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Another good gluten-free pasta is Tinkyada Rice Pasta.
I did gluten-free for a while but wasn't desperate enough to make it work, particularly since I wasn't convinced the naturopath's test was anything less than hokey.
A bit down the road, I went to an allergist and was tested for the major allergens. Interestingly, I tested fine for most foods except tree nuts (almonds in particular) & dairy (specifically casein), which was exactly the opposite of what the naturopath found. My new naturopath told me to put more credence in the scratch test over the VEGA test.
At any rate, I went off dairy and tree-nuts for 8 weeks as suggested by the allergist. He was very clear that food allergies are difficult to diagnose and that elimination is really the only sure-fire way to know if you are allergic to something. Apparently eating something can trigger an skin reaction so just because you react doesn't mean you really are allergic. You need about 3 days to clear your system of the offending food so the 8 weeks is to allow your body to heal inflammation, etc that could be causing your problems.
If you are eliminating casein, any animal dairy is off limits. A lot of people think that goat's milk does not contain casein but every animal (including human) milk contains casein. I *think* different animal milks contain different levels of casein but they ALL contain it. Another thing to note is that a lot of "non-dairy" items (some cheeses, for instance) have casein added in. Same with some vitamins so you have to be really careful about reading labels if you're serious about eliminating dairy.
I found it took about 2 weeks to get the hang of the terms, etc and avoid accidental consumption (dealing with clueless restaurant staff doesn't help -- no, sir, flour does not contain dairy). My allergist said even with those accidents, at 8 weeks I could be sure but I went an extra 2 for my own security. I needed to know without a doubt that dairy and nuts weren't causing my eye problems so it was worth going 10 weeks. Dairy-free & nut-free were a lot easier for me than going gluten-free. There are some really good books out there for all of it though and if you are just testing yourself for 8-12 weeks, the public library offers a wealth of information.
Unfortunately, dairy-free & nut-free didn't change any of my symptoms. One tip (if you aren't going sugar-free too), when you go out to eat, carry some dark chocolate squares in case your partner decides to have dessert-- this way you get dessert too. Just be sure to read the ingredients before you buy. Cocoa butter is fine because it's not a dairy product but a lot of dark chocolates contain various forms of milkfat. Oh, and coconut milk makes a GREAT substitute in a lot of recipes. i made my chocolate chip bread with coconut milk and liked it so much that I'm going to continue making it that way.
p.s. beware of margarine too -- most of it contains dairy, even the ones made with olive oil. Earth's Best is vegan if you don't feel like reading the labels.
I did gluten-free for a while but wasn't desperate enough to make it work, particularly since I wasn't convinced the naturopath's test was anything less than hokey.
A bit down the road, I went to an allergist and was tested for the major allergens. Interestingly, I tested fine for most foods except tree nuts (almonds in particular) & dairy (specifically casein), which was exactly the opposite of what the naturopath found. My new naturopath told me to put more credence in the scratch test over the VEGA test.
At any rate, I went off dairy and tree-nuts for 8 weeks as suggested by the allergist. He was very clear that food allergies are difficult to diagnose and that elimination is really the only sure-fire way to know if you are allergic to something. Apparently eating something can trigger an skin reaction so just because you react doesn't mean you really are allergic. You need about 3 days to clear your system of the offending food so the 8 weeks is to allow your body to heal inflammation, etc that could be causing your problems.
If you are eliminating casein, any animal dairy is off limits. A lot of people think that goat's milk does not contain casein but every animal (including human) milk contains casein. I *think* different animal milks contain different levels of casein but they ALL contain it. Another thing to note is that a lot of "non-dairy" items (some cheeses, for instance) have casein added in. Same with some vitamins so you have to be really careful about reading labels if you're serious about eliminating dairy.
I found it took about 2 weeks to get the hang of the terms, etc and avoid accidental consumption (dealing with clueless restaurant staff doesn't help -- no, sir, flour does not contain dairy). My allergist said even with those accidents, at 8 weeks I could be sure but I went an extra 2 for my own security. I needed to know without a doubt that dairy and nuts weren't causing my eye problems so it was worth going 10 weeks. Dairy-free & nut-free were a lot easier for me than going gluten-free. There are some really good books out there for all of it though and if you are just testing yourself for 8-12 weeks, the public library offers a wealth of information.
Unfortunately, dairy-free & nut-free didn't change any of my symptoms. One tip (if you aren't going sugar-free too), when you go out to eat, carry some dark chocolate squares in case your partner decides to have dessert-- this way you get dessert too. Just be sure to read the ingredients before you buy. Cocoa butter is fine because it's not a dairy product but a lot of dark chocolates contain various forms of milkfat. Oh, and coconut milk makes a GREAT substitute in a lot of recipes. i made my chocolate chip bread with coconut milk and liked it so much that I'm going to continue making it that way.
p.s. beware of margarine too -- most of it contains dairy, even the ones made with olive oil. Earth's Best is vegan if you don't feel like reading the labels.
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