmed through.  

2.  Saute a small chopped onion and a clove of garlic minced in a small amount of olive oil until soft.  Add a tsp. of curry powder and stir for 1/2 a minute.  Add a 15 oz. can of drained lentils and a diced medium tomato.  Cook until warmed and tomato has released its juices.

Good luck!

[swampcritter]

Yous side dish 1. is remarkably like what Egyptians eat for breakfast, but they mash fava beans for it. Delicious.

[TrudieC]

I got the bean mashing idea from Nigella Lawson.  I want to be her!

[AnxiousGurl]

Just so you know there IS gluten free pasta and sauce.........I have some in my cabinet which I bought at the health food store....I forget the namebrand...so I will PM you when I get off my butt to go look lol

It is very hard to adjust to at first...in fact im still having to get used to it....my mom has celiacs and got really sick from it.
So I will message you later and let you know...

[have 2 kids]

Stores around here have a gluten free section.   I have a friend with celiac disease and she has found lots of things to eat that taste good.  

[ksanden]

thank you all for your help sorry i havent posted back i have 2 kids and work weekends and my son is teething really bad i have been really busy with him.

glution free store or any health store we dont have here we have to travel a lit over an hour to one of those we live in a small town. our store hugos has a little bit of a selection but not alot of stuff.

[gracefromHHP]

You really need to check out the grocery section on amazon then ksanden!!  I LOVE point and click and it's on my doorstep next week!!

grace

[NikoK]

My own ignorance as I enter this Brave New World.....

I hae read white papers that show that Celiac Disease is essentialy a precurosr to Lupus.  Has anyone else read this or somethign like it, and what must we do?

Thank you- in blessings and health,
NK

[weesleeket]

I haven't read the white papers but I've reading up on HLA (Human leukocyte antigen) antigens that are linked to lupus.
Several of the HLA-DQ antigens mediate Coeliac Disease and type one diabetes.
and these HLA-DQ loci (area on the chromosome where the DQ genes are located) are in close genetic linkage to HLA-DR. Several of the HLA-DR antigens are associated with lupus.
Sorry if it's not specific enough. If anyone's interested, I might have the journal articles saved.
Warning: They might be pretty technical, I used to work in a DNA lab (not like "Splice", "Spawn" or "The Island of Dr. Moreau" and serology's not my strong suit.