Food & Drink

Allergy members - how do you shop for food?

Food & Drink

Posted by: looklively

4th Jun 2014 12:52pm

Can you talk me through how you go about food shopping for yourself or a member of your family that has a food allergy. Do you go to the local supermarket or specialist store? If a supermarket, do you buy from the health food aisle or regular aisles? Do you have to check every ingredient label or do products advertise themselves well enough? Do you have to buy specific foods? Is your food bill more expensive as a result?

Comments 82

lark_7
  • 10th Jun 2017 09:41pm

Hi , give yourself extra time to do grocery shopping as there is a lot of label reading to do . There may be some things in the "normal" aisles that will be ok but you have to read labels each time as if it doesn't state " ........."free they can change the ingredients . Unfortunately if you buy processed foods they will be more expensive than "normal" . We tend to eat the same.

Cminister
  • 11th May 2017 11:00am

I consider freshness and quality of the food.

Laura30692839
  • 9th May 2017 08:27pm

These are all such great questions. I have a Tree Nut allergy. I have had it all my life and its actually harder to shop and eat out now, that it ever has been. There are certain brands of foods, that i know i don't need to carefully check the ingredients, but it there has been a few cases where the supposed well know brand has slightly changed the ingredients and i have been caught out. Supermarket is a fine place to shop and i usually stay away from the health food isle, as there are usually more nut based products there. I find the bill usually is more expensive as i tend to purchase the whole/fresh/minimal ingredient foods. We do all eat the same foods.
My son (8m) has a Dairy and Egg allergy too. He predominately eats his own food, with a small mix of the same foods (pending the ingredients).

lark_7
  • 12th Mar 2017 10:14am

Read , read , read and then re-read , yes is far more expensive if you buy any processed foods or specialized breads , is much easier if whole household can eat same meals

rebelno
  • 24th Feb 2017 09:51am

My husband is allergic to peanuts and lactose intolerant too. I buy soy milk from the local supermarket. Thankfully it isn't like it was 20 years ago when I would have to go buy it from a health store at an expensive price. I don't buy peanut butter or peanuts etc. I don't find it expensive at all with a bit of practice it is easy. I still buy cow's milk for my coffee and he knows not to touch it. We have a great variety of meals, we eat the same meal as a rule, I don't want to cook two meals lol. I just have to avoid meals with cheese and cream which I would love occasionally but it doesn't worry me 99 percent of the time.

monicag8
  • 23rd Feb 2017 08:35am

You don't need to shop at a special health store to be healthy - the supermarket provides all you need in the way of food choice. Dealing with allergies is easy - you just need to find what you are allergic to and avoid it. Most people by large are allergic to wheat, yeast, sugar, peanuts... so what you need to do is shop for fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, meat or eggs, and nuts. It's easy.

healthy spread = honey, nut spread, tahini
healthy bread - make your own with corn flour and eggs
healthy milk = soy, rice milk, almond milk
healthy snack - dips made of chickpeas and lentils, nuts, rice crackers, corn crackers, fruit salad
healthy dinner - steamed/roasted vegetables, fried/oiled egg, raw/steamed salad, potato salad, meat and vegetables, soup
healthy drink = juice, apple cider,

MazzyJ
  • 31st Oct 2016 12:06pm

I'm allergic to Fish, Bananas and Lavender. So I don't buy fish and when I go to the fruit section I hold my breath until I am past the bananas or I will start dry Retching. If I have to go down an Isle that has lavender (Clothes soap, air fresheners, shower gels) I have to be quick their too and hold my breath too. Lavender give me badly infected sinuses and I end up on ant-biotics and can't drive for dizziness

Sparkkitty
  • 2nd Oct 2016 12:45pm

As I can't have coffee or angus beef/ non organic veal, I can avoid buying the coffee, but the angus and veal is harder. I usually end buying non angus (free range or from a producer) and veal I've found one producer so far. A side effect of this is that because I buy from the producer or a reputable source, when I am at the shops/ local butchers or Queen Vic Markets (in Melbourne) the quality of their meat doesn't match even close. Food bill's aren't more expensive, and I can eat the same as everyone else I just can't eat beef at a friends place unless they can confirm that it's not angus.

Jovid
  • 16th Jul 2016 06:25pm

I have a complicated medical condition called Fructose Malabsorption (FM). Most people know it as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and have a few issues concerning foods to eat. My issue means that I have heaps of trouble digesting not only Fructose but Fructans, Polyols (sugar alcohol - mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol, and Galactans (GOS) which are in everything fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices to some degree. When I go shopping it can be very frustrating and upsetting because there is virtually nothing for me to eat except for meat, which is highly expensive, and dairy. I am also a Type 2 Diabetic so I have to watch my carb intake. I am also allergic to seafood, so that is another food group less that I can eat.
I have to read every label very carefully for hidden ingredients like food enhancers 621, 635 etc. as these are another way of the companies putting MSG into our foods and artificial sweeteners. Just about every company that produces foods for main meals put in garlic and onions and tomatoes which I can't have at all. I know that these are the main flavourings; however, there are other forms of flavourings but who wants to go to the expense of looking into other people's suggestions and maybe coming up with new products. The big companies look for the cheapest way to produce their products to sell at high prices without even considering the people who have allergies or severe medical issues.
People who have no alternatives pay high prices for their foods like Gluten Free products or Lactose Free products. There should be little difference in price between Gluten bread and Gluten Free bread because buying bulk flours of either kind to make homemade bread is about the same price. Gluten Free products are higher in carbs so they are not really acceptable for Diabetics.
I have been researching for the past 2 years to find out if there are any Fructose, Fructans, Polyols and Galactans (GOS) in any sort of cooking ingredients for me to work out a diet and meal plan but without much success because all these so called dieticians and doctors only know one thing - the FODMAP diet. All they talk about is Gluten Free products, a little on Fructose and Lactose Intolerance and nothing on Polyols and Galactans (GOS) and when asked they tell you to follow the FODMAP diet properly. This FODMAP diet was first introduced by Monash University, here in Australia and although I think it is a great discovery for a lot of people, they don't break down the FODMAPs into what group it belongs to. They state that something is low FODMAP and it may be in some part but it is very high in another part. Example - Celery is high in Polyols which is very bad for me and people like me who are Polyol Intolerant but FODMAPs say you can eat no more than 1 stick. If you add that to a meal that also contains potatoes (Fructose), sweet potatoes (Polyols), cabbage (Polyols and Galactans) carrots (Fructose, Fructans and Polyols) peas (Fructose and Fructans) and mushrooms (Polyols) and then followed by some fruit for desert, I might as well go pick my coffin because I would have a severe long reaction to that one meal, even a small serve. Childbirth is easier to go through than the pain that just those foods mentioned would give me and I am not mentioning other fruits and vegetables on their own. Yes spices and herbs can be just as bad even used in very small quantities. The main issue I have is that I bloat and as I can't burp to clear it, it builds up to a point where it starts to squash my lungs and heart. I can't breath or walk. I have been rushed to hospital twice of suspected heart attacks but it was just the excess wind in my gut that was the culprit and once it was cleared, the pain went and I was good.
Yes, I have issues and I know how to cook from scratch and have done so all my life and I know how to adapt recipes to make them taste good but not knowing what is exactly in the foods doesn't help especially when you spend all day cooking only to find out that I can't eat more than 2 mouthfuls due to instant reactions. I used to throw the food out but now, I have a friend who lives alone and she takes my dishes and enjoys home cooked meals at least three times a week.
I have found a butcher who sells bulk quality meat for a lot less than the supermarkets. I can buy a large leg of lamb for less than half the price of the supermarkets. I have a greengrocer who sells or gives me parts of vegetables that I am able to dry and use in my cooking for flavour. I can't eat celery but a little bit of dried celery leaves gives me the flavour without the issues. I am only able to have 1 cup of a specific brand of coffee in the morning, a small cup of a certain brand of Iced coffee in the afternoon and if I'm lucky, I might be able to have a homemade style of hot chocolate in the early evening and that all depends on how my body is tolerating the foods for that day. All other times I can only drink water. Going out for morning tea or any other meal is nigh on impossible for me so I don't socialize much anymore.
My adult children have always called me a "fussy" eater due to my FM until recently when my eldest daughter started getting the same instant reaction and pain to certain foods like I do. My son is a qualified Head Chef and he even has trouble feeding me at times. His wife is Vegetarian so I can't eat her meals so when I visit, he makes 7 children's meals - 6 for his children (all under 10) and 1 for me. It works well.
I hope this is the kind of information that you were looking for. I know that there are many other people in this world with my type of issues and they too are looking for answers that they can't get, like me.
Joan Maguire

jjdrer
  • 14th Jul 2016 08:04pm

I have a nephew who has Coelic disease which means he is unable to eat anything containing wheat, rye, barley or oats. We also have to ensure that none of his food or drinks come into contact with any of those items. That includes even crumbs derived from those grains.
There is so many foods that contain these grains - some brands of potato crisps, some salad dressings, most pastas, sauces (including tomato, fish, BBQ,) wheaten cornflour, about 98% of cereals. We have to read labels every time we do the shopping. Something that was Gluten Free last week may now have gluten in it.
Some foods have "may contain traces of gluten" or other ingredients. That means they have been processed in machinery which has had food containing grains containing gluten in it. A cheap loaf of gluten free bread is mininum of $4.99 (and some of it is imported) and they are quite a lot smaller than standard loaves which you can get for $1.50 or less if you buy plain white bread for $0.85 for Coles brand of which $0.05 is donated to a Charity. A lot of chocolates have gluten in them and others have "may contain traces of gluten". It can be very difficult to get a meal when travelling or a dinner out as a special treat. A lot of places cook what is supposed to be gluten free in the same containers without cleaning them thoroughly first. Places that cooking oil often food containing gluten in the same vats, containers etc will cook what should be gluten free food. It is then cross-contaminated and could make the sufferer very ill. Stomach bloating, chronic pain, vomitting, spending hours on the toilet, headaches, muscle pain etc. Flour is used as a thickener in foods you would never imagine it being in. A lot of Gluten Free food used to cook meals from scratch costs as much as double the others, a few things are more than double. Even some sausages have gluten in them.

Sweeties
  • 8th Jun 2016 12:53pm

The most important thing is to READ LABELS not just once but EVERY time you go shopping. Manufacturers change ingredients without letting the consumer know so you could buy the product one week and then the next time it could have added allergens without warning. I only buy products that "may contains traces" of allergens if they are from Australia, USA or other first world countries. I often have to make variations of meals or two separate meals to accommodate allergies. I think very carefully about buying products from china etc as I do not trust their labelling of foods

Sjc
  • 4th Aug 2015 08:28am

Everyone in my family has some type of allergy, at any given time we have to manage a nut allergy, the celiacs, a lactose intolerance, a crustacean allergy and that's only immediate family. When we all eat dinner together or lunch we have found its much easier to buy a bunch of different salad items, a few types of cold meat, make sure that everyone has at least for things to eat, grab some bread (both gluten free and normal) and everyone can pick and choose their food. It works brilliantly!

EileenW1
  • 14th Jul 2015 01:50pm

I am allergic to several fruits and also eggs. I have to read labels very carefully when buying a new product or brand as even the smallest amount of pineapple , melon, banana, pawpaw, honey or egg can have me in agony, vomiting and or hives.
It is also embarrassing when invited to dinner at someone's house as I have to ask what is in the food. Thankfully most good hosts today always ask guests beforehand if they have any allergies or food dislikes.

Ziah
  • 28th Apr 2015 01:38pm

Background info: I am celiac. I also have a soy allergy, multiple chemical sensitivity (including things like fluoride, MSG, aspartame, acesulfame-k amongst others), diabetes, mild lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption and several other conditions. Hubby is lactose intolerant, is allergic to oranges and alliums (garlic, onion etc).

I am the main shopper. I shop at a lot of different stores, including supermarkets, health food stores, organic produce stores, online and specialist retailers. If I buy anything in a packet (rare) I not only read the packaging thoroughly every single time I buy it (because manufacturers repeatedly change their ingredients without telling anyone, and what was safe last time you bought it might not be this time. I'm looking at you, SPC Baked Beans!) but I often go online and look up whether a certain ingredient could be masking or masquerading as one of our allergens (eg "flavouring" can be a seemingly innocent term for MSG), and I also check for companies using environmental nightmares such as palm oil (among others). This can turn a shopping trip into an all-day thing, so it is incredibly rare I buy anything in a package, and stick to whole foods and chemical-free cleaning where possible. I spend the bulk of our food budget in an organic produce store, some at an organic butchers who stocks chicken (we only eat red meat about once or twice a month) and organic eggs, I cook everything from scratch, and I have allergy-free recipes for almost every packet food we've ever bought or liked (and I'm actively working on recipes for the rest).

Because of our dietary constraints, our food bill is equivalent to or higher than that of a family of four (or more), when there's just two adults. Plus, on top of all that, we have three cats - one of which has hyperthyroid and chronic kidney disease and often refuses to eat - so she ends up being syringed with organic baby rice cereal in lactose-free milk (which is upwards of $2.75/L), and she will not eat regular cat food (and we cannot allow her to starve herself. She's gone more than three days without eating anything, and she is at severely increased risk of a liver condition called hepatic lipidosis which can kill a cat inside four days without solid food).

Shopping or this family is often a full time job unless I stick to boring things like grilled chicken and vegetables every night and nothing but fruit for breakfast and lunch - and even then, it can still require visits to several stores and an hour's drive to the organic veggie store on a Friday to get everything we need for the next three days or so (organic veg don't last very long in the fridge)...I wouldn't wish allergy shopping on my worst enemy!

Jade Simpson
  • 8th Jan 2015 10:55am

It can be extremely frustrating and scary for my son as he has allergies to nuts, coconut, egg and sesame seeds. A lot of products have on the packaging stating could contain nuts, eggs etc. Why manufacturers don't make foods that don't contain these things in the food separately I fail to comprehend. My sons allergy is life threatening so we have to diligently check product labels.

juneebabe
  • 24th Oct 2014 06:40pm

I have an awful time with my small problem - nothing like peanut allergy but mine too is life threatening. I'm allergic to fish - I love it but when I eat it my throat closes over & I have to keep antihistemine on hand as I gauge the severity of the closing of my throat. I am also allergic to Pine & Macedamia Nuts - go figure. I do have Coeliac disease so there is now a lot of food I can't buy. I now have a Smartphone & have downloaded the Coeliac Society Ingredient List [that was something like $10 or so when I purchased it] & I've also downloaded the App "SWITCH" & this is a scanner App that scans the barcodes in the grocery shops to tell if it's gluten free or not.

candyb
  • 21st Oct 2014 11:09am

Hi!! I very rarely shop at the supermarket and when I do, I stick to the fresh foods and health food isle. I have a bad lactose and wheat allergy so I do have to check most products as it is shocking how many products hide these ingredients in them. I am generally pretty easy going as I stick to whole foods or make my own. I tend to shop at the organic grocer or at markets as they seem more trustworthy. I actually think that I spend less money than some of my friends despite eating a lot of organic foods, It is just me in my household but if someone comes over for dinner they tend to eat what I eat and never complain. I guess I have good friends and family who do understand so thats helpful!

subculture
  • 17th Oct 2014 02:59pm

My allergy is a really strange one - parsley. It is a nightmare when shopping for certain kinds of foods such as pasta sauce. My wife or I have to scour the ingredients of every kind of sauce in a bid to try and find one that doesn't have parsley. Luckily we know of a few that don't so we just try to keep using those ones over and over.

Instnx
  • 25th Sep 2014 09:04pm

Best to research online with ingredients you can intake then yes check product labels ingredients contained and warning notices. Health stores are fantastic but could be more expensive then a supermarket.

Bazz
  • 25th Jul 2014 09:40pm

It's actually easier than many people think, but it's expensive whichever way is chosen. We shop at a number of the best organic stores around. Buying the best fresh produce to begin with has always been what the "experts" on those cooking shows have recommended. It's easy to make tasty, healthy salads that everyone - allergies or not - can enjoy, without needing to check ingredients labels. Fresh organic whole fruits are also another food that will go down well for most allergy sufferers & some can be quite filling. This way everyone can enjoy the same or similar meals together.

Mhairi
  • 15th Jul 2014 09:28pm

I read labels, shopping takes longer than normal. If the package changes, the price changes in any way read the ingredients again. If you have a specific allergy - to yeast, gluten etc make sure you know the safe/unsafe food numbers as well. If you have a smart phone, record them in the note section of your phone - if not, write them out and take a photo.
In my house, normally we cook to suit the allergies but with some meals we eat different foods - pasta with different sauces, burgers with different fillings etc.
If this is a true food allergy (rather than a sensitivity) then read the labels every time you shop!!! Companies change recipes all the time without any information or indication.
Good luck and try to stay positive.

annie
  • 14th Jul 2014 08:20am

Hi My daughter has coeliac disease which is a problem digesting flour and wheat so she is on a Gluten Free diet.In most supermarkets there is a good range of gluten free breads and other foods that are available.The only problem I find is that they are a bit more expensive than the other groceries that are available.I hope this helps you.My daughter has been very good with this new diet she has had to start and is feeling a whole lot better than she did before.

Amdor9
  • 4th Jul 2014 04:40pm

My husband is allergic to chives so I need to check the ingredients list of any new products I purchase

toxicgherkin
  • 30th Jun 2014 11:49pm

My two children are nut allergic, mostly to different nuts, with peanuts in common. If I’m purchasing a branded foodstuff I haven’t purchased before in the local supermarket, I always check the ingredients listing. This takes me some time, especially trying to read all that fine print. My bill is the same regardless. I choose to host a nut-free household (save for the inmates!) so there’s never the case where separate meals are prepared. We eat together as a family. One meal to rule them all.

Anonymous
  • 15th Jun 2014 09:57pm

I am allergic to seafood, so i decided not to eat any seafood so i decided to eat meat such as beef, pork, chicken and lamb and i also eat some fruits and vegetables. So it's easy to shop for food you are not allergic to.

Anonymous
  • 15th Jun 2014 06:37pm

Hi. Since my father and sister can not eat seafood and shellfish we have cut it out of our diet. We buy lactose free products and mum buys herself soy milk because she is allergic to dairy. I am allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. We still go to the supermarket. We buy products from all the aisles at the supermarket including the health food aisle. Some products advertise themselves well but to be on the safe side we check the labels. Sometimes we have to buy specific brands depending on what the product is. We do not believe that our allergies do not cause our food bill to be more expensive. We blame the government for that. We mostly eat the same things though if mum and I want to eat a tin of tuna we can we just make sure to put the tin in a snack bag and in the bin. And sometimes for certain meals we cook different versions of it to make everyone happy.

Moi
  • 14th Jun 2014 04:46am

I have a son who strangely can eat peanuts without any problems, however is HIGHLY ALLERGIC to ALL OTHER NUTS!!
It really made life quite difficult as there are 'traces of or may be traces of nuts' in so many food items! Even items which wouldn't normally occur to one!
I have had to be very careful and am in the habit of reading ALL LABELS!!
Once I even found some Pumpkin soup which had 'may contain traces of nuts!!' who would have thought!!
As far as shopping especially for nut free items, I have found it is really quite simply up to me!! Health Food Shops were of no help at all!!
The bottom line is unfortunately one MUST READ ALL LABELS unless of course, the product has been bought before! It still amazes me how many food products have traces of nuts due to the machinery used in production!
As far as my son is concerned, a trace is all which is needed to send him into severe shock, needing to call an ambulance urgently!
You can only imagine how much of a nightmare it was when he was going to friends Virthday Parties or sleep-overs! Now that he is much older, he takes care and will know immediately if he has actually ingested any nut as he feels extremely Ill with a teeny almost invisible bit, so in this case he has to go to the bathroom and once he has been able to vomit, is relatively alright!
Going out is also a NIGHTMARE as one can ask the staff or even the Chef, to be told NO AND IN FACT THIS NOT CORRECT!!
I am sorry there is no simple answer to this extremely difficult problem when shopping!
Obviously if my son had some other kind of food allergy it may have made shopping much easier, although I don't know this for sure!! - NANETTE

soniak189
  • 12th Jun 2014 04:59pm

hi, I have allergy with canned tomatoes. when I prepare meals I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones. but these days tomatoes are very expensive. now I use fresh tomatoes everyday. I shop in supermarket.

jkl421960
  • 12th Jun 2014 09:25am

we have no allergies as such, but I have to check the labels on the food I eat in regards to charbs and sugars. I have type 2 diabetes insulin dependent, makes it tiresome, but worth it in the end.

ivory
  • 11th Jun 2014 05:10pm

It does seem that today everybody has an allergy or more! I didn't have any until recently. I have found out that preservatives, sulphites and sulphur dioxide gives me rashes. So I do try and stay away from these ingredients. I still shop in normal supermarkets, It doesn't take long to find which foods contain these items. So I know fairly well what foods I can eat and what to avoid. I do get caught out sometimes when eating out or shopping for food on holidays when I buy different products and brands to the normal. My rash reminds me if I forget to check the label first. Then usually I check the label later and will undoubtedly find the culprit. Sometimes you have to look for the numbers as well as know how manufacturers try to disguise these ingredients by giving them different names. So fresh is best. No worries there.

jatz50
  • 8th Jun 2014 11:49am

I have a food allergy to any sulphur foods which wipes out lots of fruit, vegetables etc. It is annoying as most recipes call for these foods. I find I can only have the tiniest amount. I find casseroles are the hardest because they use crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and for me that's a big overload of sulphur. I am astounded at how much sulphur is used in products. I've had the allergy for such a long time and I am still learning about what products I can't have.

Why is it all the foods you love like casseroles, lasagne, spag bolog all contains loads of pureed tomatoes and tomato paste.

For me I just tend to shop for products that I can have and when a recipe calls for a certain product sometimes I skip that out of the recipe. My husband eats it all and if wants a bit of flavour to a casserole he just adds his own Worcheshire sauce.

I wasn't born with this sulphur allergy so not sure what triggered it off. It was detected from when I was eating a particular food every day and since then I stopped eating that food straight away. Still love the smell though.

When a recipe does call for a sulphur vegetable, I will put it in for hubby and just leave out when dishing up for me. I am used to it all now.

Our neighbour suffers from an allergy and he now just buys all Gluten Free products. These days supermarkets seem to have their own GF products. I've seen them and seen that they are a bit more expensive for them. He says that Health Foods seem to charge too much and the supermarket is much more affordable for him. He also said that his food bill did cost more so he started growing his own vegetables and he seems to save more now at the supermarket.

Anonymous
  • 6th Jun 2014 08:09pm

Gee Whiz
  • 6th Jun 2014 03:10pm

We carefully read the labels on tinned and packaged goods. If they contain too many chemicals, or if we can ascertain they contain genetically modified food then they stay on the shelves.

magicnYs
  • 6th Jun 2014 03:02pm

My children and myself are not "allergic" to foods, but certainly intolerant to certain naturally occurring chemicals in foods. We found a lot of support from Fedup.com.au and from TheTrustedTrolley.com.au who both support minimal additive and preservative eating.
I buy most of our groceris at the supermarket and a health food shop where necessary (ie if Woolies is out of their sulphite free dessicated coconut I will get some from health food shop next door). With help from The Trusted Trolley I haven't had to read too many labels as I know what to buy now, but when there are new products out I often still check labels. Products don't advertise themselves well enough. Especially when they say things like no added colours and flavours and then they add a preservative like Sodium Metabisulphite which flares up my asthma. My food bill is probably a little bit more expensive, because foods without harmful additives/preservatives always cost a little bit more, but I'm happy to pay that price now rather than in my health down the track.

magicnYs
  • 6th Jun 2014 03:01pm

My children and myself are not "allergic" to foods, but certainly intolerant to certain naturally occurring chemicals in foods. We found a lot of support from Fedup.com.au and from TheTrustedTrolley.com.au who both support minimal additive and preservative eating.
I buy most of our groceris at the supermarket and a health food shop where necessary (ie if Woolies is out of their sulphite free dessicated coconut I will get some from health food shop next door). With help from The Trusted Trolley I haven't had to read too many labels as I know what to buy now, but when there are new products out I often still check labels. Products don't advertise themselves well enough. Especially when they say things like no added colours and flavours and then they add a preservative like Sodium Metabisulphite which flares up my asthma. My food bill is probably a little bit more expensive, because foods without harmful additives/preservatives always cost a little bit more, but I'm happy to pay that price now rather than in my health down the track.

koko
  • 6th Jun 2014 12:09pm

My son has an allergy to peanuts, so we have to read and check ingredient label whether contains or traces of nuts, specially for chocolates,biscuits and confectionery product.

lark_7
  • 6th Jun 2014 10:55am

Shop at supermarket and read and re-read labels every time I shop , sometimes they can change the ingredients in a product , allow more time for shopping , food bill is more expensive , especially from the 'health food 'aisle , Some things may say they are gluten free but have wheat in them , or oats or rye . It is a lot easier now than 29 years ago.I find that if I do buy or make a treat is hard for me not to eat in a couple of days :/ . Husband eats 90% the same but he has oats for breakfast and fish once a fortnight .

hoppy55555
  • 5th Jun 2014 08:40pm

Food is really very amazing . Do you know what it is like to never remember what you can or can not eat , For years all that I ever ate was very basic food .Grilled chops , mashed potatoes and peas . I had the misfortune of waking up out of a long coma , with my total memory wiped .It is worse when you have to think of how sick the food is going to make you . A allergy is only one aspect of what we can consume .

joylene
  • 5th Jun 2014 06:05pm

Hi everyone I am on a Gluten Free Diet, and my grocery bill every week is Massive. I am the only one in my household so it does male it easier for me when choosing food and cooking meals.

Gerry1945
  • 5th Jun 2014 05:25pm

I only went through allergies 45-50 for some reason but all ok now, the worst thing is trying to work out what some products contain. Such as cranberry tablets that contain yukky things like talcum powder, that they do not have to declare. Checking things is a pain....

wojo12
  • 5th Jun 2014 05:15pm

I am allergic to eggs, peanuts, tomato, MSG among other things. I am a boring shopper. I buy the same brands every time. Sometimes manufacturers and labellers (supermarket brands) can trick you by either changing the ingredients in a product, or in the case of the supermarket brand, they change the supplier but the packaging remains the same. Rarely do I experiment because I prefer my current health than adressing an alergic reaction. Shopping for one makes my method easy and convenient.

Ziah
  • 5th Jun 2014 04:56pm

I shop around. I cannot buy everything in one pace, but over the last 9 years of being celiac/gluten intolerant, I have learned that unless I want to bankrupt us, I have to give up a lot of foods. Take for instance pasta. A 500g bag of Balducci pasta was advertised at my local supermarket last week for 99c.A 250g box of gluten free San Remo pasta is $3.98 (the new Heinz GF pasta was on special at Coles this week for $3.00) - meaning 500g would cost $7.96 - or 8 times as much as regular pasta. Bread - aside from being pretty average tasting and almost useless for a sandwich (in both size and performance) is price prohibitive, with the average price of a gluten free loaf around the $7 mark and with only 11 slices in a pack. Biscuits - gone, cakes - gone. Not because there aren't nice-tasting gluten free alternatives, but because of the price and the far higher sugar/carbohydrate, fat and gluten-replacement ingredient content. Even muesli bars - the gluten free ones are far higher in sugar/carbohydrates (making them unsuitable for me as a diabetic) than regular ones. Even something as simple as breakfast cereal becomes a nightmare - none of the mainstream, affordable cereals are gluten free (not even rice bubbles or cornflakes!), and those that are gluten free are incredibly expensive as to become a rare treat. Porridge is out for many celiacs as we react just as badly to oats as to wheat, rye, barley and spelt (and all derivatives thereof) among others. I personally can't even use buckwheat, and corn must be used in small amounts too - so buckwheat bread and pancakes are out.
Frozen meals are out completely - none of the regular ones are gluten free, the gluten free ones are twice the price. Pastry - 4 sheets of GF pastry that is average quality is $10 or more, while 10 sheets of regular pastry is less than $5 in my local supermarket. Anything crumbed is out. Anything with a sauce is out. Anything with spices and flavourings is usually out, since they tend to fill them with wheat flour. Simmer sauces and meal bases are out, because they all use wheat flour as a thickener and other wheat derived ingredients for flavours, preservatives etc.
You become adept at reading packets - and even when you find something that is gluten free (by ingredient) you still have to read the label every time you buy it, because manufacturers change their ingredients without notice, and something that once was gluten free (SPC baked beans) may not be the very next time you buy it (they aren't anymore). Or, because it's all too hard, we turn to lean meats and fresh produce for the bulk of our meals - but of course, they're not cheap. There is almost nothing in my house that came in a packet (save for some GF flours and other baking needs, a couple of packs of spaghetti and macaroni for special occasions and some herbs and spices - and a whole mess of cat food). I make a lot from scratch - including tortillas and fettuccine, all casseroles and slow cooker recipes, all gravies and sauces.
It - being celiac - has forced me to become a better and more creative cook - but now, if we have people over, they can't even tell what I serve them is always gluten free, and often vegan and dairy-free, too. I generally cook the same meal for me and my non-celiac husband, but he gets to eat regular bread for his sandwiches, and regular crumpets as a treat - and what he eats when he's at work is his business :)
Oh, and the question about whether products advertise themselves well enough - sometimes they do, but strict celiacs still need to be vigilant because some products still contain gluten derivatives that we react to - like oats, glucose, xanthan and guar gum, buckwheat (only a minority), excess fructose, lactose and other proteins which a few celiacs react to just as badly as if it were a wheat bread sandwich. Many celiacs still don't know that there are a whole lot of other foods which cross-react in the gut of a celiac that aren't strictly gluten-containing products! (Source:http://simplygluten-free.com/glutenfreemagazine/learn/cross-reactive-foods-gluten-free-foods-that-mimic-gluten-and-make-you-sick/ and hundreds of other sites)
And here is a list of hidden gluten ingredients - http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/11764-hidden-gluten.html - it's everywhere, in everything, and hard to find unless you know what you're looking for....

Ziah
  • 5th Jun 2014 06:22pm
Buckwheat is a dreviative of Rhubarb (the flower.)(I have no idea why they call it that as the flower looks nothing like wheat at all If you have a look on google I think Freedom Foods guarantee...

Around 30% of celiacs react to oats in exactly the same way as wheat (which I already stated happens to me). Oats have a different gluten-like protein in them, but we still react to certified gluten free oats exactly the same as we do to wheat.. It's got nothing to do with cross-contamination from where they're grown, or how they're processed. The Coles GF pasta is vile, especially in comparison to San Remo. I've tried all the pastas on the market at Coles, Woolies, IGA and the Health Food store - and like I said, they're also cost prohibitive when the quality just isn't there. Have you ever tried the pasta your nephew eats? Do you know what the taste is like compared to regular foods? Being celiac is extremely expensive if you buy the gluten-free packaged food on a regular basis - and like I said, I've been doing this for nine years now. I do my research thoroughly. I test products, and when I can justify the price versus quality, we buy it. And that doesn't happen very often, I can tell you.

jjdrer
  • 5th Jun 2014 05:49pm
I shop around. I cannot buy everything in one pace, but over the last 9 years of being celiac/gluten intolerant, I have learned that unless I want to bankrupt us, I have to give up a lot of foods....

Buckwheat is a dreviative of Rhubarb (the flower.)(I have no idea why they call it that as the flower looks nothing like wheat at all If you have a look on google I think Freedom Foods guarantee their oats to be gluten free. They ensure that the oats they use are not grown anywhere near wheat or other grain crops. They use special machinery to ensure that. I think all that brand of food is Gluten Free but you would need to check that on google. Coles have their own brand of gluten free pasta. My nephew eats it with no side effects so it must be OK.

nightcarer
  • 5th Jun 2014 04:14pm

I struggle to buy foods to suit my tummy. I buy a few gluten free products and lactose free products but mostly I get food that has as little processing as possible. I find this is better for me but, yes, it does mean that I am paying more for my food. I guess its the price you pay for wanting to be healthy although I think its very unfair. Also I eat different meals to my husband so it works out more expensive.

kazza
  • 5th Jun 2014 10:20am

I am allergic to fish and shellfish, i have to check everything that i purchase to makesure that there is no possibility that it hasnt come into contact, but to be honest to be kn the safe side, i normally make as much as i can from scratch. its a pain nowdays as so many products now have some form of seafood ingredient in it,:- even products you would not expect

kazza
  • 5th Jun 2014 10:19am

I am allergic to fish and shellfish, i have to check everything that i purchase to makesure that there is no possibility that it hasnt come into contact, but to be honest to be kn the safe side, i normally make as much as i can from scratch. its a pain nowdays as so many products now have some form of seafood ingredient in it,:- even products you would not expect

Jezemeg8
  • 5th Jun 2014 04:09am

My daughter was born over 30 years ago and from the beginning it was very apparent that she had several serious food allergies (even when I was breastfeeding, if I ate something she couldn't tolerate, she would suffer terribly).
I had a very low income at the time so shopped as normal in supermarkets but I started to read EVERY label of everything I bought. It soon became apparent that the simplest way to avoid allergens was to make everything from scratch, It was also by far the cheapest way to go too, convenience foods are very expensive.

Now this daughter has two children who are both highly allergic to a variety of foods, some things one can eat but not the other, and some foods neither my daughter or her children can eat. My daughter too has discovered that it is far easier and less time consuming to make everything from scratch, shunning 'convenience' items like stock powder, etc, choosing instead to cook the 'old fashioned' way, much the amusement of her friends.

Sourcing food from health food shops is both expensive and may not help one avoid potential allergens, it is still essential to read all labels and carry along a 'decoder' for those items identified by numbers. I find it surprising that some food manufacturers think that by changing the name of an ingredient (for instance soy is often labelled as 'hydrolyzed protein') means that it is no longer an allergen.

As I was on a very limited budget when my daughter was young we all ate the same meals at the same time, my daughter learned to identify foods that may cause her problems and avoid eating them when she was out. Now my daughter is teaching her own children to do likewise, the family eats the same meal (as do extended family and friends when they visit), but the children are taught to identify foods which may cause them to feel very unwell. Fortunately none of their allergies are life-threatening, or need an epi-pen being at the ready, but they still have severe signs when allergens are ingested.

Jezemeg8
  • 5th Jun 2014 01:22am

My daughter was born over 30 years ago and from the beginning it was very apparent that she had several serious food allergies (even when I was breastfeeding, if I ate something she couldn't tolerate, she would suffer terribly).
I had a very low income at the time so shopped as normal in supermarkets but I started to read EVERY label of everything I bought. It soon became apparent that the simplest way to avoid allergens was to make everything from scratch, It was also by far the cheapest way to go too, convenience foods are very expensive.

Now this daughter has two children who are both highly allergic to a variety of foods, some things one can eat but not the other, and some foods neither my daughter or her children can eat. My daughter too has discovered that it is far easier and less time consuming to make everything from scratch, shunning 'convenience' items like stock powder, etc, choosing instead to cook the 'old fashioned' way, much the amusement of her friends.

Sourcing food from health food shops is both expensive and may not help one avoid potential allergens, it is still essential to read all labels and carry along a 'decoder' for those items identified by numbers. I find it surprising that some food manufacturers think that by changing the name of an ingredient (for instance soy is often labelled as 'hydrolyzed protein') means that it is no longer an allergen.

As I was on a very limited budget when my daughter was young we all ate the same meals at the same time, my daughter learned to identify foods that may cause her problems and avoid eating them when she was out. Now my daughter is teaching her own children to do likewise, the family eats the same meal (as do extended family and friends when they visit), but the children are taught to identify foods which may cause them to feel very unwell. Fortunately none of their allergies are life-threatening, or need an epi-pen being at the ready, but they still have severe signs when allergens are ingested.

niknik
  • 4th Jun 2014 10:13pm

Hi looklively,
I know what it's like to have intolerences, I always new i shouldn't eat gluten but i did anyway a year ago my little girl was constantly sick doctors had know idea we took her to a natrapath and whalla we have a found what was causing all the cramps, crying and bad behavior. Unfortunately it wasn't only gluten, its also lactose, sugar , preservatives and additives. It was a big learning curve for all of us and opened our eyes to what is in food.all the extras that we don't need. I do some health food isle shopping and i read every label. It doesn't matter if you have had it before always check the label. Ald's is a god sent the amount of products they have are great. No added preservatives, additives, sugar etc. Buying fresh fruit and veg all the time gets a bit picey howver it is worth it. You can't put a price on health either your own or some one in your family. Our whole family went on this diet seems easier for kids to give up the sugar i still can't quite get to that. (don't have much of it though). Depending on the degree of the allergy and cooking with other allegen foods the risk isn't worth it. I cook everything from scratch was buying glut/lact/sug free for my kids but it sent them . The cooking may take a bit more time but its all worth it!!!!

niknik
  • 6th Jun 2014 12:07am
My nephew's extensive tests in diagnosing Coelic Disease followed the results of gluten intolerance. It is hereditary. We are anxious his son may develop it. A friend of mine's husband has it....

My son has a bad reaction to geletin, as well as lactose intorent i found that he was lactose intolerant when he was only 6 weeks old, once again not from a doctor from a total stranger who walked threw the door at the doctors surgery. and the reaction from geltine was just incredible. My 7 year old was always a windy baby. Know one really understood why she cried all the time. yet she was my good baby out of the two. I wish i knew then what i know now. would of made life so much easier. That would of been hard on your mum with the lactose intolerance and there being no formulars. My daughters teacher bought me a book it has some great receipies in it I have tried to make my own bread and yeah it was a bit rough on it mind you i think i rather make bread then ever make a cake again my daughters cake was like a hard rock. I think a rock would of been softer.The book is called YUM top tips for feeding babies and kids with allergies. It has a recipie for bread i will try it out to see if it works. I found alot of breads have sugar in it i was quite disgusted to find that out. I find the gluten free foods depending on what they are last a little bit longer than others and they freeze reasonably well to. I think you can get the book on the internet and costs arourd $35 I was lucky enough that the teacher just gave to me she understands at how expensive the whole real eating can be. I'm still a bit naughty when it comes to sugar I OD on coffee at the start of year so i can't drink much if any coffee any more but tend to substitute for chocolate or tea mainly tea with a sugar or to I've cut down again I'M back on the green tea. Still have a little sugar in it but it also boosts my metabolism, energy levels and immune system but only drink it in moderation to. I suppose that s what it all comes down to is moderation. but reactions and allergies put your life in so much more perspective. The girl sounds like my daughter they tend to play on it all a bit however i know my daughter has terrible time contolling herself if she has something that she shouldn't. It is rare now for her to react she knows what she can and can't have so does my son he is only 5 he always asks if i made the food if isaid i didn't he won't touch it. Also a top tip if a child doesnt have a reaction to apple and mango juice they make great Icy cups for summer or if other children are having treats this is a great way to deter the bad eating habits. My theroy is 'get em while their young ' Helps them train to be healthy individuals in the long term (wish i new this growing up i wouldn't have had to battle weight for 30 years) I hope your blood pressure has fallen I haven't really taken into account of salt in veg and fruit very interesting mainly due to I have the opposite problem I have low blood pressure. I think my grandmother is gluten and lactose intolerant but she doesn't really want to know.

jjdrer
  • 4th Jun 2014 11:29pm
Hi looklively,
I know what it's like to have intolerences, I always new i shouldn't eat gluten but i did anyway a year ago my little girl was constantly sick doctors had know idea we took her...

My nephew's extensive tests in diagnosing Coelic Disease followed the results of gluten intolerance. It is hereditary. We are anxious his son may develop it. A friend of mine's husband has it. Their baby son has been tested and he is negative at this stage, but they were told by the specialist he could develop it later. I had lactose intolerance. Unfortunately my Mum was unable to breastfeed me as she produced no milk at all and formula didn't exist them.(I am in my 60s) My milk had to be boiled, left to cool and all the cream removed, then diluted and re-boiled etc.
Eventually I managed to tolerate milk in cooking. I now use Devondale UHT Semi-skim milk in cooking and can eat low fat yoghurt..(gluten free and gelatin free).....Do you make Gluten Free bread from scratch ? My niece tried it out wasn't very successful. (technically he is may nephew by marriage).
You are fortunate it isn't all types of sugar. I am supposed to choose vegetables that are low in sugar. Yes, that was a shock and eye opener. I spent hours on google doing research. The first few times I went shopping after I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance I spent a long time reading labels. Even some breads have sugar in them. I buy fresh vegetables with the exception of peas and beans. I find fresh ones very hard to find. They are snap frozen so have more nutrition than not-so-fresh ones. I know a now retired truck driver who at one stage was picking up and delivering freshly picked peas from the gardens and taking them only a few miles to a factory that processes them. A few times they were waiting for the next truckloads to arrive. He reckoned it was like driving in convoys. I agree that you can't put a price on health. I still have a teaspoon of sugar in a big mug of tea but I don't drink it very often. Sometimes I may not have one for a few weeks, then when I visit somebody that drinks it or they visit me I might have 2 over the space of a few hours.
Here's another shocker for you. On doing some research I found out that some vegetables (raw) actually contain salt. I was recently told by the Dr. that my blood pressure was higher than it was previously. I have to have it checked again next week......I know my high cholestoral is genetic. It runs in both my parents families, especially Mum's. There was a long record of heart problems in at least 2 generations. My Grandma and Mum were excpeptions to the rule.
The bad behaviour is interesting. There is a girl in one of our families that are causing a lot of frustration for the parents, school and grandparents (and me) at the moment. However she has partially admitted some of it is deliberate.

jjdrer
  • 4th Jun 2014 09:31pm

My nephew has severe Coelic Disease so cannot have ony foods containing gluten or that may have been cross-contaminated by other food at all. I buy some gluten free food when I do my shopping so that I have food he can eat when he and his family visit. I have to read all the labels carefullly because you expect to be gluten free aren't. e.g. there are biscuits and other goods labelled rice.......... Rice is gluten free but often they have other grains in them when you read the small print. Some thickeners and anti-caking ingredients have gluten in them. Some products are not labelled whether or not they have gluten in them. To my knowledge there is only two brands of chocolate sold in Australia that are gluten free. You can buy gluten free sausages and mince patties but you have to check the labels because the bulk of them contain grain. Gluten free food is very expensive. My nephew's grocery bill has increased by close to 30%. Some meals they all eat gluten free, others separate meals are cooked..
Some plain milk chocolates contain orange but they are not labelled at all. I recently spoke to a lady in a supermarket. Her daughter is highly allergic to all citrus fruit. She bought her some chocolate as a treat and it made her quite ill.
She rang the manufacturer and they admitted it had orange in it. When she asked them why the packaging isn't labelled she was told it was a small amount and they had been told they didn't have to including in the allergan contents list.

jjdrer
  • 6th Jun 2014 06:21pm
Hi Blossom,

I'd be interested to know who your dietician is, as most I have spoken to are not concerned at all about preservatives and additives.

To be perfectly honest with you I wouldn't recommend him. He was talking about artificial contents that don't even exist here in Aust. I was on the diet for about 3 months and started having side-effects which can be quite dangerous. I was told that by my GP, then 2ns dietician I went to and 3 nurses that I know.My insulin level hardly dropped at all. My cholesterol when from in the sizes to 11.4. The only good thing that came out of it was I did lose weight. He also doesn't have a provider number. He only saw me once (he said he didn't need to see me again)and for 2 weeks we communicated via email. After that he wouldn't respond to even one email on the last day.. He should have told me to go to the next step of the diet which isn't quite as strict after 6 weeks but he said nothing My Dr. said he isn't referring anybody else to him because one of his patients put weight on instead of losing it and when he saw her diet he wasn't surprised. The 2nd one I went to is connected to the Seaton Medical Centre. I saw her at the Garden Clinic on Henley Beach Road at Lockleys. She was horrified when I showed her the diet sheet.
There is another one, Dr. Sandra Cabot who I believe actually come/came from Sydney. She consults at some of the Better Health Pharmacies in Adelaide (or used to).
She has also written some very good books on some iilnesses. Last time I checked the Better Health Parmachies at the Target Shopping Centre at Fulham Gardens(on the corner of Valletta Rd. and Tapleys Hill Rd) and another one in the Adelaide CBD stocks her books. The Fulham Gardens Store actually had a better range of her books than the city one did at that time. I have moved from the Western suburbs to the Northern Suburbs so I no longer shop in that area. Her book on Insulin Resistance has recipes in it, so her other ones probably do too. I heard her being interviewed on talk back radio one night and people phoned in with questions. She recommended variations of diets and alternative natural supplements. She has her natural product based range. They also are sold at Better Health Pharmacies. If you manage to find her she can probably give you some suggestions and tell you where you can get her books, supplements etc. You might even manage to locate her via google details.
About the only real good thing the 1st one told me recipe wise that you can use zucchine sliced longwise instead of pasta, and finely chooped or grated cauliflower instead of rice. Rice is very starchy and high in "bad" carbohydrates which convert to sugar in your bloodstream.
I hope thise sketchy information helps you. I was diagnosed in Dec 2009 and a lot has happened since them.

jjdrer
  • 6th Jun 2014 05:46pm
Hi Blossom,

I'd be interested to know who your dietician is, as most I have spoken to are not concerned at all about preservatives and additives.

magicnYs
  • 6th Jun 2014 02:53pm
With my insulin resistance the dietician told me the only sausages he recommended were Angus Gluten Free Beef sausages. He was very anti artificial colours, additives and preservatives. No, I...

Hi Blossom,

I'd be interested to know who your dietician is, as most I have spoken to are not concerned at all about preservatives and additives.

jjdrer
  • 6th Jun 2014 11:08am
I buy it mainly ftom Coles, occasionally Woolworths.
Apparently Munno Para Foodland IGA has a very good range. I beleive the store is owned by the Chapley family so their other stores probably...

I reckon Romeos Foodland Stores would have a gluten free range too.
They have quite a few stores in Adelaide. I am not aware of any interstate.

jjdrer
  • 6th Jun 2014 11:05am
Hi blossom, Primo is inf act the bacon we buy. It is what it is REAL BACON. And it keeps well to. That is a pitty that your local fruit and veg Shop closed it will make it a lot harder. I dread the...

We don't have an Aldi in Adelaide yet. The first one is going to be built way down south at Seaford about an hour drive of Adelaide CBD. Lots of things at Aldi in Melbourne are lot cheaper than the supermarkets here. My niece and nephew went over there for a few days and came home with some bargains- food, nappy wipes and nappies. There is a large block of land a few km from my niece and nephew labelled to be a supermarket. They were hoping it is going to be a Coles but that before it was announced at Aldi is coming to SA. Apparently Costco is too according to a report on one of our TV "current affairs" programs a few weeks ago. It was announced that both their Distribution Centres are going to be in the same suburb at Regency Park which is mostly industrial. It is going to be very interesting if they are in the same or adjoining road. Apparently in USA at Costco you have to bulk e.g. by the carton. You also have to be a financial member. It is tough if your children can't eat natural red coloured foods. Yellow tomatoes are also less acidic too. You can reduce the acidity of cooked tomatoes by adding some milk if you can use dairy. Some people have severe peanut allergies when people who have eaten peanut in any form go near them. The school my great niece goes to has signs everywhere "Nut Free School". Unfortunately your children could develop a peanut allergy later. Coles have Gluten Free Cornflour. I haven't noticed gluten free custard powder at all. I shall check Woolworths out next time I go there. I have on about 20 minutes away. I shall have to go for a walk up there one day when the weather is nice and taking my pull-along shopping trolley with me. I am glad you can get Primo bacon. You can freeze it for a short time if you want to. It freezes very well. You can also buy Primo Deli Ham but preservatives could be an issue. The only problem is supermarkets won't guarantee it because of cutting other smallgoods on the same slicers. How big do yellow tomatoes grow ? I could try growing one in a medium size pot. I only have a very small backyard - one room wide and two rooms long. My clothesline is on one side and the HWS and Air Conditioner on the House wall. I would have to put it under a verandah but plenty of sun goes in there, otherwise next to an iron fence next to the HWS and it would get too hot and burn. Some years we have bad frosts so I wouldn't be able to plant one until about Sept. A few years ago we had bad frosts for about a week. Mum had a huge succulent plant that was supposed to be frost tolerant.
It went all black, slimy and smelt terrible. It hadn't been afffected at all. A friend of ours brought in his chainsaw and cut it up for us. The plant had a fairy thick trunk and was so full of moisture that it to be cut up in pieces about 10 -15 cm long otherwise it was too heavy for my Mum and I to lift. It was in well drained soil too. That year my brother was employed as a small truck driver and sometimes brought it home overnight. We had bring put cold water from insde to toss on the windscreen on the to thaw the thick ice. All our hoses were frozen, including the one under the verandah. We had a huge backyard back them so we grew most of our vegetables. Dad never planted tomatoes until about the 3rd week in Sept. as it was just too cold. With you family having so many allergies are you aware that cauliflowers and cabbages (especially) contain sulphur. To release the "gas" in them Mum was told to lift the lid a few times while cooking them. She used to steam a lot of our vegetables so the nutriment didn't go in the water and be wasted. Brussel Sprouts and Brocolli are in the same family so the same may apply to them. None of my family likes Brussell Sprouts. I will eat them if they are put on my plate but I don't really like them. I have to avoid vegetables in the "onion" family as I get severe reflux from them-often vomitting.

niknik
  • 5th Jun 2014 11:29pm
Looks like I research Bacon.....and Ham. It is a wonder my first dietician put bacon on my "allowed food" list . His diet was a bit wierd though. My insulin level dropped very little after 6 weeka...

Hi blossom, Primo is inf act the bacon we buy. It is what it is REAL BACON. And it keeps well to. That is a pitty that your local fruit and veg Shop closed it will make it a lot harder. I dread the day that happens here. I live in Kingaroy Queensland the peanut capital of australia. Lots of allergens floating around here unfortunately. I've
been lucky enough with my kids not to experience this allergy don't really want them to try them I know they've had a bit but don't want to push it to much due to their grandmother being very allergic to peanuts.
I heard that parmesen was in fact gluten free my kids still couldn't eat it. My daughter had icing sugar a week ago a mum did the right thing and made a gluten free cake unfortunatley i couldn't bring myself to tell her my kids were sugar free as well. Oh boy did I pay for it. The joys of food colourings as well.
I used for my daughters cake frozen berry custard just blended the frozen fruit then added it to the custard. Aldis have gluten free corn flour i was surprised when it said gluten free, it has no additives and preservatives either. I use it in every thing now, makes the best mushroom sauce. Macro is another great brand as well, for gluten free just got to watch some of the sugar levels and additive and preservitives and colourings but other wise they are great I found our local woolies sold bbq sauce I was hesitant at first because of the red tomatoes but that didn't have an effect. If you have a spare pot and get hold of yellow tomato plants they are the best it seems to be self thickening to makes the best saurces. all this makes me want to research even more into the products just so i know what could be effecting my kids. thank you Blossom

jjdrer
  • 5th Jun 2014 05:25pm
Hi Blossom,
Thanks for that. When you buy your nephews food where do you get it from?

I buy it mainly ftom Coles, occasionally Woolworths.
Apparently Munno Para Foodland IGA has a very good range. I beleive the store is owned by the Chapley family so their other stores probably have a good range too.
Drakes Foodland stores apparently have a range and have special tags on the shelves where the products are gluten free. As far as I know Drakes have 34 Stores in SA and one in Qld.

looklively
  • 5th Jun 2014 02:32pm
My nephew has severe Coelic Disease so cannot have ony foods containing gluten or that may have been cross-contaminated by other food at all. I buy some gluten free food when I do my shopping so...

Hi Blossom,
Thanks for that. When you buy your nephews food where do you get it from?

jjdrer
  • 5th Jun 2014 12:01am
I don't know if i could get the angus beef sausages here. we do have a butcher who makes our sausages unfortunatly they only have natrural flavour we have rosemary and spice but all natural and...

Looks like I research Bacon.....and Ham. It is a wonder my first dietician put bacon on my "allowed food" list . His diet was a bit wierd though. My insulin level dropped very little after 6 weeka of vewry strict dieting and my cholestoral went through the roof. I ended up asking for a second opinion.
There are a couple of smallgodds companies that make gluten free bacon and ham. One of them is Primo Smallgoods. I contacted them and all their products are guaranteed gluten free.
Without giving too much details unless you want to. what State and region do you live in.?? I live in Adelaide.
I mainly shop at my local Cole as I am not allowed to drive for other medical reasons and I go shopping on the council bus. Unfortunately the good Fruit and Veg, shop in the Shopping Centre closed a few weeks ago.
I check the health food aisles. I have found gluten free food in other aisles though, including various types of flour including cornflour. Even some Icing mixtures have gluten in them. It is only used by our family on special occasions. I also found Low GI Icing Mixture.
If you have other relatives that can eat commerically grated cheese or Parmesen Cheese some of them have gluten in them to stop it from sticking together.

niknik
  • 4th Jun 2014 10:47pm
With my insulin resistance the dietician told me the only sausages he recommended were Angus Gluten Free Beef sausages. He was very anti artificial colours, additives and preservatives. No, I...

I don't know if i could get the angus beef sausages here. we do have a butcher who makes our sausages unfortunatly they only have natrural flavour we have rosemary and spice but all natural and they come sugar free we have to pre order them. But the price is pretty good. Bacon is the worst for sugar content we can only buy one brand available that is sugar free. Silver side is loaded full of sugar as well. I don't understand why somthing that is corned and smoked has to have sugar in it. Thankyou for your feedback. I will keep my eye out for the angus gluten free sausages. Now i'm hungry and I don't have any sausges.

jjdrer
  • 4th Jun 2014 10:36pm
Hi blossom
It's nice to know that their is an allergy to citrus, people always looked at me strange and had a pretty good gut laugh when i told them I couldn't have citrus or anything that may...

With my insulin resistance the dietician told me the only sausages he recommended were Angus Gluten Free Beef sausages. He was very anti artificial colours, additives and preservatives. No, I haven't noticed the sugar in meat. I'll have to check that one out.

niknik
  • 4th Jun 2014 10:26pm
My nephew has severe Coelic Disease so cannot have ony foods containing gluten or that may have been cross-contaminated by other food at all. I buy some gluten free food when I do my shopping so...

Hi blossom
It's nice to know that their is an allergy to citrus, people always looked at me strange and had a pretty good gut laugh when i told them I couldn't have citrus or anything that may contain citrus. My goodness even the cleaning citrus sprays sends me. I thought i wouldn't pass it on to my children due to my allergy being caused from eating to much citrus. But it happened, neither of my children can have it. It was good to hear about the anti caking agent as well. We are a family of gluten, lactose, sugar, preservative, and additive free. We all did the same eating plan as it made it heaps easier than making all different meals. Have you noticed how hard it is to buy meat that is infact sugar and preservative free. I am petty pedantic about what i give my kids and infact myself ,didn't relise how horrible i was feeling until we started on this eating plan a year ago now i feel 10 years younger. You must be one of the best aunts out there Blossom to accomodate the needs of your nephew it is so nice to hear.My mother in law does the same makes visiting and sleep overs so much easier.

jjdrer
  • 4th Jun 2014 09:10pm

I have GORD, Insulin Resistance and High Cholestoral. I am unable to eat foods containing herbs & spices, have to balance my protein and carbohydrate nutrition levels to control blood sugar and insulin levels in my blood.. There are good and bad carbohydrates. You digest the bad ones too quickly which gives you a high quick burst of energy and then a long stint of tiredness. Some carbohydrates convert to higher sugar levels than others (you can look them up in google -carbohydrates in Fruit & Vegetables + other foods containing grain and dairy.. There is also lists of sugar and in raw fruit and vegetables...... I got a huge shock about the salt content in raw vegetables.
I have a slight allergy to sweetcorn and can only fully digest white milk in cooking such as porridge, custard and puddings. I can also eat a limited amount of Icecream and Yoghurt.

kaz007
  • 4th Jun 2014 05:45pm

I don't have a allergy but I do have Crohns Disease so I need to avoid certain foods . I find I have to read labels on some items before making a purchase. Reading labels I find can be difficult at times as the writing is so small .
I only eat small meals but do need to buy larger sizes of foods I know I can eat which is annoying at times and makes shopping more expensive as some food can't be frozen .

vedu
  • 4th Jun 2014 05:13pm

I am suffering from gluten intolerance since many years, , but I just realized it, so I stopped eating bread and cookies and all stuff. But I buy all this stuff from organic or health food aisle, coles and Woolworth. Its costly so sometimes I make them at home.you can get gluten free white flour and there are different gluten free flours available. You can make bread and cookies and whatever you like.i am from India and now I stopped eating wheat flour and started using rice flour and chickpea flour.you can make pancakes from it.hope this help you

Bettina
  • 11th Jun 2014 09:25pm
I live with my husband and his friends. Sometimes I have my separate meals but sometimes my husband has same meals.but he always want me to share bake items because he loves it.i make bakery from...

Some meals are shared by my family , others for example, pasta I cook my own gluten free noodles.

vedu
  • 6th Jun 2014 11:18am
Hi vendu, Have you a lot more energy i found that i did, who would think that this gluten could effect so many. I wonder how many people are feeling like we used to and just don't think it could be...

Hi niknik. Yes I do have more energy than before, plus now I don't suffer from muscles pain and joint pain around my hip and knee joints . Otherwise I had to do massage every night before going bed.and every night while cooking dinner I felt my legs are not with me.i thought it's because of my work, I am massage therapist, but after being gluten free even if do more clients still I am ok with my energy. I don't feel any ache o weakness or nothing.

niknik
  • 6th Jun 2014 12:15am
I live with my husband and his friends. Sometimes I have my separate meals but sometimes my husband has same meals.but he always want me to share bake items because he loves it.i make bakery from...

Hi vendu, Have you a lot more energy i found that i did, who would think that this gluten could effect so many. I wonder how many people are feeling like we used to and just don't think it could be all the gluten etc in food today. I have a of 4.2 kids and my husband and I. Hubby did the diet for about six months and he lost over 20 kilo's doing it and me to my kids have never been healthier unless they eat some thing they should which is very rare. My 5 year old son is finally growing at a normal rate. and my 7 year old daughter is learning. she was the main reason why we started this eating healthy and eating real food. I bake from scratch had a few disasters. All part and parcel. of it all .

vedu
  • 5th Jun 2014 02:55pm
Hi Vedu,
Thanks for response. Do you live with family, or share a house? If so do they eat what you eat or do you have separate meals?

I live with my husband and his friends. Sometimes I have my separate meals but sometimes my husband has same meals.but he always want me to share bake items because he loves it.i make bakery from gluten free flour or I buy it from stores.i am loving going gluten free.

vedu
  • 5th Jun 2014 02:52pm
Hi Vedu,
Thanks for response. Do you live with family, or share a house? If so do they eat what you eat or do you have separate meals?

I live with my husband and his friends. Sometimes I have my separate meals but sometimes my husband has same meals.but he always want me to share bake items because he loves it.i make bakery from gluten free flour or I buy it from stores.i am loving going gluten free.

looklively
  • 5th Jun 2014 02:30pm
I am suffering from gluten intolerance since many years, , but I just realized it, so I stopped eating bread and cookies and all stuff. But I buy all this stuff from organic or health food aisle,...

Hi Vedu,
Thanks for response. Do you live with family, or share a house? If so do they eat what you eat or do you have separate meals?

wendel
  • 4th Jun 2014 04:31pm

Lucky enough, no one in my family or friends has ever suffered from any allergies. It seems that nowadays this is happening a lot. What causes it? Why so many? How come many years ago we never heard of these things? Have they always been around? Must admit in my 59 years of living have never come across anyone suffering any such allergy.

wendel
  • 12th Jun 2014 03:25pm
It is true, now it seems many people have some sort of allergy or intolerance.In my case I have been diagnosed as celiac for many years.It is a lifetime condition. Our wellbeing depends on keeping...

Sorry to hear sufferers doing it hard as to the expense of having to purchase specialty foods for their conditions. I wish you all well.

Bettina
  • 11th Jun 2014 09:23pm
Lucky enough, no one in my family or friends has ever suffered from any allergies. It seems that nowadays this is happening a lot. What causes it? Why so many? How come many years ago we never...

It is true, now it seems many people have some sort of allergy or intolerance.In my case I have been diagnosed as celiac for many years.It is a lifetime condition. Our wellbeing depends on keeping avery strict gluten free diet.Unfortunately we have to spend double or even triple than other people.For example biscuits cost about $ 6-7 dollars, sliced bread $ 6 dollars.Coles and Woolworths store a good selection of free gluten food.

hoppy55555
  • 5th Jun 2014 08:44pm
Lucky enough, no one in my family or friends has ever suffered from any allergies. It seems that nowadays this is happening a lot. What causes it? Why so many? How come many years ago we never...

You are very lucky never to have any allergy's .

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