Special Diet (Gluten Free & Dairy Free)

[Hawkwind61]

I haven't seen that before! Thank you for the link!

[skymom]

I am on a gluten free diet. There's a gluten free shopping guide that I purchased and used religiously when grocery shopping. Takes alot of the guesswork out and having to read every label. They check with the manufacturers on gluten free products. Doesn't cover everything but it's the best thing out there I've found. http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/

[CampGirl]

We've split out many of our meals by diet:

http://www.packitgourmet.com/Special...Diets-c85.html

Currently we have them split by:

Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free

We didn't end up with very many vegan or dairy-free options but we actually have a lot of vegetarian and gluten-free meals to choose from!

[rambunny]

Just a heads up-when you are staying at a hostel that cooks for hikers -call way ahead of time and warn them.It is quite annoying when someone 10 min. before dinner tells you their special needs.Myself on thru hikes made alot of my meals ahead and dehydrated them. Try making an xtra portion of what you like at home for meals and dehydrate it.Good Luck.

[gtg]

I would second what Dogwood suggested as far as bars go. I have tried many of the same he mentioned and enjoy many of those brands when on trail. They are fairly calorie intense so i dont use them to much in everyday life but like them on trail. Like Dogwood I can say yum to the Larbar cashew cookie but not only were they yum for me on the trail but i found out the hard way mice seem to find them yum as well!
I have also used almond meal and almond flour and even almond milk in many recipes lots can be found on line this may be a doable option for any one with the no dairy no wheat issues.

[astrogirl]

I have celiac, and after being gluten-free for several months, I could have dairy again. I did do a trip without dairy though.

Some of my fave items:

Powdered coconut milk (wilderness family naturals)
thai rice sticks (many brands, soften up really fast)
instant rice
instant mashed potatoes
extra virgin coconut oil (I use nutiva - I can eat it out of the jar or add it to any food)
concentrated coconut cream (Let's Do Organic has no sugar added, I eat it straight!)
Lara Bars
Clif Nectar Bars (different taste and texture, about 5 ingredients)

I made coconut curries when I was still cooking. I'd whiz thai red curry paste and coconut milk powder in the food processor, put that in a freezer bag with instant rice or rice noodles, add dehydrated veggies and meat or add a foil pack of chicken instead of the dehydrated meat. Add boiling water and coconut oil in camp - it was super awesome!

[RockStar]

I have suffered from a broad spectrum of symptoms since I was a teenager. The severity went and came with the ebb and flow of the tide, or so it seemed. I would even lose hearing in one or both ears for a period of time and get double vision off and on, lasting for weeks. Finally my new doctor did a full set of labs on every function possible and found out I am highly allergic to cows milk and wheat. She mentioned that not testing positive for gluten intolerance didn't mean I wasn't sensitive to it, so she advised I get Gluten free things. Ultimately the allergies caused serious vitamin deficiencies, particularly Vitamin D and B12. Like magic all of the symptoms I had grown to accept as "getting older" or "genetics" vanished.

Im afraid of trying to plan a long distance hike without a dehydrator, having allergies that drastically limit foods I lived on during previous long distance hikes. SO, I'm glad this info is here!

BTW: My doctor suggested trying Organic Milk. I tried that and the symptoms were minimum, but built up over a week to prove I was better off with Almond/Coconut/Soy/Rice Milk.

[astrogirl]

One of my symptoms of gluten intolerance was tinnitus, and my ears did swell up sometimes. I and would *swear* my eyesight is better, but I haven't had that tested yet.

Also, what you want to try is not organic milk, but grass-fed milk, raw if you can get it.

[RockStar]

One of my symptoms of gluten intolerance was tinnitus, and my ears did swell up sometimes. I and would *swear* my eyesight is better, but I haven't had that tested yet.

Also, what you want to try is not organic milk, but grass-fed milk, raw if you can get it.

I will definitely try that! Thanks!

[mweinstone]

im a glutton for gluton. cant get enough. anybody know whats the highest gluton food?

[T-Dubs]

im a glutton for gluton. cant get enough. anybody know whats the highest gluton food?

Probably what you're currently eating.

And is glutton for gluton anything like coo-coo for Cocoa-Puffs?

[T-Dubs]

Probably what you're currently eating.

And is glutton for gluton anything like coo-coo for Cocoa-Puffs?

Rats...haven't sent in my editing fee yet.

http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/20...free-diet.html

[Jim Adams]

Megladon completed a thru hike in 2010 gluten free. He didn't have a hard time but he did have alot of food sent from home.

geek

[astrogirl]

im a glutton for gluton. cant get enough. anybody know whats the highest gluton food?

Probably Vital Wheat Gluten. This is made into a fake meat called Seitan.

It has rather the texture of lung, but some vegan/vegetarians seem to like it.

[girl81]

A year ago, doctor recommended that I remove two things from my diet--due to suspected sensitivities to those items: gluten (which would include wheat, rye, barley, oats) and milk products (including casein and whey). My health and well-being improved immensely when I made the dietary switch. And, I usually feel like crap once again if I eat any food products containing gluten or dairy. Thus, the doctor's theory seems to have some validity.

This summer, I successfully completed a 10 day 104 mile hike on Isle Royale (in Lake Superior). The hike was gluten-free and dairy free. HOWEVER, finding "hikeable" food for the journey was a bit of a challenge and a pain. I plan on attempting a thru hike in 2012--so I am starting to plan ahead now for the dietary issues. (I will be testing various food options on section hikes between now and 2012).

Are there any other people who go hiking on this type of diet (or who have a need to avoid even just one of the two items--gluten or dairy)? Are there any AT thru hikers or potential AT thru hikers on these diets? I would love to compare ideas and notes.

I am gluten free; feel free to PM me anytime. `

[lutefisk]

My daughter has celiac disease and she hikes with me quite a bit. Here's a list of some of the foods we rely on:

Thai Noodle mixes (better than ramen - Thai Kitchen has an allergen spreadsheet available. Most of their products are gluten free)
Rice and rice mixes (several flavors of Uncle Ben's ready rice are gluten-free - check ingredients. They are not dehydrated so there's a slight weight penalty)
Instant Potatoes
Grits
Rice Cakes
Corn Tortillas
Chex Cereals (corn, rice, honeynut, chocolate, and cinnamon)
Lipton Cream of Chicken Cup-a-soup
Supplement with tuna, chicken, peanut butter, bullion, seasoning, etc.

We've never done an AT thru-hike, but we manage pretty well for 4-5 weeks in the summer.

[oddbird]

I am glad a friend forwarded this thread to me. I will be doing a 2012 AT thru hike, and will be Gluten Free and Dairy Free. I have a sensitivity of about 5ppm, so I am concerned with cross contamination, and commercially available GF products. I basically live on fat, the more saturated the better. I love Ghee, which is basically clarified butter. The mil proteins have been removed. I also have a dehydrator that my wife has been experimnting with. We want to also make some pemicans and hard tack.
I will try and post my discoveries, and hopefully some new ideas will be thrown out there as well.

Cheers,
Oddbird

[astrogirl]

Oddbird - have you tried the Let's Do Organic coconut cream packets? I can eat those straight, they are so tasty.

What does 5ppm mean in practical terms? I have no idea what level of gluten causes me to become sick. The thing that seems to cause me the most crippling sickness is barley malt, for some reason. Luckily, that's less prevalent than flour.

[Pedaling Fool]

Oddbird - have you tried the Let's Do Organic coconut cream packets? I can eat those straight, they are so tasty.

What does 5ppm mean in practical terms? I have no idea what level of gluten causes me to become sick. The thing that seems to cause me the most crippling sickness is barley malt, for some reason. Luckily, that's less prevalent than flour.

That's 5 parts per million http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet It's a real issue for those that don't do these diets as a fad, rather as a real necessity.

[Pedaling Fool]

Oddbird - have you tried the Let's Do Organic coconut cream packets? I can eat those straight, they are so tasty.

What does 5ppm mean in practical terms? I have no idea what level of gluten causes me to become sick. The thing that seems to cause me the most crippling sickness is barley malt, for some reason. Luckily, that's less prevalent than flour.

That's 5 parts per million http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet It's a real issue for those that don't do these diets as a fad, rather as a real necessity.

AG, I think I misread your question, sorry. I think your asking how to determine food is gluten-free to no more than 5 ppm. The only way to do that is to buy certified gluten-free food to that level http://marvelousfoodco.com/fda-glute...ing-standards/ There really is no way someone can do that at home. And then you really don't know, because you're taking the word of the company and I would imagine it doesn't take too much contamination from other foodstuff to increase that above 5 ppm.

I'm not sure if anyone is really sensitive to 5ppm of gluten, whether that sensitivity be from an allergy, Coeliac disease or whatever. Personally I wouldn't worry about it unless it is a real medical condition and that medical condition/sensitivity varies between people.