Kirsten - do you have a web address for that blog? I too, have toyed with cutting out refined sugars. Will see how I go with this first.

Libby - the good thing about this is it’s not quite as restrictive as gluten free. I have had days where I haven’t felt well but it’s passed. However, I do have meat to fall back on. You’d have been particularly limited in what you could eat dairy and gluten free wouldn’t you?

Wendy - Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of Thai. I do eat rice though so will be trying other rice products to see how I like them. The tricky thing is my mother can’t tolerate rice so I’m a bit mindful of that.

Amy - so glad to hear you’ve found a working solution for you. I’ve looked into failsafe before and found it a bit overwhelming. Will have to do some research into Amines and see what I can find out.

Lynette - thanks for the offer. Will let you know. Interesting the experience your in laws have had. I’d prefer not to have to go off dairy as well but I do have very little milk so most of my dairy is in the form of “processed dairy” like cheese, yoghurt and chocolate (I would not have survived so far without the chocolate!!!!). The cooking from scratch bit is kinda hard. Particularly things like church luncheons where I have to plan something I can take to eat.

Lisa - I’ll have to google Leanne Ely. Is she one of flylady’s team?

River - I might see if my library can inter-library loan that book. No postage costs that way. Thanks for the offer though. It does sound good.

Michelle - thanks for taking the time to share all of that. Will check out that website. Interestingly enough, the other day I had the smallest amount of wheat and ended up with a stomach ache. Kind of a gnawing feeling I used to think was hunger. I generally don’t get it now so it was more obvious when I did get it.

Kelli - thanks. will check it out.

Katrina - the problem is I don’t think they can test for intolerances. Allergies, yes but I’m pretty sure I’m not allergic (although I am allergic to wheat dust).

Katy - thanks. At this stage the rest of the family are eating as normal. I expect that naturally they’ll have a little less wheat as I’ll tend to avoid wheat in our regular meals.

Anyways, Lowan’s make a rice porridge with fruit which is quite nice for breakfast (or any other meal whenever we do a ‘whatever you want’ night. You can get gf flours in the health food section. I make my own bread. Coles (in Vic) have ‘The Real Bread Mix’ which is made by a company in Ballarat - Springhill Farms. I have used this to make scrolls as well (just use 400ml water instead and follow rising time, knead out, put ingred in - sweet chilli and cheese, vegemite and cheese, etc.; roll, cut into scrolls and bake for 20 mins, very yummy). They also do gf biscuits etc. The website is http://www.springhillfarm.com.au. They will post to you.

You can buy gf pasta, I just cook my amount gf and give the others normal pasta. Use rice, rice crackers, rice thins with toppings instead of sandwiches (my fave topping is sweet chilli philli with slice of tomato and avocado if I have it), etc.

But, basically, we eat fresh un-processed food like meat and veg/fruit. The supermarkets tend to have gf sausages, and I make my own hamburgers w/out bread mix, sometimes adding rice crumbs if I have them. It takes a bit of time to get your head around reading labels, but wheat is usually in bold on them. A lot of foods are starting to use maize instead of wheat, which is good.

Good luck. And it can be hard to get your head around it, but I sleep better now, and have more energy and no monthly pain. So it is worth it.

Didn’t realise I had written so much. Hope some of it helps.

“Foods containg this copper catalyst are, leeks, garlic, parsley, broccoli.”

Phosphorus is needed to combine with calcium in the metabolism of foods.
Foods containing phosphorus are, wheatgerm, wheatbran, oats, pumpkin seeds and wholegrains, brazil nuts and almonds being among the highest in content.

Did you also know that cabbage has about three times more calcium than milk?
If you’re planning a milk free diet, see if you can still have a small amount of cheese. Many people who can’t take milk can still have cheese and yoghurt, for their calcium. Parmesan cheese has the highest calcium content of all the cheeses. Buy it in block form and slice, shave or grate as needed. Don’t buy that awful smelly stuff pregrated and packaged.

I’m quoting from a book called The Natural Health Book by Dorothy Hall. You could probably find a copy through the library system in your area, or have your bookshop order one in if you want to read more.

I could even send you my copy which you could read (take notes, photocopy)and then send back to me. There isn’t anything in it for people who need to be on specific diets because of allergies, but still an interseting read.