Gluten Free Tips - Wallingford,CT

google "Peleo diet" to get a lot of good information on gluten free living. I only eat meat, seafood, nuts, vegetables and fruits and some oils (coconut mostly). There are tons of different combinations and meal ideas. I always keep a handful of nuts and/or fruit handy to snack on and pass on all grain items at get-togethers and fill my plate with shrimp, sausages, veggies and fruits

here are some helpful websites you might enjoy:
http://everydaypaleo.com/
http://www.livingpaleo.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://www.latestinpaleo.com/
http://robbwolf.com/
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/
http://www.growinguppaleo.com/

Travel...check ahead for restaurants that offer a gluten free menu, or bring your own food. Ruby Tuesdays and Pizza Ranch both have gluten free offerings...fast food restaurants are pretty much out.

I don't eat food at other people's houses or at parties, but everyone knows why.

Lunches are easy. If you have gluten free bread (I prefer Ener-G light tapioca) you can still do sandwiches...Hellman's is gluten free, and so is Hormel Natural Selections lunch meat, and Land O'Frost bistro favorites, which I prefer. Tuna salad also works. You can find gluten free hot dogs, a lot of yogurt is, cheese, plain potato chips, and of course, fruit and veggies...and I've just described everything I eat for lunch.

Dinners...well, think whole foods. Fresh meat, fruits, veggies, rice, and combinations of the above in casseroles. I have a few great casserole recipes, if you want to mail me...also info on the meal in a pinch.

It took us a few weeks or maybe a month to really get the hang of the GF diet, but its not that bad once you get the hang of it. Of course all fruit and veggies are naturally GF, so cut up celery with peanut butter or cream cheese, hummus, we buy Udi's bread, and bagels, banana chips, dried fruit, popcorn, panda puffs, a lot of those puff type snacks are made of rice and are GF, we buy corn tortillas, but make sure the brand you get is actually GF, some have wheat. There are also rice tortillas but are a little tough. corn chips, taco shells, we buy Lundberg brown rice pasta. Whole foods is great for all things GF, but if you have a trader joes they recently did a major GF thing and have a list of everything they carry that is GF, and have signs up throughout the store... anyway, hope it helped a little. we are going to two kids parties tomorrow and for my daughter we are bringing snacks, and picking up a muffin or something from whole foods so she can eat it during cake time.

I would say to look for things that are naturally gluten free. There are a lot of things out there. I remember when my son had to go GF and it is very overwhelming, but really there are so many things that are GF. Try cut up vegies and fruit with some dipping sauces. If you also require dairy free it gets a little more tricky. Whole Foods has a lot of gluten free options. Ian's chicken nuggets (frozen foods section), Nut-thins crackers are great with a string cheese. Also, the quinoa pasta noodles are great and high in protein. I love the Pamela's baking mix that has all sorts of recipes for muffins, pancakes, cookies, etc. All of the above are staples in my pantry or frig. Hope this helps a little.

Is it ONLY gluten you have issues with? As far as traveling, there are tons of celiac websites that list out restaurants that have gluten free menus like Subway now offers gf bread, PF Changs offers gf fare. As far as going to parties or eating at other peoples homes, I always ask the hostess what I can help with so my son doesn't get left out, I offer to bring a lot!! As far as quick lunches, my sons favorite lunch to date is: Yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, crackers/chips, banana and a drink. Hope that helps.