Carb loading for coeliacs/gluten intolerance

CJBA (justgiving.com/Aspie-on-the-run)  Posted: 06/10/09 08:40:48 48

Recently found out that I've a problem with gluten, so now on gluten-free diet.  Relative newbie to running  but benched April / May / June due to anaemia.  Started back in July and did my first  HM last week. 

I'm running 4 times per week, concentrating on HM's at the moment and do the usual mix of steadies/thresholds/LSR's etc.  I'm aiming to increase distance eventually to full mara, but wonder about fuelling.

I know that I don't need to eat a massive amount of carbohydrates (certainly at the moment) , but I am finding it hard to find g-f alternatives.  I eat a healthy diet, fresh fruit, vegetables, pulses, beans etc, cook from scratch and am trying out various types of g-f bread, pasta etc.  I do tend to feel a bit tired (but on supplements re anaemia) and sometimes don't  find the g-f alternatives as sustaining as the "normal type" . 

Someone suggested adding oatmeal to smoothies (which I do), but just wondered if there's anything out there that I'm missing.

If anyone has any suggestions - I'd appreciate it.

Thanksimage

Comments

  • quinoa...fantastic protein, low glycaemic load carbohydrate, full of b vitamins and essential minerals and cooks in 10 mins.

    Look in Sainsbury's or Asda....they have a full range of gluten/wheat/lactose free foods on their "healthy foods" isle.

  • Thanks, I have quinoa and regularly buy those products, it's just that I don't feel that full after eating g-f bread/pasta etc in the way that I used to when eating "proper bread".

    Or is it just me?image

  • Doesn't quinoa look really odd when its cooked!!!!, although its nice to eat.
  • I have the same problem

    I live on Rice pasta instead of wheat based pasta and eat potatoes 

    The reason rice pasta doesn't make you feel heavy because your body isn't reacting to it.  It works just as well though and I tend to feel a hell of a lot better after eating that than eating normal pasta (which leaves me in absolute agony - so really, pain versus not feeling "full"...?)

  • Hadn't looked at it that way - I just felt that I didn't have the energy levels etc that I used to have, but that may be more the residual effect of the anaemia (not to mention ageimage).  Plus, g-f stuff seems to metabolise more quickly, so overall, it seemed to sustain me less.

    Still experimenting, so thanks for all comments.

  • What are you taking for anaemia?  If you have had blood tests and your levels are below 10 or 11, you should have been told to take iron tablets.  To build up iron levels, you take 3 x tabs per day (generally speaking) - to maintain it, you take 1 x tab per day.  Hope you aren't taking the liquid iron as this is only really fine for people who need to maintain.  Also, iron builds up 1 point a week if taking 3 x tabs per day - when you get to level 13 / 14, you start maintaining.  But it's better once you have had blood tests as the doc will tell you the best way forward.  They may probabyl also tell you to take 1 x 500mg folic acid tab per day as this helps your body to absorb the iron.

  • Fill up on fruit, especially bananas and pears, full of carbs, enough protien and lots of other good stuff. Try making a smoothie with fresh orange juice, bananas and a good handful of spinach and a bit of water. Sounds gross but you can't taste the spinach and the citrus and greens means you'll get all of the bioavailable iron from it and the bananas will fill you up for hours. You can use any tender young greens so if you grow your own you'll get more variety ( or have a farmers market nearby)
  • How about:
    Rice - I eat rice for breakfast (congee); usually have dal or curry and rice for lunch and often for tea too.  I also eat rice cakes and goat cheese as a pre-run snack.
    Quinoa - Good served with a casserole-type thing or in a salad couscous-style.
    Bread - Rye or sourdough.
    Corn - Taco shells (stuffed with chilli);  corn chips (nachos); home-made corn tortillas. 
    There's the Spanish kind of tortilla too - eggs and potatoes. 

  • PO - anaemia was luckily only borderline, so a few months on tablets sorted that out, helped by immediate move to full g-f diet.  I'd been basically wheat-free, thinking that cutting out the obvious culprits was sufficient.  What I hadn't realised  was that I was taking gluten in so many hidden ingredients eg stock cubes, soy sauce etc

    I'm now just taking mult-vit and calcium supplements and they are helping.  I also eat a lot of natural iron-rich foods anyhow, which also helps.  Am also (still) lactose-intolerant but I'm hoping that this will change in time. 

    Sunluvva - thanks for that too, I've got a juicer and make my own juice, take it when I come back from my longer runs.  I freeze a lot of fruit and use that in smoothies when out of season.

    PL - never tried rice for breakfast - that's an interesting one.  Love rye and sourdough bread, but think they're out as they contain gluten.  If you know of any that don't, then please let me know.  Taco shells are OK and I managed to get some maize flour yesterday, so can make tortillas.  We eat rice cakes, corn cakes but really love Corn Thins.

    Thanks a lot folks - all very helpful.image 

  • Sorry CJBA - I didn't realise rye contained gluten until I checked a few secs ago.

    You probably know that there are lots of other flours you can use to make bread, pancakes etc.  I use rice flour and ground lentils to make masala dosai and stuff them with spicy potatoes.  Mmmm mmm mmm. image

  • Dosai are my favourite - we used to go to an Indian restaurant that did dosais, uppathams (?sp) etc - loved them, prefer them to the run-of-the-mill stuff.

    Do you have a recipe for the dosai and if so, could you let me have it please.

    (walks off, drooling........imageimageimage)

  • I'll search the recipe out for your CJBA. image
  • Have you not had a masala dosa ever Plod? imageimageimage
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭

    What's a masala dosa?  Hubby has been diagnosed with Coeliac, so I'm on the hunt for any tasty GF recipes. 

    He got some really nice GF pizza bases from the nutritionist at the hossie a couple of weeks ago. Other than being crispier and a wee bit drier than "normal" pizza bases, you wouldn't have known the difference.  I was really impressed, especially having sampled the Glutafin bread he got on prescription.  Yuk!

  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭

    Should have said - the pizza bases were from a company called Juvela - they use Codex Gluten Free Wheat Starch which is basically wheat which has had the gluten washed out of it, so it tastes like real bread etc, it's just the consistency that's different.  Worth a look.

    (No, I don't work for them image)


  • http://gpraveenkumar.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/pic08331.jpg


    A masala dosa yesterday. image
  • Thanks PL, have googled and got a few recipes, but obviously, if you've got a tried and tested one....imageimage

    Moved to Hampshire 4 years ago and cannot find an Indian restaurant that does dosaisimageimage

    Lived in USA for a few years, at one point, in New Jersey.  Found a restaurant there, but in typical US fashion, it was miles away, so Friday night takeaway used to require round trip of just over an hourimage.  Worth it though, food was brilliant!!

    Nessie, there's another one just come out, it's called Genius, it's one of the closest I've found to "real bread".

     Genius gluten free bread

    I make my own pizza bases with g-f flour,  and use this cookbook a lot (pizza base p 44)

    the gluten-free cookbook

    Trying various bread recipes, but none worth eating  yet image.  I make cakes with g-f flour,  better if you add a bit of baking powder, taste like "proper cakes".   Currently looking into more uses of polenta.

  • I'll look for the recipe this weekend - I've not made it for a while for 3 reasons:

    It's not as good as a proper dosa although it's a perfectly acceptable home-made version because ...

    ... I don't have a dosa griddle thingy

    There's an Indian restaurant 1 min walk from my house which makes them as good as when I was in South India a couple of years ago. image

  • Parklife wrote (see)

    There's an Indian restaurant 1 min walk from my house which makes them as good as when I was in South India a couple of years ago. image


    Any chance that you could convince them that it would be a good idea:

    1. to extend home delivery to Hampshireimage
    2. to open up a restaurant in Hampshire (that also did home delivery)image

    Thanks though, look forward to it....imageimage

    Had  quick look around Tesco today, they've increased their range of Indian stuff and now have quite a good range of flours.

  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    CGBA - yes, he's tried the Genius stuff, and it is a lot better.  Must get him to check if he can get it on prescription - it's a tad pricey!
  • CJBA - my normal recipe is in a book I lent to my parents, hope this one is good - I'll probably give it a try this week to see if it works: 

    (Recipe is in non-British measurements as I think author is Canadian)

    1 cup urad dal rinsed and soaked overnight in 2 cups water
    2 cups water
    3 cups parboiled rice soaked overnight in 6 cups water
    Salt
    Coconut oil for frying

    Filling - 2 tbsp ghee
    1 tbspn mustard seeds
    1 tbspn fenugreek seeds
    2 finely sliced onions
    1 tsp ground turmertic
    1 tsp garam masala
    1 tsp asafoetida
    2cm piece ginger, grated
    6 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and roughly chopped
    1/2 cup water, salt to taste

    Blend drained dal in a food processor or blender, adding water to make a thick paste, repeat with rice and combine both + salt to taste, set overnight to ferment slightly.

    Filling - heat ghee, fry mustard and fenugreek seeds until they pop, stir in onions, ginger and spices and cook until onions are soft.  Add spuds, stir to coat, add water (1/2 cup), cover and cook on low heat until all water's absorbed - 5 mins(ish), add salt to taste.

    Heat large heavy frying pan until water dropped on it sizzles.  Add a smear of oil and pour a small ladleful of batter into the centre and spread in a circular motion until paper thin - I use a non-stick palette knife for this.  Cook until underside is lightly golden, plonk on plate and put some spud mixture in the middle before folding over.  Simples!  (Not)

    This recipe serves 8-10.  Hope it's good!

  • imageimageimageimage

     Funnily enough, that was always my favourite dish at the Indian I used to go toimage

    Thanks PL, that sounds great!!  We could well be trying that out later this week.

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