BEWARE THE HIDDEN GLUTEN

You would think that after all this time, I would know how to prevent myself from getting contaminated with gluten but once again I missed it and have been paying for the inattention all week.

Firstly I had a rather spectacular reaction to gluten last week causing me to almost have a melt down. I felt so ill; I wanted to cry; I couldn't stop yelling; I completely lost control. I knew that it was something I was eating but I could not figure out what it was.

We went through everything in the cupboard and in the end threw out some flours just in case only to discover the culprit this week was steak. I had bought some grass fed steak from Aldi and Jess made a beautiful dish with it. It never once occurred to me that my reaction stemmed from the steak until this week when Dani got the same brand of steak from the freezer and noticed the little warning label hidden in small print on the back of the package.

We had purchased that steak many times. I don't know if the warning has always been there. I have had slight reactions the last few times but not enough to make me search for the problem. This last reaction was monumental though and I am still not fully recovered over a week later.

Then to make it all worse, I purchased some new hair care products as my curly mess has been even more unruly due to regular water aerobics sessions at the YMCA. All week I have been struggling with tiredness, swelling, tears and even a general lack of enthusiasm for anything. I couldn't put my finger on the cause until this morning.

I woke up sore and reluctant to go to the pool however, after the work out  I felt pretty good until I shampooed and conditioned my hair. Not long after that the gluten fog came down over my head; I couldn't move; I had more joint pain and I wanted to cry. Finally the light came on, I checked the new conditioners and hair masques that I had purchased and sure enough, wheat protein.

Just wanted to say, make sure you read the labels. We know to do it but sometimes it can be something that we overlook and the results can be devastating.

How Much Gluten Can You Tolerate?

Many people on a gluten free diet may think that they can cope with a small amount of gluten, especially when out. However according to some recent findings, that may just not be good enough.

It seems that cross contamination can be a serious issue for some people and it might be worth insisting on a total gluten ban. In our home we do not accept any gluten in the house at all, however we have been known to cheat a little when out, especially when gluten free options are not easy to find.

I have to say that it is usually not worth it as the fall out is so severe that I am regretting it for days. Knowing that it does not just make me feel bad but can actually send my health backwards has pumped up my motivation and determination to live a gluten free lifestyle.

It is not easy to gain back your health, especially if other diseases have developed due to prolonged exposure to gluten. The fight to get your health back can be so intense and this makes it all the more important that we are careful not to allow anything to reduce our progress.

Coconut Flour and OIl

I just want to rave a little about the benefit of coconut oil and and coconut flour. Firstly it is completely gluten free and secondly it is very healthy.

If you can tolerate eggs, you can make the most amazing coconut bread with coconut flour. It tastes like french toast and will make you quite content to go without wheat bread.

Coconut flour also works well mixed with other gluten free flours. It adds flavour and moisture to the cakes and muffins. It also provides much needed fibre, something that can be missing from the gluten free diet.

Coconut oil is extremely good for you providing you purchase cold pressed and not treated. It can actually help you lose weight and is great for your cholesterol.

It is not always easy to find these products at a reasonable price but most health food shops will stock them. You can always find them through Nature Pacific, where you can buy in bulk and stock up.

Apples ... Don't forget the fresh food

One of the many mistakes people make when they go gluten free is presuming it means they have to eat highly processed food. However returning to a simpler less processed diet, removes the possibility of potential gluten and is healthier for us also.

In line with that, I want to talk about the humble apple. Apples are a great snack, easily grabbed and able to fill the hunger pangs when they strike. To top it all off, if you are suffering from diabetes or pre-diabetes, they are low GI and actually help to establish blood sugar levels.

For me this is a very handy hint. I have multiple health issues, one of them being severe IBS. This means that if I have to go out during the day I find it very difficult to eat before I leave the house due to potential disasters. Thus I find I have to run around without eating.

Now I also have pre-diabetes, so running around for long periods of time without eating is not a great way to regulate your blood sugar. So apples come in handy. They don't seem to trigger my IBS. They stop the light headedness and the mood swings and best of all they are gluten free.

Further reasons to eat apples include: they are great for lowering fat levels within the body and they are believed to have anti-cancer properties. Perhaps there is some truth in the old wive's tale: An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.

LUPIN FLOUR - ANOTHER WINNER

Whenever I go into my local health food shop, I always run around the shop to see what new and wonderful delights that Virginia has for me there. This week I discovered lupin flour.

We had never used it but thought we'd give it a go and I have to say that I am really glad we did. It is high in protein and low GI so great for those of us who are also watching our sugar levels. For us we are using it to replace either besan flour or millet flour as I am finding both of those difficult to tolerate. It would also be excellent for recipes that call for soy flour.

Like with any new flour start using it in moderation because we are all different and not everybody will do well on it. However if you do, it is great because research shows that it can lower cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease. Also it is high in fibre which is an important reason for mixing flours when baking or cooking gluten free.

Lupins are a legume, not a grain so might be good for those on a grain feed diet. Apparently about 80% of the world's crop is grown in Western Australia so buying this product is good for our economy too. As for whether it has been tested, they have been eating lupin flour since Roman times.

Lupin flour is quite yellow in texture and it does change the flavour of your product but we found it worked quite well. I would recommend including it in your flour blends for products that you want a little crunchy and less doughy such as pastries, pie bases, or even pancakes or tortillas.

Like most gluten free flours, this flour won't always work on its own. You may need to mix it into your flour mix but it adds new nutrition and helps hold the mix together due to the protein.

Irwin Valley are a major supplier of Lupin flour and they have many recipes for using it. Be careful when purchasing from them if you have nut allergies. Lotus sell Lupin flour that is also nut free.

All about Bread also have a range of Lupin recipes. Not all of theirs are gluten free but they do have some carrot cake recipes that use only Lupin flour.

Now I'm off to plan some baking. Enjoy playing with this new flour.

LASAGNE THAT IS SO GOOD YOU WON'T MISS PASTA

I love lasagne and I love pasta. On some previous posts I mentioned that I had tried rice paper and it is so good. You cannot tell the difference between this and regular lasagne sheets in taste. The only difference is, it is a bit more fiddly to work with.

INGREDIENTS:

1 x kg of Premium Mince (Don't buy the cheap stuff, it just isn't worth it.)
2 x Onions
1 x Clove Garlic
All of your favourite vegetables chopped up finely or grated.
1 x Small tin of tomato paste
2 x Large Tins Diced Tomatoes
Herbs
Mustard
Pepper
Sea Salt
Rice Milk
Amaranth Flour or Ground Rice

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in frypan and fry onion and garlic until browned.
2. Add mince and brown.
3. Add all of the vegetables that catch your eye. I used grated carrot and zucchini, diced capsicum and mushroom, finely chopped fennel, asparagus and cauliflower.
4. Add herbs to taste. I used fresh rosemary, dried parsley, oregano and fennel, pepper and salt.
5. Add tomato paste and tinned tomatoes.
6. Add enough water to make a very runny sauce and leave to simmer.
7. If needed add a little sugar to sweeten the tomatoes.
8. Make a white sauce by melting a couple of tablespoons of ghee or butter in a saucepan.
9. Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of amaranth flour or ground rice.
10. Add 1 teaspoon of dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper and 1 teaspoon of sea salt and dried herbs.
11. Cook the roux. (This means stir it until the butter melts and the flour all sticks together and starts to brown)
12. Add rice milk just a little at a time and make a very runny sauce.
13. Oil 1 x large or 2 x small baking trays.
14. Place spaghetti sauce on the bottom of tray.
15. Add rice paper 3 x layers thick, covering tray until the sauce is covered.
16. Quickly add more spaghetti sauce holding the rice paper in place with sauce as it starts to curl.
17. Add white sauce over the spaghetti sauce.
18. Add another layer of rice paper, spaghetti sauce and white sauce.
19. Keep layering until tray is full, finishing with sauces and grated cheese.
20. Bake in moderate oven for 45 minutes.
21. Serve with salad.

This lasagne is fabulous. It will serve 8 people with salad and it doesn't matter if they can eat wheat, they won't tell the difference.

Fabulous Chickpea Burgers

Well I have finally decided that I have a handle on this gluten free, allergy alert lifestyle so that I can lose some weight. All of the diseases and conditions that plague me will be improved by that.

So I was looking for some low point (started on Weight Watchers) meal ideas and I came up with these. They were so yummy and they were low in points, gluten free, dairy free and did I mention yummy?

INGREDIENTS:

1 x Can drained Chickpeas
Masses of your favourite vegetables and fruits
4 x Potatoes
Fresh rosemary
Oregano
Sage
Pepper
Sea Salt

METHOD:

1. Peel and boil potatoes until soft enough to mash.
2. Chop 2 x onions and garlic. Fry in non-stick frypan.
3. Add chopped veges to your liking. I used squash, carrot, tomato, asparagus, zucchini, capsicum, mushroom, celery, fennel, bukchoy and mango.
4. Add the drained chickpeas.
5. Season to taste.
6. Combine mashed potato and vege mix in food processor and blend.
7. Roll into patty sized balls.
8. Fry in non-stick skillet or bake in the oven.

We served these with a pulsed salad and they were awesome. Fantastic for vegetarian friends or for a meat free meal. They were low in price, points and high in nutrition and fibre. They tasted great with Dani's home made chutney.

Chickpeas are a great boon to the gluten free lifestyle and this was a meal that was well worth the effort. Jess, sat there eating and in between bites she was just about swooning and even Rebekah who is 6, loved them.