ideas for cheap bulk protein and fiber with gluten intolerance?

hey guys,

so recently the doctors have put me on a gluten-elimination diet to see if some g.i. problem might be caused by gluten intolerance. they want me to try a week without gluten to see if my symptoms improve. if so, i'll probably get a blood panel to test for celiac's/ chron's, etc.

however, i'm a college student and there isn't a lot of access to good GF food here. I'm also hypoglycemic, so I need to have a good balance of carb/protein/fat with everything I eat or else I feel it about an hour later. i've also seemed to show a particular aversion to most types of lactose (except yogurt and some lower fat cheeses), soy, and most bean products. i'm struggling to find protein sources in particular without fatting myself out. I can only eat so many eggs/ nuts before I start feeling sick. Plus, I feel kinda wasteful throwing so many yolks away. My frugal background/college wallet doesn't like this!

I'm going shopping for like the 3rd time this week tomorrow. I'll post what I have, and what I'm going to get. If any of you have suggestions for CHEAP, easy access lean protein sources in particular, please let me know.

What I have:

-Grits
-Brown rice
-Olive oils, vegan olive oil spread, almond butter, various nut collections
-Rice cakes
-Low fat yogurt (straining it to make it greek)
-Flax seed
-Popcorn
-Potatos (sweet and white)
-Eggs
-Rice milk

What I plan to get:

-Rotisserie chicken
-Canned salmon
-Some more vegetables and rice cakes
-Some kind of powdered protein? (Maybe you guys can help me with this? I don't think whey will settle right with me, so that's automatically out...)

Thanks so much,

Eliza.

You don't need all that much protein in your diet to have a healthy diet.  If you alternate between chicken, eggs and fish you could probably do without powdered stuff.   Quinoa grain is a good source of protein.  It's a pity you can't eat beans... are lentils OK?  They're pretty good for protein and contain plenty of fibre.  Do eat the whole egg rather than wasting the yolks.  The yolk contains most of the iron in an egg and also some useful antioxidants.

In terms of cheaper meats... try things like turkey, pork mince or slow-cook, casserole beef cuts e.g. braising or stewing steak...   The beef has to be cooked in the oven on a low light for 2 or 3 hours but if you make a big pot at the weekend you can have it for a few meals. 

Most decent supermarkets will now stock a 'free from' range of gluten free products like pasta.  That could expand your choice.   If your diet is very limited I don't think there's much chance of you 'fatting'.  Just keep the portion-sizes sensible.

I am on a gluten free diet and I love the rice pastas, they have spaghetti, penne, and macaroni. They are really good and really cheap at walmart. For breakfast you can eat chex cereals all the flavors are now gluten free and rice crispies and frosted flakes. These are all cheap at wal mart. They have gluten free lunch meat now which is really good, there are a lot more choices now than there was when I was first diagnosed. Another one of my favorites is breyers all natural ice cream, the ones without cookies or candy pieces in them. They are sooo good and not too expensive.

Also with a gluten intolerance or allergy make sure you are aware of modified food starch or any kind of modified starches ( I found out the hard way) this is gluten just another name for it. Any soy sauces unless noted also should be avoided and not sure if you like it but sunkist soda is also a no no along with root beer.

I hope this helps you get some more variety, I went through the same thing at first but now there are a lot more options if you really look. Good luck and hope your symptoms get better.

I agree with Jane -Quinoa and Lentils-good protein sources. Lentils are cheap and you can add them to alot of things.

Quinoa can be expensive in the box. I buy mine at a Co-op-in bulk. It has tons of protein in it and is filling. Not sure where you live but the Hannaford/Shop n Save stores in the Northeast usually have it in bulk.

I also bought a protein powder that does not have whey in it that was 10 bucks at GNC. (I think it may be soy based though now that I think of it)

poohlover - Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies both have gluten (unless you are buying an off brand), they contain Malt, even Corn Flakes have malt in them.  Modified food starch is Gluten Free because it is derived from corn.  Soy sauce is ok as long as there is no wheat in the ingredients.  Soda is fine too, there is nothing in soda that has gluten in it.  You should check out glutenfreeliving.com.

naskigi - There's plenty of GF food in the supermarket.  Fresh stuff is your best bet, fruit, veggies, meat, all GF.  There are now a lot of GF commerical items.  Chex cereal has GF options and now Betty Crocker makes GF cookies, brownies, and cakes.

- Sardines, Mackerel, Tuna = you can get all of these canned and if you find them in olive oil, all the better (and tasty too! ah ha!)

- Oh and I have had canned chicken before (make sure it's JUST chicken breast, salt & water - Valley Fresh typically does that) and it's mad good! ha ha!

- Seaweed is another option! It's super healthy!

you can find coupons at muscle building supplements

Original Post by snoopini:

poohlover - Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies both have gluten (unless you are buying an off brand), they contain Malt, even Corn Flakes have malt in them.  Modified food starch is Gluten Free because it is derived from corn.  Soy sauce is ok as long as there is no wheat in the ingredients.  Soda is fine too, there is nothing in soda that has gluten in it.  You should check out glutenfreeliving.com.

naskigi - There's plenty of GF food in the supermarket.  Fresh stuff is your best bet, fruit, veggies, meat, all GF.  There are now a lot of GF commerical items.  Chex cereal has GF options and now Betty Crocker makes GF cookies, brownies, and cakes.

Many varieties of soy sauce have wheat in them.  Up here in Canada, anyway, the majority of them do.

As others have said, there's likely no reason to supplement your protein, unless you're seriously weight training or something.  Cottage cheese, chicken breasts, tuna, salmon, turkey, lean hamburger, lean pork cuts, peanut butter (nuts in general), eggs, and salmon are all sources of protein.  Some are more expensive than others, obviously, so check what's on sale in your local stores.  Do some flyer checking before going out.

We often buy seasoned chicken breasts at Costco, and they're great for a quick meal, or even doing up a bunch at once, then freezing for later.   I've found that canned turkey/chicken breasts are quite high in sodium.

To be honest, it's easier to eat healthy gluten free than it is to eat unhealthy.  That's because if you buy the "raw" ingredients and cook it yourself, you can avoid many of the hidden gluten/wheat additives in prepared food.

Clint