My
Family’s Favorite Gluten-Free and Casein-Free Resources
By Gina Musielski,
Parent Liaison CFC #6
The following resources are for information
purposes only.
This public information should not be
considered, in any way, medical or legal advice
by Clearbrook ,Child and Family Connections
#6, or the
If
you are receiving this personal tip sheet you have probably
been wondering about your own child’s food sensitivities. Or, you may be exploring a treatment approach
for your child that is commonly called the GFCF Diet, the Gluten-free and Casein-free
diet. Our family has many food allergies and sensitivities and we follow the
GFCF diet in our home.
Gluten
is the protein in certain grains, which is some people cannot be properly
digested, and can cause a variety of problems and symptoms. Casein is basically milk, and milk-based
products, which can cause similar problems. “Dairy- free” in this case refers
to milk products, rather than other ‘dairy’ foods, such as eggs.
Over
the last few years I have talked with many families about food sensitivities
and about implementing such a diet in their home. We often talk about how to
get started, what foods to buy and where to buy them.
To
help you in your quest, I have put together this list of some of my family’s favorite
books and resources. I have included some of our favorite GFCF foods and places
where you might shop for them in your neighborhood.
I
hope this helps you as you begin to explore a special diet for your
family. Please don’t hesitate to call me
if you have questions about the GFCF diet or food sensitivities in general, or if
you would like to share resources that you have found!
I
look forward to talking with you.
Gina
Musielski, Parent Liasion
Phone:
847/385-5093, or gmusielski@clearbrook.org
Books
Kids With Celiac Disease
- A Family Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy
Gluten Free Children
by Danna
Korn, published by Woodbine House 2001 .This is an excellent book for
understanding and living with Celiac disease.
Special Diets for
Special Kids
– Understanding and Implementing a Gluten and Casein Free Diet to Aid in the
Treatment of Autism and Related Developmental Disorders by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D., published by Future
Horizons Inc., 1998.
This
is a must-have recipe book when implementing the diet. Lisa Lewis explains the use of special diets as
treatment approaches, allergy vs. intolerance, and testing. In addition to wonderful GFCF receipes, this
book includes other information such as GFCF resources, food substitutes, and answers
to frequently asked questions.
Incredible Edible
Gluten-Free Food for Kids –
150 Family–tested Recipes, by Sheri L. Sanderson, published by Woodbine
House, 2002 Just great family recipes to
satisfy the pickiest kids. Includes tips on handling the ever important party
foods, and managing meals away from home.
Also lists GFCF resources, organizations and support groups.
The Allergy Self-Help
Cookbook –
Over 350 natural food recipes, free of all common food allergens.
Corn- free, Gluten-free, Sugar-free,
Wheat-free, Egg-free, Milk-free, Soy-free, and Yeast-free recipes. By Marjorie Hurt Jones,
R.N. Published by Rodale 2001.
This
book is a wonderful resource for information about common food allergens. The
section on exploring new ingredients is extremely helpful in understanding how
substitutes for the usual ingredients can be used. She offers information about
cooking and baking with alternative grains, milk substitutes and the like. For
someone who wishes to alter favorite family recipes this book is terrific
resource to have on hand.
The Gluten-Free Gourmet
Cooks Fast and Healthy - Wheat-free Recipes with Less Fuss and
Less Fat,
by Bette
Hagman, published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 1996.
Bette
Hagman is also author of two other books on the topic: The Gluten Free Gourmet, and More From the Gluten Free Gourmet. Bette answers 22 of the most often asked
questions about Celiac disease and her chapter on the weird world of gluten
free backing explains much about the various alternative flours and how to use
them in recipes. Also includes sources
for gluten-free products.
Recipes for the Ones You
Love – a ring bound compilation of 25 GCFC recipes by
Carolyn Lewis. Her proceeds go toward
the HOPE fund. Available through the
Sully’s Living Without Magazine.- This magazine is a lifestyle guide for people with allergies and food sensitivities. It
discusses a wide variety of health issues including allergies, food
sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivities, wheat, gluten, and lactose
intolerance, autism, ADHD, eating disorders, asthma, diabetes, dermatitis,
etc. It is published
four times a year by President /Publisher, Peggy A. Wagener. To subscribe contact Living Without,
www.livingwithout.com
Shopping
Grocery Chains
We
buy many of our foods at the newer grocery chains, such as Trader Joes and
Whole Foods, which offer a variety of health and gourmet type foods. Both of
these chains carry an extensive variety of gluten-free and dairy- free foods. They
also carry organic fruits and vegetables, both fresh and frozen and a variety
of meats which are hormone, steroid, and nitrate-free. Ask for assistance the first time you go as the
staff is willing to help you locate items that will meet your dietary needs.
Also ask for a listing of products that they carry. TJ’s has separate specialty
lists available for free.
Some
of the longer established grocery chains such as Dominick’s and Jewel, are
building their alternative diet sections and offer several pre-packages
items. You may also find some organic
foods and hormone-free meats. Items vary
by store.
Asian
markets are also a good source for rice based items in wide variety.
Health Food Stores
We
also shop at health food stores. Look in
your phone book for listings of heath food stores in your area and call to ask
what they may stock. Since health food stores are generally small, many of the
items you will find there are pre-packaged items such as cookies, crackers,
cereals and baking mixes. Most stores have a freezer case where you might find
breakfast food items and fruits and vegetables. The Fruitful Yield is a health
food chain in our area that offers a good variety of GFCF foods.
Some of Our Favorite GFCF
Items
EnviroKids
Cereals- Gorilla Munch, Koala Krisp, and Panda Puffs - Just like regular kid
cereal only healthier and even in a fun box!
Enviro
Kids- Rice Bars, available in chocolate and peanut butter
Trader
Joes’s Rice Milk and Soy Milk – many flavors
Tortilla
Chips (without coatings) - we love the organic varieties, especially blue corn
chips.
Savory
Thins - a rice cracker great for dips, parties, holidays
Blue
Diamond Growers’ Co-op Nut thins - several varieties, great crackers
Cybros
Mock Rye Rolls and Rice Rolls (available at Fruitful Yield) - tastes just like rye bread
Trader
Joe’s Gluten Free French Rolls – great hamburger bun substitute or sandwich
bread if sliced
Trader
Joes Brown Rice Bread- not chalky sandwich bread
Imagine
Soups - Cream of Broccoli, Corn, Creamy Portobello Mushroom, Potato-Leek, Sweet
Potato and Tomato
Soy
Delicious Soy Ice Cream – TJ’s carries chocolate and vanilla. Also available in other flavors.
Double
Rainbow Soy Ice Cream - Caution: Read the label. To be sure you have the soy
ice cream. They also make regular ice cream and the labels are very
similar.
TJ’s
Creamy Tomato and Red Pepper Tomato Soups – like Imagine foods, also terrific
Earth
Balance Natural Buttery Spread- Non genetically modified, expeller- pressed
oils (TJ’s)
Canoleo
100% Canola margarine (TJ’s)
TJ’s
Almond Butter- Creamy, Crunchy and Raw varieties (many sensitive systems can’t
tolerate peanut butter)
TJ’s
Sunflower Seed Butter- nice alternative to other nut butters
A Word About Bread
Many
GF breads are chalky and crumble or break easily. Or they may be heavy and gluey. We like the
varieties listed above for their overall taste and consistency. There are many
others available including bagels and raisin breads, etc. Try several to see what you like. Freeze GF breads or use them quickly. Defrost, slice and toast the rolls for best
use. We always keep the sliced loaves of GF bread in the refrigerator rather
than freezer. It can be very difficult
to break apart a frozen loaf without ending up with a pile of crumbs.
Pastas
Pasta
may be your first venture into GF foods.
It is an easy way to start. You
can make your own sauce or use a favorite from a jar. If you are making meat balls and add bread
crumbs be sure to use a GF bread crumb mixture found at health food stores, or
try crumbling one TJ French Roll, as we do.
It works wonderfully.
There
is a wide variety of gluten-free pasta available. We like quinoa and brown rice pastas the best..
They are very nutritious. You will also find corn and white rice pasta in all
your favorite pasta shapes and sizes, even as lasagna and manicotti noodles, as
well as spinach and tomato flavored pastas.
Our Favorite Pastas:
Ancient
Harvest Quinoa Pasta (available almost everywhere)
Trader
Joes Organic Brown Rice Penne Pasta
TJ’s
Thai Rice Noodles
Tnky’aya
pasta Joy Brown Rice Pasta with Rice Bran (health food stores)
Dairy Substitutes
Our
family drinks a variety of milk substitutes in place of regular milk. My
children both like rice milk by the glass.
We all enjoy soy milk in strawberry or chocolate flavor on our cereal, or
rice or almond milk. For baking we have found that almond milk or soy milk
yield much better results than rice milk.
These milk substitutes have a slightly heavier consistency than rice
milk.
A
decent milk substitute for morning coffee is Soy Silk. It has a nice consistency and flavor. If you like cream in your coffee, Soy Silk
also makes a coffee creamer for just that purpose.
I
am, admittedly, an ice cream hound, so I have tried many ice cream substitutes
to fill my ‘void’.
One
thing I do miss is the wide variety of flavors available in regular ice cream. However,
I have found a few soy substitutes that are quite good. My favorites are Soy Delicious and Double
Rainbow brands of soy ice cream. Soy Delicious is available in several flavors.
Chocolate Soy Delicious is dark and rich and Vanilla Soy Delicious is terrific
with fruit sorbet. Double Rainbow makes a vanilla/mango sorbet combo and Very Cherry
Chip soy ice cream that is as close to Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia as I think
I will get.
My
son loves Tofutti brand Chocolate Fudge Treats, as an occasional fudgesicle-like
dessert. They do however contain aspartame as the sweetener.
For
many, substituting cheese will be the bigger trick. We find that we have can easily live without cheese.
Our family has tried pizza made with soy cheese and a gluten-free crust. I
personally find it so different than that of my Italian roots that I would
rather just not eat pizza. My children, however, do like the GFCF pizzas as
well as any. Others I have spoken with on the GFCF diet have said that Tofutti
brand cheese substitutes are most like regular cheeses, and they offer many
different varieties of cheese substitutes. .
Basic Staples
To
get started you must have basic cooking staples covered to implement the
diet. Many of the canned or package
gravy mixes aren’t gluten free. Many have
wheat products in the ingredients. We use the soups listed above to make gravies
and sauces for dinner. Combine mushroom
and tomato with some spices and you have a great brown gravy base.
Butter
and most margarines are casein based. We
use canola margarine, olive and canola oils for cooking and baking.
I
hope these tips for getting started are helpful to you. Please let me know how they work for
you. Thanks! Gina
5/10/2005